Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Feb 2, 2002 ... Enron executives believed that a cap-and-trade program would put them in a position to dominate the U.S. energy market
- Enron Sought Global Warming Regulation, Not Free Markets | Competitive Enterprise Institute CEI Feb 2, 2002 ... Enron executives believed that a cap-and-trade program would put them in a position to dominate the U.S. energy market. .
- Beware of Cap and Trade Climate Bills The European experience also shows the problem of cap and trade fraud.[6] None other than Enron's cap and trade ... Ken Lay was a strong supporter of carbon www.heritage.org/Research/Economy/wm1723.cfm - Cached - Similar
UPI | Poll: Afghan war losing support
BusinessInsider.com | TARP Watchdog Will Audit Citi's Government Guarantees
SpaceWeather.com | Complex prominence was evolving on the NW limb - August 19, 2009
Les CowleyImage taken: August 19, 2009
Location: UK
Details:
H1N1 vaccine Russian roulette for human guinea pigs
The potential reactivation of the new swine flu vaccine raises concerns about the relatively mild to moderate symptoms associated with the disease, says the president of the U.S. National Vaccine Information Center.
Swine flue H1N1 has dominated world’s headlines over the last half year. The World Health Organization has called it a health emergency of international concern. Officials predicted that about 2 billion people will eventually get infected with the virus.
An estimated 1,500 people around the world have already died from it, and many already called it the first pandemic of this century.
Still, vaccination against swine flu, like any other vaccination, could have certain side effects.
“In one case out of 100,000 shots, a flu vaccine could cause total paralysis that you can either recover from or die from or get permanently paralyzed,” said Barbara Loe Fisher,the president of the U.S. National Vaccine Information Center.
“With the flu vaccine in 1976, about 40 million people in the U.S. were vaccinated and in about 500 cases people had inflammation of the nerves that resulted in 25 deaths and actually causes more death cases than the flu itself,” she said. “This new swine vaccine is relative to that one of 1976.”
“Two-thirds of the health workers and nurses in Great Britain were polled and said that they were not going to take the swine flu vaccine, which is interesting, and no polls were taken in the U.S.,” Loe Fisher added.
She noted that in the U.S., vaccination against swine flu is going to have a national roll-out in October 2009. For the first time since 1950s, school children are going to be vaccinated. Moreover, vaccination will be done in non-traditional medical settings like pharmacies and groceries. The result could be a lack of monitoring and record keeping, which may make it more difficult to control reactions to the vaccine.
RussiaToday.com | Deaths in US immigration prisons in shadow
More than one in ten deaths in American immigration prisons has gone unreported, the U.S. administration admitted in the wake of an investigation by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The revelations call into question the transparency of the work conducted by the service.
Moreover, basic medical care is not available in U.S. immigration detention centers as its officials have discretion to deny medical help, said David Shapiro, a lawyer from the ACLU.
13WHAM.com | Some Black & Decker Coffeemakers Recalled
The coffeemakers can overheat and melt, posing a burn hazard to consumers. There has been one report of a coffeemaker melting, but no injuries.
This recall involves Black & Decker 8-cup programmable thermal coffeemakers. Model number TCM1000IKT is printed on the rating plate on the bottom of the coffeemaker.
They were sold a: Wal Mart and small retail stores nationwide from April 2008 through July 2009 for between $50 and $65.
Consumers should immediately stop using the coffeemakers and contact Applica to receive a free replacement product.
Thunderbolts.info | When Sirius Was Red
Sirius A and its faint companion, Sirius B. Credit: Hubble Space Telescope/NASA/ESA,H. Bond (STScI) and M. Barstow (University of Leicester).
Bloomberg.com | Obama Goes Postal, Lands in Dead-Letter Office: Caroline Baum
HeraldTribune.com | 'Clunker' dealers await their cash
N.Y. dealers pull out of clunkers program
A New York dealership group says hundreds of its members have left the Cash for Clunkers program, citing delays in getting reimbursed by the government.
SteveQuayle.com | Hot Headlines - August 19, 2009
FDIC Sees Ag Banks As the Next Big Crisis
Integrity Deficit Has Its Price
China Cuts US Treasury Holdings in June
CalPERS Admits California "Pension Costs Unsustainable" - So What to Do About It?
Time to Get Real
Baby Bush: The Worst President in History?
Grim Forecast for L.A. and Long Beach Ports
Lawyer: FBI Trained Hal Turner as an "Agent Provocateur"
Japan Weighing Nuclear Option
Many Feared Dead in Russia Blast
Ayatollah Sees Global Islamic 'Mahdi' Army
Kamchatka’s Koryaksky Volcano Spews Gas, Steam and Ash
Sheriff: Ga. Couple Likely Killed in Dog Attack
How’d They Do That? The Virtual Debut of Infiniti’s New M
Air Force Establishes ‘Reduced’ Cyber-War Command
Cloning Neanderthals
Robots Trained to Fire on People
Invisible Doorways or Portals a Step Closer to Reality, Claim Scientists
Scientists Control Living Cells With Light; Advances Could Enhance Stem Cells' Power
Joyce Riley's THE POWER HOUR NEWS - August 19, 2009
Monsanto to Charge as Much as 42% More for New Seeds -- Monsanto Co., the world’s largest seed maker, plans to charge as much as 42 percent more for new genetically modified seeds next year than older offerings because they increase farmers’ output.
Doctors on lookout for Guillain-Barré symptoms in swine flu patients -- 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 occurence of Guillain-Barré syndrome, which affects the nervous system and can cause temporary paralysis, during the swine flu pandemic and vaccination programme.
Secretary Shinseki Announces Expansion of Counseling for Combat Veterans -- Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced that combat Veterans will receive readjustment counseling and other assistance in 28 additional communities across the country where the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will establish Vet Centers in 2010.
CNN INTERVIEW GOES WRONG WITH MISSOURI TRUCK DEALER -- This Missouri car salesman kept his cool while CNN reporter tries to make him come off looking like a redneck, gun-toting hillbilly.
Man says he sold kidney in U.S. for $20k -- New York recipient says he was near death when Israeli man answered ad. This took place back in 2005 but the article is just now being published. For years, kidneys have been available on a thriving international black market, but evidence of organ trafficking in the United States is harder to find. However, doctors and others in the transplant field have long suspected an illegal organ market exists here.
AP | Hurricane Bill now Category 4 storm in Atlantic and could get stronger
MIAMI – Hurricane Bill became a Category 4 storm as it rumbled across the Atlantic early Wednesday with maximum sustained winds near 135 mph.
And forecasters say the dangerous hurricane could get even stronger.
The National Hurricane Center said people in the Leeward Islands should monitor Bill's progress, though the core of the storm was expected to pass well to the northeast of the islands late Wednesday and early Thursday.
"The wind sheer is light and the waters are warm," Todd Kimberlain, a forecaster at the center, said Tuesday. "Those are two essential ingredients not just for the formation, but also the maintenance, of hurricanes."
Early Wednesday, Bill was centered about 460 miles east of the Leeward Islands and moving west-northwest near 16 mph.
The most significant threat could be to Bermuda, which the storm could pass in three or four days, Kimberlain said. But it also could move directly between Bermuda and the eastern coast of the U.S. without making landfall.
Either way, people near the coast can expect wave swells and rip currents in the next few days, Kimberlain said.
Meanwhile, people in flood-prone Haiti and the Dominican Republic awoke to good news Tuesday as it appeared Ana, the first named storm of the Atlantic season, had largely spared their shared island.
The two countries that share the island of Hispaniola are vulnerable to storms, with many impoverished people clustered along rivers, but there were no reports of major damage from the remnants of Tropical Storm Ana. The system had been downgraded to a tropical depression and then largely dissipated before reaching Haiti and the Dominican Republic, but its rains were still considered a potential threat.
Forecasters had revised their Atlantic hurricane season predictions for this season after the first two months passed without any named storms developing.
Is this the first to come ? Martial Law called Adult curfew ?
They'ye calling it need because of crime... but imo this is the first step to Martial law ! If allowed next will be what time you can go out and where you can go.....Where's your NNWO Paper's/ID ?
AP story
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32468267/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/
NaturalNews.com | Today's Featured Stories - August 19, 2009
| Swine Flu Vaccine Linked to Paralysis, Leaked Memo Reveals (NaturalNews) A warning letter about the swine flu vaccine was leaked to the DailyMail over the weekend. Written by Professor Elizabeth Miller, head of the Health Protection Agency's Immunization Department, it warns neurologists that the influenza vaccine... |
| One in Seven Scientists Say Colleagues Fake "Scientific" Study Results (NaturalNews) One in seven scientists report that they have known colleagues to falsify or slant the findings of their research, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and published in the journal |
| Not an Intestinal Candida Infection: Call it Gut Fermentation Syndrome Across the Internet and in many books and magazines there are claims that people with symptoms of fatigue, chemical sensitivities, brain fog and other vague symptoms have an 'Intestinal Candida Infection' or an 'Intestinal Yeast Infection'... |
| Red Flag for Baby Making Industry: IVF Causes Metabolic Problems (NaturalNews) What do Octomom, Nadya Suleman, and her brood of 14 children (eight born at one time) have in common with the soon-to-be divorced Jon and Kate Gosselin, parents of twins plus sextuplets? Besides reality shows (Suleman has one in the works... |
| Five Cups and More of Green Tea Billed as Best Defense from Cancer, Says Japanese Research Moderation in all things may typically be the best route to all-around health, but when it comes to green tea consumption, moderation does not equal disease prevention. In fact, as many as five cups of green tea or more - clearly not a moderate... |
| Vitamin D3 and Curcumin Offer Hope to Alzheimer's Patients New information which was published in the Journal of Alzheimer`s Disease, may help in the search for an answer to preventing Alzheimer`s. Promising results were obtained, using D3 alone or together with curcumin, an active ingredient... |
| Karen Knowler Part I: The Journey to Finding Real Life Karen Knowler Part 1: The Journey to Finding "Real Life" This interview is an excerpt from Kevin Gianni's Rawkathon. In this excerpt, Karen Knowler shares on hitting her low point and her... |
| Why Are Smart People So Ignorant When it Comes to Health, Vaccines and Vitamin D? (Part Three) (NaturalNews) This is the third and final part of a three-part article series. Part one is available at http://www.naturalnews.com/026843_health_food_nutrition.html and you can read part two here: http://www.naturalnews.com/026851_nutrition_health_cancer... |
Geology.com | News - August 19, 2009
Large Tyrannosaurus Rex Up for Auction Posted: 18 Aug 2009 09:46 PM PDT One of the largest known specimens of Tyrannosaurus Rex will be auctioned by Bonhams & Butterfields on Saturday, October 3, 2009 in Las Vegas. The skeleton is expected to bring millions of dollars. |
| Natural Gas Pipeline Bombings in British Columbia Posted: 18 Aug 2009 09:24 PM PDT Someone has been bombing natural gas pipelines in Northeastern British Columbia. Some believe that it is a case of eco-terrorism against EnCana Corporation. |
| Posted: 18 Aug 2009 09:11 PM PDT Taiwan was hit hard by Typhoon Morakot which has caused flooding and many landslides. Here is a very short YouTube video of the Shiaolin Landslide. For more details about the slide visit Dave Petley’s “On The Slide” blog. |
| Posted: 18 Aug 2009 06:37 PM PDT Hurricane Bill is now a Category 3 storm, tracking northwest through the Atlantic Ocean. The exact path it will take and how strong it will be this weekend are uncertain. The hurricane could potentially reach New England this weekend. |
| Brazil Moving Towards Oil Nationalization? Posted: 18 Aug 2009 12:51 PM PDT Foreign oil companies may have less control and income from their activities in Brazil. The Brazilian government wants the Petrobras, the national oil company, to control more of the country’s oil development and have a larger ownership stake. |
| Posted: 18 Aug 2009 12:44 PM PDT CNN has a story about the world’s largest and most powerful telescopes. These enable astronomers to not only look farther into the distance but also look farther back in time. |
Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens For Legitimate Government | 19 August 2009
Afghan poll media blackout urged 18 Aug 2009 Afghanistan has called on domestic and foreign media not to cover any violence on the day of the presidential election in case such reports scare away voters. The government urged a media blackout on any attacks from 0600 to 2000 during polling on Thursday and asked reporters to avoid the scene of such incidents. Human-rights activists and journalists condemned the move.
Suicide car bomb strikes Kabul in pre-vote violence 18 Aug 2009 A suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden car into a NATO convoy in the Afghan capital on Tuesday, killing at least eight people in a wave of violence two days before an 'election' the Taliban has vowed to disrupt. Rockets also hit Kabul, several rural polling stations were attacked, a provincial council candidate was gunned down and three election workers were killed by a bomb in violence ahead of Thursday's vote.
2 U.S. soldiers killed in E Afghanistan 18 Aug 2009 Two American soldiers with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) were killed and three others were injured by roadside bombing in eastern Afghanistan Tuesday, according to a statement issued by ISAF. "Two ISAF service members were killed and three others were injured after their convoy struck an improvised explosive device in eastern Afghanistan today," said the statement.
Obama tells veterans Afghanistan is a 'war of necessity' 18 Aug 2009 Speaking to more than 5,500 veterans, President Obama on Monday renewed his commitment to dismantling 'Al Qaeda' in Afghanistan -- a struggle he said was "fundamental to the defense of our people" -- and offered assurances that his healthcare overhaul would not touch veterans' medical benefits. "This is not a war of choice. This is a war of necessity," Bush Obama told the annual Veterans of Foreign Wars conference -- cautioning that the insurgency would not be defeated overnight. "Those who attacked America on 9/11 are plotting to do so again. If left unchecked, the Taliban insurgency will mean an even larger safe haven from which Al Qaeda would plot to kill more Americans."
Pakistan needs "months" for Waziristan push: general 18 Aug 2009 Pakistan will need months to prepare for a ground offensive against the Taliban in their South Waziristan stronghold on the Afghan border, a senior army commander said on Tuesday, citing equipment shortages. U.S. President Barack Obama's visiting special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, said Washington was trying to expedite delivery of the equipment requested by the Pakistani army, including helicopters and parts.
BP, Iraq officials meet over Rumaila oil deal 17 Aug 2009 A technical team from oil major BP has met Iraqi oil engineers as part of preparations to sign a deal to develop Iraq's giant Rumaila field, senior Iraqi oil officials said on Monday. In July, BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward said his company expected to finalise the deal by the end of the year.
Doctor kidnapped, two killed in northern Iraq 18 Aug 2009 A Christian doctor was kidnapped and two people were killed in attacks by armed gunmen [Xe?] in the restive northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Tuesday, police said. The doctor, a paediatrician, was abducted from his car by unidentified gunmen as he drove home in the oil-rich city, a local police official told AFP, requesting anonymity.
Homosexuals lined up and killed in Iraq 17 Aug 2009 Human Rights Watch has reported that Iraqi homosexuals are being rounded up and killed by local militia. The systematic campaign has spread from Baghdad to many other cities, where the bodies of gay men have been found, dumped in garbage or hung as warnings on the street.
Raytheon eyes new anti-missile system for Israel 18 Aug 2009 Raytheon Co, the world's biggest missile maker, said it was developing a new system that, if deployed, could boost Israel's defenses against Iran as soon as 2013 and beef up anti-missile bulwarks worldwide. The plan is to create a land-based version of Raytheon's existing Standard Missile-3, a mainstay of U.S. missile defense from the sea.
Israeli troops 'kidnap' Palestinians for organs 18 Aug 2009 A leading Swedish newspaper claims Israeli soldiers kidnap Palestinians to steal their organs and sell them in the black market. In an article titled They plunder the organs of our sons, the daily Aftonbladet said Israeli soldiers abduct young Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip and return their bodies to their families after removing their organs.
Protesters want UC Berkeley law professor fired 17 Aug 2009 Anti-war activists protested Monday at the University of California, Berkeley to call for the firing of a law professor who co-wrote legal memos that critics say were used to justify the torture of suspected terrorists. Campus police arrested at least four people who refused to leave the university's law school building. The demonstrators said John Yoo should be dismissed, disbarred and prosecuted for war crimes for his work as a Bush administration attorney from 2001 to 2003, when he helped craft legal theories for waterboarding and other harsh interrogation torture techniques.
Attorney: FBI trained NJ blogger to incite others 18 Aug 2009 A New Jersey blogger facing charges in two states for allegedly making threats against lawmakers and judges was trained by the FBI on how to be deliberately provocative, his attorney said Tuesday. Hal Turner worked for the FBI from 2002 to 2007 as an "agent provocateur" and was taught by the agency "what he could say that wouldn't be crossing the line," defense attorney Michael Orozco said.
Ky. Office of Homeland Security Will Feature 'Eyes & Ears' At State Fair 18 Aug 2009 Eyes & Ears on Kentucky, an anonymous telephone tip line for reporting suspicious activity, will be featured by the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security at the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville on Aug. 20-30. Eyes & Ears enables anyone to report suspicious activity that might logically pose a threat to individuals, community or the commonwealth of Kentucky. Dialing the tip line: (866) 393-6659, connects callers with the Kentucky Intelligence Fusion Center. Information is then forwarded to the appropriate law-enforcement agency, other appropriate first responders, or because of details provided, to an intelligence specialist for quick analysis.
Man Tasered in stop by state cops dies 18 Aug 2009 A Philadelphia man who was Tasered by a police officer during a traffic stop Friday after he and his female companion allegedly assaulted state troopers, died from unknown causes Sunday morning at Crozer-Chester Medical Center. The circumstances of Hakim Jackson's death are being investigated by the state police.
Swine flu closes Ky. school for a week 18 Aug 2009 A central Kentucky public school has been closed for the week after students and teachers became ill and an eastern Kentucky school is shut down because of swine flu. In Boyle County, Junction City Elementary School is closed until next week. School officials said dozens of students and several teachers were absent on Monday -- most of them with flu-like symptoms.
A third of nurses will refuse to have the swine flu jab 18 Aug 2009 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. The poll, by Nursing Times magazine, will raise questions over the Government's planned mass vaccination programme.
Tamiflu puts 600,000 at greater risk of a stroke 19 Aug 2009 GPs have been put on alert over fears that Tamiflu can put some people at greater risk of suffering a stroke. A Government watchdog is concerned that the anti-swine flu drug can interact with the blood-thinning medication warfarin, which is taken by more than 600,000 people in the UK. The combination can dangerously thin the blood, putting patients at risk of uncontrolled bleeding which can lead to a stroke.
Congress Discovers Another Forged Advocacy Letter 18 Aug 2009 A Congressional committee's inquiry has turned up a 13th forged letter criticizing a climate-change bill, this time in the name of a Charlottesville senior center, and sent to a lawmaker by a Washington lobbying firm. The letter to U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.) was released Tuesday by the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. The founder of the lobbying firm that sent the letter, Bonner and Associates, said the missive was discovered Monday during a internal review by his company's law firm, Akin Gump, launched in response to the House committee's investigation.
White House: Obama still backs public health plan 18 Aug 2009 President Barack Obama isn't backing off on support for a public health-insurance plan, his spokesman said Tuesday, after his health and human services secretary said over the weekend that the public option wasn't "the essential element" of health-care reform. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama is open to ideas if others have them but that Obama prefers the public plan.
Liberal Democrats fight U.S. healthcare shift 17 Aug 2009 Liberal Democrats warned President Barack Obama on Monday that a retreat on support for a government-run health insurance plan could endanger passage of major healthcare reform in Congress this year. The head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus [Raul Grijalva, D-AZ], which represents more than 80 members of the House of Representatives and two senators, said a majority of the group would oppose any bill that did not include a government-run insurance plan.
Conservative commentator Robert Novak dies aged 78 18 Aug 2009 Robert Novak, a conservative political columnist known as the "Prince of Darkness" and who unleashed a political firestorm by publishing the name of an undercover CIA operative, died on Tuesday. He was 78. Novak's most famous column, in July 2003, named as a CIA operative Valerie Plame, whose husband Joseph Wilson, a former U.S. ambassador, had publicly criticized the Iraq war.
Cold summer weather means healthier polar bears 18 Aug 2009 A colder summer has been good for Hudson Bay polar bears. Experts say the sea ice has lasted longer than it has in years, giving the bears more time to hunt and feed. Andrew Derocher of the University of Alberta says it's good news in an area where the polar bear population has declined by 25 per cent. He says even a few extra weeks on the ice can make a huge difference to the survival of the bears. But experts say this doesn't mean polar bears are no longer under threat from climate change.
Hurricane Bill Strengthens to Category 3 Storm 18 Aug 2009 Hurricane Bill strengthened to a Category 3 storm Tuesday evening, making it the first major hurricane of the Atlantic season. The National Hurricane Center said people in the Leeward Islands should monitor Bill's progress.
Previous lead stories: Armed men at 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."
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.
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.