Steve Klein Weekly Update

UPDATES ARCHIVE FOR JUNE 2006

Kleiner's Korner For Week of July 3, 2006

A most happy USA Independence Day, 2006!
This writer and his wife recently saw the movie An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore’s movie about the global warming crisis. This is a very moving film, and we encourage everyone to see this story. This movie opens in Yelm Friday, June 30th: link here For a showing where you live: link here then Click "Find A Theater" for a showing in your area.
Whatever you think of Al Gore, please put any bias aside and see this film, “With wit, smarts, and hope, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH ultimately brings home Gore's persuasive argument that we can no longer afford to view global warming as a political issue - rather, it is the biggest moral challenges facing our global civilization,” quoting the movie’s site. The movie discusses story number one below: link here

1. CANNIBALISM AMONG POLAR BEARS MAY BE DUE TO GLOBAL WARMING Covered in the film was this story: “Polar bears in the southern Beaufort Sea may be turning to cannibalism because longer seasons without ice keep them from getting to their natural food, a new study by American and Canadian scientists has found. The study reviewed several examples of polar bears preying on each other from January to April 2004 north of Alaska and in northwestern Canada, including the first-ever reported killing of a female in a den shortly after it gave birth. Polar bears feed primarily on ringed seals and use sea ice for feeding, mating and giving birth. Polar bears kill each other for population regulation, dominance and reproductive advantage, the study said. Killing for food is less common, said the study's principal author, Steven Amstrup of the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center,” quoting the Indianapolis Star. link here .

2. INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION CALLS FOR OIL/GAS INDUSTRY TO REDUCE SIESMIC AIR GUNS “The International Whaling Commission called Monday [June 19] for the oil and gas industry to find ways to reduce the impact on marine species of seismic air guns, which use noises loud enough to cross entire oceans in the search for oil. The IWC said the air guns are a threat to whales, dolphins, squid and other species in the world's oceans and called for more research and for "mitigation" procedures to be developed. The guns, which are increasingly used to map potential oil and gas deposits in the Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea, Australia's Northwest Shelf and elsewhere, were found to damage hearing, disrupt migratory patterns and reduce fish catches,” quoting Reuters. link here .

3. REDUCING NIGHT FLIGHTS MAY MINIMIZE CLIMATE CHANGE INPACT A study by the Meteorology Department at the University of Reading (UK) suggests that a reducing night flights could help minimize the impact of aviation on climate change. The study, published in Nature this week [June 16], shows that even though 25% of flights over the UK occur during the night, these flights are responsible for at least 60% to 80% of the radiative forcing associated with aircraft condensation trails (contrails). For countries without night-flying restrictions the contribution of these flights to the contrail warming can be even larger. Although the warming effective of contrails is currently small compared to that induced by other sources of human emissions, the comparably large growth rate of air traffic requires an improved understanding of the resulting impact of aircraft radiative forcing on climate, according to the research team," quoting Green Car Congress. link here The full report from Nature: link here .

4. “SURVEY: SOLAR WANTED ON NEW US HOMES” “Eight out of ten Americans believe that homebuilders should offer solar power as an option for all new home construction, according to a new survey from the world's largest solar-cell producer, Japan's Sharp Electronics Corp. The survey was conducted in May among 1,004 adults to measure their perceptions of solar power. It showed that given the current energy situation, three-quarters of Americans feel that solar energy is more important today than ever, according to Sharp. The number-one reason for homeowners to utilize solar power is to save money on monthly utility bills, but respondents are also concerned with using solar to decrease the United States' dependence on oil. The survey showed that two-thirds of Americans are willing to pay a premium for homes that have solar systems installed, according to Sharp. One-half of those surveyed would spend up to 10 percent more for a solar-equipped house, according to the company,” quoting EE Times. link here .

5. "WINDMILL PROJECTS STILLED FOR NOW" “Worries that giant electricity-producing windmills may interfere with aviation radar have thrown several major wind-power projects into disarray and threaten to derail a rapidly growing source of domestic energy, industry advocates say. In recent months, the Defense Department and the Federal Aviation Administration have blocked or slowed several projects in Wisconsin, Illinois, and South Dakota. Their concern is that the windmill blades could confuse a radar or obscure its view of aircraft. Congress passed a law in January requiring the Defense Department to study whether windmills interfere with radar. The military opposes any windmill project in the path of long-range air defense radars until that study is completed. Laurie Jodziewicz, a spokeswoman for the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), says up to 15 projects are on hold after the FAA notified the industry group this year that they would create a 'presumed hazard,'" quoting USA Today. [Ed. Note: Wind farms might bring freedom, so oil companies can’t have that. Have you ever heard of huge electrical transmission towers for wires being blocked? HMMM!] link here .

6. FREE WORLDWIDE RECYCLING SITE “The Freecycle Network™ is made up of many individual groups across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer (them's good people). Membership is free,” quoting their site. link here .

7. "COUPLE THINKS GLOBALLY BY EATING LOCALLY” “On the first day of spring last year, Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon made a drastic decision: For a full year they would eat only food grown and produced within 100 miles of their home in Vancouver, British Columbia. Their aim: to have an eye-to-eye relationship with the people growing their food, to cut down on fossil-fuel use and to reconnect with their community. The couple, both writers, called it the 100-Mile Diet and chronicled the experiment in a local online journal. They were overwhelmed by the response. Their cyber-column attracted 40,000 readers, and they heard from people around the world. ‘This is what it's like to witness the birth of a movement,’ MacKinnon says. They completed their yearlong trial in March but continue to advocate local eating and launched a website in April. The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating will be published next spring,” quoting Tracy Loew for USA TODAY. link here .

8. BIOMETRIC DEBIT CARD IN WORKS---“MARCHING TOWARD THE MARK OF THE BEAST” “Buying groceries with the touch of a finger could be closer than you think, if new research touting the benefits of biometric payment for retail giants like Wal-Mart, Target, and Costco is anything to go by. The report, by Sanford Bernstein analyst Emme Kozloff, found that the use of so-called "electronic wallets" reduces the potential for fraud and identity theft, speeds up the checkout process, and most importantly, lowers transaction processing fees for retailers, improving their bottom line. A 20% reduction in processing costs at big-box discounters like Wal-Mart over the next several years could result in a 3% to 4% increase in earnings per share by 2009, the report estimated. ‘We believe both Wal-Mart and Costco are looking at it closely,’ Kozloff wrote. (Both companies declined to comment.)…. Here's how biometric payment works: To set up an account, customers scan their fingerprint at an in-store kiosk, enter their phone number, and then submit checking and credit card account information. To make a purchase, they place their finger on a scanner at the register, enter their phone number, and choose how they want to pay (credit, debit, or checking.)… The benefits to customers are twofold. First, it offers a speedier checkout—70% faster than traditional forms of payment (unless the reader can't identify your finger, so keep those hands clean.) Second, it enhances security. Of the nearly 10 million cases of identity theft annually, according to a 2003 Federal Trade Commission survey, 13% occurred during a purchase transaction. "Biometric payment systems make conducting transactions safer for consumers," writes Kozloff. But it's the benefit to retailers that could really drive adoption,” quoting CNN money. [Ed. Note: Oh brother! The usual hype. Reel in the lemmings. Oh BIG Brother!] link here .

9. “U.S. LOSING ITS MIDDLE-CLASS NEIGHBORHOODS” "Middle-class neighborhoods, long regarded as incubators for the American dream, are losing ground in cities across the country, shrinking at more than twice the rate of the middle class itself. In their place, poor and rich neighborhoods are both on the rise, as cities and suburbs have become increasingly segregated by income, according to a Brookings Institution study released today. It found that as a share of all urban and suburban neighborhoods, middle-income neighborhoods in the nation's 100 largest metro areas have declined from 58 percent in 1970 to 41 percent in 2000," quoting the Washington Post. link here .

10. “SEXUAL DESIRE TRACED TO GENETICS” “Scientists in Israel have pinpointed a common genetic trait that could make some of us hungrier for sex than others. The team looked at a gene known as the dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4), which partly controls the brain's response to dopamine, a chemical often associated with the body's 'pleasure system'. Scientists know that this neurotransmitter can control sexual behaviour in animals and humans, and that dopamine circuits help to create the drive for things such as sex, drugs and food. Richard Ebstein at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem was prompted to examine the DRD4 gene after a 2004 study showed that a drug blocking this gene's function helped to trigger erections in rats1,” quoting Nature.com. link here
AND: STUDY: HOMOSEXUALITY MORE COMMON IN MEN WITH OLDER BROTHERS "Having several older brothers increases the likelihood of a man being gay, a finding researchers say adds weight to the idea that there is a biological basis for sexual orientation. 'It's likely to be a prenatal effect,' said Anthony F. Bogaert of Brock University in St. Catharines, Canada. 'This and other studies suggest that there is probably a biological basis for' homosexuality...Having several older brothers increases the likelihood of a man being gay, a finding researchers say adds weight to the idea that there is a biological basis for sexual orientation...He [Bogaert] reports in a paper appearing in Tuesday's [June 27] issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that having several biological older brothers increased the chance of a man being gay," quoitng the AP. [Ed. Note: One thing these scientists omit -- what about the father's role in all of this?]
link here .

11. STUDY: CELL PHONE EMISSIONS EXCITE BRAIN NEAR PHONE "Cell phone emissions excite the part of the brain cortex nearest to the phone, but it is not clear if these effects are harmful, Italian researchers reported Monday [June 26]. Their study, published in the Annals of Neurology, adds to a growing body of research about mobile phones, their possible effects on the brain, and whether there is any link to cancer..'It should be argued that long-lasting and repeated exposure to EMFs (electromagnetic frequencies) linked with intense use of cellular phones in daily life might be harmful or beneficial in brain-diseased subjects,' they wrote, quoting Reuters. link here
DOG USES CELL PHONE TO SAVE MASTER'S LIFE "A 17-pound beagle named Belle is more than man’s best friend. She’s a lifesaver. Belle was in Washington, D.C., on Monday to receive an award for biting onto owner Kevin Weaver’s cell phone to call 911 after the diabetic man had a seizure and collapsed. 'There is no doubt in my mind that I’d be dead if I didn’t have Belle,' said Weaver, 34, whose blood sugar had dropped dangerously low. Belle had been trained to summon help in just those circumstances. She had been taught to bite down on the number 9 on his cell phone contacting 911," quoting the AP.
link here .

12. REMEMBER PLAYING WITH LEGOS AS A KID? SAY BYE-BYE TO USA TOY PRODUCTION “Lego Group, whose iconic plastic building blocks have entertained millions of children for more than 70 years, said Tuesday [June 20] it will shed 1,200 jobs to remold itself in an era when kids prefer playing with electronic gadgets. The Denmark-based company, which is one of the last to produce toys in the United States, plans to close its U.S. manufacturing plant and lay off 300 people there in early 2007. About 900 employees in Denmark also will be sacked over the next three years. Production will be moved from Enfield, Conn., to Mexico, where costs are lower, the group said in a statement. The company’s distribution facility in Enfield will also be affected, Lego said, without providing details,” quoting MSNBC.com. link here .

RAMTHA SCHOOL NEWS Dr. Miceal Ledwith's new DVD is due out for sale this week. Order yours from his website:
link here or from Ramtha.com link here
You can assist KRSE-Beyond the Ordinary radio by becoming a monthly volunteer contributor, a Monthl;y warrior. "Your monthly contribution is not only monetary support to pay for "Operating Costs to keep BTO going and growing!" link here
JZ Knight & Ramtha bring their message of extraordinary mind to the Valley of the Sun August 4-5, 2006. Enroll here: link here Live Video Streaming to the public available: link here .

OF LOCAL NOTE Yelm’s first community blog covered these stories this week:
link here A. A summer paving job will affect SR 510 traffic. “A $1.2 million project that provides for improvements on an existing 9.95 mile section of State Route 510 between Sitka Street SE near Lacey and 93rd Avenue SE in Yelm (mileposts 4.50 - 14.46) has begun…This project includes removal of miscellaneous existing traffic items, pavement repair, planning of bituminous (chip sealed) pavement, paving with hot-mix asphalt, adjustment of catch basins, grate inlets, and junction boxes, and guardrail and permanent signing installation…Work has just begun, and is scheduled for completion in early August 2006,” quoting WSDOT. link here Scroll to June 25 B. Two days of record high temperatures. link here Scroll to June 27
C. Yelm's City Council approves payment of public money to fund private development's (Thurston Highlands) aquifer study. link here Scroll to June 26
D. Guest Blog Entry on Yelm's poor "sustainable development" record. link here Scroll to June 28 .

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “I believe that water will one day be employed as fuel, that hydrogen and oxygen which constitute it, used singly or together, will furnish an inexhaustible source of heat and light, of an intensity of which coal is not capable.” Jules Verne (1828-1905) French Author and pioneer of the science-fiction genre and most translated novelist in the world. From The Mysterious Island (1874) Chapter 33 .

Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2006.
For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on "Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives" at link here
Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com .

Kleiner's Korner for Week of June 26, 2006

1. UNLIMITED POWER SOURCE -- CORRECTED Yes, yes, this writer allowed last week’s number 2 to slip in with an April Fool’s link! All of the email from folks that caught my faux-paux shows that Kleiner’s Korner is actually read!. Smile.

Here is the correct link to this story: “UNLIMITED POWER SOURCE” “It seems too good to be true: a new source of near-limitless power that costs virtually nothing, uses tiny amounts of water as its fuel and produces next to no waste. If that does not sound radical enough, how about this: the principle behind the source turns modern physics on its head. Randell Mills, a Harvard University medic who also studied electrical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, claims to have built a prototype power source that generates up to 1,000 times more heat than conventional fuel. Independent scientists claim to have verified the experiments and Dr Mills says that his company, Blacklight Power, has tens of millions of dollars in investment lined up to bring the idea to market. And he claims to be just months away from unveiling his creation. The problem is that according to the rules of quantum mechanics, the physics that governs the behaviour of atoms, the idea is theoretically impossible...According to Dr Mills, there can be only one explanation: quantum mechanics must be wrong," quoting the UK's Guardian. link here link here .

2. “WASHINGTONIANS TEST POSITIVE FOR TOXIC CHEMICALS” “ According to Pollution in People, a study commissioned by the Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition, all of the study participants tested positive for multiple toxic chemicals. The chemicals tested for included: common pesticides such as carbaryl; plasticizers and fragrance carriers found in vinyl, toys, and personal care products; perfluorinated chemicals such as those used to make "Teflon" and stain-repellants found in some food packaging, carpeting, and clothing; toxic flame retardants found in electronics such as televisions, mattresses, and furniture; heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and arsenic; and even chemicals such as DDT and PCBs, which have been banned for decades…The chemicals detected in the 10 Washingtonians tested have been linked with serious health problems such as infertility, cancer, and learning deficits…The chemicals turning up in people come from some obvious sources such as food, but exposure to many of them also comes from other everyday products such as cosmetics, vinyl, home electronics and furniture, packaging, pans, and even clothing. The presence of these toxic chemicals is often not on the label, and the companies that sell them may not even know whether they contain the chemicals,’ quoting Washington Toxics Coalition. link here
And from Organic Consumers Assn: link here .

3. KFC SUED; WENDY’S APPLAUDED FOR TRANS FAT STANDS See you in court, Colonel Sanders. That's the message delivered today to KFC, a unit of Louisville, KY-based Yum! Brands, by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). Today [June 12] that group and the Washington, DC, law firm of Heideman Nudelman & Kalik, P.C., filed suit against the fast-food giant over its use of partially hydrogenated oil--the chemically altered, trans-fat-laden oil that kills roughly 50,000 Americans per year. The class action suit, filed in Superior Court of the District of Columbia, asks that the court prohibit KFC from using partially hydrogenated oil, or that at the very least, signs be posted in KFC outlets notifying customers that many KFC foods are high in trans fat" quoting CSPI. link here KFC’s site: link here
Yum! Brands site: link here
"The fast-food industry's frantic race to cook up the first "better-for-you" french fry appears to have been won by Wendy's (WEN). The No. 3 fast-food chain on Thursday [June 8] will announce plans to dump its cooking oil for a blend of non-hydrogenated corn and soy oil containing next-to-no artery-clogging trans fats. With the new oil — to be rolled out in the USA and Canada in August — a large order of Wendy's fries will drop from 7 grams of trans fats to 0.5 grams. And a kids-size portion will drop from 3.5 grams to 0 grams. The oil also will cut trans fats in fried chicken items to 0 grams per serving. The healthier oil also has about 20% less saturated fat," quoting USA Today. link here
"Wendy's removal of artery-clogging partially hydrogenated oils from its deep-fryers will make its French fries and fried chicken healthier than similar foods at McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, and other competitors. Wendy's deserves enormous credit for breaking the trans-fat log jam in the restaurant world. Its action proves that other restaurants, big or small, have no excuse for continuing to impair their customers' health by using partially hydrogenated oil," quoting CSPI. [Ed. Note: With fast food marketers “target-marketing” so heavily to children, Wendy’s decision is good news that will force others to healthier oils.] link here
If you live in California, Arizona or Nevada, you know that In-N-Out Burger & fries are the best because since 1948, they "...cook them in 100% pure, cholesterol-free vegetable oil." [Ed. Note: If all of these burger chains would follow In-N-Out's lead, they would have more traffic!] link here
And: “GRANDMA WAS RIGHT AFTER ALL…..” Even though the effects of diet on atherosclerosis in humans is not clear, eating fruit and vegetables is known to protect against heart disease. New research from the U.S. suggests that different coloured vegetables contain different minerals and may prevent hardening of the arteries. The researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, found 38% less build up of fatty deposits in the arteries of mice who were fed a mixture of vegetables, including carrots and peas. Lead researcher Michael Adams, says though everyone knows that eating more vegetables is supposed to be good for you, no one has shown before that it can actually inhibit the development of atherosclerosis,” quoting Medical Research News. link here .

4. "EARTH WARMEST IN AT LEAST 400 YEARS, PANEL FINDS" "Weighing in on the highest profile debate about global warming, the nation's premier science policy body on Thursday voiced a "high level of confidence" that Earth is the hottest it has been in at least 400 years, and possibly even the last 2,000 years. A panel convened by the National Research Council reached that conclusion in a broad review of scientific studies, reporting that the evidence indicates 'recent warmth is unprecedented for at least the last 400 years.' The panel of top climate scientists told lawmakers that the Earth is running a fever and that 'human activities are responsible for much of the recent warming.' Their 155-page report said average global surface temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere rose about 1 degree F during the 20th century," quoting MSNBC.
link here You can buy the full report titled: Surface Temperature Reconstructions for the Last 2,000 Years
link here
And, famed physicist Stephen Hawking weighed in on this matter this week: "Stephen Hawking expressed concern about global warming Wednesday [June 22], even as he charmed and provoked a group of Chinese students...Asked about the environment, Hawking — who suffers from a degenerative disease, uses a wheelchair and speaks through a computerized voice synthesizer — said he was 'very worried about global warming.' He said he was afraid Earth 'might end up like Venus, at 250 degrees centigrade [482 degrees Celsius] and raining sulfuric acid,'" quoting the AP.
link here
Be sure to see the movie: An Incovenient Truth: link here Opening in Yelm June 30th..

5. TENSION ON TECTONIC PLATES COULD CAUSE MASSIVE L. A. QUAKE "New satellite evidence has confirmed fears among scientists that seismic stresses are rising along the southern segment of the San Andreas fault system, making the heavily populated Los Angeles area vulnerable to an overdue major earthquake. For more than 300 years, no large quake has struck on the southern San Andreas, but the long, quiet period could end at any time because the fault has been essentially "locked" while dangerous strain has built up deep underground where the fault's fragmented strands are run, according to Yuri Fialko, a geophysicist at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Scientists have not estimated the near-term odds for any future large earthquake in Southern California, as they have for the Bay Area, but historical records show that the last major quake on the San Andreas in what is now the Greater Los Angeles area occurred in 1690 with an estimated magnitude of 7.7 -- big enough to cause a major catastrophe today and only somewhat smaller than the estimated 7.9 magnitude of Northern California's great San Francisco quake of 1906," quoting the San Francisco Chronicle. link here .

6. "JAPAN AGREES TO LIFT BAN ON U.S. BEEF IMPORTS" "Japan agreed Wednesday [June 21] to lift a ban on U.S. beef imports, pending inspections of U.S. meat processing plants to dispel concerns over mad cow disease, the Agriculture Ministry said. The breakthrough resolves a thorny, long-running trade dispute between the allies, and gives U.S. ranchers access to what was once their most lucrative export market. “Japan agreed to resume U.S. beef imports on the condition that we find no further problems during onsite inspections,” said Agriculture Ministry official Hiroaki Ogura," quoting the AP. link here .

7. BIG NORTHWEST CITIES ARE ‘MOST SUSTAINABLE’ “Portland, Ore., is the big city doing the best job of making its resources sustainable for future generations to enjoy without passing on a major cost burden, a new study says. Portland ranked highest among the 50 largest U.S. cities for using its assets and infrastructure wisely, keeping money in the local economy and being prepared for the unexpected, according to a study from SustainLane.com, a nonpartisan online community site for healthy, sustainable living that's based in San Francisco. San Francisco came in second this year, with Seattle taking third place. SustainLane's 2005 survey evaluated only 25 cities and used different criteria. The 2006 report measures the 50 most populous cities based on 15 economic and quality-of-life categories. Cities were judged on their ability to maintain air quality and healthy drinking water, their use of renewable energy and alternative fuels, access to public transit, number of parks, green building and local food production,” quoting CBS MarketWatch. link here .

8. "FAMILY REVERSES ITS GENETIC DEATH SENTENCE" Stomach cancer resulting from a genetic mutation was a deadly part of the Bradfield family's legacy, until testing by the Stanford Cancer Genetics Clinic identified the errant gene and allowed doctors to remedy the problem before the cancer emerged. readt he full story in the Stanford Report.
link here .

9. “PSYCHIATRIST…STUDIES PAST-LIFE MEMORIES OF CHILDREN” “No one knows for sure what happens to us after death. But Dr. Jim Tucker is trying to find out. Tucker is medical director of the Child and Family Psychiatric Clinic at the University of Virginia. He also works at the University's Division of Perceptual Studies, which scientifically investigates paranormal phenomena such as near-death experiences, ghosts, and reincarnation. His book "Life Before Life: A Scientific Investigation of Children's Memories of Previous Lives" (St. Martin's Press, 2005) tries to verify statements from children who claim to have had past-life experiences. The work continues the research of Dr. Ian Stevenson, who began studying children's apparent past-life recollections 45 years ago at the University of Virginia. It's controversial terrain for a scientist, but Tucker takes his work quite seriously,” quoting the San Francisco Chronicle. link here .

10. "'UFO HACKER' TELLS WHAT HE FOUND" "The search for proof of the existence of UFOs landed Gary McKinnon in a world of trouble. After allegedly hacking into NASA websites -- where he says he found images of what looked like extraterrestrial spaceships -- the 40-year-old Briton faces extradition to the United States from his North London home. If convicted, McKinnon could receive a 70-year prison term and up to $2 million in fines. Final paperwork in the case is due this week, after which the British home secretary will rule on the extradition request...McKinnon tells what he found and discusses the motivation behind his online adventures in this exclusive phone interview with Wired News," quoting Wired News.
link here .

11. USA TO STRIKE A PURE GOLD COIN (FINALLY!) “The golden buffalo, the legendary symbol of the American West, will soon roam again — this time as the nation's first pure gold coin. The U.S. Mint will start taking orders in the coming week for the coins. Officials believe they have found a winning combination that will appeal to nostalgia buffs and investors. The coin will be slightly larger and thicker than a Kennedy half dollar, will contain one ounce of gold and will be designated a $50 gold piece. The actual price will depend on the market price of an ounce of gold, plus markups,” quoting MSNBC. link here .

12. CONGRESSMAN ADAM SMITH NOW "CORPORATE-FRIENDLY" - FORGETS HIS PEOPLE A. "Bowing to an intense lobbying campaign that spent tens of millions of dollars – and held out the promise of hefty campaign contributions for those members who did the bidding of interested firms – the House voted 321 to 101 for the disingenuously-named Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act (COPE). That bill, which does not include meaningful network-neutrality protections creates an opening that powerful telephone and cable companies hope to exploit by expanding their reach while doing away with requirements that they maintain a level playing field for access to Internet sites... ...voted with the Republican leadership, as did corporate-friendly "New Democrats" such as Alabama's Artur Davis, Washington's Adam Smith and Wisconsin's Ron Kind – all co-chairs of the Democratic Leadership Council-tied House New Democrat Coalition," quoting The Nation. [corporate-friendly "New Democrats"??? Looks like this writer needs to re-examine Rep. Adams stands, as I have always been one of his supporters and voters.].
link here B. "When a NASCAR racetrack opens in Kitsap County, the obligatory ribbon-cutting ceremony will draw a lot of dignitaries who claim some credit for fathering the attraction. But you and I will know the real fathers. You can read their names on the board of directors list of America’s Car Museum, the LeMay. NASCAR’s track-building victory in Washington will spring – more than any other factor – from the relationships, strategy and leverage behind the LeMay. Whenever have you heard of two busy congressmen flying home for their Memorial Day break to testify before a committee of state legislators? That happened May 31 when Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Belfair, and Rep. Adam Smith, D-Tacoma, showed up in Seattle for the Legislative Committee on Economic Development and International Relations. Both endorsed the $345 million International Speedway Corp. racetrack in rural Kitsap County. Both also serve as honorary members of the LeMay board of directors. So does James France, CEO and vice chairman of International Speedway Corp. The France family founded – and owns 100 percent of – NASCAR," quoting the Tacoma News Tribune. [Ed. Note: Rep. Smith -- we're watching!] link here
Mr. Smith, you are abandoning your people back home in the Pacific Northwest for corporate interests! Hello?! Write your views to Rep. Adam Smith. link here .

RAMTHA SCHOOL NEWS Dr. Miceal Ledwith returns with Philippe Matthews, Spiritual Director: The SHOCKphilosophy Institute of Advanced Manifestation TeleCourse on June 26, 27, & 28 with his talk titled The Three Turbulent Companions of Jesus; Judas/Peter/Mary Magdelene. Listen to Dr. Ledwith's audio message about the course: link here Register for the course and/or download here: link here .

OF LOCAL NOTE Read all about this week's key local stories and leave your comments on Yelm's Community blog:
link here as follows:
A. Yelm has a namesake Co-op now. No more driving to Olympia! The Yelm Food Co-op was awarded a matching seed grant of $10,000 after raising $10,000 themselves:
link here then scroll to story 2 under June 20
B. Timberland Regional Library (TRL), as an official partner of the Library of Congress, invites you to join in an important national project—the Veterans History Project.
link here then scroll to story under June 23
C. The Nisqually River Council's Foundation unveiled the Nisqually Watershed Stewardship Plan and vision for the next 50 years at a Fundraiser in Seattle Monday, June 19th.
link here then scroll to story 1 under June 20
D. The Yelm Planning Commission is sponsoring an open house to provide the public an opportunity to review proposed changes to the Comprehensive Plan, prior to the public hearing, and to answer questions about the update. The open house is scheduled for Thursday, June 29, 2006, from 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM in the City Council Chambers at City Hall. Get all the details here:
link here then scroll to story under June 21 .

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning. Henry Ford (1863-1947) U. S automobile manufacturer & inventor of the automobile manufacturing assembly line. .

Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2006.
For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on "Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives" at link here
Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com .

Kleiner's Korner For Week of June 19, 2006

Happy Summer in the Northern Hemisphere at 5:23am Yelm time Wednesday, June 21st. link here

1. CLIMATE ISSUES CREATING NEW STORIES A. " Canada's motto - "From Sea to Sea" - is the symbol of its geography: between the Atlantic and the Pacific. Some people have recently proposed that it should rather be: "From One Sea to the Others," to also include the Arctic. The Canadian Arctic covers 3.4 million square kilometers and 40% of the national territory, including an immense archipelago that is nearly uninhabited, apart from a handful of Inuit. Covered with ice, with extreme climactic conditions, it used to barely interest anyone. But times change. Scientists have abundantly demonstrated that it's one of the areas most affected by global warming. Ice melt is accelerating there; the pack ice is thinning and loses thousands of square kilometers a year. A significant retreat of the glacial ice-cap in the next fifty years and the copious liberation of water even sooner is already being predicted," quoting LeMonde. link here
B. "In less than 100 years, the Arctic could be ice-free in the summer, which would allow ships to take the polar route from Europe to Asia, say the Canadian Ice Service and the U.S. Navy. At current rates, 75% of glaciers in the Swiss Alps and two-thirds of those in China will melt by 2050, according to separate studies by the European Environment Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Hurricanes, typhoons and windstorms, which draw energy from warmer ocean waters, are likely to increase in intensity, saddling the insurance industry with $27 billion a year in annual losses by the 2080s. That's an increase of nearly 70%, the Association of British Insurers reported last year," quoting USA Today. link here
C. "The sea level has risen 9 inches in the past century on Florida's southern coast, a rate six times faster than the per-century rate over the previous 2,400 years, Wanless says. The trend is expected to accelerate because of warming, which would expose the coast to even worse storm effects, quoting USA Today.
link here .

2. “UNLIMITED POWER SOURCE” “It seems too good to be true: a new source of near-limitless power that costs virtually nothing, uses tiny amounts of water as its fuel and produces next to no waste. If that does not sound radical enough, how about this: the principle behind the source turns modern physics on its head. Randell Mills, a Harvard University medic who also studied electrical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, claims to have built a prototype power source that generates up to 1,000 times more heat than conventional fuel. Independent scientists claim to have verified the experiments and Dr Mills says that his company, Blacklight Power, has tens of millions of dollars in investment lined up to bring the idea to market. And he claims to be just months away from unveiling his creation. The problem is that according to the rules of quantum mechanics, the physics that governs the behaviour of atoms, the idea is theoretically impossible...According to Dr Mills, there can be only one explanation: quantum mechanics must be wrong," quoting the UK's Guardian.
link here .

3. INTRODUCING THE ANIMAL COMMUNCIATION PROJECT "The ACP [Animal Communication Project] is dedicated to the science of communication among animals. The site contains text, images, sounds, QuickTime video, and links. The News section contains a growing collection of brief explanations of ongoing research…For more about The Animal Communication Project, see About The ACP. All text and images on The Animal Communication Project are protected by copyright by Stephen Hart or contributors. No copying is allowed for any purpose without consent of the copyright owner," quoting their site. link here .

4. “FOSSILS POINT TO OLDEST LIFE ON EARTH” “The best evidence yet for the oldest life on Earth is found in odd-shaped, rock-like mounds in Australia that are actually fossils created by microbes 3.4 billion years ago, researchers report….The strange geologic structures - which range from smaller than a fingernail to taller than a man - are exactly the type of early life astrobiologists are looking for on Mars and elsewhere. They are known as stromatolites. They're produced layer by layer when dirt sediments mix with carbon dioxide expelled from bacteria, water, and minerals - all trapped in the microbes' sticky mucilage. The theory is that these ancient mounds dotting a large swath of western Australia are not merely dirt piles that formed randomly into odd shapes, but that microbes built them a few billion years ago,” quoting the AP. link here .

5. “WE COULD ALL DO WITH A SIESTA” “Scientists at The University of Manchester have for the first time uncovered how brain cells or 'neurons' that keep us alert become turned off after we eat. The findings - published in the scientific journal Neuron this week - have implications for treating obesity and eating disorders as well as understanding levels of consciousness. ‘It has been known for a while that people and animals can become sleepy and less active after a meal, but brain signals responsible for this were poorly understood,' said Dr Denis Burdakov, the lead researcher based in Manchester's Faculty of Life Sciences. ‘We have pinpointed how glucose - the sugar in food - can stop brain cells from producing signals that keep us awake.' Dr Burdakov's research has shown exactly how glucose blocks or 'inhibits' neurons that make orexins - tiny proteins that are vital for normal regulation of our state of consciousness,” quoting the University of Manchester. link here .

6. RESEARCHERS TO CREATE PATENT-SPECIFIC EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS “Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston have begun attempts to create human embryonic stem cells using nuclear transfer with human eggs and embryos, after receiving approval from the Institutional Review Boards and ESCRO (Embryonic Stem Cell Research Oversight) committees of Children's Hospital Boston and Partners HealthCare. The work is underway in the Children's Hospital laboratory of George Daley, MD, PhD, Associate Director of the Children's Hospital Stem Cell Program and a member of the Executive Committee of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. Daley is an internationally recognized expert in diseases of the blood. Because of Federal funding restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research, these studies are being funded through private philanthropy donated to Children's Hospital Boston and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI), a collaborative effort that brings together scientists across Harvard University and all its affiliated hospitals to address the promise of stem cell biology as the basis for cures and treatment for a wide range of chronic medical conditions. HSCI funds research, operates core facilities, conducts undergraduate and graduate education, and coordinates the efforts of hundreds of stem cell scientists and clinicians throughout the Harvard community. Two other HSCI scientists at Harvard University, Doug Melton, PhD, and Kevin Eggan, PhD, have likewise received approval to begin similar experiments aimed at producing disease-specific embryonic stem cells. The first goal of Daley and his Children's colleagues is to gain proficiency in creating stem cell lines; ultimately, they intend to create patient-specific stem cell lines to treat patients using their own cells,” quoting Bio.com. link here .

7. DRAGONFLY-LIKE EYES DEVLEOPED IN BERKELEY LAB “A UC Berkeley engineer, entranced by the uncanny ability of insects like dragonflies and bumblebees to peer in all directions at once, has for the first time created microscopic versions of their compound eyes in the laboratory. Luke Lee, professor of bioengineering and leader of a research team he calls the Bio-Poets, is reporting today that his synthetic devices made of complex plastic materials can "see" in all directions simultaneously, and could well find uses in fields as varied as medicine, 3-D cameras and even espionage. The bulbous compound eyes of many insects contain thousands of individual lenses, each of which sees in a single direction, but whose images are melded into a single, wide-angle view that allows the insect to survey its entire neighborhood at once,” quoting the San Francisco Chronicle. link here .

8. WHOLE FOODS TO STOP SELLING LIVE LOBSTERS “Whole Foods Market®, the world's leading natural and organic foods supermarket and creator of the Animal Compassion Foundation ( link here ), announced today that it has set a deadline of June 15, 2006, to assess and significantly upgrade the supply chain process to procure and sell live lobsters in a more humane way. If more compassionate standards are not implemented by that date, Whole Foods Market will discontinue the sale of live lobsters.” quoting Whole Foods’ Press release of November 15, 2005. link here And, on June 15, 2006: “Customers craving fresh crustaceans will have to look beyond Whole Foods Market Inc. after the natural-foods grocery chain decided Thursday [June 15] to stop selling live lobsters and crabs on the grounds that it's inhumane. The Austin-based grocer spent seven months studying the sale of live lobsters from ship to supermarket aisle, trying to determine whether the creatures suffer along the way,” quoting the AP. link here .

9. "BUSH CREATES BIGGEST OCEAN PRESERVE” “President Bush on Thursday [June 15] created the world's largest marine protected area — a group of remote Hawaiian islands that cover 84 million acres and are home to 7,000 species of birds, fish and marine mammals, at least a quarter of which are unique to Hawaii. At a White House ceremony, the president designated the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands the United States’ 75th national monument. The islands have been described as “America’s Galapagos” and as the most intact tropical marine region under U.S. jurisdiction… It is only the second time that Bush has invoked the 1906 National Antiquities Act, which gives the president authority to create national monuments to preserve the nation's ancient cultural sites and unusual geological features. The law itself turned 100 this month. In February, Bush used the antiquities law for the first time when he declared part of the African Burial Ground in the lower Manhattan section of New York City a national monument. The site, covering less than half an acre, marks where an estimated 20,000 slaves and free blacks were buried in the 18th century,” quoting MSNBC. link here .

10. RARE MIRAGE WITNESSED IN CHINA “Thousands of tourists and local residents witnessed a mirage of high clarity lasting for four hours off the shore of Penglai City in east China's Shandong Province on Sunday [May 7]. Mists rising on the shore created an image of a city, with modern high-rise buildings, broad city streets, and bustling cars as well as crowds of people all clearly visible. The city of Penglai had been soaked by two days of rain before the rare weather phenomenon occurred. The mirage took place during the week-long Labor Day holiday. The small city received over 30,000 tourists on Sunday,” quoting China Broadcast. link here .

11. DAN AKROYD MAKES WAVES WITH HIS UFO FILM “Dan Aykroyd has a new video on the market, but the ex-conehead and one-time ghost-buster says he's not the star. The UFOs are… The DVD, which went on sale Tuesday [May 31], is a conversation between Aykroyd and UFO expert David Sereda interspersed with footage of unexplained objects in flight and comments from experts like former astronaut Gordon Cooper. There are no jokes. Asked if he was worried that a comic actor might not be taken seriously discussing an edgy subject like extraterrestrial visitors, he said ‘It's not a concern,’" quoting Reuters. link here Order your Dan Akroyd DVD from: link here .

12. NOT TO WORRY – GOLD WILL RECOVER [Ed. Note: With higher interest rates, many investment funds dump precious metals and transfer to paper like stocks, bonds or currencies for short term gains. This will not happen for long. There are too many things that make silver and gold look like the best long-term hedge.] "...But driven by soaring energy prices, inflation is creeping toward 4 percent for the second quarter and is on pace for the highest annual rate in 15 years. A government report Wednesday [June 14] showed that consumer prices have risen at an annual rate of 5.2 percent so far this year, up from a 3.4 percent in 2005, thanks to the relentless rise in energy prices. While those rates may seem relatively tame, the steady increase has caused so much concern that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is threatening to extend the Fed’s two-year rate-raising campaign, sending the stock market plunging this month," quoting the AP. link here "Surging gasoline prices helped trigger another big increase in consumer inflation in May, and one closely watched price gauge rose at the fastest pace in 11 years," quoting the AP. link here [Ed. Note: Of course this group just concluding their meeting decides what happens next.] "On the outskirts of the nation’s capital [Canada's Ottawa], a tony high-rise hotel beside a golf course is hosting the annual meeting for one of the world’s most secretive and powerful societies...On the outskirts of the nation’s capital, a tony high-rise hotel beside a golf course is hosting the annual meeting for one of the world’s most secretive and powerful societies...The 2006 group includes David Rockefeller, Henry Kissinger, Queen Beatrix of Holland, New York Gov. George Pataki, the heads of Coca-Cola, Credit Suisse, the Royal Bank of Canada, cabinet ministers from Spain, Greece and a number of media moguls, including Globe and Mail newspaper publisher Philip Crawley. However, Bilderberg followers say that media moguls whose outlets report leaked details from the meetings will see themselves banned in the future., The group also includes a pair of prominent figures involved in planning the U.S. invasion of Iraq — Richard Perle and Ahmad Chalabi." "Republished from Copyright 2006 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved."
link here .

RAMTHA SCHOOL NEWS “Ramtha.tv is excited to announce our first live streams of Ramtha from the Great Hall in Yelm, WA that is open to the public for registration. "The Great Work as The Great Life," A Teaching from Ramtha, July 28th,” quoting the RSE mailer. Register here: link here RSE student Debbie Hu O’Doan’s piano concerto was selected to fit as background for the 4-minute movie of the landing onto Saturn’s largest moon Titan of the Huygens probe from the Cassini- Huygens Mission. The craft only took 7 years to travel from here to there. Debbie’s music was selected by the planetary science research group from University of Arizona and can be downloaded from their site. Congratulations, Debbie! link here .

OF LOCAL NOTE Many readers thought the announcement in this space several weeks ago about running for state office was about this writer. Such was not the case, rather an introduction for the Campaign to Elect Jean Marie Christenson for State Representative, District 2, Position 1. She proudly presents her official campaign website here. [Ed. Note: this writer heartily endorses Jean Marie in her desires to publicly serve this area's citizens.]. link here
Learn the ramifications of the newly approved Yelm Avenue West LID plus the Yelm City Council appointment of former RSE student John Thompson from Yelm’s first community blog, and leave your comments. Penned by this writer – Giving You a Voice. link here .

QUOTE OF THE WEEK There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self. Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English novelist .

Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2006.
For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on "Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives" at link here
Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com .

Kleiner's Korner For Week of June 12, 2006

KLEINER’S KORNER HONORS ALL OF OUR FATHERS THIS WEEK, THOSE BEINGS WHO GAVE US THE GIFT OF THIS LIFE!

1. AS WE APPROACH FATHERS DAY -- LESSONS FROM DAD "Before Dad passed away, we often went for walks while we debated how history might repeat itself, and when. Our primary concern was the wild 1970s, the time of the most rapid, the most threatening and the most profitable market events in modern history. That’s when double-digit inflation reared its ugly head ... the dollar’s value collapsed ... gold surged from $103 to $850 ... and short-term interest rates catapulted from 4% to 20% — all in less than four years. That’s also when major American banks lost so much money in the bond market it wiped out most of their capital ... and when investors made so much money in precious metals, Midas would have been green with envy. Under what circumstances could something like that happen again? How could investors protect themselves from the fall-out? How could they profit? The key to finding the answers, we agreed, would be to identify parallel pattern — not only in the world of money but also in the arenas of political conflict. Those parallel patterns are precisely what I see today," quoting a very astute Martin Weiss of Money & Markets.
link here .

2. HUMAN-IMPLANT ID CHIP MAKER PROPOSES IMPLANTING ILLEGALS This writer heard this story on KIRO 710-am radio on June 12th at 4pm and immediately scanned the web for information. LiveScience says: “Scott Silverman, Chairman of the Board of VeriChip Corporation, has proposed implanting the company's RFID tracking tags in immigrant and guest workers. He made the statement on national television on May 16. Silverman was being interviewed on "Fox & Friends." Responding to the Bush administration's call to know "who is in our country and why they are here, ‘he proposed using VeriChip RFID implants to register workers at the border, and then verify their identities in the workplace. He added, "We have talked to many people in Washington about using it....’ The VeriChip is a very small Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag about the size of a large grain of rice. It can be injected directly into the body; a special coating on the casing helps the VeriChip bond with living tissue and stay in place. A special RFID reader broadcasts a signal, and the antenna in the VeriChip draws power from the signal and sends its data. The VeriChip is a passive RFID tag; since it does not require a battery, it has a virtually unlimited life span.” [Ed. Note: Step one – get the public used to the idea, then create a catastrophic emergency ala 9/11, and the public will be begging for this “Mark of the Beast.”]
link here Further, you must see Verichip's homepage where they link for RFID "patient identification, infant protection and wander prevention. link here .

3. “FROZEN VAULT TO PROTECT WORLD’S SEEDS” “A frozen "Noah's Ark" to safeguard the world's crop seeds from cataclysms will be built on a remote Arctic island off Norway, the Norwegian government said on Tuesday [May 30]. Construction of the Global Seed Vault on the archipelago of Svalbard, 600 miles from the North Pole, would start in June and be completed in September 2007. It will have space for 3 million seed varieties and will provide a remote Arctic back-up for other seed banks around the world,” quoting USA Today. link here And this from the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers.
link here then click "01-06-2006 Global security vault for seeds" .

4. “…THERE IS HELP FOR AGING EYES” “According to a study conducted by the National Eye Institute, Americans fear blindness more than any other disability, including cancer and heart disease. Only loss of mental capacity was a greater concern…However, many Americans aren’t waiting for symptoms to escalate; they are using natural nutritional and herbal supplements to protect their eyes from the effects of aging,” quoting the June, 2006 Costco Connection. link here then click "Contents" and under that header, click "45-Eye Health" And, the National Eye Institute website: link here
And this from the world of technology: “Results will demonstrate how, for the first time, electronic signals were able to be sent via wireless transmission and received by a learning retinal implant, which then enabled retinal-blinded patients with no light perception to 'see' light and patterns. IIP-Technologies GmbH, on behalf of its parent company Intelligent Medical Implants AG ("IMI") (www.intmedimplants.com), announced today that the results of a limited clinical study related to its ongoing Early Human Trial will be presented in a poster session at the 2006 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., which begins on Saturday. The results to be presented will demonstrate that IMI's patented, first-generation Learning Retinal Implant(TM) enabled patients to see light--as well as simple patterns--via a wireless transmission of data and energy,” quoting their Press Release. link here .

5. NORTHWEST AIRLINES AIRCARES DOES WONDER WITH KIDCARES “Sometimes a child's health depends on receiving medical treatment far from home. For many families in this situation, transportation costs can seem overwhelming. Northwest Airlines created the KidCares medical travel program as part of its AirCares charitable assistance commitment. KidCares provides air travel to children age 18 and younger (and one parent or guardian) who are unable to receive treatment near their home. KidCares travel depends on generous donations by WorldPerks members. Northwest Airlines will match all mileage donations. Please show your support by making a WorldPerks mileage donation,” quoting the NWA World Traveler Magazine June, 2006. [Ed. Note: This writer supports the NWA AirCares program and finds it unique among all airlines.]
link here then click "NWA AirCares" under "Getting You There"
And YOU can donate to the NWA AirCares Program: link here .

6. ICE IN NEWS LAST WEEK “BIG CRATER SEEN BENEATH ICE SHEET” “What appears to be a 480km-wide (300 miles) crater has been detected under the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. The scientists behind the discovery say it could have been made by a massive meteorite strike 250 million years ago. The feature at Wilkes Land was found by Nasa satellites that are mapping subtle differences in the Earth's gravity,” quoting the BBC.
link here
FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL “How Melting Glaciers Alter Earth's Surface, Spur Quakes, Volcanoes June 9, 2006; Page A11 “Imagine the surface of Earth as a giant trampoline that accumulated a slab of ice over the winter, and you can get a sense of what a growing number of scientists say is in store for the planet as glaciers keep melting. Once the trampoline's ice turns to water that drips over the edges in the warm days of spring, the concave elastic slowly rebounds to its original flat shape. That's how Earth responds as glaciers retreat, and the consequences promise to be ... interesting.”
link here .

7. WASHINGTON WINE-GROWING REGIONS PLOT EXPANSION “In a tour of Washington wine country, the world's wine buyers knew the Red Mountain region for its premium red wines. They stood atop the state's smallest formally recognized winemaking district and drank in the view: acres of vineyards, dotted with homes, wineries - and mounds of brown dirt…,” quoting the Seattle P-I. link here .

8. “AS FAR AS BRAIN IS CONCERNED, ALL LANGUAGES…THE SAME” “As far as the brain is concerned, all languages are pretty much the same. Whether the conversation is in German or English or Japanese, recent research suggests that fluent speakers use the same set of brain regions to make sense of what's being said…Studies of bilingual people have found that the same brain regions, particularly parts of the left temporal cortex, are similarly activated by both languages. But there must be some part of the brain that knows Deutsch from English, reasoned cognitive neuroscientist Cathy Price at University College London. Price, along with German and Japanese colleagues, used functional magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography to search for a language switch in the brains of German-English and Japanese-English bilingual volunteers,” quoting ScienceNow. link here .

9. “ANIMAL DNA CHANGING WITH CLIMATE, STUDY FINDS" “Longer growing seasons have caused genetic changes in a wide range of animals in the past few decades, biologists announced today [June 8]. As the spring reproductive season arrives earlier and lasts longer in northern latitudes, a fact owing to climate change, animals that can adapt their schedules stand a better chance of seeing their genetic information passed on to later generations, leading to a change in gene frequencies within populations. The shift could have substantial economic impacts as well. As premium growing seasons shift northward, Canada could become an agricultural powerhouse as the United States turns into a dustbowl, the researchers said. The study is detailed in the June 9 issue of the journal Science, ”quoting LiveScience. link here .

10. WAL-MART GOES ORGANIC – WHAT THAT ALL MEANS “…now that Wal-Mart itself, the nation's largest grocer, has decided to take organic food seriously. (Nascar is not quite there yet.) Beginning later this year, Wal-Mart plans to roll out a complete selection of organic foods — food certified by the U.S.D.A. to have been grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers — in its nearly 4,000 stores. Just as significant, the company says it will price all this organic food at an eye-poppingly tiny premium over its already-cheap conventional food: the organic Cocoa Puffs and Oreos will cost only 10 percent more than the conventional kind. Organic food will soon be available to the tens of millions of Americans who now cannot afford it — indeed, who have little or no idea what the term even means… Wal-Mart's push into the organic market won't do much for small organic farmers, that seems plain enough. But it may also spell trouble for the big growers it will favor. Wal-Mart has a reputation for driving down prices by squeezing its suppliers, especially after those suppliers have invested heavily to boost production to feed the Wal-Mart maw. Having done that, the supplier will find itself at Wal-Mart's mercy when the company decides it no longer wants to pay a price that enables the farmer to make a living. When that happens, the notion of responsibly priced food will be sacrificed to the imperatives of survival, and the pressure to cut corners will become irresistible. Up to now, the federal organic standards have provided a bulwark against that pressure. Yet with the industrialization of organic, these rules are themselves coming under mounting pressure, and forgive my skepticism, but it's hard to believe that the lobbyists from Wal-Mart are going to play a constructive role in defending those standards from efforts to weaken them. Just this past year the Organic Trade Association used lobbyists who do work for Kraft Foods to move a bill through Congress that will make it easier to include synthetic ingredients in products labeled organic,” quoting Michael Pollan’s brilliant observations published in the Sunday New York Times Magazine of June 4, 2006. [Ed. Note: Wal-Mart is NOT trusted by this writer to do what is righteous.] Registration & purchase required to view the entire piece.. link here .

11. 9/11 FOLLOW-UP: SCHOLARS PETITION FOR 9/11 TRUTHS RELEASE “On Behalf of the People of the United States of America, the Undersigned Scholars for 9/11 Truth Hereby Petitions for, and hereby demands, Release of the Following kinds of documents, video and films, and physical evidence to the public for study by experts and scholars investigating the events of 9/11…” quoting Scholars for 9/11 Truth. link here .

12. HMMM! IRAQ WAR BRINGING OUT NEW IDEAS: US CHRISTIAN LEADERS APOLOGIZE FOR IRAQ WAR “Christian leaders from the United States lamented the war in Iraq and apologized for their government's current foreign policy during the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Porto Alegre, Brazil, which ended Thursday [February 23]… Taking an unusual stand among U.S. Christian leaders, the United States Conference for the World Council of Churches (WCC) criticized Pres. George W. Bush's actions in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks…The U.S. Conference of the WCC also criticized the government's position on global warming. ‘The rivers, oceans, lakes, rainforests, and wetlands that sustain us, even the air we breathe continue to be violated... Yet our own country refuses to acknowledge its complicity and rejects multilateral agreements aimed at reversing disastrous trends,’ reads the message,” quoting the Inter Press Service. link here
DID YOU KNOW A BILL FOR A U. S. DRAFT INTRODUCED? From GovTrack, “H.R. 4752: Universal National Service Act of 2006, To provide for the common defense by requiring all persons in the United States, including women, between the ages of 18 and 42 to perform a period of military service or a period of civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, and for other purposes…Last Action:Feb 23, 2006: Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.” link here GovTrack is a noncommercial project unaffiliated with the U.S. Government or any other group. link here .

RAMTHA SCHOOL NEWS RFK, Jr. spoke at the Ramtha School last year on a whole host of issues. Now, Mr. Kennedy pens “Was the 2004 Election Stolen? Republicans prevented more than 350,000 voters in Ohio from casting ballots or having their votes counted -- enough to have put John Kerry in the White House,” quoting his Rolling Stone piece. link here
JZ Knight & Ramtha bring their messages of truth and hope Down Under this week when they return to Australia: link here .

OF LOCAL NOTE Yelm Cinemas will begin showing Al Gore’s film An Inconvenient Truth June 30th:
link here Hear an interview on National Public Radio’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross: Al Gore and his new movie "An Inconvenient Truth" link here
Local organic products information can be found at: Lewis County's Winlock Meadows Farm: link here Farm Bank Project: link here Yelm's Earthwrom & Castings Farm: link here .

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “Nothing is more dangerous for man’s morality than the habit of command. The best man, most intelligent, disinterested, generous, pure, will infallibly and always be spoiled at his trade. Two sentiments inherent in power never fail to produce this demoralization; they are: contempt for the masses and the overestimation of one’s own merits.” Mikhail Bakunin (1814-1876) Russian Anarchist called one of the “fathers of modern anarchism.” In “Power Corrupts the Best” 1867 .

Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2006.
For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on "Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives" at link here
Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com .

Kleiner's Korner For Week of June 5, 2006

Obviously, the swirl surrounding Loose Change garnered a lot of mail and Kleiner’s Korner “unsubscribes” this week. Any controversial subject does that as this writer has noticed in writing these last 5 years. One KK reader wrote to say that whatever the public thinks about Loose Change, they should watch this; an “MIT Engineer Breaks Down WTC Controlled Demolition.” link here
And the large 9/11 conference in Chicago June 2-4: link here
Further, this writer received alot of mail on America's jails. This from one noted writer Michael Knight; retired reporter, independent documentary director, author and writer: link here

1. MAJOR STORIES ABOUT ALTERNATIVE FUELED ENGINES This writer is named Klein and originally from Kentucky. Now another Klein from Kentucky (no relation) is making news:
"...The generator is a little 160-pound gizmo on wheels that is powerful indeed. In the words of The Center for Strategic Alliance Inc., 'we can now make fire from water.' The Center for Strategic Alliance Inc. is a small consulting business with offices in Hickman, Ky. This technology, with more than five years in research and development at Hydrogen Technology Applications Inc. (HTA), illustrates that the solutions to our energy and environmental woes may be in the common elements that surround us. The patented process safely generates a molecularly stable hybrid hydrogen/oxygen gas (Klein/HHO) on demand from water. The gas is extremely environmentally friendly in that it has no polluting subgases when burned and produces only pure water in vapor form. It is currently being used to cut, weld, solder and fuse such materials as metal, plastics, ceramics and glass in commercial as well as artistic applications. Unlike pure hydrogen gas, HHO gas remains highly stable, reducing the fear of explosions that often accompany pure hydrogen systems," quoting this site. link here
And: link here
Water fuel: link here
"From Nexus Magazine, "HOW TO RUN YOUR CAR ON ZERO-POINT ENERGY" An alternative energy source instead of petrol or batteries on which to run your car engine giving ZERO pollution and almost entirely FREE running cost. Will also provide your home with all it's energy requirements based on a car engine + generator etc." link here "Gas Technology Institute (GTI) has demonstrated the operation of a high power density solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) using real-world military logistics fuel (JP8) containing 600 to 700 ppm of sulfur. This marks a key milestone on the path to developing SOFC technology that can provide efficient, clean and quiet power for military applications. The work is funded through the US Department of Defense under the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (ERDC-CERL)," quoting Fuel Cell Magazine.
link here "WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? It was among the fastest, most efficient production cars ever built. It ran on electricity, produced no emissions and catapulted American technology to the forefront of the automotive industry. The lucky few who drove it never wanted to give it up. So why did General Motors crush its fleet of EV1 electric vehicles in the Arizona desert?" quoting Apple.com. link here And, another view on this subject and others:
link here .

2. “SCIENTISTS SHED NEW LIGHT ON INVISIBILITY” “Last week a prestigious journal published two reports from scientists who have discovered how to achieve the same effect [invisibility] without breaking the laws of physics. Invisibility, they argue, is a matter of diverting light around an object so all the light continues on its way instead of reflecting off the object. The reports suggest using a thick shell of high-tech transparent material to do this. Even when looking directly at the object, an observer would see only what was behind it…The paper in Science describes how much light would have to be bent at each point in the device and proves that the object hidden in the center would appear to vanish. In addition to Schurig, the paper was written by two leading figures in metamaterials research, David R. Smith of Duke University and John B. Pendry of Imperial College London. The other paper, by theoretical physicist Ulf Leonhardt at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, proposes a thick cylinder of the transparent material with a hole running down its center. Leonhardt calculated how much light would need to be bent at each point in the cylinder to achieve the same effect. Leonhardt's proposal might be easier to build, scientists said, but the invisibility it achieves would be less complete: An observer would always be able to see the end of the cylinder,” quoting the Boston Globe. [Registration required.] link here .

3. “THE PROMISE OF STEM CELL RESEARCH” “Chances are very good you've heard about stem cells. Whether from reports of their almost miraculous ability to cure and restore or very public controversies over their source or the research itself, stem cells have been a hot topic in the news for years. The use of stem cells as therapy isn't new. ‘The curative component in bone marrow transplantations, which have been used to treat certain blood cancers for more than 40 years,’ says CNN Future Summit Nominating Committee Member Alan Colman, ‘is the small proportion of stem cells present.’ Colman is the CEO of E.S. Cell International in Singapore, and was part of the team that cloned "Dolly" the sheep. We all have stem cells. They're an integral part of our bodies. Long before you were born, they were creating the tissues and organs that make you who you are,” quoting CNN. link here .

4. THE TONGUE AS BRAIN INTERFACE “Seems like every distant vision of the future has man jacking into his gear via some crazy head gear or a plug on the back of the neck or head. We just take it for granted that, yeah, that's the fastest way to get to the brain: through the stem or straight into the cortex. Well, think again, because the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition's 30-year neural interface project is yielding fruit -- the kind you can taste. Their Brain Port machine / sensory interface uses 144 microelectrodes to transmit information through sensitive nerve fibers in your lingua [the human tongue], enabling devices to supplement your own sensory perception,” quoting engadget.com. link here .

5. DAVINCI CODE FOCUSES ON SECRETS IN SCOTLAND’S ROSSLYN "Rosslyn Chapel holds many secrets. For hundreds of years experts and visitors alike have puzzled over the carvings in the chapel. Whilst some debate whether they point to hidden treasure, Edinburgh composer Stuart Mitchell thinks he has cracked one part of the enigma. He believes that the ornate ceiling of carved arches, featuring 213 decorated cubes holds a code for medieval music. His father Thomas Mitchell spent 20 years cracking this code in the ceiling and now Stuart is orchestrating the findings for a new recording called The Rosslyn Motet,” quoting Scotsman.com.
link here .

6. NVN COULD BE A GROUNDBREAKER LIKE THIS NEWSPAPER - PERHAPS IN THE FUTURE “At many newspapers the top priority is how best to prop up revenues. But the family that owns The Anniston Star in Alabama is quietly planning to devote the paper's profits to training new generations of reporters. The Star is a small daily that packs an outsized punch, situated in a town west of Atlanta. The paper has a circulation of just 27,000. But under the leadership of publisher Harry Brandt Ayers it fights above its weight class. It campaigned for racial desegregation at a time when much of Alabama was brawling to keep it out, and it has uncovered pollution and government corruption. The newspaper has maintained a staff that is twice as large as what industry consultants recommend. The Star has long served as a training ground for aspiring journalists,” quoting National Public Radio (NPR). link here The NVN is the Yelm, WA. weekly Nisqually Valley News. link here .

7. “GARLIC AND ONIONS COULD PROTECT AGAINST STOMACH CANCER” “Garlic and onions could help protect against stomach cancer, says a massive European-based study, but total fruit and vegetable intake has no benefit for this disease,” quoting Nutra-ingredients-USA. [Ed. Note: This writer has been told planting both in gardens will keep away deer.] link here .

8. “FLAVENOL-RICH CHOCOLATE COULD IMPROVE SKIN FROM WITHIN” “Cocoa beverages and food rich in flavanols could thicken skin and reduce reddening by 25 per cent, say German scientists – research sure to be welcomed by Europe’s burgeoning oral beauty products sector. Growing awareness of the link between diet and health, and by extension physical appearance, means that many consumers are receptive to the concept of 'beauty from within'. Indeed, a recent Datamonitor report predicted the overall European cosmeceuticals market to grow to $4.4bn (€3.4bn) in 2009, up 5 per cent from today. This includes all cosmetic products containing at least one bio-active ingredient for the skin. The new research from Germany that links skin health to cocoa flavanols could well be readily accepted by the female-dominated consumer base. The same Datamonitor report said that 63.7 per cent of women over the age of 50 are prepared to spend more on cosmeceuticals,” quoting Nutra-ingredients-USA. link here .

9. “SCIENTISTS MAY HAVE SOLUTION TO STRING PHYSICS QUANDRY” “[Lisa] Randall, a theoretical physicist at Harvard University, has become one of the most influential scientists in the world struggling to resolve perhaps the most vexing problem in all of physics -- the search for a unified ‘theory of everything.’ Yes, it sounds silly. Words often fail when trying to describe this esoteric and often counterintuitive branch of science. But the basic problem is easy to grasp: Gravity, as Einstein described it in his general theory of relativity, doesn't jibe with how matter has been observed to behave at the level of sub-subatomic particles. The other three fundamental forces -- electromagnetism and the strong and weak nuclear forces -- deal with this realm in a field known as quantum mechanics. Gravity and quantum mechanics pretty much cover the way everything works, at least in terms of physical reality. Both have been proved experimentally. But get them together in the same room (a very tiny room where these forces should all be expected to have a fairly equal say in how matter behaves), and they just don't get along. In 1999, Randall and Raman Sundrum at Johns Hopkins University proposed a possible solution to this conflict -- the existence of heretofore unseen, extra dimensions in space,” quoting the Seattle PI.
link here .

10. ALASKA’S BIGGEST GOLD MINE POURS 3-MILLIONTH OUNCE OF GOLD “Fort Knox workers poured the 3 millionth ounce of gold [roughly $2.1 billion] extracted from the Interior mine May 10 as gold prices soared to a 25-year-high, above $725 an ounce. Production at Fort Knox started in 1997, when the mine produced 366,223 troy ounces of gold, [operators now expect the open-pit mine to remain open until 2012]” quoting Petroleum News.
link here .

11. “CHIMPANZEE RESERVOIRS OF …HIV-1” (AIDS) “Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), the cause of human AIDS, represents a zoonotic infection of staggering proportions and social impact. Yet, uncertainty persists regarding its natural reservoir. The virus most closely related to HIV-1 is a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) thus far identified only in captive members of the chimpanzee subspecies Pan troglodytes troglodytes. Here, we report the detection of SIVcpz antibodies and nucleic acids in fecal samples from wild-living P. t. troglodytes apes in southern Cameroon where prevalence rates in some communities reached 29 to 35%. By sequence analysis of endemic SIVcpz strains, we could trace the origins of pandemic (group M) and non-pandemic (group N) HIV-1 to distinct, geographically isolated chimpanzee communities. These findings establish P. t. troglodytes as the natural reservoir of HIV-1,” quoting Science magazine. link here .

12. “PEACEFUL WARRIOR” MOVIE OPENS THIS WEEK "A stunning and extraordinary film that takes you on a journey out of your mind and into the present moment. Watch it and be transformed," says Eckhart Tolle, Author of "The Power of Now." The film’s homepage: link here The film’s trailer: link here Where the film is showing: link here .

RAMTHA SCHOOL NEWS The Assay VII Emailer can be viewed at: link here The first three days of Assay VII are open to the public. Family & friends are invited to join our School’s student body for this fabulous teaching by the great American channel JZ Knight and upon completion, continue with the advanced students in their Assay: link here RAMTHA'S PRODUCTIVE STUDENTS Check out the fantastic drawings, among other things of Gary Craig. Gary accepts commissions for oil paintings, drawings, portraits, and illustrations. This writer and his wife's are the lower-right two sketches, which we commissioned and have hanging in our home’s dining room: link here "As grandmothers creating this website, we naturally looked for the finest made educational toys available. We have selected toys, furniture, and pianos that TEACH and INSPIRE as well as entertain. We feel they most certainly meet the standards we hold for the creative development of your beloved children. We selected these toys because they have been awarded the Parents' Choice Classic and named the Dr. Toy Best Classic Toys Winner. They are also promoted through the American Academy of Pediatrics. Our toys are the all-time favorites of teachers and day care providers," quoting the website of Fairlyn Montella and Laura Brown who provide "Educational toys that encourage creative intellectual growth." Check 'em out! link here Austria-based Wolfgang Kreutzer showed me his fabulous website while I was at the Belgium Event last month. Although his site caters to German speaking students, he has information for all European students of RSE in English, German, French, Italian, Dutch, and Japanese languages. This is a very useful resource for persons not speaking English who wish access to RSE information. link here Please support our locally owned food purveyor students and friends. They work hard to provide choices when eating out. We welcome new to Yelm: Sebastian's which we LOVE and soon-to-open Bar Cinco: link here
Debbie & Neal O'Doan's fabulous piano recordings, thirty of them including both solos and concertos with orchestra, are available for listening or for free download at link here Click on "mp3.html," or "vorbis.html," or "download.html." Then click on "piano."
Checkout Yelm's own Newsboy Cap models James Flick & Mitja Kadow modeling for the Outback Boutique"
link here And at: link here then scroll down and turn up volume.
And: link here to the Outback's Summer homepage. Yelm's first and only interactive blog is now listed on the RSE Community page:
link here .

OF LOCAL NOTE Yelm area Congressional representative Adam Smith (D-Tacoma)has now added his support to a NASCAR track in Kitsap County. This is sad news -- using taxpayer monies to fund a private enterprise, although the same was done for the Seattle Mariners and Seattle Seahawks.
link here Please know that you can write Representative Adams and let him know he does not represent those of us in his district's desire to keep NASCAR out of Washington State: link here Yelm.com is garnering the attention of the local Yelm area citizen allowing the public an avenue to comment on issues of the day. “Giving You a Voice” was not just a slogan of the former “next Mayor of Yelm”, rather his truth for hearing Yelm voters concerns. The information about the LID reported from Wednesday, May 24's public hearing, along with a letter from Yelm Schools' Superintendent catapulted this blog to new heights. link here .

QUOTE OF THE WEEK "It is far easier to reign in someone with initiative, than it is to encourage someone to take it." Mike Wright Appointed Teacher, Ramtha School of Enlightenment .

Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2006.
For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on "Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives" at link here
Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com .