UPDATES ARCHIVE FOR OCTOBER 2004
HOME PAGE	Kleiner's Korner For Week of October 25, 2004 The election is now just a week away: Although the last week has seen the most sign-ups to this blog in any one-week period since this writer has been doing this (77), Kleiner's Korner also recorded the largest number of "unsubscribe" requests in any one week: 3. Art wrote to say "I did not realize that your message would be polluted by such political nonsense," and he must, therefore, opt out. Ariana Huffington wonders about us, the voting public, in her piece titled: "Appealing To Our Lizard Brains: Why Bush Is Still Standing?" HMMM. [Ed. Note: That is quite an interesting choice of words in the title!] link here A KK reader sent this writer a suggestion to read George Orwell's "Animal Farm" before this election, so I just reread this book for the first time in 35 years, since my 9th grade English Literature class. I loved reading this book again. The wit and knowledge of Orwell is superb! To quote an Orwellian line from this book, "The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which." [Ed. Note: Sounds very familiar to today's political climate. Orwell was raised in the Soviet Union and this book describes his observations there, not unlike almost anywhere on Earth today, I must say!] link here Please see "Quote of the Week" below for further context! "Those who are worrying about a revived draft are in the same position as those who worried about a return to budget deficits four years ago when President Bush began pushing through his program of tax cuts. Back then he insisted that he wouldn't drive the budget into deficit -- but those who looked at the facts strongly suspected otherwise. Now he insists that he won't revive the draft. But the facts suggest that he will," quoting this New York Times story. link here Michael Moore's sell-out crowd turned on to hear him urge everyone to vote at his appearance in Seattle on October 19th: link here Here is a major concern in Florida with the impending 2004 Presidential Election now just days away -- the state's new electronic voting machine: link here Remember to turn your clocks back to Standard Time one hour before you retire this Saturday night (Sunday, October 31, 2 a.m. local time) in all of the 48 contiguous states, except parts of Indiana and Arizona, which do not observe Daylight Savings Time. link here 1. "The next full Moon on the calendar, after this month’s Harvest Moon, comes on the night of Oct. 27-28. There will be a bonus that night: A total eclipse of the Moon. For viewers in most of the Americas, this shady drama will happen in the early-to-mid evening hours of Wednesday, Oct. 27. Along the West Coast the eclipse gets underway at dusk, only minutes after the Sun has set and as the Moon is rising. The eclipse will also be visible from Europe, but from there it will occur in the hours before dawn breaks on the morning of Thursday, Oct. 28," quoting Space.com. link here . 2. More on how the financial world is changing, quoting Computer World: "This week, U.S. banks will reach the first mandated milestone on the way to what's arguably the biggest change in the way they process checks since the introduction of magnetic ink character recognition almost a half-century ago. On Oct. 28, the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act, or Check 21, will require that banks accept paper documents with check images and data related to transactions in lieu of original paper checks, which, once digitized, can then be destroyed...Check 21 was proposed to reduce paper handling, collection time, clearing expenses and fraud while improving fund availability and the collection of nonsufficient-fund items. But some institutions have raised concerns about the changes, primarily those related to the high cost of new systems and the increased potential for fraud. For example, IRDs lack security features that are available on paper checks, such as watermarks." link here It’s all because of a law called the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act, or, simply, "Check 21". link here And all the info on Check 21 from the "Federal Reserve Board" website: link here . 3. Follow-up: From the journal Nature in this story titled, "Approval of personal microchips highlights spread of radio frequency technology.A US company this week got the green light to implant tiny chips in people's arms in order to instantly access their medical records. The move highlights how this unassuming technology is now sweeping into everyday use." HMMM! link here . 4. In this spectacular story form the journal Nature, "A pill-sized brain chip has allowed a quadriplegic man to check e-mail and play computer games using his thoughts. The device can tap into a hundred neurons at a time, and is the most sophisticated such implant tested in humans so far. Many paralyzed people control computers with their eyes or tongue. But muscle function limits these techniques, and they require a lot of training. For over a decade researchers have been trying to find a way to tap directly into thoughts." link here . 5. "Watch out, cable. Reddy Kilowatt can now invade your turf as the FCC on Thursday [Oct 14] approved regulations that allow power companies to provide broadband services. In a 5-0 vote the commission agreed to new regulations that allow power companies to provide such broadband services as television programming, Internet access, and telephone service over their electrical transmission lines...'This technology holds tremendous potential not just in providing new avenues for communications services but in helping electricity systems operate more efficiently and reliably,' Wood said.," quoting Hollywood Reporter. link here . 6. "There is encouraging news about the Puget Sound Orca population. Whale experts have discovered two baby whales in the past two weeks. Both babies were born to mothers from the L-Pod. The Center for Whale Research said Tuesday [Oct 19] that a whale known as Jelly Roll gave birth last week and a whale called Ophelia gave birth over the weekend," quoting Seattle's KING-5 TV. link here How is Lolita doing; a Northwest captured Killer Whale at Miami Seaquarium in a small holding tank now for 32 years, since these hurricanes struck Florida? This from the Free Lolita Update #75 of the Orca Network: "Fortunately south Florida was about the only place in the state that was not hit head-on by at least one hurricane. There was some wind damage to signs and roofing, and some erosion along the sea wall which caused part of the fence to collapse, but nothing too serious. Possibly related to the collapsed fence, somebody recently got into a tank holding a mother dolphin and her calf and was injured by the dolphin. The water in all the pools was full of sediment probably from the water in the bay being churned up and pumped in to the various pools." This writer has belonged to the Orca network for years. Won't you consider joining? link here If you want to add your name to the list to free Lolita, fill in this page: link here . 7. This sure is an article worth the read, titled "The Politicization Of Science in the Bush Administration: Science-As-Public Relations" with the first paragraph opening with this: "There’s a war going on — and not just the one in Iraq. This conflict may not get as much media play, but it could have just as great an impact on our safety, national prestige, and long-term economic health. It is a war over the integrity of science itself, and the casualties are everywhere: Career scientists and enforcement officials are resigning en masse from government agencies, citing an inability to do their jobs due to what they see as the ruthless politicization of science by the Bush administration." link here . 8. Not being reported widely among the hype of this Presidential Election is this news making headline from the LA Times, "Under the Radar, HIV Worsens" Yikes! link here . 9. Follow-up: "Negotiators struck a tentative deal Saturday [October 23] to allow limited imports of American beef into Japan for the first time since Tokyo closed its lucrative market late last year over mad cow disease fears, Japanese and U.S. officials said. The general agreement, the details of which will be worked out in coming weeks, came at the end of three days of contentious talks between American and Japanese officials. The pact will also lead to the resumption of Japanese beef exports to the United States," quoting this CBS News report: link here . 10. Follow-up: "It was the reporters who noticed first. Unable to call their editors while covering the weddings of the rich and famous, they asked the priest why their cell phones never worked at Sacred Heart. His reply: Israeli counterintelligence. In four Monterrey churches, Israeli-made cell phone jammers the size of paperbacks have been tucked unobtrusively among paintings of the Madonna and statues of the saints. The jarring polychromatic din of ringing cell phones is increasingly being thwarted — from religious sanctuaries to India's parliament to Tokyo theaters and commuter trains — by devices originally developed to help security forces avert eavesdropping and thwart phone-triggered bombings," quoting the AP. link here . 11. HMMM! Two commuter jets crashing in Missouri within five days of each other? This is the first time that these new commuter jets in use now by the major airlines on thin routes have crashed: A Northwest Airlink flight operated by Pinnacle Airlines last week: link here And an American Eagle flight operated by Corporate Airlines this week: link here . 12. This is a fabulous optical illusion that demonstrates how the brain works, sent in by a KK reader. Although this link has been placed here previously, this one is worth a repeat. link here . What The Bleep - the movie news: The Christian Science Monitor weighed in this week with their commentary: link here CNN had a live interview with producer Will Arntz: click under "CNN the BIZ: Interview with William Arntz" link here What The Bleep moved to its highest national ranking ever in the Oct. 15-17 period at number 18: link here . Quote of the Week: "Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a parliament or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country." Hermann Goering (1893-1946) German Nazi Leader, Hitler's Vice-Fuhrer in comments made privately to Gustave Gilbert, German-speaking intelligence officer/psychologist who published these comments in his book Nuremberg Diary. Quoted from a conversation Gilbert held with a dejected Hermann Goering in his cell on the evening of 18 April 1946, as the trials were halted for a three-day Easter recess. Goering committed suicide with smuggled cyanide capsules hours before his execution, scheduled for 15 October 1946. This quoted from Urban Legends.com link here . 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 . Kleiner's Korner Special Edition for October 17, 2004 Dear Readers, With this year's United States Presidential Election of vital importance to everyone in this nation, voting for the candidate of your choice is only a potential if you are a registered voter. Persons living in Washington State may register to vote up to 15 days prior to the election, yet to do so, must present themselves in person to the county elections office in the county in which they reside. If you have not yet become a registered voter, you can participate in the upcoming election if you are a Washington State resident, by going to your county courthouse no later than Monday, October 18, 2004. Here is Washington State's voter registration information page: link here Check out your state's registration deadlines here: link here 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 . Kleiner's Korner for Week of October 18, 2004 Although I have chosen to keep this blog free of political commentary for most part the last year, there are some issues that have become a lightning rod in today's political environment that I will mention from time to time. To be very clear, I am NOT sanguine about John Kerry as President. Both President Bush and Senator Kerry are owned (Both are also Skull and Bones members, and lest you think that does not mean anything, read this: link here ) However, that said, I do desire to see the Bush Administration leave Washington. I believe Kerry will do less damage to this nation in the next 4 years than another 4 with Bush! However, mark my words; four years from now, you will want a regime change in Washington, D. C. if we have a Democratic President and a Democratic Congress! Interesting note: More people signed onto this blog last week than in any other single week in the 3 years I have been doing this, after introducing a political commentary! HMMM. One issue that is very troubling is the harassment Michael Moore of "Fahrenheit 9/11" fame has had in recent weeks from elements of the Republican Party and this administration. Quoting Mr. Moore's own website: "You may have heard by now that the Michigan Republican Party has called for my arrest. That's right. They literally want me brought up on charges -- and hope that I'm locked up. No, I'm not kidding. The Republican Party yesterday filed a criminal complaint with the prosecutors in each of the counties where I spoke last week in Michigan." [Ed. Note: Yikes! What is happening to Free Speech in this country!] link here Mr. Moore speaks in Seattle's Key Arena on Tuesday, October 19th at 7:30 p.m. (Tickets can be purchased through Foolproof or TicketMaster - a limited number of tickets may be available at the door). And you think harrassment is limited just to Democrats by the Republican Party? You had better get your eyes opened wide by reading this: "Three Medford school teachers were threatened with arrest and thrown out of the President Bush rally at the Jackson County Fairgrounds Thursday [Oct. 14] night, after they showed up wearing T-shirts with the slogan 'Protect our civil liberties,' quoting Common Dreams. link here "As son of a Republican President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, it is automatically expected by many that I am a Republican. For 50 years, through the election of 2000, I was. With the current administration’s decision to invade Iraq unilaterally, however, I changed my voter registration to independent, and barring some utterly unforeseen development, I intend to vote for the Democratic Presidential candidate, Sen. John Kerry," quoting the Union Leader (New Hampshire). link here "The U.S. budget gap expanded to $412.55 billion in fiscal 2004, marking the Bush administration’s second-straight record deficit, the Treasury Department said on Thursday [Oct 14]," quoting MSNBC. link here "The U.S. trade deficit, propelled by a record foreign oil bill, surged to $54 billion in August, the second highest level in history. The politically sensitive deficit with China hit a new high as American retailers upped their orders for cell phones, toys and televisions," quoting the AP. [Ed. Note: This President has taken on policies that make the US more dependent on oil, and has done little to promote alternative energy sources, thanks in part to Dick Cheney's super-secret Energy Task Force made composed of oil men!] link here And this is well-worth the read: Fellow-Texan of George Bush is Dallas reporter Molly Ivans who penned a this review titled "How dumb does Bush think we are? Up is down and black is white in Bush's optimistic pronouncements" link here The key issue not many are talking about with another Bush term is what will he do to the Supreme Court with so many retirees possible in the next four years: "...But the two men do offer acutely different descriptions of the sort of justices they would appoint. And one of those two sharply divergent visions will affect the nation for the next generation and beyond. In the final debate last Wednesday [Oct. 13], Kerry was forthright, saying that he would not appoint judges who would overturn the 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade, which declared that women have the right to decide for themselves whether to carry a pregnancy to term. That rules out right-wing appointees in a Kerry administration," quoting Yahoo. link here Even Oprah has finally latched onto this issue for women: "This was her fabulous, much-needed message: Take your rights for granted at your peril, ladies. Move, or else. Choose how you want the laws to treat and respect you and your body -- or someone else, someone who hasn't touched a vagina for 30 years and who thinks sex is only tolerable in the dark, fully clothed and with a respectable prostitute, will choose for you," quoting the San Francisco Chronicle. [Ed. Note: About time, Oprah!] link here "But if this is not the worst year yet to be an American, it's the worst year by far to be one of those hag-ridden wretches who comment on the American scene," quoting Hal Crowther, who is a former writer for Time and Newsweek, the Buffalo News, and the North Carolina Spectator before parking his column at the weekly Independent in Durham, N.C., and The Progressive Populist, among others. In 2002 he was a finalist for the National Magazine Award in Commentary. He won the H.L. Mencken Award for column writing in 1992. And this is a story from May, 2004, so pertinent now! link here Laughter is the grandest salve for the soul and you just gotta laugh at the humor these two Spiridellis brothers put together about this year's political race on their site: link here Click both "This Land" and "It's Good to Be in DC" -- worth the download wait time. The grand thing about the USA is that YOU will get to make YOUR choice for next White House resident in two weeks, if you are a registered voter! 1. As this writer reported previously, Orwell's "1984" is here! Your privacy is being whittled away, little by little. That was underscored last week in this AP report: "The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday [10/13] approved an implantable computer chip that can pass a patient’s medical details to doctors, speeding care. VeriChips, radio-frequency microchips the size of a grain of rice, have already been used to identify wayward pets and livestock. And nearly 200 people working in Mexico’s attorney general’s office have been implanted with chips to access secure areas containing sensitive documents. Delray Beach, Fla.-based Applied Digital Solutions in July asked the FDA for approval to use the implantable chip for medical uses in the United States. The agency had 60 days to reply to the “de novo” application. It’s the first time the FDA has approved the use of the device, though in Mexico..." link here Further, from MSNBC.com on the privacy issue, "A common name can be a curse -- With an ever-expanding 'no fly' list, a lot of innocent passengers are getting caught in the security net" link here . 2. "The government apparently decided to end the revolt by attempting to wipe out all the native ....[people of a certain group?]. Sound like some remnant of the Third Reich? No, this is Sudan. The hottest part of Africa that no one really cares about! "It started a year and a half ago in part of Sudan called Darfur. Rebels looking for a measure of freedom revolted against Sudan’s authoritarian Islamic government. The government apparently decided to end the revolt by attempting to wipe out all the native Africans in Darfur, essentially to clear the territory for the Arabs. Some of what 60 Minutes camera crews found is hard to watch. But the U.N. says this is the greatest crisis in the world today. What does genocide look like? 60 Minutes traveled to the middle of Africa, where innocent victims were pouring across the border of Sudan into Chad," from the CBS News 60 Minutes broadcast of October 10, 2004. link here "The number of people estimated to have died in Sudan’s western Darfur region has risen to 70,000, and hundreds more are dying every day, a top U.N. official said on Friday [Oct. 15]," quoting Reuters. link here . 3. Yikes, this IS one piece of news scarier than George Bush being reelected President: "Harvard University scientists have asked the university’s ethical review board for permission to produce cloned human embryos for disease research, potentially becoming the first researchers in the nation to wade into a divisive area of study that has become a presidential campaign issue," quoting the AP. [Ed. Note: Stem Cell research, YES! Cloning, NO!] link here . 4. Don't believe in the power of the mind, yet? Maybe you would change your mind when you hear this! "After eight days, Laura Hatch's family had almost given the 17-year-old up for dead, and sheriff's deputies had all but written her off as a runaway. Then she was found badly hurt and severely dehydrated but alive and conscious in the back seat of a crumpled car, 200 feet down a ravine... Laura's parents organized a volunteer search on Saturday with 200 volunteers in areas near the place where the car was found. And that night Sha Nohr, a church member and mother of a friend of Hatch's, said she had dreams of a wooded area and heard the message, 'Keep going, keep going.' ... Nohr said something drew her to stop and clamber over a concrete barrier and more than 100 feet down a steep, densely vegetated embankment where she barely managed to discern the wrecked Toyota Camry in some trees," quoting KOMO TV. link here And this from the Seattle Times, "Nohr said her teenage daughter, distraught over her missing friend, showed Nohr a photo of Hatch on Saturday and asked what they could do to find her. Nohr said she told her daughter all they could do was pray. That night, Nohr, who belongs to an online prayer group for women, said she had several vivid dreams of a wooded area. In the dreams, she said, she heard the message 'Keep going. Keep going.' Yesterday morning, Nohr said, she woke up and felt an urgency to look for Hatch. She asked her daughter to go along. They drove to the Union Hill area and pulled over. Nohr said she got out but 'it just didn't feel right.' So the two drove farther and stopped again in about the 20200 block of Northeast Union Hill Road. All the while, Nohr said, she prayed. 'I just thought, 'Let her speak out to us.' ' At one spot, Nohr said she felt something draw her down a steep embankment. Her daughter waited up on the road while Nohr scrambled over a concrete barrier and inched her way more than 100 feet down through thick vegetation. At the bottom, Nohr said, she saw nothing at first. She was about to leave, thinking she was wrong, when through the trees, she said, she saw what looked like a car. It was Hatch's, crumpled so badly that it looked like 'modern art,' said Randy Phillips, the family's pastor." (Free registration required.) link here With all of the media attention, Ms. Nohr acknowledges "There was a time Sha Nohr says she was ashamed of her 'visions.'" link here This writer heard Charles Jaco, sitting in for Dave Ross on Seattle's KIRO-710 radio, say that he thinks there is something bogus here, and that law enforcement is looking into this story, in that this girl broke the all-time record for any human going without water, at eight days. [Ed. Note: The most difficult thing to change is a closed mind!]. According to CNN, ...[Laura Hatch] may have been saved by her own dehydration, which prevented the expansion of a blood clot in her brain, doctors said." link here . 5. US News called Thomas Edison America's greatest inventor on their Oct 11th cover story stating: "Thomas Edison created the first light bulb 125 years ago. But he was not only America's greatest inventor. He was also a master entrepreneur." This writer would differ and offer the suggestion that Edison, along with financier JP Morgan, did more to suppress the work of Nikola Tesla, this writer's choice of "greatest inventor in America," than anyone. Nikola Tesla sites run into the thousands: PBS calls Tesla the "Master of Lighting': link here And this site: "Tesla Memorial Society of New York is celebrating its 25th anniversary. It was founded in Buffalo, New York, in 1979. It is the oldest Tesla society in North America dedicated to keeping the memory of Nikola Tesla alive. We are committed to the pursuit of science, progress, and brotherhood among all nations and religions around the world." link here . 6. "A protein in the ear that converts sound into nerve impulses that are sent to the brain could be the long-sought key to understanding hearing and deafness, scientists said on Wednesday [Oct 13]. The discovery of the protein called TRPA1 by researchers in the United States could also lead to better treatments for patients with hearing problems. 'People have been looking for this protein for a decade,' said Professor David Corey of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Boston," quoting Reuters. link here . 7. "Being bilingual produces changes in the anatomy of the brain, scientists said on Wednesday [Oct 13] in finding that could explain why children are so much better than adults at mastering a second language. The found people who speak two languages have more grey matter in the language region of the brain. The earlier they learned the language, the larger the grey area," quoting Reuters. link here . 8. "Scientists have unearthed the remains of a previously unknown, perfectly preserved 130 million-year-old species of dinosaur that provide a first-ever look at how the prehistoric creatures slept. The small, two-legged dinosaur was discovered in China curled up with its head tucked under the forearm — a pose similar to how modern birds sleep," quoting Reuters. link here . 9. "The wisdom mothers have been dispensing for ages - wash your hands, eat your vegetables, go to bed earlier - turns out to be great advice for avoiding the flu. Doctors and nutritionists say careful hygiene, a balanced diet, and plenty of rest and fluids can go a long way toward keeping people healthy during the influenza season, especially considering this year's vaccine shortage," quoting an AP story on KING-5 TV in Seattle. [Ed. Note: And an excellent time to remind everyone that the public's indoctrination into the mindset called "it's flu season" is being turned on by pharmaceuticals again. Remember, attitude IS everything!] link here . 10. "On 6 Oct 2004 at the railway station of Sants de Barcelona, a blue paper bag was stolen from the owner of a clinical laboratory. It contained 5 glass tubes, 15cm long x 2 cm wide, with black stoppers containing cultures of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. They were wrapped in absorbent paper inside an opaque white plastic container with a black double cap. This was wrapped in brown parcel paper, with a letter describing the contents, which are highly contagious. The finder is asked to contact urgently the Cuerpo Nacional de Policia, tel. 091, the local police, tel. 092, and the Servicio de Emergencias de la Generalitat, tel. 112," quoting Pro-Med. HMMM! link here . 11. The hazards of cellular phone usage has been covered here many times. "A Swedish study suggests that people who use a cell phone for at least 10 years might increase their risk of developing a rare benign tumor along a nerve on the side of the head where they hold the phone. In an interview Thursday [Oct 14] with The Associated Press, one of the researchers behind the preliminary study, Anders Ahlbom, said the results were surprising and more research is needed," quoting the AP. [Ed. Note: This is NO surprise to KK readers!] link here Further, most USA news links picked up this story, with this ABC News report common: link here And the Food & Drug Administration's (FDA) site on cell-phones. [Ed. Note: Is this going to be another case similar to that of cigarettes, Agent Orange, asbestos, and PCB's, where all of the danger signs were ignored until masses of people worldwide were so maimed or ill that public attention was aimed at these manufacturers? And don't you just know these respective manufacturers knew the dangers to human tissue all along? Same with cell-phones, I say!] link here . 12. For those of you not in this area, here is a fabulous live webcam of Mt. St. Helens: link here "The ongoing dome-building eruption at Mount St. Helens could last for days, weeks or months, and nighttime aerial views of the peak now include the red glow of lava surfacing at nearly 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit, scientists said today [10/13]," quoting the Seattle Times. link here . What the Bleep the movie news: This film still astounds Hollywood as its numbers are still on the rise. The Bourne Supremacy and Bleep were 22 and 23 national for the Oct. 8-10 Weekend. link here This film returned to open again in its originating county in the Great Pacific Northwest last week at the Regal-Capital Mall Theater in Olympia: link here . Quote of the Week: "I never give them [the public] hell. I just tell the truth, and they think it is hell." Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) 33rd President of the USA In LOOK Magazine, 3 April 1956. . 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 . Kleiner's Korner for Week of October 11, 2004 This writer has mostly kept political discourse out of this blog for the last year, focusing on more important items of interest. However, nothing is more important right now than to have a regime change in Washington DC for many reasons, IMHO. I have discussed this administration's trashing of the environment ad nauseum, and their blatant disregard for the intelligence of the American people, as it continues its retinue of lie on top of lie, like a teenage schoolboy caught in some never-ending web of a story to explain his prank. On top of that, this President swore to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States yet has foisted the most invasive snooping into every facet of Americans' lives along with such a massive denigration of citizens' rights that can only be likened to George Orwell's "1984". George Soros, the billionaire investor and philanthropist, is beginning a nationwide tour this week [September 27] to talk about how the war in Iraq is making America less safe -- and why President Bush should not be reelected. He immigrated to the U.S. from Hungary after World War II. Although publicly critical of the Bush Administration, the speech he delivered at the National Press Club in Washington on September 28 is important for all Americans to read, in this writer's view. link here [Ed. Note: This writer has received a couple of emails from readers saying they are voting for who they feel would handle terrorism better, George W. Bush. This Administration has focused most of its anti-terrorism efforts/resources on the now discredited Iraqi campaign according to the report of the Iraq Survey Group issued last week, while reducing the anti-terrorism effort/resources in Afghanistan, home to Mr. bin Laden and his minions. link here ] Further, in a copyrighted story in October 10th's Washington Post comes this from Marines stationed in Iraq: "The Marines' opinions have been shaped by their participation in hundreds of hours of operations over the past two months. Their assessments differ sharply from those of the interim Iraqi government and the Bush administration, which have said that Iraq is on a certain -- if bumpy -- course toward peaceful democracy... 'I feel we're going to be here for years and years and years,' said Lance Cpl. Edward Elston, 22, of Hackettstown, N.J. 'I don't think anything is going to get better; I think it's going to get a lot worse. It's going to be like a Palestinian-type deal. We're going to stop being a policing presence and then start being an occupying presence. . . . We're always going to be here. We're never going to leave.' Free Registration required for original source: link here Or free access to this story at MSNBC: link here Question to ponder: Are you more well off now than you were four years ago, as this nation's people have given up so many liberties in the last four years in the name of security? To quote Benjamin Franklin, "They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security." 1. Wal-Mart Stores has announced the intent to build a 188,000 foot superstore in Yelm WA as part of its corporate expansion strategy announced last week. This is the Nisqually Online story (stories not archived): link here "Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., announced its plans for the continuation of its aggressive unit growth for the fiscal year beginning February 1, 2005. Domestically, the Wal-Mart division plans to open approximately 40 to 45 new discount stores and 240 to 250 new Supercenters in the fiscal year. The Company expects that relocations or expansions of existing discount stores will account for approximately 160 of those Supercenters, while the remainder will be new operating units for the Company. The Company anticipates expanding its Neighborhood Market concept by adding approximately 25 to 30 new units in the upcoming fiscal year," according to this Wal-Mart Press Release. [Ed. Note: Goodbye locally owned stores!] link here Then click "News", then "News Releases", then "General News", then click "Wal-Mart announces Expansion...." from October 5, 2004. ''A court ruled that a class-action suit against Wal-Mart Stores in Washington may proceed, allowing 40,000 current and former employees of the retail giant to participate in the suit, which alleges wage abuses," quoting this AP October 9th story. link here And more info from the Seattle Times on this suit. link here "Residents of a Los Angeles suburb are suing Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., and their city government in a bid to stop the world's largest retailer from opening a store in their area. The suit by a group called Save Our Community seeks to void the city of Rosemead's approval of an environmental impact report for the project and requests that a new report be ordered before the project can go forward," quoting Reuters. link here . 2. "There’s an old myth that we only use 10 percent of our brains, but researchers at the University of Rochester have found in reality that roughly 80 percent of our cognitive power may be cranking away on tasks completely unknown to us. Curiously, this clandestine activity does not exist in the youngest brains, leading scientists to believe that the mysterious goings-on that absorb the majority of our minds are dedicated to subconsciously reprocessing our initial thoughts and experiences. The research, which has possible profound implications for our very basis of understanding reality, appears in this week’s issue of the journal Nature," quoting this University of Rochester [NY] Press Release. link here . 3. "Scientists are a step closer to understanding the health benefits of drinking red wine. Researchers funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and affiliated with the Salk Institute in San Diego CA have succeeded in converting chalcone synthase, a biosynthetic protein enzyme found in all higher plants, into an efficient resveratrol synthase. Resveratrol, a beneficial component of red wine, is thought to contribute to the improved cardiovascular effects associated with moderate consumption of red wine. The research results appear in the September issue of the journal Chemistry & Biology," quoting EurekAlert.com. link here "Beer is nearly as old as civilization itself. It's mentioned in Sumerian texts from more than 5,000 years ago. Starting in the 1950s, scientists have debated the notion that beer, not bread, was actually the impetus for the development of agriculture. Nearly every culture around the world has invented its own local concoction," quoting Science News online. link here . 4. Follow-up: Kleiner's Korner reported just two weeks ago about staph infections becoming superbugs and how hospitals are breeding grounds. Now this: "Flesh-eating bacteria cases, fatal pneumonia, and life-threatening heart infections suddenly are popping up around the country, striking healthy people and stunning their doctors. The cause? Staph, a bacteria better known for causing skin boils easily treated with standard antibiotic pills," quoting this AP story: link here Further, check out the Infectious Diseases Society of America website for more information: link here . 5. Embryonic stem cells may not have to actually grow replacement body parts to be useful. New research suggests these cells also secrete healing molecules powerful enough to reverse a lethal birth defect in mice. Stem cell specialists praised the surprise discovery by scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The study was reported Thursday [October 7] in the journal Science. link here And more: link here . 6. "The American Heart Association has sullied its reputation by getting in bed with whatever corporation comes around with its checkbook open. According to a report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the American Heart Association has taken big corporate cash from a long list of drug companies, junk food companies, and even from the National Livestock and Meat Board, which gave $189,000 to sponsor a HeartRide cycling series 'to help ensure that people don't think that AHA recommends abstaining from meat.' ...And how much money has Subway kicked in? According to the AHA, Subway has given $4 million to the American Heart Association (AHA) since 2002, and will give an additional $6 million through 2007. That's a total of $10 million. In exchange, Subway gets to put the AHA 'fighting heart disease and stroke' logo on its materials throughout its chain of stores, according to an AHA spokesperson...'The fast food companies are running in a panic over the obesity epidemic,' Ruskin said [Commercial Alert's Gary Ruskin] . 'They are striving to do something to make it seem that they are not responsible for it or part of it. This is just one more way that companies like Subway try to hide their tracks and boost their public relation images.' " link here "McDonald's has not kept its two-year-old promise to eliminate artificial trans fat from its cooking oil and the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is not lovin' it, Today the nonprofit food-safety and nutrition watchdog group is running a full-page ad [ link here ] in The New York Times urging the fast-food giant to stop frying in artery-clogging partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (PHO). Trans fat is a more powerful promoter of heart disease than any other fat, and PHO is the leading source of trans fat in Americans' diets," quoting CSPI. link here . 7. KK readers are well aware of the issues of banks and other credit issuers luring people into the credit card game. Now, this article from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune details how "Easy credit poses alluring risk to college students" as "the percentage of students who accumulate excessive debt grows." link here Note: Click the chart "Credit Load" for a reviewing look at how college students are hooked on plastic! Further, look at why our children are being target marketed in this enlightening report from CBS 60 Minutes. "If you've ever wondered why corporate America, Hollywood, Madison Avenue, and the media all seem obsessed with the youth culture, the answer is simple. The largest generation of young people since the l960s is beginning to come of age. It's called "echo boomers" because they’re the genetic offspring and demographic echo of their parents, the baby boomers. Born between 1982 and 1995, there are nearly 80 million of them, and they're already having a huge impact on entire segments of the economy." link here . 8. While everyone is distracted debating the Presidential candidates, no one is watching that GOLD has shot up to $420+ an ounce. Click on the 6 month Gold Chart for an awakening graph! link here And oil hit $53 per barrel last week. Can $60 be far behind? "How long will the world's oil last? As production peaks, economic impact could be dire," quoting this MSNBC story. link here "U.S. refiners stretch to meet demand. Can existing plants continue to squeeze more output?" is the title to this MSNBC story. link here "Can technology help find oil fast enough? Debate over 'peak oil' turns on industry advances," is the title of this MSNBC story. link here "The reasons for the recent relentless rise in crude oil prices are pretty straightforward — including a record string of hurricanes slowing shipments and closing oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. The list also includes political instability in oil producing regions from Iraq to Nigeria. But with oil prices rolling toward all-time highs, the longer-term forecast for oil prices is much less certain, again quoting MSNBC. link here "Oil prices hit another record on Friday, trading as high as $53.40 a barrel, on supply worries ahead of a planned oil worker strike in Nigeria and delays in post-Hurricane Ivan U.S. output recovery efforts, quoting Reuters. link here "As oil prices remain stubbornly above $40, strong demand and tight supplies continue to push the cost of crude to record levels. But a part of the increased price is the result of fears that terror attacks could severely crimp the world’s oil pipeline — what traders call the 'terror risk premium,'” quoting MSNBC. link here . 9. "Kenyan environmental activist Wangari Maathai won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her work as leader of the Green Belt Movement, which has sought to empower women, improve the environment, and fight corruption in Africa for almost 30 years. 'Many of the wars in Africa are fought over natural resources,' she told The Associated Press. 'Ensuring they are not destroyed is a way of ensuring there is no conflict,' " quoting this MSNBC report. [Ed. Note: This woman is an inspiration and preservable for her vision! Check-out her picture and see how beautiful this lady is; not just in body, rather, in her countenance!] link here . 10. "It could be called a mechanical miracle, a robot that walks on water. With inspiration from nature and some help from research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a research team, led by Carnegie Mellon engineering assistant professor Metin Sitti, has built a tiny robot that can walk on water, much like insects known as water skimmers, water skaters, pond skaters, or Jesus bugs. Although it's only a basic prototype, Sitti and other researchers imagine that his water-skimming robot could be used on any still water. With a chemical sensor it could monitor water supplies for contamination or other toxins; with a camera it could be a spy or an explorer; with a net or a boom, it could skim contaminants off the top of water," quoting MSNBC. link here . 11. Christina Zohs, former editor of The Golden Thread Newspaper and The Golden Thread Magazine, has now published a new monthly newspaper, Yes News, a part-color 28 page newspaper - 11 3/8 x 15 - that is published monthly. Yes News is dedicated to present to our readers features on Ramtha along with interviews, science, history, religion, politics, reviews, personal stories, a few 'Christina and Co.' lighthearted moments, and so much more. The contributors of Yes News are authors, scientists, educators, and students all following the threads of truth. link here Here is a very nice composite on Yes News publisher Christina Zohs: link here . 12. I was so excited to hear that my hometown of Louisville KY would be one of the cities in which "What the Bleep" would debut on its national tour that I emailed my cousin at the local weekly entertainment newspaper to ask if they would review the film for their subscribers. They did and obviously did not agree with Roger Ebert's "thumbs up" or the USA Today, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and others highlighting the merits of this landmark film. However, that said, Louisvillians have strongly supported the film since its September 17th debut as evidenced by its opening in the east end suburbs. [Ed. Note: Louisville has tended to be a follower rather than a groundbreaker on major issues of the day involving ideas to develop a greater mind, IMHO!] Here is that review, though, for KK readers to decide: link here The Louisville Courier-Journal daily newspaper chose to not review the film, instead opting to print the fine review from the Los Angeles Times in their September 17 print edition, and the terrific Arizona Republic review in their online edition. Here is that online edition posting: link here HEY, Louisville, wake up! "What the Bleep" has now moved to my former neighborhood this week as the Village 8 Theaters on Dutchman's Lane now has four showtimes daily. link here Check-out "What the Bleep" products modeled by my buddy Tom Keesler, Olivia Ramon, and their daughter Lilly: link here . Of Particular Note: Kleiner's Korner readers are well aware of this writer's support for NRDC and other environment friendly organizations. Very timely then that Robert F. Kennedy's book "Crimes Against Nature" is required reading for RSE students attending their Fall Follow-ups. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council [ link here ] and president of the grassroots Waterkeeper Alliance [ link here ]. Kennedy argues that the Bush administration consistently favored corporate interests over the environment and public health, assaulting the very idea of a common good. Quoting publisher HarperCollins website: "In this powerful and far-reaching indictment of George W. Bush's White House, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the country's most prominent environmental attorney, charges that this administration has taken corporate cronyism to such unprecedented heights that it now threatens our health, our national security, and democracy as we know it. In a headlong pursuit of private profit and personal power, Kennedy writes, George Bush and his administration have eviscerated the laws that have protected our nation's air, water, public lands, and wildlife for the past thirty years, enriching the president's political contributors while lowering the quality of life for the rest of us." link here Quoting AlterNet, "On Sept. 23, he [RFK, Jr.] made an impromptu appearance in Eugene, Oregon [and opened with the following paragraph]...."I've written a book about Bush's environmental record, but it's not so much about the environment as it is about an excess of corporate power and the corrosive impact of that on our democracy. And it's not about a Democrat attacking a Republican. I've been disciplined for 20 years as an environmental advocate about being nonpartisan and bipartisan in my approach to these issues. I don't think there's any such thing as Republican children or Democratic children, and the worst thing that can happen to the environment is if it becomes the province of a single political party." link here . Quote of the Week: "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children." Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969) 34th President of the USA in a speech in Washington, D.C., April 16, 1953 in Public Papers of Presidents 1953 (1960) p.182 . 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. Kleiner’s Korner for Week of October 4, 2004 Mt. St. Helens is in the top of the news around these parts in recent days: You can keep abreast of the latest news from these official sites - Here is the volcano cam from the site: link here Here is the USGS information page on St. Helens: link here The Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network link: link here Local CBS affiliate KIRO-7 TV has some terrific St. Helens updates: link here Focus is now on other volcanoes in the area: link here 1. "Undecided voters should look closely at the presidential candidates' approaches to energy; they chart very different paths for our future… President Bush has pushed an irresponsible and outdated policy that promotes dirty technologies of the past and advances the short-term interests of the big energy companies… The cornerstone of Sen. John Kerry's energy policy is a commitment to American ingenuity and innovation to use clean new energy technologies to produce energy, cut pollution, protect consumers, create jobs and new income for farmers, and make us less dependent on Middle East oil,” quoting the best op-ed piece I have seen on the differences between the Presidential candidates from this Minneapolis Star-Tribune article. (free registration required) link here . 2. "The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University created 'Family Day' in 2001, based on its research consistently finding that the more often children eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink, or use illegal drugs. This year the President of the United States will again [did] proclaim September 27th 'Family Day' and nearly 40 states and more than 350 cities and counties are expected to do so as well," quoting the CASA website: link here . 3. Speaking of our children, the Bush Administration is already getting people ready for the idea of some national conscription registration. Don't believe me? Read this from the Seattle P-I, "Names, phone numbers and other information about Seattle high school students must be provided to the Defense Department on request -- unless parents opt out in writing by Saturday [Oct 9]. The No Child Left Behind Act, an expansive education reform bill passed two years ago, requires high schools across the country to release information about juniors and seniors to military recruiters and to give them the same access to students as college recruiters and prospective employers. The provision applies to all public and private schools that receive federal funding, except schools that have religious objections to military service. Schools that do not comply risk losing their funding." HMM! link here . 4. Follow-up: The prediction of a 6.4 earthquake or greater in central/northern California almost came to pass, as a 6.0 quake rumbled through central California on September 27. link here More on this from MSNBC: link here HMMM! “PG&E Corp.'s Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, about 60 miles from Parkfield, operated normally through today's quake [September 27], spokesman John Nelson said, quoting this Bloomberg story. [Ed. Note: Ponder this: A huge nuclear power facility directly on the San Andreas Fault. Yikes!] link here “The earthquake along the San Andreas fault Tuesday came in an area where researchers have been conducting a quake research project for more than 15 years. It's the first time a quake has happened there since the Parkfield Earthquake Experiment began. The joint project between the U.S. Geological Survey and the state [CA.] was aimed at getting a better understanding of the physics before, during, and after a quake,” quoting KIRO TV in Seattle. link here . 5. Mother Nature is letting humanity know things are not right. “The glaciers in Spain's Pyrenees have melted by 85 percent in the last century," the environmental group Greenpeace said Wednesday [Sept. 29], quoting SpaceDaily. link here . 6. Follow-up: “SpaceShipOne made history Monday [Oct 4] and triumphed in the international Ansari X Prize race to launch the first privately built spacecraft. The reward for finishing first: $10 million. The innovative little space plane, developed by aerospace pioneer Burt Rutan and built with $25 million in cash from billionaire Paul Allen, vaulted across the boundary of space 100 kilometers above the airport here, and kept on going,” quoting Wired News. link here . 7. “The most recent common ancestor of all humanity lived just a few thousand years ago, according to a computer model of our family tree. Researchers have calculated that the mystery person, from whom everyone alive today is directly descended, probably lived around 1,500 BC in eastern Asia,” quoting Nature Publishing. link here . 8. “Farting may be a source of schoolboy humour, but it's a matter of life and death for some fish. So say researchers who have just scooped the Biology Ig Nobel award for their discovery that herring may use flatulence as a danger signal,” quoting Nature Publishing. link here . 9. “Aquanator technology is the intellectual property of Atlantis Energy Limited. Aquanator technology captures the energy of ocean and river currents to generate electricity,” quoting their website. link here And further details on this story from smh.com from “Down Under”: link here . 10. Here is a terrific update on hydrogen fuel cells: link here "The ungainly looking Chevy pickup parked in the courtyard at Central High School, with a huge set of solar panels mounted on top, may not look so futuristic. But it certainly points the way. Hand-built on a shoestring budget by a Central physics teacher and a team of students, the truck is one of a kind, a demonstration of how future transportation can be self-sustaining and pollution-free," quoting the Arizona Republic newspaper. [Ed. Note: See, we do have to wait for the big automakers to give us what we want: a hydro car!] link here . 11. “Horus Publishing Inc. is a very small, independent publishing company dedicated to great authors with a profound message. Many have agreed that the award winning novel, The Red Lion - The Elixir of Eternal Life, by Hungarian author Maria Szepes, is a brilliant work with such a message that not only will you not want to put down, you'll read it over and over again,” quoting Horus Publishing’s site. [Ed. Note: Horus is the USA publisher of this fantastic work! See their special until January, 2005.] link here . 12. Follow-up: The NASCAR track proposal for Yelm is dead now that ISC has chosen Marysville for their site: link here While all of this was going on, Wal-Mart was obtaining land for Yelm, quoting the Nisqually Valley News: “The property of longtime Yelm resident Doris Klotzner was the final piece in a 17-acre property puzzle, now complete, that could lead to a big box store, maybe Wal-Mart, in east Yelm.” [This NVN story is not archived on their site. Why is this not in the "Of Local Note" section? Because this is important for everyone to see how communities can be overtaken by big corporate interests seeing dollar signs!] link here . In "What The Bleep Do We Know" movie news: "What The Bleep Do We Know" ranked as the 21st highest grossing film in the US for the weekend of September 24-26 on 114 screens nationwide. This landmark film moved up from the 26th highest grossing films the previous weekend. link here And in the October 1-3 weekend figures, it broke the top 20 at number 19: link here Further, CNN carried this Reuters story this week, “It aims to be the little movie that uses the powers of positive thinking and science to score big at box offices and surprise Hollywood. If 'What the (Bleep) Do We Know' achieves that goal, its independent filmmakers will be saying, 'You see, we knew.'" link here And USA Today weighed in last week with this title “'What the #$*!': A thinker's film does good”: link here And not to be left out, Rense.com even added their view to the mix: link here . Quote of the Week: "Men who do things without being told draw the most wages." Rodney Dangerfield (1921-2004) American Commedian, who passed this week. 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 .