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Kleiner’s Korner would like to bring to your attention the fabulous new product and website, "Ema Pads" by Yael Klein, my wife.
link here
Yael has created her own business selling 100% unbleached organic cotton menstrual pads to help women and our planet, Mother Earth. Men are encouraged to check out this site, too, to support the lady in their life, in order to reduce disposable wastes. These are fully washable/reusable and in utilizing this product, help to reduce landfill wastes. Kleiner’s Korner has recently listed several ways to recycle and reuse, thus reducing this nation's growing landfill issues, and this is consistent with that theme.
Quoting from Yael Klein's site, "These menstrual washable cloth pads have been created to provide women a long lasting, comfortable, and economical alternative hygiene product while helping Mother Earth by reducing waste generated by today's commercial feminine products."
link here
Learn what inspired Yael to create such a unique enterprise.
link here
Check out her Ema Pads online catalog, each pad hand-made by my wife, with love added as an integral ingedient.
link here
Ema Pads can also be accessed from the Kleiner’s Korner Links page:
link here
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Kleiner's Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2004.
For archived issues of Kleiner's Korner, click on "Current Kleiner's Korner and Archives" at www.kleinerskorner.com.
Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com.
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| Kleiner's Korner Correction
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The link for number 12 is not working from the Kleiner's Korner for Week of Febraury 23, 2004 sent earlier, I have discovered. Here is the working version: 12. Interesting photos of a giant, super-race are posted on this website.
link here
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| Kleiner's Korner for Week of February 23, 2004
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1. Seems bugs have been "bugging" things on this plant a lot longer than previously thought. After languishing for approximately 80 years in London's Natural History Museum, an insect no larger than a grain of rice has been reexamined by American etymologists and determined to be between 396 million and 407 million years old.
link here
While on this subject, as a follow-up to a previous story about hurricane Isabel, Mother Nature gave Maryland paleontologists a new whale fossil to study when this hurricane uncovered an 8 million year old skull buried in the cliffs of St. Mary's River. Looks like nature just keeps getting "older" without actually having to age.
link here
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2. Follow Up to bird news stories: Recently Kleiner's Korner referenced an MSNBC article that pointed out 5 billion birds die each year in this country from flying into windows. Bird Watcher's Digest has some tips on things that can be done around the home to reduce that risk.
link here
Think that bird flu hase gone away??? Better read these stories before you go that route.
A. Just as Thailand and Japan had hoped to announce an end to the avian bird flu, new cases of it showed up not only in the same Thailand provinces where it had been found before, but also in Lhasa, the capitol of Tibet.
link here
B. And now a contagious bird flu has been found in Texas:
link here
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3. Superconductors are thought to hold out promise for cheaper and cleaner energy. The problem has been that today's superconductors cannot function above minus 135 degrees Fahrenheit, thus the technology is expensive and bulky. A team of NASA-backed researchers has found a new form of matter, "ferminioc condensates." According to the lead researcher, "The strength of pairing in our fermionic condensate . . . would correspond to a room-temperature superconductor."
link here
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4. Update on fuel cell technology: In the quest for fuel cell technology to reduce our dependence on petroleum, one stumbling block has been good sources of hydrogen. Researchers at the University of Minnesota seem to be on the way to solving the dilemma by creating a way to turn ethanol into hydrogen. Ethanol is made from corn, and according to the researchers: "A bushel of corn . . . yields three times as much power if its energy is channeled into hydrogen fuel cells rather than burned along with gasoline." Plus they claim the reactor used in the conversion "can be built small enough to hold in a hand and could in five or more years provide electricity for houses, lighted billboards, and air-conditioning units in vehicles," and eventually for automobiles and decentralized power systems.
link here
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5. Intel has announced it's made a new computer chip that switches light like electricity. This advance could make fiber optic equipment affordable for the personal computer level, and the new chip technology blurs the line between communications and computing. The potential applications of this new technology are quite fascinating.
link here
On the cutting edge of vast changes in the way things are done is the field of nanotechnology, "where scientists manufacture things 1/1000th the width of a human hair." Along with incredible, almost science fiction-like new products has come the concern for the environmental and human health impact of nanoparticles created during the manufacturing process. Some normally benign particles on the nano level remain benign, while others become damaging. The whole nanotechnology field is just now unfolding.
link here
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6. We live in an age of disposable batteries and electronics, from cell phones to computers to tools. The toxic materials inside these devices have become a new pollution problem. Now a California company, The Big Green Box, has a national program whereby these items can now be collected and shipped away for recycling instead of polluting the local landfill. The customer prepays for a Big Green Box, fills it with items to be recycled, then UPS's it to the company at the company's expense. Finally, recycling available to every home regardless of location!
link here
While on this subject, here is a fabuous site by the Washington State Dept. of Ecology for people
to post goods for exchange they might otherwise toss into a landfill:
link here .
7. Follow Up on the CAPPS II, no-fly list: Scheduled for this spring is the new color-code system for all flyers. However, there already is a no-fly list which has been in existence since 1990 and was expanded after 9/11. "Uncle Sam's No-Fly List" is accessed by airline ticketing computers, but the list itself is secret. Here's an article describing what happened to two people who are on the list and don't know why.
link here
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8. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy has announced its 2004 list of the most "green" cars and passenger trucks. This is their seventh annual edition of the Green Book, an environmental guide to vehicles.
link here
Check out the Green Book Online.
link here .
9. A California company is now marketing yeast-free bread. Foods with yeast in them are more difficult to digest than yeast-free foods, especially for people with allergies.
link here
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10. Recently 6000 scientists gathered in Seattle at the American Association for the Advancement of Science's annual conference. The British science delegation used the platform to pressure the Bush administration about joining with the rest of the world in reducing greenhouse gases, an especially hot project for England's Prime Minister Tony Blair. The U.S. withdrew from the 1997 Kyoto climate protocol because Bush said compliance would cut economic growth in the U.S.
link here
As Kleiner's Korner has pointed out several times, Bush's dismal environmental record can be read about on the Natural Resources Defense Council's website.
link here
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11. And now British scientists have published speculation that dark energy and dark matter, "essential to modern explanations of the universe," might really not exist. HUM!
link here
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12. Interesting photos of a giant, super-race are posted on this website.
link here
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A follow-up story of note: On March 4 and 11, NBC will air never before heard or seen audio tapes and video tapes of Princess Diana made during her marriage to Prince Charles. These were a principle source for Andrew Morton who published his book "Diana Her True Story" in 1992. It's also come to light that the princess was collaborating with him a biography before her death in l997.
link here
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Quote of the Week:
"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.
It is the source of all true art & science."
Albert Einstein
Kleiner's Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2004.
For archived issues of Kleiner's Korner, click on "Current Kleiner's Korner and Archives" at www.kleinerskorner.com.
Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com.
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| Kleiner's Korner for Week of February 16, 2004
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Happy Valentine's Day Week!
In a major breakthrough for stem cell science, South Korean and U.S. researchers announced they had successfully cloned human embryos and harvested embryonic stem cells from them. They presented their work at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science held in Seattle, WA, this year. The breakthrough has the potential to transform medicine.
link here
Did you know that water, and indeed all life, responds to thoughts? No where is this more evident than by looking at water molecules when they are exposed to various conscious thoughts. Photographs of this were used in the movie "What the Bleep Do You Know."
link here
The water crystals pictured in the movie showed the different shapes water molecules become when exposed to different conditions of thoughts (i.e., a water molecule exposed to love as opposed to fear). Masaru Emoto, the Japanese scientist who has done extensive research on this, publishes a crystal of the month photograph on his website.
link here
In April Dr. Emoto is coming to the U.S. and will be conducting seminars in the Seattle, Portland, Denver, LA, San Francisco, Sedona, Flagstaff and Dallas.
link here
1. Update on volcano and earthquake information:
Many scientists agree that the ash from volcanic eruptions can greatly effect climate. Evidence of this was recorded worldwide in 1816, a legendary year in the annals of weather, which is outlined in this book.
link here
According to an article on the U.S. National Weather Service website, 1816 "has been called 'the year without a summer,' 'poverty year,' and 'eighteen hundred froze to death.' . . Three major volcanic eruptions took place between 1812 and 1817: Soufriere on St. Vincent Island in 1812; Mayon in the Philippines in 1814; and Tarnbora on the island of Sumbawa in Indonesia in 1815. The worst was Tambora, a 13,000-foot volcano that belched f1ame and ash from April 7 to 12, 1815, raining stone fragments on surrounding villages. It has been estimated that Tambora's titanic explosion blew from 37 to 100 cubic miles of dust, ashes, and cinders into the atmosphere, generating a globe-girdling veil of volcanic dust."
link here
This site has an update on current volcanic activity.
link here
Check out this a great site, Volcano Live.
link here
Credited with getting earlier earthquake predictions right, the team of scientists now expects a 6.4 magnitude or larger temblor in the Southern California desert by Sept. 5.
link here
On February 11th Israel recorded that area's first major earthquake since 1936. Although minor damage was reported, this 5.2 event was felt as far away as Cyprus.
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The USGS posted information on this "famous" area's quake.
link here
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2. Although cities are concerned about the potential for terrorism, they are more focused now on their aging infra-structures. No more so is this apparent than in New York City. So critical is the New York water delivery system, that officials will not allow valves to shut down certain water tunnels for repairs, fearing they may not be able to open the valves again thus leaving New York City without water. This is so blatant that NBC's Today show did a whole feature recently on Tunnel #3, the "new" tunnel that has been under construction for more than 35 years and that will not be completely open until 2020. The question is: can tunnels 1 & 2 survive that long since they are crumbling in places? A collapse of one of them will make 9/11 look like child's play for this city if much of the city suddenly has no water.
link here
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3. A scientific team from England and Japan announced it has taken the best pictures to date on the structure within plants that enable them to split water into hydrogen and oxygen atoms. This may provide information for a cheaper way to produce clean-burning hydrogen fuel.
link here
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4. Regardless of skin color, religion, or sexual orientation, women are still the most oppressed people on this planet. This is described in the movie "Osama" depicting the way a girl survived as a boy.
link here
The New York Times review of the movie says: "One of the effects of the 9/11 attacks was to wake up the distracted Western public to the horror of Taliban rule in Afghanistan. . . . Now, with the Taliban out of power, 'Osama,' the first film produced in Afghanistan since they took over in 1996, arrives to nudge us back into a state of alertness, and also, as remnants of the ousted regime continue to menace that nation's peace and stability, to trouble our sleep and our consciences as well."
link here
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5. The author of a documentary, "Super Size Me," chronicles obesity in the U.S. His personal contribution to the film was his eating three meals a day at McDonalds for thirty days. The effect on his body is dramatic.
link here
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6. A 17 year old young woman from Saransk, a town near Moscow, has the ability to see inside people like an x-ray and can diagnose illnesses at the cellular level. Here's an article on a sponsored trip she made to the UK to demonstrate her ability with celebrity diagnoses.
link here
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7. Brian Greene, Columbia University physicist and author of “The Elegant Universe,” has taken on the foundations of the space-time continuum in his new book, "The Fabric of the Cosmos." Since he wrote "The Elegant Universe," there have been many developments and findings on the accelerating universe, cosmic microwave background, and the brane theory (cyclic expansion and contraction).
link here
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8. A genetic reason that doubles the risk of stroke or heart attack? That's what researchers in Iceland say they have found. The genetic mutation is related to the body's response to inflammations and "the finding could help explain how inflammation can cause stroke and heart attack." Clinical trials of a drug to counteract this have begun.
link here
A new device, called the Merci Retriever, can reverse the damaging effects of a stroke, sometimes even up to eight hours after the stroke happens.
link here
Of course, strokes can be prevented with chelation therapy. Read about that here.
link here
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9. After reading the book "Modoc, The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived," I was so touched that I went on the internet to see if there really was a Gentle Jungle Exotic Animal Rental outside LA that uses affection and kindness to train wild animals. And lo and behold, there is.
link here
You can order "Modoc," a book of love and survival, at:
link here
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10. Babies who develop several fevers before the age of one are less likely to develop allergies later in life. Researchers call this the "hygiene theory," saying that early fevers mean the immune system is learning to fight. If the immune system isn't exposed to things it needs to fight because the environment is too hygienically clean, later in life it goes into overdrive and allergic reactions are the result. [Ed. Note: Now infant fevers are found to be beneficial!]
link here
The EPA has revised its estimates to one in six for how many children could be born with elevated mercury levels. This puts them at risk for developmental disorders.
link here
And this follows a December 2003 FDA warning about high mercury levels in fish which was reported in Kleiner's Korner. [Ed. Note: All adults would be wise to take heed now that both the EPA and FDA have warnings on this subject!] This is the FDA report.
link here
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11. While the U.S. mad cow probe is over, countries boycotting U.S. beef have not lifted their bans. Many questions remain unanswered.
link here
The USDA has said it will double testing for mad cow. However, critics do not think that is enough. France tests 50% of its slaughtered cows, and Japan tests 100%.
link here
Plus the outbreak of a strain of avian-type bird flu last week in the U.S. resulted in U.S. poultry being boycotted by some countries. It should be pointed out that this strain of bird flu has appeared in the U.S. before.
link here
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12. “It’s Raining Money” is a sweet story about pennies, dimes, quarters and dollars appearing out of nowhere. This DOES happen!
link here
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Quote of the Week:
"At a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."
George Orwell
Kleiner's Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2003.
For archived issues of Kleiner's Korner, click on "Current Kleiner's Korner and Archives" at www.kleinerskorner.com.
Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com.
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| Kleiner's Korner for Week of February 9, 2004
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Bunkhouse Burgers in McKenna has announced it has just switched to Stewart's Meats of McKenna as its meat source for hamburger, because Stewart's standards are listed and they guarantee the quality of their products. This is the first local restaurant I know of that has switched meat suppliers in favor of a local producer. Stop in and congratulate owner Cherri Mitchell, or call 458-9298 for your take-out orders and use their drive-up window. Additional stories about this week's meat issues at number 11 below.
link here
The world premier of the movie "What the Bleep Do We Know" was held in Yelm on February 6th. This landmark film featuring Academy Award winner Marlee Matlin is now being presented in other US cities as well. Here is the Premier Fact Sheet:
link here
The film calendar is here:
link here
1. Update on multi-national corporations: The influence multi-national corporations have in every facet of life is now becoming more recognized and is being taken more seriously by mainstream media.
A new Canadian documentary, "The Corporation," takes a serious look at corporate responsibility, or lack thereof. Pointing out that corporations hold the same legal status as a person, the film focuses on what kind of "person" a corporation actually is. The documentary's answer: "a clinical psychopath." It's now playing in four Canadian theatres.
link here
Common Dreams lists its choice of the worst companies of 2003. Check out why they made this list.
link here
Do you want TRUTH about multi-national corporate control of this world? Do you? If so, then take 2 minutes to listen to this. Click on "Corporations."
link here
Here's a preview of "Where Angels Fear to Tread."
link here
Knowledge leads to freedom. Once one has knowledge, wise choices can be made. Buy the video "Where Angels Fear to Tread" for a confronting yet freeing look at life today. Scroll to the video's title.
link here .
2. Update on Orcas (Killer Whales): There are now 23 total in captivity in the U.S. and 49 worldwide. Since 1961, 135 Orcas have been captured for marine parks and 111 have died. The average lifespan in the wild for these mammals is 30-50 years, in captivity less than 6. The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society's article, "Captive Orcas--Dying to Entertain You," has more on this. It focuses on the role of corporate profit and greed in confining these animals, worth $400-500 million a year for Sea World alone.
link here
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3. On Feb. 3rd The Wall Street Journal published an article entitled "Flu Researchers Partially Re-Create Killer Strain of 1918." The article says the project is “to determine which genes made the 1918 virus so dangerous ... [which] could put some big historical mysteries to rest and might also help fight outbreaks of new flu strains.” It mentions the study was lead by team leader Terrence Tumpey, a scientist at the influenza branch of the CDC in Atlanta, the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in NYC and the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Rockville, MD. The WSJ article is for subscribers only, however, here are links to the 1918 flu study.
link here
Why is this story so alarming? On February 5 the journal Science published the findings of research into the 1918 strain. Like the Asian bird flu of today, the strain contains a unique bird-like protein and it spreads from birds to humans with very little mutation. This all deserves a big HUM!
link here
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4. Update on Asian bird flu: Deaths attributed to the Asian bird flu continue to rise.
link here
And concern is spreading that this disease can jump to other mammals since the virus has been detected in pigs.
link here
On a less serious note, did you know that plate glass in skyscrapers is blamed for one billion bird deaths a year? Birds cannot see the glass and so they strike the glass while in flight. Solutions are being researched as outlined in this article. [Ed. Note: This was eye-opening news to me!]
link here
An African grey parrot named N'kisi has a 950 word vocabulary, exhibits a sense of humor, creates sentences, and does remote views. This is a fun and educational read.
link here
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5. Two interesting stories from the Pentagon recently:
A. Global warming and its political and economic implications are being grappled with by Pentagon strategic planners. Fortune Magazine takes a long look at this. It's a fascinating and informative read.
link here
The Environmental News Network reports that Canadian Environment Minister David Anderson has stated: "Global warming poses a greater long-term threat to humanity than terrorism because it could force hundreds of millions from their homes and trigger an economic catastrophe...."
link here
B. Meet the new Homeland Security blimp flying high in 2006. Coming to a neighborhood near you on surveillance missions.
link here
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6. Finally! Someone has had the courage to say that drugs and doctors may be the leading cause of death in the U.S. [Ed. Note: I am not against Western medicine, just advise it's wise to be aware of all of its nuances!]:
link here
Seems hospitals as well can play a part in circumventing the healing process. Patients who have complained they cannot get any rest in noisy hospitals were vindicated with a report confirming that the racket on hospital wards can be as loud as a rock concert.
link here
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7. Time travel is not just a Hollywood subject anymore. The potentials for all mankind are highlighted in this fascinating article.
link here
Paul C. W. Davies’ book, How to Build a Time Machine mentioned in the above link, is available online.
link here
In 2002 Scientific American published "How to build a Time Machine."
link here
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8. Follow-up on precious metals investing: Kleiner's Korner has often mentioned the value of owning silver and gold coins and the like, due to their intrinsic value compared to a fiat currency. Now, Japan's finance minister has speculated his country might switch some of its U.S. currency reserves to gold. According to this opinion from The Business Times this would spark a disaster in the U.S. economy.
link here
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9. The journal Nature has reported brain research into split personalities. Using new imaging techniques, it's been discovered that each personality uses its own brain network.
link here
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10. Two important stories in the world of airlines this past week:
A. Singapore Airlines began the world’s longest nonstop commercial flight on February 3rd between LAX and Singapore with a new Airbus A-340-500: 18 hours. Yikes!
link here
And for the Singapore Airlines Press Release, at the link below click on "SIA A345LeaderShip Embarks On Record Breaking Flight."
link here
B. In the wake of a stunning report that Northwest Airlines is the latest to disclose that it gave the U.S. government passenger information without passengers' knowledge and after repeated denials that the U.S. government would request this, the government is going ahead with CAPPS II, a screening system to be implemented this Spring where all air passengers in the U.S. must give name, birthday, and other private information so their backgrounds would be checked against other databases and then color-coded for security screening.
link here
Here are Northwest Airlines comments on its disclosure.
link here
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11. Four stories out this week will make you think twice about eating beef from unknown sources. [Ed. Note: During the last three weeks on three trips to Nevada and California, this writer has passed up his favorite burger at In-N-Out Burger. Although In-N-Out issued a statement referencing their quality, they have not addressed their suppliers standards!
link here then click "100% pure beef"]
A. Follow Up on Washington State's mad cow case: The FORMER employee of Vern’s Meats in Eastern Washington, David Louthan who slaughtered the first mad cow discovered in the U.S., told The New York Times he has questions of his own, that he was fired for reporting the animal was not a downer, that the mad cow case caught was a fluke and that the cow had already been ground into hamburger and eaten when the mad cow story broke. HUM! Read this article BEFORE you eat another piece of beef!
link here
Louthan's testimony before the Washington state legislature was reported by the Wisconsin Ag Connection.
link here
B. The FactoryFarming.com site provides truth as to how factory farm animals are treated and raised. Do you want to ingest animals with that attitude placed on them?
link here
C. From none other then The New York Times again, comes this article saying: "For years, calves have been fed cow's blood instead of milk, and cattle feed has been allowed to contain composted wastes from chicken coops, including feathers, spilled feed and even feces." When the first reported mad cow case emerged from Washington State, most people didn't know what commercially grown cattle were fed and still didn't until the USDA outlined the practices it was banning. However the USDA did not ban all practices involving the use of animal remains in cattle feed. This is not some hip organic site, NO! This is venerable The New York Times saying this, folks!
link here
D. And lastly, this op/ed piece in The New York Times says a panel of international experts appointed by the USDA to assess the measures that need to be taken against mad cow disease "made it clear that the only practicable way for this country to contend with mad cow disease is to bring its handling of meat and meat byproducts — from the feedlot to the supermarket — up to internationally recognized standards, something that should have been done long before the first American case of mad cow disease turned up. The report has already prompted an attack by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association." HUM! Do you still want to eat a burger you know not the source???
link here
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12. Here is a very tightly wound “dust devil,” a very visible torsion field in a photograph taken in November, 2003 in California.
link here
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Of local note:
A. The Yelm Healing Group worked on Brian Nelson in the hospital after he was severely injured in a skiing accident on Mt. Rainier in 1995. He is back at work writing a new book about his experiences. This man is not called Mr. Determination for nothing, as you will read in this article.
link here
Here was his story as aired by KOMO-TV in 2001:
link here
B. Susie Kyle has formed a local non-profit group, The Farm Bank Project, for the purpose of supporting local small farms and farmers, building and strengthening our community, and giving away organic veggies to hungry people. This is a wonderful new adventure on which she is embarking and worthy of your reading time.
link here
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Quote of the Week:
"Religion ... is the opium of the people."
Karl Marx in A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right"(1843-4) introduction. Cf. Kinglsey 398:1
Kleiner's Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2003.
For archived issues of Kleiner's Korner, click on "Current Kleiner's Korner and Archives" at www.kleinerskorner.com.
Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com
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| Kleiner's Korner for Week of February 2, 2004
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Kleiner's Korner is very pleased to announce a letter from the Ramtha School of Enlightenment (RSE) to the world that the movie 'WHAT THE #$*! DO WE KNOW?!' is opening on Friday, February 6, in selected theaters across the country.
link here . It features Ramtha and several of his selected teachers in a new type of film that is part documentary, part story, and part elaborate, inspiring visual effects and animations. View the letter from the movie’s creators to the local Yelm Students.
link here . For movie times, prices, etc, for the Yelm area, contact Yelm Cinemas (360) 400-3456 or www.yelmcinemas.com. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, February 3, at 11:45 A.M. and are not available online. Movie times will be posted on the Yelm Cinemas web site and on their recorded message on Monday, February 2.
In the last year, the news has been filled with reports about SARS, the American flu epidemic, the U.S.'s first mad cow case, tainted farmed salmon, tainted seafood, food related deaths from Mexican green onions, and other health issues. Now, Asian Aviary Flu is set to make all of those pale in comparison. This is truly the "Generation of the Plagues." The poultry industry of Southeast Asia has to be decimated, and this disease is spreading amongst humans at such a fast rate this may be called a pandemic.
link here Forget a vaccine; it could take months to develop. And anyway, the American flu vaccine was called ineffective against the strain of flu that actually concerned folks.
link here Some KFC's closed in Vietnam because chicken had to be dropped from the menu. This picture is chilling! Some KFC outlets are substituting fish.
link here Stay tuned! And now comes word that Bird Flu may pass between humans:
link here
And: Here is a terrific Landsat shot of the Long Valley-Mono Basin Area of California:
link here And:
link here And a vertical section diagram through the Long Valley:
link here
1. Toxic waste pollution moved to the forefront in the last week, and Gov. Gary Locke (D-WA) is doing something about it here, thanks to an aggressive investigation by this state's Depts. of Ecology and Natural Resources.
A. Carla Emery who wrote the The Encyclopedia of Country Living has a story on her web site about the disposal of toxic industrial and municipal wastes into the environment. You would be surprised to know that many such poisons end up as fertilizers thus gaining entry into the human food chain. This is an eye-opening read.
link here
B. So prevalent is this practice that the Seattle Times did a major investigation on the issue in 1997 titled "Fear in the Fields, How Hazardous Wastes Become Fertilizers."
link here
And Part II of the article:
link here
C. WA Governor Gary Locke issued an executive order January 28th resurrecting a state program to phase out dangerous toxic chemicals that end up in the food chain. Last year, the Legislature cut the funding for the program.
link here
And here is a fine editorial on what this means for Washington State waters.
link here
Here is the official Washington State PBT (persistent, bioaccumulative toxins) Strategy:
link here
D. Speaking of poisons in the environment, the Anchorage, Alaska District Court increased its punitive damages award against ExxonMobil for the Valdez oil spill -- effectively thumbing its nose at an appeals court that had asked it to reconsider a $4bn judgment as "excessive."
link here
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2. Update on mad cow: The issue still has "legs" here in WA state.
A. Here's the bombshell announcement last week that the Holstein found with mad cow was not a "downer cow" at all, and therefore the discovery of mad cow was a fluke. Yikes!
link here
B. With focus on the safety of beef, alternative meat such as bison has seen a major surge in popularity since the December 23rd, 2003 mad cow announcement.
link here
C. The USDA has been attempting to locate the other 80 cattle that came into the U.S. from Canada along with the infected one. 26 of the total 81 had been located, and now additional ones have been found at other facilities in WA.
link here
D. You want mad cow story links? Here is the Organic Consumers Association's "healthy" list, pun intended.
link here
E. Last week the Food and Drug Administration imposed new rules "to prevent the spread of mad cow disease, including a ban on feeding cow blood and chicken wastes to cattle. The agency also banned using dead or disabled cows to make products for people like dietary supplements, cosmetics or soups and other foods with traces of meat."
link here
F. The Organic Consumer's Association says "the United States is violating all four concrete recommendations laid down by the World Health Organization to prevent the spread of BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy), or Mad Cow disease, into the human population."
link here
G. A reader reported that the link on 2B of the mad cow story last week was not working, so I found another source from the Washington Post. I also changed to this link on the web site for last week's archive.
link here
H. The Center for Science in the Public Interest is a non-profit health-advocacy group mentioned here many times. Executive Director Dr. Michael Jacobson has written a thoughtful editorial entitled "Mad Cow Disease: Management by Crisis." It is well worth reading. Click on his editorial from this link.
link here
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3. According to the Environmental News Network (ENN), "the farmed salmon industry faces legal action in California for failing to warn consumers that the fish contain what environmental groups say are potentially dangerous levels of cancer-causing chemicals. The Environmental Working Group and the Center for Environmental Health filed notice last week of their intent to sue 50 salmon farms, fish processors, and grocery chains under a California antitoxics law." At issue is the level of PCB's in farmed salmon. A study published in Science has shown it's higher than wild salmon.
link here
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4. Einstein called quantum "entanglement" of two or more particles "spooky action at a distance." Observe one, the other is effected. Now NASA-funded researchers are studying entanglement as a method for more precise atomic clocks.
link here
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5. Update on evidence of life 35,000-50,000 years ago: "The unusually well-preserved skull of an Ice Age mammoth estimated to be 50,000 years old has been discovered in a gravel pit in the Cotswold Water Park, England."
link here
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6. It is no longer uncommon for people to report near death experiences, especially as a result of cardiac arrest. New research is attempting to take a look into this. I think you'll find the research methodology of interest.
link here
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7. Here is a beautiful story from CBS News' 60 Minutes about monkeys being trained to assist those who have difficulties or handicaps using their hands.
link here
Helping Hands is the non-profit organization mentioned in the article that trains capuchin monkeys to assist quadriplegics with daily activities.
link here
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8. According to this web site, "there is evidence for a whole new type of medicine in which DNA can be influenced and reprogrammed by words and frequencies WITHOUT cutting out and replacing single genes. Only10% of our DNA is being used for building proteins. It is this subset of DNA that is of interest to western researchers and is being examined and categorized. The other 90% are considered 'junk DNA.' However, Russian researchers are convinced that nature was not dumb, and joined linguists and geneticists in a venture to explore those 90% of 'junk DNA.'" This article is fascinating with these scientists' findings of the relationship between language and DNA, amongst other things. "According to them, our DNA is not only responsible for the construction of our body but also serves as data storage and in communication." [Ed. Note: Yes! Finally, someone has awakened to the absurdity of calling something for which science has no answers, junk!]
Click ">link here Here
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9. Technology developed in Israel has made it possible for a lie detector to be fitted inside a pair of eyeglasses. Originally developed for law enforcement use, such outfitted glasses could be used for airport screeners. And, the company has decided to bring this idea to the general public by introducing plain sunglasses with the technology so the wearer can tell if the person he/she is conversing with is giving a true, maybe or false answer.
link here
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10. Two items from the world of neuroscience are worthy of note this week.
A. The discovery of cypin, a brain protein that stimulates nerve cell growth, could lead to a memory pill.
link here
B. Update on cell phone usage research: According to Popular Science, "This time the scientific community is paying very close attention" to some new research on microwave radiation related to cell phones. Why? Because last summer Swedish scientists published findings that show "for the first time an unambiguous link between microwave radiation emitted by GSM mobile phones (the most common type worldwide) and brain damage in rats."
link here
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11. Update on superconductivity: Another study has come out of "JILA, a joint laboratory of the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU-Boulder) report[ing] the first observation of a 'fermionic condensate' formed from pairs of atoms in a gas, a long-sought, novel form of matter." This research is a complement to the Bose-Einstein condensates research reported in Kleiner's Korner December 1, 2003, and contributes to physicists' search into the mysteries of high-temperature superconductivity.
link here
And:
link here
The research will be published Jan. 28 in the Physical Review Letters. Here is the link; it requires a subscription.
link here
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12. In case you missed the picture from the red planet taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit,
the picture of vineyards on Mars has been quite a find:
link here
[ED. Note: Please hold your letters. This IS a joke!].
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Of local note: Teenager Dylan Cramer's new web design business mentioned last week has been expanded to include a newsletter. You can sign-up online by scrolling to CDS Monthly Newsletter at his web site. Click Here
Quote of the Week:
"Mens cuiusque is est quisque."
"The spirit is the true self."
Ciceroin De Republica bk. 6, ch 26.
Kleiner's Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2003.
For archived issues of Kleiner's Korner, click on "Current Kleiner's Korner and Archives" at www.kleinerskorner.com
Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com
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