Tuesday, August 18, 2009
SolarCycle24.com | Slight chance of minor geomagnetic storming at high latitudes - August 28, 2009 9:45pm CDT
Solar activity is at a standstill.
Breitbart.com | Ford plans vehicles to interact with power grids
Utility companies teaming up with Ford
Cave Editor's Note: Pretty handy - Gives Big Brother alot of control over American's transportation! With Smart Grid they can turn off your air conditioning ... why not let them decide if you are driving too much?
EarthObservatory.NASA.gov | The latest from NASA's Earth Observatory (18 August 2009)
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/
* Hurricane Bill in First Full Disk Thermal Image from Newest Weather Satellite
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=39848&src=eoa-iotd
* Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=39842&src=eoa-iotd
* Mount Hood, Oregon
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=39786&src=eoa-iotd
* Drought in California's Central Valley
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=39810&src=eoa-iotd
* Lockheed Fire, Santa Cruz Mountains
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=39817&src=eoa-iotd
* Charcot Island, Antarctica
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=39777&src=eoa-iotd
* Fresh Craters on the Moon and Earth
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=39769&src=eoa-iotd
* Drought in Texas
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=39756&src=eoa-iotd
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NASA News:
* NASA Satellites Unlock Secret to Northern India's Vanishing Water
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39826&src=eoa-nnews
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Headlines from the press, radio, and television:
* Water Triggers New Zealand Quakes
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39793&src=eoa-hnews
* Water Atlas a 'Crystal Ball' for Rainfall
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39794&src=eoa-hnews
* Freak Wave 'Hot Spots' Identified
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39795&src=eoa-hnews
* Climate Fixes 'Pose Drought Risk'
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39796&src=eoa-hnews
* Wildfires May Impact Air Quality, Damage Lungs
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39797&src=eoa-hnews
* In Quest for Efficiency and Conservation, NASA Turns Technology Earthward
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39798&src=eoa-hnews
* Ganges Delta: Gorgeous, Wild and Deadly
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39800&src=eoa-hnews
* Earth Hums, and it's "Loudest" in Europe, Americas
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39801&src=eoa-hnews
* Hurricane Season 2009: Where Are All the Storms?
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39802&src=eoa-hnews
* Before-And-After Photos: Vast Aral Sea Vanishing
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39803&src=eoa-hnews
* 'Spiderbots' Talk Amongst Themselves Inside Active Volcano
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39804&src=eoa-hnews
* Arctic Ocean May be Polluted Soup by 2070
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39805&src=eoa-hnews
* Seismic Boom: Breaking the Quake Barrier
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39806&src=eoa-hnews
* Vast Expanses of Arctic Melt in Summer
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39799&src=eoa-hnews
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Press releases from institutions that either address climate research or are NASA-funded.
* Long Debate Ended Over Cause, Demise of Ice Ages – May Also Help Predict Future
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39807&src=eoa-manews
* Researchers Show How Organic Carbon Compounds Emitted by Trees Affect Air Quality
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39808&src=eoa-manews
* Climate-Caused Biodiversity Booms and Busts in Ancient Plants and Mammals
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39809&src=eoa-manews
* Missing Link of Cloud Formation
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39813&src=eoa-manews
* Climate Models Confirm More Moisture in Atmosphere Attributed to Humans
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=39814&src=eoa-manews
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AmerikanExpose.com | UN Agenda 21 Sustainable Development ... Educate yourself about a global elite's plan
Related:
Aug 13, 2004 ... Sustainable development was a core philosophy behind the Programme of Action called "Agenda 21" at the 1992 United Nations Conference on the ...
Campaign For Liberty — UN Local Agenda 21 for Sustainable Development
Jun 12, 2009 ... Last night I attended an enlightening presentation about the United Nations Local Agenda 21 for Sustainable Development in Santa Cruz.
SteveQuayle.com | Hot Headlines - August 18, 2009
'Death Panel' Is Not in the Bill... It Already Exists
Obama Care Passed in Stimulus Bill; More Treachery in Sept.
AARP Loses Members Over Health Care Stance
Healthy Food Obsession Sparks Rise in New Eating Disorder
Coming Soon: Banking Crisis of Historic Proportions
As of Friday August 14, 2009, FDIC is Bankrupt
Brace for a Wave of Foreclosures, the Dam is About to Break
Bank Holiday Possible from August 26th Through October 2009 Will Be No Picnic But an Illuminati Feast of Flesh and Marrow
Inflation Craziness
This So Called Recovery Is Going Nowhere
Gold and Why Gold Now
No Safe Haven in the Bankrupt Dollar
Man Carrying Assault Weapon Attends Obama Protest
You Are All Pieces of Crap
Hegelian Dialectic, Pandemic & Creative Destruction
Preacher Threatened with Arrest for Reading Extracts from the Bible in Public
Wish You Weren't Here: The Devastating Effects of the New Colonialists
Sibel Edmonds Deposition: Deep Corruption Beneath the Surface
Bill Ayers and Hugo Chavez: Blood Brothers in Terror
MILITANT - a term Americans should acquaint themselves with due to our US Department of Homeland Security's police state
Definitions of militant on the Web:
- disposed to warfare or hard-line policies; "militant nations"; "hawkish congressman"; "warlike policies"
- competitive: showing a fighting disposition; "highly competitive sales representative"; "militant in fighting for better wages for workers"; "his self-assertive and ubiquitous energy"
- a militant reformer
- belligerent: engaged in war; "belligerent (or warring) nations"
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn - The Militant tendency, founded in 1964, was a Marxist entryist group within the UK Labour Party, its philosophy descended from Marx, Engels, Lenin and Trotsky.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militant_(Britain) - The word militant is both an adjective and a noun.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militant - The Militant is an international communist newsweekly connected to the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) and the Pathfinder Tendency. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Militant - an aggressive or fighting person; one who serves as a soldier; one who supports a Trotskyite political view or engages in aggressive left-wing politics; aggressive or combative; fighting or warlike; belligerent; Active in an aggressive way in support of a political or social cause (often ...
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/militant - militancy - combativeness: a militant aggressiveness
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn - militancy - The quality of being militant
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/militancy - Aggressive and violent behaviour in pursuit of a political cause, favouring extreme or confrontational campaign methods.
www.bl.uk/learning/histcitizen/21cc/struggle/suffrage/background/glossary/suffrageglossary.html
Docuticker.com | Daily update of new reports from government agencies, ngo’s, think tanks, and other groups. - August 18, 2009
Nation At Risk: Policy Makers Need Better Information to Protect the Country (PDF; 455 KB)
Source: The Markle Foundation Task Force on National Security in the Information Age
For all the nation has invested in national security in the last several years, we remain vulnerable to terrorist attack and emerging national security threats because we have not adequately improved our ability to know what we know about these threats. The Obama administration confronts a stark set of national security challenges including terrorism, instability from the global economic crisis, energy security, climate change, cybersecurity, and weapons of mass destruction. President Obama and his administration cannot identify, understand, and respond to these threats without the collaboration and sharing of information among officials across the government so fragments of information can be brought together to create knowledge. To improve decision making, the new administration needs to take immediate steps to improve information sharing.
Today, we are still vulnerable to attack because–as on 9/11–we are still not able to connect the dots. At the same time, civil liberties are at risk because we don’t have the government-wide policies in place to protect them as intelligence collection has expanded.
The President and Congress must reaffirm information sharing as a top priority, ensuring that policymakers have the best information to inform their decisions. We are at a critical moment, where immediate action at the start of the Obama administration is required. There is unfinished business in implementing an information sharing framework across all agencies that have information important to national security (including state and local organizations). If there is another terrorist attack on the United States, the American people will neither understand nor forgive a failure to have taken this opportunity to get the right policies and structures in place. An information sharing framework will allow government to collaborate effectively across diverse areas to inform policymakers better without undermining civil liberties. The President and Congress must ensure that all government information relevant to national security is discoverable and accessible to authorized users while audited to ensure accountability. Otherwise we will remain vulnerable.
Hat tip: Secrecy News
The Budgetary Effects of Expanding Governmental Support for Preventive Care and Wellness Services (PDF; 585 KB)
Source: Congressional Budget Office
From CBO Director’s Blog:
On Friday CBO released a letter that discusses how the agency’s budget estimates reflect potential reductions in federal costs from improvements in health that might result from expanded governmental support for preventive medical care and wellness services.
Preventive medical care includes services such as cancer screening, cholesterol management, and vaccines. In making its estimates of the budgetary effects of expanded governmental support for such care, CBO takes into account any estimated savings to the government that would result from greater use of preventive care as well as the estimated costs of that additional care. Although different types of preventive care have different effects on spending, the evidence suggests that for most preventive services, expanded utilization leads to higher, not lower, medical spending overall.
That result may seem counterintuitive. For example, many observers point to cases in which a simple medical test, if given early enough, can reveal a condition that is treatable at a fraction of the cost of treating that same illness after it has progressed. But when analyzing the effects of preventive care on total spending for health care, it is important to recognize that doctors do not know beforehand which patients are going to develop costly illnesses. To avert one case of acute illness, it is usually necessary to provide preventive care to many patients, most of whom would not have suffered that illness anyway. Judging the overall effect on medical spending requires analysts to calculate not just the savings from the relatively few individuals who would avoid more expensive treatment later, but also the costs of the many who would make greater use of preventive care.
New JEC Report Reveals Women Experiencing Double-Whammy Of Losing Health Insurance Coverage Due To Their Own Or Spouse’s Job Loss
Source: U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee
Today, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney, Chair of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC), along with Rep. Elijah Cummings and Rep. Jim Moran released a JEC new report entitled, “Comprehensive Health Insurance Reform: An Essential Prescription for Women.” The report reveals that during the recession, women are experiencing a double-whammy of lost health insurance as they lose their insurance due to either their own or their spouse’s job loss. In addition, the JEC report chronicles the vulnerability created by women’s dependence on their spouse’s employer-sponsored health insurance, the unique risk of un-insurance for younger and older women, and the spike in newly uninsured children of unemployed single mothers.
+ Full Report (PDF; 400 KB)
New Resource Provides Nurses with Current Information on Buprenorphine
Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Buprenorphine: A Guide for Nurses, a new manual which provides nurses with general information about buprenorphine products, is now available through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
The guide is #30 in the Technical Assistance Publication (TAP) series released by SAMHSA’s Knowledge Application Program (KAP). TAPs are compilations from various sources that provide practical guidance and information related to the delivery of treatment services to individuals with alcohol and drug abuse disorders, issued by SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). TAP 30 serves as a resource in improving treatment outcomes for individuals receiving office-based treatment for opioid addiction.
TAP 30 addresses the following topics:
- Buprenorphine and the Role of the Nurse
- Buprenorphine Pharmacology
- Buprenorphine Treatment Protocols-Office-Based Treatment
- Precipitated Withdrawal and Withdrawal Symptoms
- Physicians’ and Patients’ Responsibilities
- Nursing Practice and the Use of Buprenorphine for the Treatment of Opioid Addiction
+ Full Document (PDF; 2.2 MB)
D-2009-093 Ship Utilization in Support of the Global War on Terror (Project No. D2008-D000AB-0193.000) (PDF; 1.71 MB)
Source: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General
USTRANSCOM’s commercial vessel selection process does not evaluate whether a liner or charter vessel is the most cost-effective alternative. Also, USTRANSCOM officials do not document Southwest Asia vessel selection rationale when selecting from SDDC recommendations. SDDC does not enforce penalties for late delivery of cargo under the Universal Service Contract-5. USTRANSCOM has no formal process to implement or document DoD requirements to annually size the United States sealift fleet in order to meet peacetime, contingency, and projected wartime requirements. We identified internal control weaknesses for the USTRANSCOM vessel selection process and for SDDC relating to the absence of contract management controls to enforce penalties for late deliveries of cargo.
Philanthropy by Commonwealth electoral division, 2006–07 (PDF; 173 KB)
Source: Parliamentary Library of Australia
Using the latest available data published by the Australian Taxation Office for the 2006–07 income year, this background note looks at levels of philanthropy, or more specifically, tax deductible giving in Australia.
China’s New Think Tanks: Where Officials, Entrepreneurs, and Scholars Interact
Source: Brookings Institution
In contrast to many of their counterparts in the West, where independence from the government is usually seen as a mark of credibility, Chinese think tanks often strive for strong ties to the government, and especially value a close connection with the upper stratum of the Chinese leadership. According to its charter, the CCIEE is to operate “under the guidance and supervision of the National Development and Reform Commission [NDRC] in terms of its business scope.” The NDRC, whose purview is the macroeconomic management of the Chinese economy, is widely considered to be the most important ministry in the Chinese government. Another indicator of the CCIEE’s close ties to the Chinese leadership is its physical proximity to the levers of power—its current office is located only a few hundred meters from Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of both the Chinese Communist Party and the State Council.
The growing importance of think tanks in China and the frequency with which they are able to facilitate international exchanges is understandable within the context of China’s rise on the world stage. Many Chinese people are now conscious that their country is not only in the midst of profound socioeconomic transformations, but is also rapidly emerging as a major player in global affairs. They wish to understand the complex and internationally intertwined challenges that China faces in order to take intelligent positions on the issues involved.
+ Full Document (PDF; 569 KB)
The Changing Face of the Federal Judiciary
Source: Brookings Institution
Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s appointment to the United States Supreme Court highlights attention again on the Court’s demographic makeup. She is the first Hispanic member and third woman. There have been two African-American appointees.
The rest of the federal judiciary is also changing demographically. Sotomayor has been part of three trends since the 1950s—an increase in the proportion of women and in members of racial and ethnic minorities and a decrease in the proportion of district judges appointed, as was she, from among private lawyers.
This paper lays out some basic data on these changes, as we await the confirmation of President Obama’s initial nominees to the lower federal courts. The paper does not engage the debate—illustrated by the controversy over Sotomayor’s “wise Latina women” remark—over how much judges’ backgrounds do or should influence their decision-making. Nor does it postulate a proper proportion of various demographic groups on the federal bench. That matter is tied up with the proportion of members of those groups in the relatively small pool of lawyers whom judicial selectors consider professionally qualified for appointment to the federal bench—hardly a precise definition—and who fit within the varying political party calculi that influence federal judicial recruitment.
+ Full Paper (PDF; 2.2 MB)
Bank Crime Statistics — Q2 2009
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
The BCS provides a nationwide view of bank robbery crimes based on statistics contributed by FBI field offices responding to bank robberies or otherwise gathered when provided to the FBI from local and state law enforcement.
Statistics were recorded as of 07/23/2009, at FBI Headquarters.
“They Want Us Exterminated” — Murder, Torture, Sexual Orientation and Gender in Iraq
Source: Human Rights Watch
This 67-page report documents a wide-reaching campaign of extrajudicial executions, kidnappings, and torture of gay men that began in early 2009. The killings began in the vast Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City, a stronghold of Moqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army militia, and spread to many cities across Iraq. Mahdi Army spokesmen have promoted fears about the “third sex” and the “feminization” of Iraq men, and suggested that militia action was the remedy. Some people told Human Rights Watch that Iraqi security forces have colluded and joined in the killing.
NTSB Issues Update on Its Investigation Into the Midair Collision Over the Hudson River
Source: National Transportation Safety Board
In its continuing investigation of the midair collision of an air tour helicopter and a small plane over the Hudson River on Saturday, the National Transportation Safety Board has developed the following factual information…
Forty Years After Woodstock, A Gentler Generation Gap
Source: Pew Research Center
Forty years after the Woodstock music festival glorified and exacerbated the generational fractures in American life, the public today says there are big differences between younger and older adults in their values, use of technology, work ethic, and respect and tolerance for others.
But this modern generation gap is a much more subdued affair than the one that raged in the 1960s, for relatively few Americans of any age see it as a source of conflict — either in society at large or in their own families.
Moreover, there’s now broad agreement across the generations about one realm of American culture that had been an intense battlefield in the 1960s: the music.
FDA Issues Public Health Notification on Glucose Monitoring Technology
Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today advised health care practitioners and patients against using certain glucose monitoring technology that employs a specific test strip when the patients are also receiving therapeutic products containing non-glucose sugars.
Non-glucose sugars contained in some therapeutic products such as peritoneal dialysis solutions and certain immunoglobulins can falsely elevate glucose results, which may prompt excessive insulin administration. These therapeutic products, which are labeled to indicate that they may interfere with this particular glucose monitoring technology, are mostly used in patients with serious medical conditions, including kidney failure and moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis.
In a Public Health Notification and an accompanying Advice for Patients, the FDA listed the manufacturers and brands of glucose test strips that contain glucose dehydrogenase pyrroloquinoline quinone (GDH-PQQ)—the chemical that reacts with the non-glucose sugars (maltose, galactose and xylose) contained in some therapeutic products that produce a falsely high test result,
Most GDH-PQQ devices are used in health care facilities, which should instead use a laboratory assay to measure a patient’s glucose if the patient is also receiving an interfering product. The FDA also makes recommendations to minimize the risk of potential shortages of these products until health care facilities can obtain non-GDH-PQQ strips and meters.
+ FDA Public Health Notification: Potentially Fatal Errors with GDH-PQQ Glucose Monitoring Technology
+ FDA Advice for Patients: Serious Errors with Certain Blood Glucose Meters and Strips
The Plastic Safety Net — How Households are Coping in a Fragile Economy
Source: Demos
While the economic recession continues to threaten the financial security of low- and middle-income households, its effects have been heightened by the reality that, even before the downturn, millions of households were experiencing difficulties meeting the most basic expenses. Now, as families experience declining home values and tightened credit markets, many are falling behind on their mortgage and credit card payments.
The following report shows how skyrocketing costs, dwindling savings, stagnant wages and medical debt have forced low and middle-income families to turn to plastic as the de-facto safety net.
The report is based on a survey conducted between April and August 2008-consisted of 1,205 phone interviews with low- and middle-income households whose incomes fell between 50 percent and 120 percent of local median income; such households comprise roughly half of all households in the country.
+ Full Report (PDF; 920 KB)
The Manhattan Project, the Apollo Program, and Federal Energy Technology R&D Programs: A Comparative Analysis (PDF; 202 KB)
Source: Congressional Research Service (via OpenCRS)
Some policymakers have concluded that the energy challenges facing the United States are so critical that a concentrated investment in energy research and development (R&D) should be undertaken. The Manhattan project, which produced the atomic bomb, and the Apollo program, which landed American men on the moon, have been cited as examples of the success such R&D investments can yield. Investment in federal energy technology R&D programs of the 1970s, in response to two energy crises, have generally been viewed as less successful than the earlier two efforts. This report compares and contrasts the three initiatives.
In 2008 dollars, the cumulative cost of the Manhattan project over 5 fiscal years was approximately $22 billion; of the Apollo program over 14 fiscal years, approximately $98 billion; of post-oil shock energy R&D efforts over 35 fiscal years, $118 billion. A measure of the nation’s commitments to the programs is their relative shares of the federal outlays during the years of peak funding: for the Manhattan program, the peak year funding was 1% of federal outlays; for the Apollo program, 2.2%; and for energy technology R&D programs, 0.5%. Another measure of the commitment is their relative shares of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) during the peak years of funding: for the Manhattan project and the Apollo program, the peak year funding reached 0.4% of GDP, and for the energy technology R&D programs, 0.1%.
Besides funding, several criteria might be used to compare these three initiatives including perception of the program or threat, goal clarity, and the customer of the technology being developed. By these criteria, while the Manhattan project and the Apollo program may provide some useful analogies for thinking about an energy technology R&D initiative, there are fundamental differences between the forces that drove these historical R&D success stories and the forces driving energy technology R&D today. Critical differences include (1) the ability to transform the program or threat into a concrete goal, and (2) the use to which the technology would be put. On the issue of goal setting, for the Manhattan project, the response to the threat of enemy development of a nuclear bomb was the goal to construct a bomb; for the Apollo program, the threat of Soviet space dominance was translated into a specific goal of landing on the moon. For energy, the response to the problems of insecure oil sources and high prices has resulted in multiple, sometimes conflicting, goals. Regarding use, both the Manhattan project and the Apollo program goals pointed to technologies primarily for governmental use with little concern about their environmental impact; for energy, in contrast, the hoped-for outcome depends on commercial viability and mitigation of environmental impacts from energy use.
Although the Manhattan project and the Apollo program may provide some useful analogies for funding, these differences may limit their utility regarding energy policy. Rather, energy technology R&D has been driven by at least three not always commensurate goals–resource and technological diversity, commercial viability, and environmental protection–which were not goals of the historical programs.
DailyEcho.co.uk | Government releases documents on Southampton UFO sightings
Joyce Riley's THE POWER HOUR NEWS - August 18, 2009
Truck peddles fresh food, not ice cream, in Detroit -- In a neighborhood served by 26 liquor stores but only one grocery, a community group is peddling fresh fruits and vegetables just like you would ice cream.
Vaccine Fillers and Ingredients -- In addition to the viral and bacterial RNA or DNA that is part of the vaccines, read the fillers...
A third of nurses will refuse to have the swine flu jab -- Up to a third of nurses will say no to the swine flu jab because of concerns over its safety, a poll has found. NHS workers are first in line for the vaccine, but a survey of 1,500 nurses found many will reject it.
Swine flu vaccinations 'disaster in the making' -- In 1976, 40 million were vaccinated for a swine flu pandemic that never materialized. Thousands filed claims for injury. At least 25 died and 500 developed paralyzing Guillain-Barre syndrome. The H1N1 vaccine will contain oil-based adjuvants including squalene, which contributed to Gulf War Syndrome. This left GIs with arthritis, fibromyalgia, lymphadenopathy, photosensitive rashes, chronic fatigue, chronic headaches, ulcers, dizziness, weakness, memory loss, seizures, mood changes, neuro-psychiatric problems, multiple sclerosis, lupus and other diseases.
U.S schools gear up for swine flu shots -- Hundreds of districts nationwide preparing for mass vaccinations.
Children risk cancer by eating salami and ham, warns charity -- Parents should not put ham or salami in their children's packed lunches because processed meat increases the risk of developing cancer, experts in the disease are warning. The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) wants families to instead use poultry, fish, low-fat cheese, hummus or small amounts of lean meat as sandwich fillings when making up school lunchboxes.
Mental Stress Training Is Planned for U.S. Soldiers -- The Army plans to require that all 1.1 million of its soldiers take intensive training in emotional resiliency, military officials say. The training, the first of its kind in the military, is meant to improve performance in combat and head off the mental health problems, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide, that plague about one-fifth of troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq.
Scientists analyze blood to test for toxic airplane air exposure -- Inside a freezer in a research laboratory at the University of Washington are blood and blood plasma samples from 92 people who suffer from mysterious illnesses, including tremors, memory loss and severe migraine headaches. They are mostly pilots and flight attendants who suspect they've been poisoned in their workplace -- on board the aircraft they fly.
Man carries assault rifle to Obama protest -- and it's legal -- A man toting an assault rifle was among a dozen protesters carrying weapons while demonstrating outside President Barack Obama's speech to veterans on Monday, but no laws were broken. It was the second instance in recent days in which unconcealed weapons have appeared near presidential events.
White House disables e-tip box -- Following a furor over how the data would be used, the White House has shut down an electronic tip box — flag@whitehouse.gov — that was set up to receive information on “fishy” claims about President Barack Obama’s health plan. E-mails to that address now bounce back with the message: “The e-mail address you just sent a message to is no longer in service. We are now accepting your feedback about health insurance reform via http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck.”
Solen.info | SoHO- Solar wind and coronal holes, Electron fluence
Solar wind speed (velocity) and density values are recorded continuously by an instrument on the SoHO spacecraft. During coronal hole related streams the solar wind speed will generally be moderately high whereas the wind density will be low.
Electron fluence
Electron fluence is measured daily. The plot below shows the electron fluence above the 2 MeV level.
CLG's BREAKING NEWS and COMMENTARY | Last updated: 08/17/2009 22:29:44
Armed Men Attend Obama Speech: Man carrying assault rifle attends Obama protest 17 Aug 2009 About a dozen people carrying guns, including one with an AR-15 assault rifle, milled among protesters outside an event where President Barack Obama was giving a speech Monday in Phoenix. It's the latest incident of gun-rights advocates visibly displaying firearms near the president. Phoenix police say the people with guns, including a man carrying the assault rifle, didn't need permits. [See: Guns OK Outside Obama Town Hall; Kerry Pins Brought Arrest At Bush Rally By Lori Price 12 Aug 2009.]
Legal battle over British detainees --They have never been charged with an offence. 18 Aug 2009 A human rights organisation has announced the start of legal action against the Government over questions of alleged rendition to Afghanistan. Reprieve will demand the Ministry of Defence gives answers about the treatment of two men arrested by the British in Iraq in 2004 who have since been held at the US detention facility at Bagram air force base in Afghanistan. They have never been charged with an offence, and the periodic review of their status by the US military has been characterised by a US federal judge as falling "well short of what the Supreme Court found inadequate at Guantanamo". Clive Stafford Smith, director of Reprieve, said: "These two men have been held in appalling conditions for five years, and the Government chose to do nothing."
Romania denies reports of secret CIA prisons in its territory 14 Aug 2009 Romania denied the reports that it hosted a secret prison of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Bucharest, saying the allegations groundless, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alin Serbanescu said on Thursday. The New York Times reported on Thursday that a newly-decorated building on a busy street in Bucharest was one of secret CIA prisons in Eastern Europe.
Iraq May Hold Vote On U.S. Withdrawal --U.S. has quietly lobbied against plebiscite 18 Aug 2009 U.S. troops could be forced by Iraqi voters to withdraw a year ahead of schedule under a referendum the Iraqi government backed Monday. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's move appeared to disregard the wishes of the U.S. government, which has quietly lobbied against the plebiscite. American officials fear it could lead to the annulment of an agreement allowing U.S. troops to stay until the end of 2011, and instead force them out by the start of that year. The Maliki government's announcement came on the day that the top U.S. general in Iraq proposed a plan to deploy troops to disputed areas in the restive north, a clear indication that the military 'sees a continuing need' for U.S. forces even if Iraqis no longer want them here.
US military proposes tripartite forces for N.Iraq --Idea might require modification of a U.S.-Iraqi security pact to allow U.S. troops to return to towns and villages 17 Aug 2009 The U.S. military commander in Iraq said on Monday he had proposed setting up security teams formed of Iraqi, Kurdish and U.S. forces to protect inflame volatile areas disputed by Kurds and Arabs from insurgent attacks. The tripartite arrangement, if approved, would be "a little bit" like a U.S. peacekeeping mission between the rival forces as they face off in a potentially explosive dispute over land, power and oil, Gen. Ray Odierno said. The Iraqi government may have to grant U.S. troops an exemption from the bilateral security agreement under which U.S. troops retreated to rural bases at the end of June and which sets an end-2011 deadline for a full U.S. withdrawal, he said.
U.S. troops may be sent to Iraq's Arab-Kurdish 'trigger line' 18 Aug 2009 The U.S. military is proposing to deploy troops for the first time in a strip of disputed territory in northern Iraq, the top American general in Iraq said Monday. Army Gen. Ray Odierno said the proposal would see U.S. troops deployed alongside Iraqi security forces and Kurdish peshmerga militiamen on the Arab-Kurdish fault line in the northern province of Nineveh, the scene of several recent high-profile [Xe?] bombings.
British forces to remain in Afghanistan for another five years, says Richard Dannatt 17 Aug 2009 General Sir Richard Dannatt, Chief of the General Staff, has said British forces could remain committed to operations in Afghanistan for another five years. Sir Richard said: "We have got to get it right. It will take a bit of time. We will go on doing, as the military, what we need to do until the Afghan capability is good enough to take over from us. That will continue for years. I don't want to put a figure on that but certainly two to four years, three to five years, of this kind of level of commitment by the military."
Mother of soldier killed in Afghanistan slams govt 17 Aug 2009 The mother of the 200th British soldier to be killed in Afghanistan urged Tuesday all members of parliament to "get out on the front line" to see how desperate troops were for resources. Hazel Hunt, whose 21-year-old son died from bomb blast injuries on Saturday, said politicians have "short changed" the army fighting in Afghanistan and the "troops are suffering because of it."
Suicide soars among US soldiers 17 Aug 2009 As the US government throws its weight about the globe, hundreds of thousands of men, women and children fall before Uncle Sam's swinging scythe. But, those at the cutting edge of the scythe are falling too, often by their own hands, in the inescapable confines of their homes or quarters in the barracks back on the US soil. In 2008, 143 soldiers committed suicide, the highest number in the three decades that the army has kept records, reports Washington Post.
Supply Officer Charged Over Iraq Work 18 Aug 2009 In a war burdened with seemingly bottomless corruption, the crimes allegedly carried out by Captain Williams, of Clarksville, Tenn., a member of the celebrated 101st Airborne Division, may appear of little significance: taking at least $20,000 to award favored companies more than half a million dollars in contracts for things as varied as copiers and guard towers in 2005 and 2006. But the indictment, handed up last Wednesday in the federal court for the Southern District of New York, provides a rare window into the troublesome question of how military and civilian contracting officers have so often managed to set up corrupt deals at the heart of the United States enterprise in Iraq, and more recently in Afghanistan.
U.S. group invests tax-free millions in East Jerusalem land 17 Aug 2009 American Friends of Ateret Cohanim, a nonprofit organization that sends millions of shekels worth of donations to Israel every year for clearly political purposes, such as buying Arab properties in East Jerusalem, is registered in the United States as an organization that funds educational institutes in Israel. The U.S. tax code enables nonprofits to receive tax-exempt status if they engage in educational, charitable, religious or scientific activity. However, such organizations are forbidden to engage in any political activity... Financing land purchases in East Jerusalem would, therefore, seem to violate the organization's tax-exempt status.
Minot base forms new unit --The Air Force cited Minot AFB as part of an overall deterioration in managing the nation's nuclear arsenal. 17 Aug 2009 An administrative unit that will supervise the maintenance of the nation's intercontinental ballistic missile arsenal will be activated on Tuesday at a North Dakota Air Force base. The Minot Air Force Base was chosen in June to be the headquarters of the 798th Munitions Maintenance Group. Col. David Milner Jr., the group commander, says the unit will consist of about a dozen military and civilian personnel. The North Dakota base got attention after a series of missteps, including a cross-country flight from Minot in 2007 by an Air Force bomber 'mistakenly' armed with nuclear-tipped cruise missiles.
Officials Say Detainee Fatalities Were Missed 18 Aug 2009 More than one in 10 deaths in immigration detention in the last six years have been overlooked and were omitted from an official list of detainee fatalities issued to Congress in March, the Obama administration said Monday. The administration added 10 previously unreported deaths to the official roster and disclosed an 11th, which occurred Friday... What Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials call "the death roster" stands at 104 since October 2003, up from the 90 that were on the list the agency gave to Congress this spring.
'A swine flu jab was blamed for more deaths than the disease itself.' Swine flu vaccine linked to deadly breathing disease 16 Aug 2009 Doctors have been put on alert for a deadly disease linked to swine flu jabs. The Health Protection Agency has told neurologists to look out for a rise in Guillain-Barr Syndrome - in which paralysis of the breathing muscles can cause death by suffocation - when vaccination starts in the next few weeks. The link was made following a mass immunisation programme in the U.S., in which a swine flu jab was blamed for more deaths than the disease itself.
DH director of immunisation tells nurses they have a 'duty' to have swine flu jab --Survey reveals one third of frontline nurses do not want the jab 17 Aug 2009 The Department of Health’s director of immunisation Professor David Salisbury has said nurses have a responsibility to be vaccinated against swine flu, after a Nursing Times survey reveals one third of frontline nurses do not want the jab. Up to a third of frontline nurses are not currently planning to get immunised against swine flu when the vaccine becomes available later this year, a snapshot survey by Nursing Times reveals.
Doctors on lookout for Guillain-Barré symptoms in swine flu patients 16 Aug 2009 Doctors treating swine flu patients have been instructed to monitor the incidence of a rare nerve disease that has been linked to the body’s immune response to flu-like illnesses. Neurologists will study the occurrence of Guillain-Barré syndrome, which affects the nervous system and can cause temporary paralysis, during the swine flu pandemic and vaccination programme.
President Obama is the real target of health care protesters, not policy By Mike Lupica 17 Aug 2009 We hear that all of this is democracy in action. It's not. It's boom-box democracy, people thinking that if they somehow make enough noise on this subject, they can make Obama into a one-term President. The most violent opposition isn't directed at his ideas about health care reform. It is directed at him. It is about him. They couldn't make enough of a majority to beat the Harvard-educated black guy out of the White House, so they will beat him on an issue where they see him as being most vulnerable. In the process, they'll come after him on health care the way Kenneth Starr went after Bill Clinton on oral sex in the Oval Office.
Public Option Called Essential --Democratic Lawmakers Express Concern 18 Aug 2009 Several leading Democrats voiced concern Monday about an apparent White House shift on health-care reform, objecting to signals from senior administration officials that they would abandon the idea of a government-run insurance plan if it lacked the backing to pass Congress. In the Senate, where negotiations are now focused, John D. Rockefeller IV (W.Va.) said that a public option, as the plan has become known, is "a must." Sen. Russell Feingold (Wis.) said that "without a public option, I don't see how we will bring real change to a system that has made good health care a privilege for those who can afford it."
UBS to reveal about 5,000 names in U.S. deal: source 17 Aug 2009 UBS will give U.S. authorities the names of about 5,000 wealthy Americans suspected of using the Swiss bank to evade taxes under a deal that will be formalized this week, a U.S. legal source said on Monday. The source, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to discuss the agreement, said it was due to be announced jointly by the Swiss and U.S. governments on Wednesday.
3 Indicted in Theft of 130 Million Card Numbers 18 Aug 2009 The man who prosecutors said had masterminded some of the most brazen thefts of credit and debit card numbers in history was charged on Monday with an even larger set of digital break-ins. In an indictment, the Justice Department said that Albert Gonzalez, of Miami and two unnamed Russian conspirators made off with more than 130 million credit and debit card numbers from late 2006 to early 2008. Prosecutors called it the largest case of computer crime and identity theft ever prosecuted.
US hacker charged with stealing 130m credit card IDs --Former secret service worker in jail in New York accused of record scam against retail companies 18 Aug 2009 A serial hacker has been charged with carrying out the largest theft of credit card identities ever recorded in the US, in a sophisticated scam in which he and accomplices allegedly stole at least 130m accounts from big retail companies. Albert Gonzalez, who once worked with the US secret service, is accused of working with two unidentified Russian conspirators to hack into the databases of retail chains, selling the information around the world.
Poll: 57% don't see stimulus working 17 Aug 2009 Six months after President Obama launched a $787 billion plan to right the nation's economy, a majority of Americans think the avalanche of new federal aid has cost too much and done too little to end the recession. A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll found 57% of adults say the stimulus package is having no impact on the economy or making it worse. Even more --60% --doubt that the stimulus plan will help the economy in the years ahead, and only 18% say it has done anything to help improve their personal situation.
Scalia says there's nothing unconstitutional about executing the innocent. By Ian Millhiser 17 Aug 2009 In light of the very real evidence that Davis could be innocent of the crime that placed him on death row, the Supreme Court today invoked a rarely used procedure giving [Troy Anthony] Davis an opportunity to challenge his conviction. Joined by Justice Clarence Thomas in dissent, however, Justice Antonin Scalia criticized his colleagues for thinking that mere innocence is grounds to overturn a conviction: This Court has never held that the Constitution forbids the execution of a convicted defendant who has had a full and fair trial but is later able to convince a habeas court that he is "actually" innocent. Quite to the contrary, we have repeatedly left that question unresolved, while expressing considerable doubt that any claim based on alleged "actual innocence" is constitutionally cognizable.
Opharma poised for final sellout: White House appears ready to drop 'public option' 16 Aug 2009 President Barack Obama's administration signaled on Sunday it is ready to abandon the idea of giving Americans the option of government-run health insurance as part of his ambitious health care proposal. Facing mounting opposition to the overhaul, administration officials left open the chance for a compromise with Republicans that would include health insurance cooperatives. Such a concession is likely to enrage his liberal supporters but could deliver Obama a much-needed win on a top domestic priority opposed by GOP lawmakers.
Sebelius Says Government Insurance Plan Not Essential 16 Aug 2009 Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said providing citizens with the option of government-run insurance isn’t essential to the Obama administration’s proposed overhaul of U.S. health care. "What’s important is choice and competition," Sebelius said today on CNN’s "State of the Union." The public option itself "is not the essential element."
California board votes to drop healthcare coverage for 60,000 children 14 Aug 2009 Nearly 670,000 children could be dropped by June 30. The announcement by state officials that California has enough cash to stop paying bills with IOUs did little to take the sting out of other budget news Thursday: Tens of thousands of poor children are about to lose their healthcare coverage. A state board voted Thursday to begin terminating health insurance for more than 60,000 children Oct. 1 as a result of the budget amendments signed into law recently by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger [R-Enron]. [Oh, but there's *plenty* of money to train Georgian troops and (pretend to) rebuild Afghanistan. Not a *peep* when billions are handed to corpora-terrorist contractors to pour down their sewers, right? Also, where is the town hall outrage when the GOP 'pulls the plug on grand*KIDS?* --LRP]
Three more British soldiers killed in Afghanistan --Three more British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, taking the number of UK personnel killed since operations began in 2001 to 204. 16 Aug 2009 The three, all from The 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, died on Sunday morning after they were attacked while on patrol near Sangin, the Ministry of Defence said.
British soldier's death brings Afghanistan toll to 200 15 Aug 2009 A soldier who died in the UK from wounds suffered in Afghanistan has become the 200th British serviceman killed since the start of operations in 2002, the Ministry of Defence said.
Four killed in Iraq attacks 16 Aug 2009 At least four people were killed and 18 wounded in a bomb attack in the Iraqi capital on Sunday, an interior ministry official said. Two bombs, one planted inside a restaurant and one outside, tore into diners at around 8:20 pm (1720 GMT) in the east Baghdad neighbourhood of Jadidah, the official told AFP, requesting anonymity.
Mercenaries and murder in Iraq --As private security firms take on more responsibility in Iraq, no amount of regulation can stop tragedies from happening By Eric Stoner 14 Aug 2009 In fact, with no countries officially left in the so-called "coalition of the willing", contractors are now playing a more important role than ever, as the Obama administration begins to slowly scale back the war in Iraq. In June, a Pentagon report revealed that there are still 132,610 contractors in Iraq – effectively doubling the size of the occupation – and that the use of armed "private security contractors" in the country actually increased by 23% during the second quarter of 2009.