 | "There's Justice In The Universe" |
| Posted 5/2/2007 7:13 PM CDT New Branch On Human Ancestral Tree: Scientists unearthed the remains of what they say is yet another new hominid, or human-like creature, in Kenya. The fossils were dug up from deposits which have been reliably dated to between 3.2 and 3.5 million years ago…… Kenyanthropus platyops - the Flat-Faced Man of Kenya - ……an entirely new branch on our early family tree. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1234006.stm Humans’ & Chimpanzees’ Common Ancestor: Anthropologists pin down the date when humans and chimpanzees split from common ancestor at 4.1 million years ago…. and estimate the size of the common ancestral population at about 65,000. The research group’s study also includes the gorilla, and the date when humans split up from this primate is 6.1 million years ago. http://www.nat.au.dk/default.asp?id=11992&la=UK http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-04/uoc--hff041106.php Evolution Humor: http://www.frankandernest.com/cgi/view/display.pl?106-10-02 http://www.frankandernest.com/cgi/view/display.pl?102-03-21 http://www.frankandernest.com/cgi/view/display.pl?101-05-13 http://www.frankandernest.com/cgi/view/display.pl?99-08-17 “Toba” Bottleneck: About 70-75,000 years ago an Indonesian “supervolcano” (Toba) erupted and intensified the existing Ice Age and caused humans to very nearly become extinct. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/09/980908074159.htm http://www.andaman.org/BOOK/originals/Weber-Toba/ch5_bottleneck/textr5.htm Lemmings Going Over Cliff Of Extinction?: Climate change could deprive these rodents of the snow they need for homes and lock up their food in ice….they are an important prey species for a number of predators such as hawks, grizzly bears, etcetera. http://tinyurl.com/2og42s Holocene Great Extinction: By the end of this century, fully half of all plant and animal species will be gone. During normal conditions, scientists recognize that “species continually disappear at a background extinction rate estimated at about one species per million per year, with new species replacing the lost in a sustainable fashion”…. BUT, the “current rate of extinction is 1,000 to 10,000 times that rate”. This manmade catastrophe shall be known as the Holocene Extinction….and is preceded by other ‘great’ extinctions over the last billion years caused by ‘natural’ events such as huge meteors, etcetera. http://park.org/Canada/Museum/extinction/tablecont.html http://speciesalliance.org/ http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Extinction Humor: http://www.frankandernest.com/cgi/view/display.pl?105-10-17 http://www.frankandernest.com/cgi/view/display.pl?102-05-11 Saudi Landbridge: Along a track close to the true route that Moses’ Exodus took to Mt. Sinai, a railroad is being built that will connect the Red Sea to the Persian Gulf (will cost $2-3 billion). Anything that promotes progress in this part of the world promotes peace. It’s also meaningful to remember that our hominid ancestors traversed the ‘Saudi landbrige’ over the eons of time…. though they followed the coastline. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-143870198.html http://www.saudirailexpansion.com/SaudiRailExpansion/inner.aspx?secserno=422&parent=420 Muslim Prayer In Texas Senate In Retrospect: Now that time has allowed passions to cool (e.g., Dan Patrick, a Christian conservative radio talk show host from Houston)… and some defensiveness to subside (i.e., Jewish Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano who invited the imam…. perhaps we’d better review, so as not to forget / Imam Kavakci of the Dallas Central Mosque opened the state Senate with: “Oh, Allah, guide us to the straight path, the path of those whom you have favored, not of those who have earned your wrath or of those who have lost the way.” [My Comment: This so-called “prayer” is pure Old Testament thinking / remember ‘the eye for an eye’, ‘stoning’, ‘etcetera’ mentality. And it’s in line with the literal definition of the word “Islam”, which means “Submission” (to God)”….it does not mean ‘peace’ as some ‘politically correct thinkers’ might like to believe. It’s appropriately ironic that it took a member of the “original” Old Testament group to invite the imam to highlight the ‘chosen people belief that many conservative Christians also believe…. which is only tempered somewhat by the New Testament.] http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA040507.13A.muslim_prayer.3222e88.html Hundreds Of USA Coal Mine Fires: The United States, with the world’s largest coal reserves, harbors hundreds of blazes from Alaska to Alabama. Pennsylvania, the worst-afflicted state, has at least 38—an insignificant number compared with China…across the globe, thousands of coal fires are burning. Nearly impossible to reach and extinguish once they get started, the underground blazes threaten towns and roads, poison the air and soil and, some say, worsen global warming (1% of global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels). http://www.smithsonianmagazine.com/issues/2005/may/firehole.php English Online International Newspapers: It is probably a very good idea for everyone to occasionally visit the online sites of a variety of newspapers printed in English from around the world. Some, like http://english.pravda.ru/ , are even amusing. Google “English Newspapers Online”. http://www.world-newspapers.com/ http://www.inkdrop.net/dave/news.html http://english.pravda.ru/photo/report/birmanian_lake-1717/1/ Statistics About the Internet: There are more than 1 billion internet users worldwide….. 15-30 billion Web pages…..more 100 million websites (3.5 million added last month alone / with new businesses and blogs being a huge contributing factor). The internet has doubled in size since 2004. Not surprisingly, a surge in demand for low-priced domain names has also been recorded. http://www.momentum-web-solutions.co.uk/news/websites-pass-100-million-milestone.php “Because we don't think about future generations, they will never forget us.” ~Henrik Tikkanen~ |
| Posted 4/30/2007 1:09 PM CDT Origins Of Google Began in Russia: One could argue the Internet "tsunami" that now is Google started with a very difficult decision by Russian Jewish parents to leave their native Moscow for a better life for their son in America in 1979. Their son was Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google. http://www.momentmag.com/Exclusive/2007/2007-02/200702-BrinFeature.html Geek Squad Vs. Death Squad: GoogleEarth satellite images help Iraqi civilians plan escape routes from dangerous Baghdad neighborhoods. http://www.gearthhacks.com/ten-things-with-Google-Earth/ Google Humor: http://www.frankandernest.com/cgi/view/display.pl?103-08-01 http://www.frankandernest.com/cgi/view/display.pl?103-10-21 American Terrorists In Iran?: Jimmy Carter’s former national security adviser, Abigniew Brzezinski, is drawing attention to claims that American military commandos are operating in Iran, possibly as terrorists targeting buses. [My Comment: No wonder Carter got into trouble….listening to guys like this conjecturing that we’d be targeting buses is scary…. a sensible thought would be that we’re scouting out the lay of the land for future military operations. That’s frightening enough.] http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/18/usnews/whispers/main2697402.shtml Geothermal Power Generation Beats All: Even though “a penny saved is a penny earned”, “a kilowatt-hour saved is far better than a kilowatt-hour burned”….. and the next best thing to conservation is that geothermal power produces a kilowatt-hour for only 4.8 cents & is cheaper than any other energy production source / plus it’s inexhaustible and clean. [My Comment: Texas does not possess any easily accessible magma field with the high temperatures required for electric power generation….but half a dozen western states do & that needs to be utilized, while Texans focus more on wind power. These 2 power sources cost less than anything else.] Sierra IGCC POWER PLANTS Are Good News: The EPA considers integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) facilities "one of the most promising technologies" for reducing coal's environmental impacts. Crushed coal is mixed with oxygen and water in a high-pressure gasifier to make "syngas," a combustible fuel that produces extremely low emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury, and particulates. [ My Comment: Since half the electricity in the U.S. comes from coal, we’d better get this one right. And it wouldn’t hurt to hold the patents on this technology either.] http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200701/coal.asp Where’s The “Conserve” In Conservative?: Bob Inglis (R-S.C.) says he pooh-poohed global warming until he visited Antarctica recently. Perhaps he and many other ‘conservatives’ are waking up to the correlation between “conservation and conservative” as economists warn that investing only $3 trillion annually worldwide now towards addressing global warming will prevent future annual losses in excess of $50 trillion by 2050. http://www.sierraclub.org/carlpope/archive/2006_03_07_index.asp Earthism Worshippers: Reverend Jerry Falwell has declared that global warming “does not exist” and that we are being duped by “earthism worshippers” who are agents of Satan….. while Texas Rep. Joe Barton says “that for us to try to step in and say we have got to do all these global things to prevent the earth from getting any warmer in my opinion is absolute nonsense. It’s not going to happen.” Mother Jones Conservativist Humor: http://www.frankandernest.com/cgi/view/display.pl?93-03-09 Cypress Mulch A “No-no”?: As the nation looks to invest billions in restoring coastal Louisiana, endangered cypress stands are being clear-cut to feed an unsustainable and unnecessary cypress mulch industry…. help stop destruction of irreplaceable cypress wetlands that provide important habitat for endangered species and valuable barriers to flooding and hurricanes by opting for other types of mulch. Consider asking your gardening center to order eucalyptus mulch for future seasons / eucalyptus wards off pests (other than this, the tree is considered to have few redeeming virtues in many environs). http://www.actionstudio.org/public/page_view_all.cfm?option=begin&pageid=7467 What Autism Epidemic?: The apparent explosion in autism numbers may simply be the unforeseen result in shifting definitions, policy changes and increased awareness among parents, educators , and doctors. Autism wasn’t added as a category in educational report data until 1991…and as services became more available and parents actually sought them out , instead of shunning the stigma of having an autistic child (30 years ago psychiatrists were blaming ‘refrigerator ‘ mothers for autistim), numbers climbed. Also, there’s some financial incentive…in some states, parents of autistic children can apply for Medacaid even if they’re not near the poverty line / a diagnosis of mental retardation doesn’t always offer this same advantage. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1576829,00.html http://capwiz.com/atpe/issues/alert/?alertid=9640371&queueid=[capwiz:queue_id] http://www.atpe.org/Advocacy/LAN/lan041707.asp TRS Pension Boost Held Hostage: The state House has passed a benefit increase for school retirees by a vote of 141 to zero….. HB 1105 would have the state pay for it by raising the state's contribution rate to 6.7 percent--the first increase since the state "temporarily" cut its contribution rate to the ‘constitutional’ minimum of 6% in 1995. That state cut has cost the TRS pension fund roughly $5 billion over the past 12 years, and it seems only fair that the state would finally start to make amends. But on the Senate side, Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock) is holding that increase hostage with his bill, SB 1846, which would shift costs onto current employees and their districts. http://tx.aft.org/ State Capitol Links: Click Here For Texas House of Representatives Web Site Click Here For Texas Senate Web Site Click Here To Find Information About Specific Bills Click Here For Texas House Speaker’s Web Site Click Here For Texas Lt. Governor’s Web Site Click Here For Texas Governor’s Web Site Click Here For Legislative Budget Board Web Site Congress Needs To Fully Fund Special Education: Congress has steadily failed to live up to its commitment to fund 40% of the cost of educating students with disabilities. In fact, the federal government currently funds only 17% of special education costs, forcing many schools to cut other programs in order to provide special education services as is “required” by law (another unfunded federal mandate). H.R.82/S.1159 bills have been introduced remedy this to put special education on the path to full funding by the year 2015. States with large influxes of illegal aliens have been hit the hardest because of increased costs in providing for their children’s educational needs. To support, click on: http://capwiz.com/nea/issues/alert/?alertid=8026446 Wit & Wisdom: It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you; it’s the things you know that ain’t so. Mark Twain |
| Posted 4/26/2007 11:46 PM CDT Caffeinated Kids: U.S. kids now drink more soda than they do milk. Along with increased coffee consumption, kids are being targeted by marketing ventures for even more caffeinated trouble (e.g., Cocaine Energy drink is hyped as “an alternative to illicit street drugs). Caffeine is a stimulant that is combined with sugar in sodas and chocolates. [Note: Caffeine was considered a controlled substance by the Olympic Committee until 2004.] Teenagers need at least 9 hours of sleep & grade schoolers 10-12, but few even come close…. sleep deprivation is only one of the side effects of increased caffeinization… and doctors are growing increasingly concerned. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/070415/23caffeine_5.htm http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/070415/23caffeine.b.htm http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-04-11-cocaine-drink_N.htm?csp=34 Insomnia??? : In order to get a good night’s sleep, remember: 1) keep a strict schedule (go to bed and get up at the same time all 7 days of the week); 2) the bedroom is for sleeping (no TVs, computers, blinking lights, etcetera); 3) if you can’t sleep, get out of bed (shuffle to the living room and read until you get drowsy); 4) eliminate caffeine and alcohol from your life and substitute daily exercise. [My Comment: Insomnia and habitual “lack of sleep” can be more serious than you might think.] http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-3097.html http://www.mercola.com/2003/oct/22/cancer_sleep.htm Perils Of Unused Vacation Days: Americans, on average, are entitled to fewer vacation days than workers in other industrialized nations. But “workaholic” Americans are notoriously lousy at using all their vacation time. Every year, Americans fail to use a third of the days they’re entitled to…and when they do take time off, it’s in spurts of less than a week. A long weekend is no substitute for a vacation…because it takes an employee at least 3 days before they even “begin” to relax / burnout and worse is the common end result. The Wall Street Journal Could Antidepressants Be A Factor In The Virginia Tech Massacre?: A variety of news sources have reported that Cho, the Virginia Tech shooter was taking antidepressant drugs…. such have also been used by the perpetrators of similar acts of violence, including the shootings at Columbine High School eight years ago. There are known links between antidepressants and violent acts. Research on the drug Paxil found that more than twice as many people taking it experienced a serious "hostility event" as did those taking a placebo. To read more: http://tinyurl.com/25mjp3 Cheerleading Most Dangerous Sport: Emergency room visits for cheerleading injuries have more than doubled since the ‘90s…. and accounts for more catastrophic spinal and head injuries than all other females sports combined… because cheerleading has become both highly competitive and perilously acrobatic. http://tinyurl.com/22oqz4 Cheerleader Humor: http://www.frankandernest.com/cgi/view/display.pl?89-10-12 More Corn For Ethanol: Anticipating increased demand for ethanol, American farmers expect to plant 90.5 million acres of corn in 2007, a 15% increase over last year and the most since 1944. The New York Times Organic Farming Gaining Ground: Research confirms that ‘organic’ farming produces higher yields than monoculture ‘agribiz’ farming does…. the plants may not grow as fast as those on ‘steroids’, but they have more time to absorb important nutrients from the soil. It also improves soil fertility and helps prevent soil erosion… while conventional farming has the opposite effect. And, importantly, it is more cost effective and, thusly, is resulting in a worldwide increase in all nations. [ Note: Animals raised the natural organic way are also more slow growing than those “raised” in what is, these days, the conventional manner. Their flesh also has more omega-3 fatty acids / corn fed animals have more omega-6 (not good).] http://environment.about.com/od/healthenvironment/a/organicfarming.htm http://www.organicconsumers.org/ Organic Milk Deception: There has been a continuing erosion of organic standards since large corporations started struggling for a share of the market….. the standards for organic milk have been particularly compromised. In fact, the problem has gotten so out of hand that the Organic Consumers Association has called for a consumer boycott on Horizon and its partner Aurora Organic, its first for an "organic" product. Wal-Mart is involved, too. http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/The-Deception-Behind--quot-Organic-quot--Milk-9444.aspx http://www.newstarget.com/021763.html Reading Eco-labels: These logos are not always easy to understand… and many times that’s on purpose when the company is being “creative”. For example, “free range” does not mean that the animals roamed grassy hills… it might only mean that it saw the sun for a few minutes per day. However, “bird-friendly” is a very meaningful and reliable label. To easily access 146 different labels, use The Consumers Union “Guide To Environmental Labels”: http://www.eco-labels.org/labelIndex.cfm http://www.eco-labels.org/home.cfm “Chernobyl” 21 Years Ago: The Chernobyl nuclear accident occurred on Saturday, April 26, 1986. The Russian Academy of Sciences found a dramatic increase in mortality since 1990 — 60,000 deaths in Russia and an estimated 140,000 deaths in Ukraine and Belarus due to the resultant radiation. The radioactivity in the damaged reactor will need to be contained for 100,000 years to ensure safety. [My Comment: Remember this when big business lobbyists push for ‘liquid coal’ and more nuclear power plants… which will be provided via use of excess heat from nuclear reactors.] http://environment.about.com/od/chernobyl/p/chernobyl.htm?nl=1 Hooray for the Texas House: The Texas House recently approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would require record votes on final passage of legislation. The amendment, if approved, would require record votes in both the House and Senate. If the Senate approves the proposed amendment, it will be on the ballot in November. http://tinyurl.com/2k6h5q Texas Legislature Session Ends May 28th Humor: http://www.frankandernest.com/cgi/view/display.pl?98-08-06 Wit & Wisdom: A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams. John Barrymore |
| Posted 4/23/2007 6:12 PM CDT Betsy Ross’ Grass-fed Beef (Granger): Central Texas offers locally raised beef that are NOT laden with antibiotics, hormones, and high levels of omega-6 fatty acids that corn-fed feedlot cattle are (and no with GM corn concerns either). Because there’s no hormones used, it takes longer to raise the animals…but they’re healthier and thus require no antibiotics….plus, the meat is lower in saturated fats (which means that the meat doesn’t ‘evaporate’ when it hits the grill, thus meaning that you purchase less bulk to begin with). [My Comment: Having raised livestock myself, I can say that raising animals the old fashioned way is more economical and healthier in every way. What we’re calling ‘conventionally’ raised animals and crops these days is a misnomer for the ‘agribiz’ way (the way that has even genetically modified soy bean plants to resist Roundup herbicide so that they can use it in crop rows……think of that the next time you eat tofu.)] http://tinyurl.com/32r7ar http://eatwild.com/ Moms-to-be Should Avoid Beef: Women who eat a lot of beef during pregnancy may be dosing their male offspring with hormones that will leave them infertile. Researchers blame the high doses of hormones given to U.S. cattle to increase their size…and this is just the “tip of the iceberg”. http://tinyurl.com/2zmgmk 2007 Ba$eball: During the 2007 season, 66 Major League players are being paid $10 million or more. The Yankees Alex Rodriguez @27.7 million & Jason Giambi $23.4 million & Derek Jeter $21.6 million. Associated Press Gay Athletes More Accepted: Nearly three-fourths of heterosexual adults say they would not change their feelings toward a "favorite" male professional athlete if the athlete revealed he is gay. http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/allnewsbydate.asp?NewsID=1193 Those Zany Foreigners: Our State department has some unflattering things to say about some countries American tourists might have wanted to visit: Qatar is where driving is participating in an “extreme sport”; Cyprus’ cabaret girls and bartenders conspire to fleece lonely patrons; Laos operates under a set of unpublished laws; and, Mexico’s process for reporting crimes is both archaic and exhausting…..read on: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17870454/ Wildlife & Wine corks: Many unique species of wildlife native to western Europe are dependent upon the existence of vast woodlands of “cork-oak’ trees (Quercus suber). And though these cork producing trees have been productive and protected for hundreds of years, they are now in danger because of the increasing popularity of plastic wine stoppers. Only if wine drinkers remain loyal to cork will these trees and the fauna dependent upon them survive the waiting intrusions of people. http://magazine.audubon.org/features0701/habitat.html Bush Deigns To Sell Off National Forests: For the second year in a row, the President's Forest Service budget includes a proposal to sell off 300,000 acres of our National Forests and public lands in 31 states to raise money for the federal treasury a scheme that puts “special places” in our National Forests up for grabs to the highest bidder. Another part of the Forest Service fundraising ploy calls for closing thousands of campgrounds, boat launches, and picnic areas. [My Comment: How is it that we have hundreds of billions of dollars to support an unpopular war in Iraq but not enough money to support our own populace’s best interests at home? It’s because the acreage in question is desired by Bush’s cronies.] To take action: http://www.sierraclub.org/ Sum Of Our Fears: Humans do a terrible job of judging risk..we systematically overestimate the likelihood of rare events and pay no mind to routine hazards. If parents were rational beings, they’d worry more about the family car (auto accidents are the leading cause of death in young children) than the exceedingly rare sexual molestation by a stranger (9 out of 10 children who are abused know their abusers). Yes, we should all be wary of pedophiles…but we need to have some perspective of where the greater dangers are at. http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070416/hayes Inequity Of Incomes In USA: Income inequality has risen sharply over the past two decades. The growing gap between rich and poor results not only from rising incomes among the well-off but also from a precipitous drop in income among those in the mid-to-lowest levels of the income distribution…. that immigration accounts for much of the problem for lower income groups. http://www.ppic.org/main/publication.asp?i=71 http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer?pagename=research_risinginequality http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/onset?id=75658&template=article.html Americans for Job Security (AJS) – a group that might better be called Corporations Influencing Elections. AJS uses a special type of non-profit status to conceal its funders while singing the praises of candidates it likes and dropping attack ads on those it opposes. AJS typically targets its six-figure – and sometimes seven-figure – ad campaigns at the most hotly contested Senate races and at presidential races. http://www.citizen.org/about/ http://www.citizen.org/congress/campaign/special_interest/articles.cfm?ID=16408 African Union: The 50+ countries of the A.U. all pledged to send troops to Somalia, but only Uganda has done so. They cannot stem the violence alone, especially as Ethiopia cannot stay (they’re Somalia’s ancient enemy). [My Comment: African nations need to finish growing up and act responsibly in handling their affairs as members of the world community. The current crisis is clear cut enough that there’s not debate about right or wrong… just whether to honor their pledge.] http://www.newvision.co.ug/B/D/547/1/11 Iranian Economic Sanctions: When economic sanctions are used on dictatorships (e.g., Saddam’s Iraq, N. Korea), it is the poor that are hurt the worst. Iranians believe we won’t attack them & Iran is not a dictatorship (it’s an layered oligarchy)…so economic sanctions are our best bet because its leaders have to “keep one eye on the mob”. Ahmadinejad hasn’t delivered on his campaign promises to put oil wealth on the tables of the poor….and while Iran is rich in oil, it has little refining capacity & they’ve had to start rationing gas (so, perhaps one item to withhold is gasoline?). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/simon_jenkins/article1596700.ece Wit & Wisdom: Rogues are preferable to imbeciles because they sometimes take a rest. by Alexandre Dumas |
| Posted 4/21/2007 7:05 PM CDT Sobriety Checkpoints: Texas Senate Bill 59 would give police the authority to set up temporary sobriety checkpoints (which have not been used since 1994 due to a lack of usage guidelines). Although Will Harrell (ACLU) criticized such checkpoints because “they will target minorities”, this bill actually establishes 12 standards for the police to follow. http://preview.tinyurl.com/25po9b http://www.lufkindailynews.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/04/11/sobriety_checkpoints.html http://www.statesman.com/news/content/region/legislature/stories/04/17/17drunkendriving.html Texas Ripoff: In Thursday’s Statesman --- “Texas halted a statewide rollout of call centers to enroll low-income people into state programs….. state officials announced that they are canceling an $899 million contract with Accenture LLP to run the call centers, manage the Children's Health Insurance Program and maintain TIERS” ….Texas Integrated Eligibility Redesign System. [ My Comment: I used to work for Texas DPW & still know a few people who work there….they knew that the call centers and computer system was being put in place as part of the government’s push towards privatization (hence resultant ‘cronyism’) & that it couldn’t work…plus, such a system would increase the state’s fraud rates. While this was being initiated, I was still teaching school and saw similar ‘cronyism’ foisting educational materials into the schools that weren’t needed or wanted. I could mention more about our increasing privatization fiascos, but suffice it to say that we’re doing a good job of catching up with the Russians in this regard.] http://www.statesman.com/news/content/region/legislature/stories/04/19/19human.html http://www.texasobserver.org/article.php?aid=2473 "THE GENERAL LEE": The original '69 Dodge Charger used in The Dukes of Hazzard made only one jump before heading to a Georgia junkyard (the fate of over 300 such cars). Rescued and restored in 2001, it was auctioned to an Ohio man for $20,000. http://aolsvc.timeforkids.kol.aol.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1609789,00.html Fugitive Aliens: The number of foreigners who have “ignored” orders to leave the country has nearly doubled since 2001 & now totals 636,000. Homeland Security has only 318 officers to track them down (giving each a caseload of about 2,000 cases). http://tinyurl.com/38ex8b Ted Kennedy Puts A New Dress On An Old Bill: Nearly all ‘open-borders’ members of Congress admit that the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 was “amnesty” and that it failed to slow down illegal immigration. The current bill being proposed is basically a rewrite of the 1986 bill that Ted Kennedy wrote (despite it being spun as “comprehensive immigration reform”). [My Comment: The current flood of illegal immigrants is swelling in numbers… that NumbersUSA.ORG has exponentially increased in size this past year is testimony to a growing concern among citizens.] To see which representatives signed a ‘no amnesty’ letter to House Speaker Pelosi, click on: http://www.numbersusa.com/hottopic/lettertopelosi.html http://numbersusa.org/index Women To Rule New Town: A newly-created town in China where women are the government and the slogan, "A woman never makes a mistake. A man can never reject a woman's request," is carved into the city gates. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2280783.html Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act: This bill would ensure that young Americans would be educated and informed with medically accurate information about abstinence, contraception and disease prevention. These programs will supply young people with the tools to make informed decisions, resist peer pressure, set goals, manage stress, be responsible, understand and accept diversity, build healthy relationships and have access to up-to-date information about how they can protect themselves against sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS. To take action: http://capwiz.com/advofy/issues/alert/?alertid=9572551 http://capwiz.com/advofy/issues/alert/?alertid=9572711 Kuwait & Daimler-Chrysler: Kuwait is the biggest shareholder in Daimler-Chrysler… thus making an auto company a “subsidiary” of Persian Gulf Oil. http://www.businessweek.com/autos/autobeat/archives/2007/04/the_countdown_a.html Oil Poses Security Threat: This week’s hearings before the House Selection Committee on Global Warming and Energy Dependence had a wide variety of experts (e.g., former CIA Dierector, Admirals, Generals, Foreign Relations officials, and environmentalists) all saying the same thing… that our geopolitical and national security posture will only grow worse if we do not act forcefully both to curb our dangerous dependence on imported oil and to reduce our emissions of global warming pollution / that aggressive regulatory measures to make vehicles more fuel efficient and to accelerate the penetration of renewable energy technologies is essential for our overall national security. http://tinyurl.com/3bzzj7 Increase Fuel Economy: America needs to cut its dependence on oil while saving money at the gas pump. Tell your Representative to increase fuel economy standards and support the Markey-Platts Fuel Economy bill (HR 1506) http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=Z8aQQdkEEHyYnI0-XsrUWg. Quote of Note: "What has allowed so many psychopathic personalities to rise so high in corporations & in government, is that they are so decisive. Unlike normal people, they are never filled with doubts….. |
| Posted 4/19/2007 12:59 PM CDT May Constitutional Amendment Election: Please vote FOR Senate Joint Resolution 13 . SJR13 would amend the Constitution to authorize the legislature to adjust the public school ad valorem tax or tax rates for taxpayers who are aged 65 or older, or are disabled, and who are owners of an exempted homestead. The amendment would thereby allow the legislature to provide tax relief to such elderly or disabled taxpayers who did not receive tax relief as a result of the school tax rate reduction passed in the 79th Legislature. http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/2007dates.shtml http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/2007conexp.shtml Nontraditional Online Dating Sites: ~ Make your next flight more interesting, and choose the person who sits next to you! Build a profile, enter your itinerary, match, and sit with them on your next flight! @ http://airtroductions.com/Anonymous/Login.aspx ~~Plus-size singles can form friendships and relationships @ http://www.largefriends.com/ ~~~Personals for those with sexually transmitted diseases @ http://www.stdsingles.com/ ~~~~A 100% free SciFi personals & social networking community site @ http://trekpassions.com/ ~~~~~Simply google: “nontraditional dating sites” for more. Swan Love: The love affair between a swan and a swan-shaped pedalboat in Germany has entered its second year. The swan, nicknamed Petra, apparently fell in love with the novelty tourist boat last year. When the boat refused to fly south for the winter, Petra stayed by its side. Fortunately, a zoo keeper provided her with shelter. And the love affair continues. http://tying-the-cat.blogspot.com/ Digital Music Sales: Buyers of digital music are now purchasing individual songs over albums by a ratio of 19:1. The Boston Globe Chinese Exports To E.U.: China has now surpassed the U.S. as the largest source of exports to the European Union. Chinese exports to the 25 EU countries last year totaled $255 billion, compared with $234 billion from the U.S. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/592b9ce8-d8c7-11db-a759-000b5df10621.html Watch "Planet Earth 2007: “Seven Ways to Help Save the World” Friday, April 20 on all ABC News programs and platforms. Texas Compensates Exonerated Inmates: Texas has exonerated & compensated 27 people convicted of commiting crimes (thanks to DNA testing) / and is in the process of improving the compensation rate (less than half the states do so). http://www.time.com/time/2007/exonerations/ Shingles Relief: “Tai chi” is a low-impact exercise (orignally designed as a martial art practice)… that now is found to be beneficial to those prone to shingles. Researchers found a better immune response against the virus that cause shingles in those who practice Tai chi than in those who got only health education. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/08/AR2007040800403.html The Global Environmental Facility(GEF): This is the biggest mechanism for financing clean energy in the Third World. It's entire budget is $200 million a year. Every one of the six nuclear power plants in the US authorized in 2005 by Congress will get a minimum $200 million in taxpayer subsidies. So, each plant gets as much as GEF's annual budget. http://www.sierraclub.org/carlpope/ North American Union (NAU): This would be a union of Canada, Mexico, and the USA. Bush Sr. referred to such when he worked to help usher in NAFTA, which Clinton succeeded in doing. It’s in line with our ‘open border’ practice. Global economic spheres of influence are perhaps eventually inevitable (e.g., European Union)…. and ‘genuine’ free trade would be desirable. But this should not mean that the elements of an international workforce should be able to freely violate the sovereignty of independent nations. [ I did not find a truly objective article on the subject.… so this is just my opinion.] By Me “Outsourcing” Humor: http://www.frankandernest.com/cgi/view/display.pl?105-04-16 Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone: rBGH is a genetically engineered drug injected into cows that is manufactured by the Monsanto Corporation. Repeated injections of rBGH artificially stimulate cows to produce 10% to 25% more milk than normal. Monsanto has been successfully pushing farmers to inject cows with rBGH since 1994. http://www.preventcancer.com/consumers/general/milk.htm “Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.” Carl W. Buechner |
| Posted 4/17/2007 3:38 PM CDT Austin To Limit Plastic Bags Usage?: Because less than 1% of these polythlene bags are ever recycled, 99% of them wind up in our landfills (where they very slowly break down and pollute our water supplies), our city council is considering an ordinance to limit their use. Paper bags that aren’t recycled and wind up in the landfill also create problems. Any reasoning that prohibiting the use of plastic bags (or even paper bags) will save petroleum and/or timber resources is faulty once you ‘crunch the numbers’ / the only thing that will do that is reusing/recycling/composting whatever kind of bag that you use. Personally, since I really like polyethylene bags, if they’re not provided, I’ll simply provide my own. You can’t beat them for convenience and durability. [Note: If everyone had been recycling them as I do, this wouldn’t even be a problem.] http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/04/17/17bags.html http://www.greenfeet.net/newsletter/debate.shtml Bachelor’s Degree Co$ts: The average length of time to earn a Bachelor’s Degree at a private school is 5.3 years…while it’s 6.2 years at a public college. [So, calculate this in when totaling future costs.] http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/articles/070408/16loan.htm Cut Costs For College: Consider taking your freshman and sophomore year course work (associate’s degree) at a local college before transferring to a 4-year college. It’ll give you two extra years to decide on a major, etcetera…. as well as save dorm costs and much of the grief experienced in transitioning from high school to a more adult setting. All too many college dropouts begin their downward spiral on ‘day one’ in their freshman year at away-from-home colleges. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/articles/070408/16albarran.htm College Humor:http://www.frankandernest.com/cgi/view/display.pl?106-10-20White-collar Workers: 30% still have private offices…. However, they’ve shrunk in size from 16x20’ to 8x10’. Business Week Stehpinkeln vs. Sitzpinkler: One highly controversial topic is the when & if men should sit down to urinate. In Germany, men are being shamed into it by a gadget (Toilet Ghost)… a voice-alarm that is triggered when the seat is lifted. Millions have been bought by wives and girlfriends who are tired of cleaning up after ‘stehpinkeln’ (word for a man who ‘stands’) / in protest, the German men use the word ‘sitzpinkler’ (wimp) for a man who ‘sits’. [My Comment: Because fragmentation of a stehpinkeln’s urine stream causes particles of urine to dissipate and the further the urine stream has to travel increases the dissipation radius, it’s virtually impossible for even the best master of eye-hand coordination to not leave evidence behind. So, if there’s no urinal to use and you’re indoors, good manners dictates sitting down (especially if you’re not home where you have an understanding with whomever cleans the toilet and bathroom floor). However, if you’re in a high usage public restroom where the seat is splattered from previous misanthropes, you raise the seat and the ‘stehpinkeln rule’ applies. Note: The biggest furor seems to come from men who feel feminized by sitting.]http://tinyurl.com/6vpbfhttp://www.mapsu.org/ Renewable Energy: The Bush administration is proposing to spend twice as much on nuclear power and fossil fuels than they are to develop renewables and energy efficiency. Currently, just four days of Iraq war spending equals the entire renewables and efficiency. http://www.citizen.org/cmep/energy_enviro_nuclear/renewables/ Illegal Logging: Free trade should not mean illegal trade, yet current trade agreements do nothing to stem illegal logging…. rampant illegal logging supplies China's voracious wood-processing industry with timber. Since China banned logging in its own forests, it has become the world's largest importer of tropical logs. Chinese wood products exported to the U.S. (e.g., Ikea, Home Depot, Lowe's and many others) are bought by shoppers with little inkling of the wood's origins or the environmental costs of chopping it down. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/31/AR2007033101287.html Old people: 5 million older Americans have not signed up for their Medicaire, Part D, drug plan --- they are old and confused. We are not going to grant them an extension. Note – However, 12 million illegal aliens are in the USA and are allowed to stay, attend schools, etc. http://www.medicarerights.org/ExtendMay15_4122006.pdf http://www.congressweb.com/cweb4/index.cfm?orgcode=rs&issue=6 Cancer Risk & Blood Sugar Levels: A study of 64,500 people in Sweden shows that women with high blood sugar levels are at an increased risk of developing cancer, a major European study finds. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6474295.stm Loss Of Ethnosphere: 50% of the world’s languages have been lost during the last generation. http://preview.tinyurl.com/2c6mtd “Life is short, but there’s always time enough for courtesy” Ralph Waldo Emerson |
| Posted 4/14/2007 10:20 PM CDT Pentagon Can’t Find 2.3 Trillion Annually: CBS news segment shows the Pentagon is unable to keep track of 25% of the money it spends (about $2.3 trillion annually). No one knows what this money has been spent on; there are no records of it….click & listen / read: http://www.mercola.com/2006/dec/14/pentagon-cant-find-23-trillion-dollars.htm http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/01/29/eveningnews/main325985.shtml Wartime Benefits Decrease: The number of wounded veterans who qualify for full disability benefits has declined since before the U.S. went to war. [My comment: We’re making our volunteer army make unwarranted sacrifices by downgrading disability ratings in order to help finance a war… a war perfidiously initiated as “Iraqi Freedom”…. What about American Freedom? How we treat our veterans clearly defines how we define ‘freedom’.] Look at the chart: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/070408/16va_2.htm Cuba’s Food Supplier: The U.S. is Cuba’s top food supplier. Congress passed a law in 2000 that authorizes the sale of food to Cuba, provided it pays in cash. http://deseretnews.com/dn/print/1,1442,660206302,00.html Botox Treats Depression: Botox doesn’t just relax facial muscles. Women who received injections report that their symptoms of depression melt away along with their wrinkles. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/532355 Math Profs Devise Lottery Winning System? : A syndicate of English university staff came up with a plan that relied less on chance to conquer mathematical probabilities in order to win the lottery there. They won 5,299,849 pounds (311,755 pounds each). Their system was that they put all 49 numbers in a hat and drew 8 times – leaving the 49th number in for the next draw, until they had 17 lines to use. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=412386&in_page_id=1770 Consumer Report Action: Cell phone companies use long term contracts with high "termination fees" (sometimes running to $200) to prevent you from leaving, rather than providing excellent service so you will choose to stay. It’s time to give you the power to walk away from poor service: http://cu.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=HUN_PetitionTheCellPhoneCompanies Plastic Bags: About 100 billion are distributed annually worldwide / and there has been a 95% drop in Ikea plastic bag use in Britain since they began charging for bags last spring…Ikea charges 5cents per bag in USA stores. TIME Avoid Polyethylene Plastic Shopping Bags?: Less than 1% of these bags are ever recycled and, therefore, add to our landfills… which, even though the bulk is not that great, contributes various long term chemical compounds to our soil and water supplies (both during production and disposal of polyethylene). Degradable bags that break down into smaller bits are not really any better for the same reasons --- NOTE: San Francisco’s ban on regular plastic shopping bags does correctly allow the use of “bioplastic” bags (that are truly biodegradable/compostable). [In my household, we recycle our grocery bags since it takes 91% less energy to recycle a pound of plastic than it does to recycle a pound of paper (it takes more than four times as much energy to manufacture a paper bag as it does to manufacture a plastic bag). Recycling plastic shopping bags is made easy for ‘us’ by simply keeping a 5-gallon plastic bucket in the pantry / if you wad each one into a loose ball and jam it in, they do not become entangled and extract easily if you want to use ‘just one’ & thusly they stuff easily into a bag when it’s time to transport your excess bags to the store to drop in the recycle barrel.] By Me http://www.answers.com/topic/bioplastic Recycling Humor: http://www.frankandernest.com/cgi/view/display.pl?106-04-07 GM (genetically modified) Corn: At least 75% of “processed foods” sold contain some GM ingredients, including common foods you find at the grocery store, like frozen dinners, breakfast cereals and cooking oils. Also, consider that 90% of the money Americans spend on food is for processed foods, and that you also likely eat in restaurants. http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=75058&m=1NIU319&c=eepddtxhprfgmgi Freaky Lab Animals: Researchers are putting human DNA into animal species’ eggs in order to study human diseases without using human eggs. Whether it’s just plain creepy or morally wrong, some scientists point out the risk of new viruses being introduced into human populations. Click below for the 10 freakiest: http://www.livescience.com/bestimg/result.php?back=&cat=freakylabanimals Ancient Proverb: We have not inherited the earth from our ancestors, we have only borrowed it from our children. |
| Posted 4/13/2007 11:32 AM CDT Halliburton’s Exodus / Cheney’s Lucrative Tenure: The bottom line in trying to understand the moving of Halliburton’s headquarters from Houston to Dubai is “the Justice department is reportedly investigating the company’s contracting practices, and criminal charges are not out of the question. If indictments were handed down, Halliburton’s top executives would be out of reach of U.S. law enforcement agencies, since the UAE has no extradition treaty with the U.S.” AND “When Dick Cheney was the elder President Bush’s secretary of defense, he began outsourcing most military support services to private contractors. Until then, the Pentagon handled those functions, but Cheney said they would be cheaper in the hands of private industry…..In 1992, Halliburton became the first company to be awarded such a contract” ….. Read more by clicking on: http://www.theweekmagazine.com/news/articles/news.aspx?ArticleID=2011 Beauty Queen Threatened: Doaa Fares, a 17-year old Israeli from a conservative Druze community, was thrilled to be chosen as one of twenty Miss Israel beauty pageant contestants… until a group of men were discovered plotting her murder because she was violating their social taboos. Two of the men were her uncles defending the family’s honor. [My Comment: This highlights the notion that some Muslims have not evolved even to the point of being able to accept the Ten Commandments. They display a zeal typical new converts.] http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article1489930.ece Egyptian Apathy: Constitutional amendments giving President Umbra sweeping new powers were approved in an election with less than a 5% turnout (legally, it is required that there be at least a 25% voter turnout in order to be valid). [ My Comment: Apparently, Middle Eastern allies can now add fraud to their love for democracy.] The Week Failed War On Drugs: African-Americans make up 15% of drug users, but account for nearly 75% of drug offenders sentenced to prison……read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-huffington24mar24,1,4064763.story?ctrack=1&cset=true Day Care Faulted: Children who spend more than one year in day care are more likely to have more behavior problems in school than other children. http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070326/SCHOOLS/703260390/1026 Iran’s Confrontation With Britain: No matter how seemingly stupid it was for Iran to have kidnapped British sailors, what’s perhaps more pertinent now is the realization that the warship guarding those sailors (HMS Cornwall) was ordered not to fire on the Iranians. British rules of engagement dictate restraint – which is just as well, considering that they’ve been reducing their naval force to a size equal to that of the Belgian navy… the Royal Navy of yesteryear is no more. [My Comment: This restraint reminds me of the fact that our Marines guarding the US embassy had their bullets taken away from them 3 days prior to the initiation of the 1979 hostage crisis… not reported in US media / but reported in Mexico’s national news when it occurred. Also, don’t be surprised if Argentina takes advantage of this in a renewed effort to reclaim the Falklands… which would likely succeed.] http://www.theweekmagazine.com/news/articles/news.aspx?ArticleID=2013 War Game’s Lessons Wasted: Current Iraq insurgency problems were clearly foreshadowed in 2002. Lt. Gen. Van Riper headed up the red team in futuristic war games. He quickly overwhelmed the “high tech” blue forces by using “insurgency” tactics. Instead of learning a lesson from this, Bush/Rumsfeld’s lackeys ‘ordered’ Van Riper to “play by the rules”. [ My Comment: This was during the ‘period of disinformation’ leading up to our invasion of Iraq … and continues.] http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070408/16military_2.htm Troop Deaths: Half of all troops deaths in Iraq have been caused by explosives plundered from Saddam Hussein’s weapons depots --- filled with hundreds of thousands of tons of shells, grenades, and other explosives that remained unguarded for months after the U.S. took ‘control’ of the country. http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2007/03/23/hussein_era_arms_linked_to_fatalities/ New Atlantis: New Orleans is sinking three feet per century. Currently, New Orleans, on average, is eight feet below sea level --11 feet in some places. [My Comment: Money spent rebuilding New Orleans would be better spent moving the people to above sea level locales. The fact that it’s been sinking has been known for almost a century. Within the next century, it’s guaranteed to become submerged… i.e., rising sealevels, subsidence, and increasing loss of wetlands.] http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/01/000121071306.htm Irate Over Perchlorate: This contaminant can be found in drinking water in 35 states, as well as lettuce, and other foods. It causes hypothyroidism, particularly in women, and harms fetal development. In 2002 EPA was ready to set limits on it before it was emasculated. This substance is so pernicious that even 1 part per billion is hazardous ….but Bush’s man at the EPA derides any concerns. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070408/16epa_print.htm Humor: http://www.frankandernest.com/cgi/view/display.pl?87-05-04 "Politics, noun. A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage." Ambrose Bierce |
Posted 4/10/2007 7:26 PM CDT
America As Mesoamerica In 2050: Current estimates by demographers put the number of people living in the USA at more than half a billion before 2050…. mostly from our population’s increasing fertility rate / due to immigrants…. as the current citizens’ birth rate is stable (births equals deaths). [ My Comment: The consequences are obvious to those who are ‘aware’ of the basics. Our greed is exceeded only by our laziness and/or ‘fear’ of becoming involved by ‘taking action’.….which is a ‘copout’.] by The Economist http://www.numbersusa.com/actionbuffet
Overpopulation Humor:
http://www.frankandernest.com/cgi/view/display.pl?96-12-18
“Toadzilla”: The largest cane toad (8 inches long & 2 lbs.) ever seen was captured in Darwin, Australia. This invasive & poisonous species is threatening many indigenous wildlife species
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6498137.stm
Happy Landing: A Chinese woman survived an accidental plunge off her sixth-story balcony in Beijing when she came down in a deep pile of human excrement. The poop was being cleaned out of a septic tank. The Week
Queen-size Beds: A University of Vienna study found that when men slept alongside their female partners, they woke up less rested and impaired cognitive functions. Their sleep expert said concluded that “ we were never meant to sleep in the same bed as eash other”. [ My Comment: Waking up less rested means that either the bed’s occupants weren’t “just sleeping” … or somebody snores, tosses and turns, etcetera. The sleep expert sounds sexually biased.] The Week
Ethanol: This may reduce our dependence on foreign oil --- but it increases our trade deficit & does nothing to reduce carbon emissions. It will also escalate food prices as long as we use corn kernels as a fuel source.
http://www.time.com/time/personoftheyear/2006/people/9.html
Cellulosic Ethanol: The development of technology for producing ethanol from cellulose sources (e.g., corn stalks, grasses) is the only way that ethanol can benefit the nation long term. It costs $2.50 per gallon to produce at its current stage of development. The use of corn kernels only produces slightly more energy than it consumes…and is only viable because of farm subsidies.
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/opinion/articles/070318/26edit.htm?s_cid=rss:site1
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070327113831.htm
Pope Benedict XVI: In his warning that Europe appears to be losing faith in its future and calling Europeans’ desire to have fewer children “dangerous individualism”, this ‘collectivist’ stated, “One must unfortunately note that Europe seems to be going down a road which could lead it to take its leave from history”. [ My Comment: This kind of thinking is as ancient and rigid as the medieval era was that propogated such archaic church dogma. We Earthlings need to move into the New Testament and beyond.]
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070324/ap_on_re_eu/vatican_pope_europe
Private Loans: Lending money to family,friends or strangers is a risky proposition. To help protect yourself and your relationships, utilize the online services of CircleLending.com, Zop.com, or Prosper.com…. after reading:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1601863,00.html
GoogleEarth: Tour of BioGems of NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):
http://www.savebiogems.org/googleearth/
Ecology Humor:
http://www.frankandernest.com/cgi/view/display.pl?105-09-14
“Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm”. anonymous
