Dos and donts
Do look regularly for bee colonies around your property. Honey bees nest in a wide variety of locations. They may nest in such diverse sites as animal burrows in the ground, water meter boxes, or in overturned flower pots. Sometimes honey bees may nest in the open trees or shrubs. Look for active bees and listen for a buzzing or humming sound in the ground, in trees and shrubs, or in block walls. If you find a colony of bees, consult the Yellow Pages for beekeepers or pest control operators who will remove it.
Do not pen, tie, or tether animals near known bee hives or nests. Keep animals away form apiaries and bee nests. Bees may seem docile at first, but don’t take chances.
Do not disturb or tease bees EVER, and do not try to remove bees yourself. Do not shoot at, throw rocks at, or pour gasoline on bee nests. This will only arouse the bees. Also, do not attempt to control them with aerosol pesticides.
Do keep pets and children indoors when using weed eaters, hedge clippers, tractors, power mowers, chain saws, etc. Honey bees are sensitive to odors, such as the smell of cut grass, and to loud vibrations. Attacks frequently occur when a person is mowing the lawn or pruning shrubs and trees and inadvertently strikes a bee nest.
Do keep dogs under control when hiking. A dog bounding through the brush is more likely to disturb bees than one following quietly at your heels.
Do stay alert when horse-back riding through brush or under low hanging branches where bees might nest.
What to do if attacked:
1. RUN away quickly. Do not stop to help others. However, small children and the disabled may need some assistance.
2. As you are running, pull your shirt up over your head to protect your face, but make sure it does not slow your progress. This will help keep the bees from targeting the sensitive areas around your head and eyes.
3. Continue to RUN. Do not stop running until you reach shelter, such as a vehicle or building. A few bees may follow you indoors. However, if you run to a well-lit area, the bees will tend to become confused and fly to windows. Do not jump into water! The bees will wait for you to come up for air. If you are trapped for some reason, cover up with blankets, sleeping bags, clothes, or whatever else is immediately available.
4. Do not swat at the bees or flail your arms. Bees are attracted to movement and crushed bees emit a smell that will attract more bees.
5. Once you have reached shelter or have outrun the bees, remove all stingers. When a honey bees stings, it leaves its stinger in the skin. This kills the honey bee so it can’t sting again, but it also means that venom continues to enter into the wound for a short time.
6. Do not pull stingers out with tweezers or your fingers. This will only squeeze more venom into the wound. Instead, scrape the stinger out sideways using your fingernail, the edge of a credit card, a dull knife blade or other straight-edged object.
7. If you see someone being attacked by bees, encourage them to run away or seek shelter. Do not attempt to rescue them yourself. Call 911 to report a serious stinging attack. The emergency response personnel in your area have probably been trained to handle bee attacks.
8. If you have been stung more than 15 times, or are feeling ill, or if you have any reason to believe you may be allergic to bee stings, seek medical attention immediately. The average person can safely tolerate 10 stings per pound of body weight. This means that although 500 stings can kill a child, the average adult could withstand more than 1,100 stings.
Source: www.ars.usda.gov
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Abilene Reporter-News | Bees attack man, kill dog
Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens For Legitimate Government | 04 August 2009
'CIA and Mossad paying $1,000 to Christian converts in northern Iraq' 04 Aug 2009 Iran's Fars news agency claimed Tuesday that the CIA and the Mossad were actively promoting Christianity in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq. According to the report, the Americans and Israelis were offering $1,000 to any youngster willing to convert to Christianity. The news agency further claimed that several Christian organizations had translated the Bible into Kurdish and were distributing them to young Kurds.
In suit, ex-workers accuse Blackwater founder of murder By Bill Sizemore 04 Aug 2009 Two men who worked for Blackwater allege in a federal lawsuit that Blackwater founder Erik Prince or his agents murdered one or more people who were planning to provide information to federal authorities about criminal conduct by the company and its operatives in Iraq. The two are identified in court papers only as "John Doe #1" and "John Doe #2" because, they say, they fear violent retaliation themselves for making the allegations.
Blackwater Founder Implicated in Murder By Jeremy Scahill 04 Aug 2009 A former Blackwater employee and an ex-US Marine who has worked as a security operative for the company have made a series of explosive allegations in sworn statements filed on August 3 in federal court in Virginia. The two men claim that the company's owner, Erik Prince, may have murdered or facilitated the murder of individuals who were cooperating with federal authorities investigating the company. The former employee also alleges that Prince "views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe," and that Prince's companies "encouraged and rewarded the destruction of Iraqi life."
DynCorp posts profit, raises year outlook 04 Aug 2009 DynCorp International Inc reported a higher quarterly profit on Tuesday and boosted its full-year earnings and revenue outlook, buoyed by defense contract wins to provide support for U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The company said net income came to $20.6 million, or 36 cents a share, for its fiscal first quarter, ended July 3, up 15 percent from nearly $18 million, or 31 cents a share, a year earlier. [See: DynCorp Disgrace By Kelly Patricia O'Meara 14 Jan 2002 Middle-aged men having sex with 12- to 15-year-olds was too much for Ben Johnston, a hulking 6-foot-5-inch Texan, and more than a year ago he blew the whistle on his employer, DynCorp, a U.S. contracting company doing business in Bosnia.]
'I have been concerned about the situation in detention centres.' U.N. envoy concerned at Afghanistan jail conditions 02 Aug 2009 The U.N. special envoy expressed concern on Sunday over the conditions in detention centres in Afghanistan, saying they must be brought up to international standards to prevent further radicalisation of detainees. Kai Eide, U.N. secretary-general Ban Ki-moon's special envoy to Afghanistan, said he had visited one facility in the capital Kabul and planned to visit several more, including the prison at Bagram, the main U.S. military base. Bagram prison has become a symbol of detainee abuses for Afghans after the deaths of two detainees in 2002.
Military Lawyer Claims U.S. Paid Gitmo Prosecution Witnesses --Defense Attorneys Say Afghan Eyewitnesses Received Cash or Gifts From the U.S. Government By Daphne Eviatar 04 Aug 2009 In a startling accusation, defense lawyers in the case of an adolescent arrested and brought to Guantanamo Bay six years ago claim the Justice Department may bring a criminal case against the young man based on testimony from witnesses paid by the U.S. government for their cooperation. Mohammed Jawad was as young as 12 when he was arrested by Afghan police in 2002 and accused of throwing a grenade at U.S. soldiers. Although he confessed to the crime after Afghan officials threatened to kill him and his family, his statements were later ruled inadmissible by two U.S. judges because they were coerced.
Air Force: New 3-star in charge of Mideast command 04 Aug 2009 The Air Force is putting a new three-star general in charge of its forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and moving him from the United States to the front as the conflict in Afghanistan heats up. The Air Force's top commander told Congress last month a change was needed to increase the service's focus on the air wars in the region amid intensifying operations in Afghanistan.
Air Force in A-stan: Still Dropping Bombs By Nathan Hodge 04 Aug 2009 The sign on the door makes it plain: "The mission is an 18 yr old with a rifle. All else is support." Gen. Stanley McChrystal made clear in his recent tactical directive that commanders should weigh requests for close air support very carefully. But as that sign on the door at the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing in Bagram makes clear, the U.S. Air Force is still in the business of dropping bombs and firing cannon rounds.
British soldier killed in southern Afghanistan 04 Aug 2009 A bomb blast has killed a British soldier in southern Afghanistan, as casualties continue to rise for UK troops. The British Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday that the serviceman died while on a vehicle patrol in Babaji in Helmand province.
Israelis arrested for laundering US tax monies 03 Aug 2009 Israeli police arrested seven Israeli and American citizens Monday on suspicion that they laundered tens of millions of dollars in U.S. tax dollars to Israeli bank accounts. According to the charges, the men forged tax documents in order to steal money intended for U.S. federal prisoners and transferred them to bank accounts in Israel.
Iran: US nationals nabbed over 'illegal entry' 04 Aug 2009 Iran's security officials confirm the arrest of three American nationals in Western city of Marivan, charging the detainees with "illegal entry". "The three, who have not been identified yet, were arrested on the Malakh-Khur border area in Marivan," Iraj Hassanzadeh, the deputy governor of Kurdistan for political-security affairs, told Fars news agency. Colonel Anwar Haj Omar of the Halabja police force in northern Iraq linked the three Americans to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), according to Voices of Iraq.
2 American journalists en route to US with Bill Clinton 05 Aug 2009 His mission accomplished, former President Bill Clinton left Pyongyang early Wednesday accompanied by American journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling after North Korean leader Kim Jong Il pardoned the women from their 12-year prison sentences. Clinton and the two Californians were flying back to the U.S., his spokesman Matt McKenna said, less than 24 hours after the former US leader landed in the North Korean capital on a private, humanitarian trip to secure their release.
DPRK releases two American journalists 05 Aug 2009 The two American female journalists captured on March 17 and sentenced to 12 years of "labor reform" in June by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) were granted an amnesty and released during former U.S. president Bill Clinton's visit to the country, the official KCNA news agency reported on Wednesday. "The measure taken to release the American journalists is a manifestation of the DPRK's humanitarian and peace-loving policy," the KCNA report said.
More Sydney terror plot charges 05 Aug 2009 Three more men have been charged in Australia with plotting a suicide attack on an army base, police say. They were charged over the alleged plan to storm Sydney's Holsworthy base - the same offence with which another suspect had been charged earlier. The four men were arrested in massive police raids in Melbourne on Tuesday.
Terror suspect to face prolonged grilling 04 Aug 2009 Prosecutors in Melbourne have been granted extra time to question a man they believe is involved in a terrorism plot. Saney Aweyz was arrested at 4.45am (AEST) during a police swoop on a number of properties across Melbourne and Victoria's southwest today. Australian Federal Police (AFP) agent David Kinton told Melbourne Magistrates' Court Aweyz was among five people arrested during the counter-terrorism raids.
Australian police discover terror plot against army base 04 Aug 2009 Australian police have arrested four men, all Australian citizens of Somali and Lebanese descent, for allegedly plotting to attack a military base in the city of Melbourne. Over 400 police officers were involved in the search operation of 19 homes across the city early on Tuesday to arrest the suspects, who are accused of planning to stage a guerilla attack on Holsworthy Barracks, a major military installation in western Sydney.
NYPD, Coast Guard Hold Terror Drill --Drill to see how officers from different agencies work together 04 Aug 2009 NYPD and Coast Guard boats were out in force Tuesday searching the waters near the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge for a simulated dirty bomb in a maritime counter-terrorism exercise. The drill, part of the "Securing the Cities" program, was a coordinated effort to see how 150 officers from seven agencies could work together to track and 'stop' a vessel carrying a dirty bomb.
4th plague patient near death in NW China province 05 Aug 2009 Another pneumonic plague patient is near death and one is in serious condition in the town of Ziketan, in Xinghai county in the Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, health authorities said Tuesday. The prefecture is located in northwestern China's Qinghai Province. The disease has already killed three villagers.
Homeland Secretary Napolitano predicts severe flu epidemic for fall 04 Aug 2009 U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano asserted Tuesday that pandemic flu is likely to flare up soon after schools open in the fall, well before any vaccine is available. Napolitano also acknowledged that there would not be enough pandemic flu vaccine for everyone, at least in the early stages of the flu season. "There will be prioritization of vaccinations," she told members of the USA TODAY editorial board.
Glaxo: 9 more countries order swine flu vaccine 04 Aug 2009 Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline says that nine additional countries have ordered 96 million doses of swine flu vaccine since last month. That is in addition to the 195 million vaccine doses and products previously ordered by countries including Britain and the U.S., for a total of 291 million doses.
New York State makes flu shots compulsory despite nurses opposition --Association called council's action "scorched earth" approach 01 Aug 2009 The New York State Nurses Association has strongly opposed a regulation that would require every healthcare worker in the state to be immunized for influenza. Despite these objections, the New York State Hospital Planning and Review Council has adopted the proposal as an emergency rule that could go into effect before this winter’s flu season. The rule affects all healthcare personnel, both paid and unpaid, who interact with patients... In its testimony, the association called the council’s action a "scorched earth" approach. [Refuse and Resist Mandatory Flu Vaccines --Sign petition!]
515 new A/H1N1 cases confirmed in Europe 05 Aug 2009 A European health agency said Tuesday that 515 new A/H1N1 flu cases were reported in European countries within the last 24 hours. The total number of confirmed cases of the A/H1N1 flu virus in the European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries rose to 27,892, with 1,538 cases in Spain and 11,912 in Britain, 719 in France and 7,177 in Germany, the ECDC said.
Right-Wing Harassment Strategy Against Dems Detailed In Memo: 'Yell,' 'Stand Up And Shout Out,' 'Rattle Him' By Lee Fang 31 Jul 2009 This morning, Politico reported that Democratic members of Congress are increasingly being harassed by "angry, sign-carrying mobs and disruptive behavior" at local town halls. For example, in one incident, right-wing protesters surrounded Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY) and forced police officers to have to escort him to his car for safety... Missing from the reporting of these stories is the fact that much of these protests are coordinated by public relations firms and lobbyists who have a stake in opposing President Obama’s reforms.
Legislators for sale --Members of Congress are failing to represent their constituents in the health care fight By Keith Olbermann 03 Aug 2009 We don't need to call the Democrats holding this up Blue Dogs. That one word "Dogs" is perfectly sufficient... I warn you all. You were not elected to create a Democratic majority. You were elected to restore this country. You were not elected to serve the corporations and the trusts who the government has enabled for the last eight years. You were elected to serve the people. And if you fail to pass or support this legislation, the full wrath of the progressive and the moderate movements in this country will come down on your heads... They elected you, and in the blink of an eye, they will replace you. If you will behave as if you are Republicans -- as if you are the prostitutes of our system -- you will be judged as such. And you will lose not merely our respect. You will lose your jobs!
Feds see biggest tax revenue drop since 1932 --Recession's toll comes as Congress and president try to fund programs 03 Aug 2009 The recession is starving the government of tax revenue, just as the president and Congress are piling a major expansion of health care and other programs on the nation's plate and struggling to find money to pay the tab. Tax receipts are on pace to drop 18 percent this year, the biggest single-year decline since the Great Depression, while the federal deficit balloons to a record $1.8 trillion.
Senate to vote on $2 billion for 'clunkers' after GOP caves 04 Aug 2009 The Senate will approve another $2 billion for the popular "cash for clunkers" program, probably by the end of the week, confident Democrats predicted Tuesday as Republican efforts to block the funding faded. "We'll pass cash for clunkers. Before we leave here," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "The vast majority will be voting for this," added Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.
Rough year for turtle hatchlings 04 Aug 2009 Dozens of sea turtle nests are hatching now, but street and residential lights are drawing hundreds of them away from the water, according Mote Marine Laboratory. Volunteers have already found nearly 2,000 hatchlings crawling toward homes and busy streets, instead of following the moon to the Gulf of Mexico, a figure one scientist called alarming.
Previous lead stories: Barack Obama faces 30 death threats a day, stretching US Secret Service 03 Aug 2009 US President Barack Obama is the target of more than 30 potential death threats a day and is being protected by an increasingly over-stretched and under-resourced Secret Service, according to a new book. Since Mr Obama took office, the rate of threats against the president has increased 400 per cent from the 3,000 a year or so under President [sic] George W. Bush, according to Ronald Kessler, author of In the President's Secret Service. Some threats to Mr Obama have been publicised, including an alleged plot by white supremacists in Tennessee late last year to rob a gun store, shoot 88 black people, decapitate another 14 and then assassinate the first black president in American history.
Canada: New political powers to quarantine, invoke other measures, may be tested in flu outbreak --The top health official can now quarantine the ill, interview anyone who has been in contact with a sick person and do anything else that could help prevent the spread of a virus. 02 Aug 2009 A resurgence of swine flu anticipated this fall could test new provincial powers that include being able to place sick people under quarantine in their homes and shut down schools. If Arlene King, Ontario's chief medical health officer, believes people's health is at risk, she has the power to "investigate the situation and take such action as he or she considers appropriate to prevent, eliminate or decrease the risk." That could include closing schools, isolating the ill and forcing others to undergo medical exams. British Columbia brought in a new public health act last year which was described as giving health officials "stronger powers to protect the public against communicable diseases such as pandemic influenza." Under the new act, the province can order vaccinations or examinations and quarantine people. Health officials can also enforce the act using peace officers, warrants and even court orders.
MPs and peers call for inquiry into torture 04 Aug 2009 Democratic accountability of the security and intelligence agencies is "woefully deficient" and an independent inquiry must be set up to investigate numerous and detailed allegations of their complicity in torture, a cross-party group of senior MPs and peers will say today. In a stinging report, prompted in large part by disclosures in the Guardian, they say that in view of the detailed allegations, ministers can no longer get away with repeating standard denials. The MPs say the government must immediately publish instructions given to MI5 and MI6 officers on the detention and interrogation of suspects abroad.
TOKYO — A magnitude-6.5 earthquake hit off Japan's southern coast Wednesday, the country's Meteorological Agency said
TOKYO — A magnitude-6.5 earthquake hit off Japan's southern coast Wednesday, the country's Meteorological Agency said. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
The quake hit at 9:18 am (0018 GMT) off the coast of Miyakojima, a southern island near Okinawa, at a depth of 18.6 miles (30 kilometers). Miyakojima is located about 1,240 miles (2,000 kilometers) south of Tokyo.
The meteorological agency said there was no fear of a tsunami.
Atsushi Kawamitsu, a police official in Miyakojima, said police have received no reports of damage or casualties.
"Nothing fell off from shelves during the quake," Kawamitsu said.
Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, and experts believe Tokyo has a 90 percent chance of being hit by a major quake over the next 50 years.
In 1995, a magnitude-7.2 quake in the western port city of Kobe killed 6,400 people.
RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service | Active Tropical Storm System - Updated August 4, 2009 8:30pm CDT
Emergency and Disaster Information Services (EDIS)
Budapest Hungary
Cave Editor's Note: Scroll down below global map to view listings
Active tropical storm systems
| Name of Storm System | Area | Beginning of Activity | Affected Area | Result |
| Goni (08W) | Pacific Ocean | 08.03.2009 | View | Read |
| Enrique | Pacific Ocean - East | 08.04.2009 | View | Read |
| Felicia (08E) | Pacific Ocean - East | 08.04.2009 | View | Read |
| Morakot (09W) | Pacific Ocean | 08.04.2009 | View | Read |
National Guard flood rescue teams were dispatched to Louisville, KY | City inundated with up to a half-foot of rainfall within a couple hours
Earl Leonard looks over bookmobiles submerged under flood waters at the public library in downtown READ MORE....
6.4 magnitude earthquake hits 101 km (63 miles) E (90°) from Ishigaki-jima, Ryukyu Islands, Japan - Wed, Aug 5, 2009 at 09:18 AM at epicenter
Magnitude 6.4 - SOUTHWESTERN RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
2009 August 05 00:18:01 UTC
Earthquake Details
| Magnitude | 6.4 |
|---|---|
| Date-Time |
|
| Location | 24.404°N, 125.195°E |
| Depth | 48 km (29.8 miles) set by location program |
| Region | SOUTHWESTERN RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN |
| Distances |
|
| Location Uncertainty | Error estimate not available |
| Parameters | NST= 11, Nph= 11, Dmin=221.5 km, Rmss=1.1 sec, Gp= 83°, M-type="moment" magnitude from initial P wave (tsuboi method) (Mi/Mwp), Version=1 |
| Source | |
| Event ID | at00943148 |
- This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.
The latest from NASA's Earth Observatory (04 August 2009)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Latest Images:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/
* Chernobyl, Ukraine
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=39679&src=eoa-iotd
* Hundreds of Thousands of Acres Burning in Interior Alaska
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=39639&src=eoa-iotd
* Teide Volcano, Canary Islands, Spain
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=39621&src=eoa-iotd
* Dust Storm over Iraq
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=39600&src=eoa-iotd
* Smoke from Fires in Russia and Alaska
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=39579&src=eoa-iotd
* Heavy Rains in Southern Japan
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=39584&src=eoa-iotd
* Novaya Zemlya
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=39591&src=eoa-iotd
* Carajás Mine, Brazil
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=39581&src=eoa-iotd
--------------------
NASA News:
* NASA and NOAA's GOES-14 Satellite Takes First Full Disk Image
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39642&src=eoa-nnews
* NASA's CloudSat Captures a Sideways Look at Fading Lana
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39643&src=eoa-nnews
* NASA's Moon Mapper Beholds Home
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39644&src=eoa-nnews
* Researchers Link Tiny Sea Creatures to Large-Scale Ocean Mixing
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39653&src=eoa-nnews
--------------------
Headlines from the press, radio, and television:
* Uncertainties Surround Future Monsoons
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39655&src=eoa-hnews
* Jellyfish Help to Stir the Ocean
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39656&src=eoa-hnews
* Bolivia's Indians Feel the Heat
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39657&src=eoa-hnews
* Woodlands 'Losing Biodiversity'
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39658&src=eoa-hnews
* Incan Empire Aided by Global Warming
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39659&src=eoa-hnews
* Ancient Lava Flow Photographed from Space
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39660&src=eoa-hnews
* Ancient Rocky Structures Built by Microbes
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39661&src=eoa-hnews
* Sahara Desert Greening Due to Climate Change?
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39662&src=eoa-hnews
* Tracking Alien Species with Smart Phones
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39663&src=eoa-hnews
* Alaska's Biggest Tundra Fire Sparks Climate Warning
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39664&src=eoa-hnews
* Drilling Deep into an Ocean Fault
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39665&src=eoa-hnews
* Ancient Ocean Temperatures Could Predict Climate Change
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39606&src=eoa-hnews
* Getting a Grip on Greenland's Future
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39607&src=eoa-hnews
* Wall Could Stop Desert Spread
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39608&src=eoa-hnews
* Clouds in Climate's Vicious Cycle
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39609&src=eoa-hnews
* Mapping America's Giant Trees
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39610&src=eoa-hnews
* Why Raindrops Come in Many Sizes
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39611&src=eoa-hnews
* Mystery Blob Leaves Scientists Puzzled
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39612&src=eoa-hnews
* New Study Backs UN Panel on Ocean Rise
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39613&src=eoa-hnews
* Formula Found to Explain Earth's Evenly Spaced Valleys
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39614&src=eoa-hnews
* Comet Impacts Triggered Ice Age Extinctions?
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39615&src=eoa-hnews
* Light Brings Lakes to Life
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39616&src=eoa-hnews
--------------------
Press releases from institutions that either address climate research or are NASA-funded.
* Wildfires Set to Increase 50 Percent by 2050
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39650&src=eoa-manews
* Large Trees Declining in Yosemite
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39651&src=eoa-manews
* Douglas-Fir, Geoducks Make Strange Bedfellows in Studying Climate Change
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39652&src=eoa-manews
* Scientists Discover Amazon River is 11 Million Years Old
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39654&src=eoa-manews
* Smaller Than Expected, but Severe, Dead Zone in Gulf of Mexico
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39617&src=eoa-manews
* Earliest Animals Lived in a Lake Environment
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39618&src=eoa-manews
* Study Sheds Light on Earthquake Hazard along San Andreas Fault
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39619&src=eoa-manews
--------------------
Docuticker.com | Daily update of new reports from government agencies, ngo’s, think tanks, and other groups. - August 4, 2009
4 August 2009
+ Correspondences
1. Air Pollution: Air Quality and Permitting of New Coal-Burning Electricity-Generating Units in Central Texas
2. Ryan White CARE Act: Estimated Effect of Proposed Stop-Loss Provision in H.R. 3293 on Urban Areas
–
+ Testimonies
1. Climate Change Policy: Preliminary Observations on Options for Distributing Emissions Allowances and Revenue under a Cap-and-Trade Program, by John Stephenson, director, natural resources and environment, before the Senate Committee on Finance
2. Hurricane Katrina: Barriers to Mental Health Services for Children Persist in Greater New Orleans, Although Federal Grants Are Helping to Address Them, by Cynthia Bascetta, director, health care, before the Ad Hoc Committee on Disaster Recovery, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
3. Federal Contracting: Application of OMB Guidance Can Improve Use of Award Fee Contracts, by John Hutton, director, acquisition and sourcing management, before the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Expenditures on Children by Families, 2008 (PDF; 200 KB)
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
Since 1960, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has provided estimates of expenditures on children from birth through age 17. This technical report presents the most recent estimates for husband-wife and single-parent families using data from the 2005-06 Consumer Expenditure Survey, updated to 2008 dollars using the Consumer Price Index. Data and methods used in calculating annual child-rearing expenses are described. Estimates are provided for major components of the budget by age of child, family income, and region of residence. For the overall United States, annual child-rearing expense estimates ranged between $11,610 and $13,480 for a child in a two-child, married-couple family in the middle-income group. Adjustment factors for number of children in the household are also provided. Results of this study should be of use in developing State child support and foster care guidelines, as well as in family educational programs.
Costs of Renting Still Considerably Cheaper than Ownership
Source: Center for Economic and Policy Research
Though Congress leaves for its August recess this week, one of the items sure to be on the agenda when it returns is how to deal with the continuing collapse of the nation’s housing market. A new study from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) examining housing costs shows that market rents are far below ownership costs in many parts of the nation.
The paper, “The Gains from Right to Rent,” analyzes the costs of renting versus owning a house in several major cities and finds that the Fair Market Rents in these metropolitan areas is often much lower than the cost of ownership.
…
The report looks at the costs of renting and owning before and after taxes in 16 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) and details substantial savings gained from renting across all scenarios depicted. The various scenarios consider the costs of mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance and maintenance costs, and mortgage deductions. An appendix is included that compares ownership and rental costs across 100 MSAs as well.
+ Full Report (PDF; 189 KB)
The Reliability of Provider Profiling: A Tutorial
Source: RAND Corporation
Public and private purchasers and health plans are demanding more information about the quality and relative costliness of U.S. physicians to increase physician accountability and aid in value-based purchasing. Although performance measurement has been in place for some time in hospitals and managed care organizations (MCOs), the focus on physician profiling is a relatively new development. The inherent limitations of the available data at the physician level have brought to the fore technical issues that were less important at higher levels of aggregation in hospitals and MCOs. One of these technical issues is the reliability of a physician’s performance measurement. This technical report explains the use and implementation of reliability measurement for quality measures in provider profiling in health care. It provides details and a practical method of how to calculate reliability measures from the sort of data typically available. It also explains why reliability measurement is an important component of evaluating a profiling system.
+ Summary (PDF; 131 KB)
+ Full Document (PDF; 463 KB)
Is Personal Insecurity a Cause of Cross-National Differences in the Intensity of Religious Belief?
Source: Journal of Religion and Society
In conclusion, the current analysis ties together and explains two apparent paradoxes. First, the observation that modernization, in terms of average material wealth, appears linked to secularization in some countries but not others. The key to this paradox is that it is not simply average wealth, but also the distribution of wealth and the degree to which wealth is used to improve average personal security, which in large part determines religiosity. Second, the observation that religion, although generally believed to have a pro-socializing effect on the individual level, is associated on the macro level with societal ill health. This is most likely because personal religiosity is in part a response to adverse social environments, but that aggregate religiosity does not significantly ameliorate them.
Impact of Exercise in Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Source: PLoS ONE
In community-dwelling older people, exercise attenuated the impact of age on mortality across all grades of frailty. Exercise conferred its greatest benefits to improvements in health status in those who were more frail at baseline. The net effect of exercise should therefore be to improve health status at the population level.
Influenza A(H1N1) and Pandemic Preparedness Under the Rule of International Law
Source: Georgetown University, O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law Scholarship
A novel strain of Influenza A (H1N1) spread rapidly through Mexico in April 2009 and now spans the globe. By the time WHO was notified and responded, geographical containment was not feasible, leading the agency to call for mitigation. The international outbreak of SARS in 2003 and the more recent Influenza A (H5N1) among birds with limited transmission to humans helped prepare the world for the current pandemic threat. SARS galvanized the WHO to revise the antiquated International Health Regulations (IHR) in 2005, which took effect June 15, 2007. Governments instituted preparedness plans in response to avian influenza.
Despite increased preparedness, the WHO and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lack key powers and resources. Reminiscent of past responses, many governments are acting out of fear or economic and political self-interest rather than scientific reason. Above all, there are serious questions of global justice, as Mexicans are subject to stigma and discrimination.
This article by Lawrence O. Gostin, O’Neill Professor of Global Health Law at Georgetown University, analyses WHO powers and resources including the pandemic alert system and the IHR, as well as the powers and resources of the CDC. He finds that although the response to H1N1 has been strong, the WHO and CDC need more authority and resources to deal with pandemic threats under the rule of international law.
+ Full Paper (PDF; 172 KB)
Interfaith Alliance Releases Paper On Same-Gender Marriage & Religious Freedom
Source: Interfaith Alliance
Interfaith Alliance has released Same-Gender Marriage & Religious Freedom: A Call to Quiet Conversations and Public Debates, a paper authored by its president, Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy. In the paper, Rev. Gaddy calls for a new national discussion on marriage based on the premise that “law, not scripture, is the foundation of government regulations related to marriage in our nation.”
…
“My purpose in writing this paper is as simple as the subject of the paper is complex,” said Rev. Gaddy. “I want to find a way for people with contradictory beliefs, religions, values and opinions to live together without violating the basic nature of our democracy. I am motivated by confidence in the power of religion to affect reconciliation, and I am also a patriot who embodies the unwavering commitment to freedom and justice integral to the American experience.”The paper, in which Rev. Gaddy expresses support for same-gender marriage, seeks to shift the perspective on LGBT equality from problem to solution. To do so, Rev. Gaddy advocates for moving from scriptural argument to religious freedom agreement, and to address the issue of equality as informed by the U.S. Constitution.
Gaddy’s hope is that this change will allow same-gender couples to receive basic civil rights benefits without impacting a religious organization’s right to marry only people it judges worthy of its blessing.
Pit Bull Bans: The State of Breed–Specific Legislation
Source: Animal Legal Defense Fund
Hundreds of municipalities of all sizes and geographic locations throughout the country have adopted BSL. (One of the most comprehensive, up–to–date lists of BSL jurisdictions can be found at www.understand–a–bull.com.) Still other towns are repealing existing bans, such as Edwardsville, Kansas, which removed its pit bull ban after the nearby Niko case ended.
In 2009 new statewide BSL bills were introduced in Hawaii, Montana, and Oregon, where there are two BSL bills pending. One would ban “pit bulls” from Oregon unless a person has obtained a permit within 90 days of the bill’s passage; the other would require minimum liability insurance coverage of $1 million for pit bull owners. Although other jurisdictions, as well as insurance companies, have also implemented provisions requiring minimum liability insurance coverage for owners of certain breeds, Oregon’s bill may be the first to cross the million–dollar threshold if it passes. Because some dog owners will be unable to obtain such insurance owing to the cost or the nature of their dog, these requirements act as an indirect restriction on ownership of certain breeds.
Interestingly, 12 states have passed laws prohibiting the passage of BSL by local governments: Florida and Pennsylvania (although bills are currently pending to repeal this prohibition in both states), California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, and Virginia. Like the other 11 states, California has ruled that no specific dog breed mix shall be declared potentially dangerous or vicious as a matter of breed, but it does allow BSL related to mandatory spay/neuter programs, meaning it requires dogs of certain breeds to be “fixed.” The city of Denver has perhaps the most tortured history with BSL. Denver passed BSL in 1989, but the Colorado State Legislature outlawed BSL in 2004. Denver later reinstated BSL after the city challenged the state’s BSL prohibition, and a judge ruled that Denver’s BSL could be allowed to stand as a home rule exception.
Letter report on the Orbiting Carbon Observatory
Source: National Research Council
From press release:
Current methods for estimating greenhouse gas emissions have limitations that make it difficult to monitor CO2 emissions and verify an international climate treaty, says a new National Research Council letter report to the administrator of NASA, Charles F. Bolden Jr.
NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory — which failed to launch in February — would have offered proof that greenhouse gas emissions could be monitored from space, as well as provided baseline data on CO2 emissions trends from a sample of cities and power plants, the report says. NASA is expected to decide in the coming months whether to launch a replacement observatory.
The observatory was not designed for treaty monitoring and verification, and because of its two-year mission life, it would not by itself have been able to track emission trends. However, no other satellite has its crucial combination of high precision, small footprint, readiness, density of cloud-free measurements, and ability to sense carbon dioxide near the Earth’s surface, said the committee that wrote the report.
Download document in PDF; free registration required.
Who is Responsible for a Deceased Relative’s Debts?
Source: Federal Trade Commission
Who is Responsible for a Deceased Relative’s Debts?
If your relative leaves unpaid debts when he or she dies, do you have to pay?
According to the Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, surviving relatives usually have no legal obligation to pay the debts of a family member who has died. Generally, that person’s estate is responsible for paying his or her debts. But if there isn’t enough in the estate to cover the debts, they typically go unpaid.
After a relative dies, debt collectors may contact family members and ask them to pay their loved ones’ debts. The rights of surviving relatives are covered by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, which the FTC enforces. The FTC has developed a new consumer alert about this issue titled Paying the Debts of a Deceased Relative: Who Is Responsible?
+ Paying the Debts of a Deceased Relative: Who Is Responsible?
+ Debt Collection FAQs: A Guide for Consumers
FTC Approves Final Consent Order in Matter Concerning Kellogg Company
Source: Federal Trade Commission
Following a public comment period, the Commission has approved a final consent order in the matter of Kellogg Company and authorized the staff to provide responses to the commenters of record. The FTC’s complaint charged that Kellogg’s advertising claims touting a breakfast of Frosted Mini-Wheats as “clinically shown to improve kids’ attentiveness by nearly 20%” were false and violated federal law.
U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA focuses inspection program on safety of airport traffic control tower personnel
Source: Occupational Health and Safety Administration
The safety of airport traffic control tower personnel is the focus of an inspection targeting program titled “Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Traffic Control Tower Monitoring Program” which monitors how workers clear a control tower in case of fire and other emergencies. The inspection targeting program, conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), examines the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) air traffic control towers’ provision of safe means of egress, or exit, for workers at FAA - owned and - operated towers.
The program requires the FAA to bring towers into compliance with the alternate standard for egress and fire safety. OSHA inspectors will inspect randomly selected towers to determine if the FAA is meeting this requirement. A description of OSHA’s alternate standard is available at https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10114.
Current guidance based on the FAA’s alternate standard allows for a single exit route where the building size, occupancy level, type of construction and workplace arrangement is such that all workers would be able to evacuate safely during an emergency.
“This agency’s fundamental responsibility is to protect workers from unsafe workplaces,” said acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab. “Those who work in airport traffic control towers risk their safety if exit routes are not in place in the event of a fire. OSHA recognizes the importance of this inspection program and is confident that monitoring compliance with this standard will result in fewer worker injuries and deaths.”
+ FAA Airport Traffic Control Tower Monitoring Program (PDF; 173 KB)
NIST Releases Final Version of New Cybersecurity Recommendations for Government
Source: National Institute of Standards and Technology
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) today released its final version of a publication which represents a major step toward building a unified information security framework for the entire federal government.
The document, NIST Special Publication 800-53, Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations, was released in draft form for public review in June.
“This final publication represents a solidification of the partnership between the Department of Defense, the Intelligence Community, and NIST and their efforts to bring common security solutions to the federal government and its support contractors,” said Ron Ross, of NIST’s computer security division. “The aim is to provide greater protection for federal information systems against cyber attacks.”
Comments received from the public since June did not result in any major changes in the final publication, according to Ross.
Historically, information systems at civilian agencies have operated under different security controls than military and intelligence information systems. When complete, the unified framework will result in the defense, intelligence and civil communities using a common strategy to protect critical federal information systems and associated infrastructure.
+ Full Document (PDF; 1.9 MB)
Everything I Need To Know I Learned from Fandom: How Existing Social Norms Can Help Shape the Next Generation of User-Generated Content (PDF; 240 KB)
Source: Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law
With the growing popularity of YouTube and other platforms for user-generated content, such as blogs and wikis, copyright holders are increasingly concerned about potential infringing uses of their content. However, when enforcing their copyrights, owners often do not distinguish between direct piracy, such as uploading an entire episode of a television show, and transformative works, such as a fan-made video that incorporates clips from a television show. The line can be a difficult one to draw. However, there is at least one source of user generated content that has existed for decades and that clearly differentiates itself from piracy: fandom and “fan fiction” writers.
This note traces the history of fan communities and the copyright issues associated with fiction that borrows characters and settings that the fan-author did not create. The author discusses established social norms within these communities that developed to deal with copyright issues, such as requirements for non-commercial use and attribution, and how these norms track to Creative Commons licenses. The author argues that widespread use of these licenses, granting copyrighted works “some rights reserved” instead of “all rights reserved,” would allow copyright holders to give their consumers some creative freedom in creating transformative works, while maintaining the control needed to combat piracy. However, the author also suggests a more immediate solution: copyright holders, in making decisions concerning copyright enforcement, should consider using the norms associated with established user-generated content communities as a framework for drawing a line between transformative work and piracy.
Symptoms of H1N1 flu are no more serious than those of a regular flu, while vaccines can cause injuries and death, said Barbara Loe Fisher, president
“Politicians' reaction to swine flu does not match threat”
RogueGovernment.com | Latest News - August 4, 2009
Al Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri said an offer the militant group made to the previous U.S. administration of a conditional truce is still on the table for President Barack Obama. | |
Climate change legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives would increase the energy costs of the average family by $142 a year in 2020 and by $583 in 2030, according to the government's top energy forecasting agency. | |
The Iraqi government has decided to crack down on Internet service providers and ban sites that incite violence or carry pornography, officials said Tuesday, a move that has been strongly criticized by freedom of speech advocates as a dangerous first step toward political censorship. | |
Pfizer signed a $75 million agreement Thursday with Nigerian authorities to settle criminal and civil charges that the pharmaceutical company illegally tested an experimental drug on children during a 1996 meningitis epidemic. | |
For global corporations and the US Department of Homeland Security, who remain eager to track individuals, that means it’s time to shift their efforts back to barcodes. | |
For years, Congressman Ron Paul has urged Washington and the American people to check the Federal Reserve's books. Now, Dr. Paul's bill HR 1207, which audits the Fed is receiving tremendous support. | |
For people who are looking for ways to reduce their "carbon footprint," here's one radical idea that could have a big long-term impact, some scientists say: Have fewer kids. | |
The White House's senior aide on cybersecurity has decided to resign following delays in the appointment of a coordinator to spearhead the government's efforts to protect the nation's computer networks. | |
G. Edward Griffin Interview Of Yuri Bezmenov (video)
SteveQuayle.com | Hot Headlines - August 4, 2009
Residents Flee China's Quarantined Plague Town
Entire S. Korean Military to be Vaccinated Against New Flu
Why Food Prices are Set to Rocket
Cash for Clunkers: More Stealing, More Debt
The Ultimate Sucker’s Rally: Record Breaking 50 Percent Stock Market Rally in 5 Months: Extreme Market Volatility Occurs in Deep Economic Recessions and Depressions. From 676 to 1002.
AP Enterprise: Federal Tax Revenues Plummeting
Goodbye Dollar - Hello Gold
Decline and Fall of the American Empire
Alabama's Jefferson County Makes Massive Job Cuts
Citizen Uprising Begins; Congress Feels Heat Back Home
Flu Scare a Boon to Body-Bag Sales
Stan Deyo Nails the Baja Calif., Peru Quakes – and More
Obama Hates the White Man
Sen. Reid: Hate Law Will Favor Muslims
Army National Guard Recruiting FEMA Camp or Internment/Resettlement" Specialists
MIT Team Discovers 'Superspeed' Human Brain Programming
Humans 2.0: Replacing the Mind and Body
Military Aims for Instant Repair of Wartime Wounds
You - The Updated Owner’s Manual