UPDATES ARCHIVE FOR AUGUST 2006
HOME PAGE	Kleiner's Korner For Week of August 28, 2006 Leading the major science stories of the week: "Leading astronomers declared Thursday that Pluto is no longer a planet under historic new guidelines that downsize the solar system from nine planets to eight. After a tumultuous week of clashing over the essence of the cosmos, the International Astronomical Union stripped Pluto of the planetary status it has held since its discovery in 1930. The new definition of what is — and isn’t — a planet fills a centuries-old black hole for scientists who have labored since Copernicus without one," quoting the AP. link here 1. “VATICAN TELESCOPE OBSERVATORY BRIDGES RELIGION & SCIENCE” “...There, more than 10,000 feet above the vast Arizona desert, appeared an unlikely sight: one of the most advanced telescopes on Earth. Even more unlikely was the small plaque indicating the telescope's primary owner -- the Vatican. Though few Americans know it, the Vatican for more than 100 years has funded and staffed world-class observatories, first in Italy and, since the early 1980s, in Arizona, where the height of Mount Graham and the dark desert nights are ideal for telescope use. Assigned to the observatories -- technically as the pope's personal astronomers -- are men who not only hold advanced astronomy and mathematics degrees but also are Jesuit priests. Their scientific findings are formally presented to church officials in Rome once a year...The Vatican, which still fights its image as the institution that tried Galileo during the Inquisition for endorsing the idea that Earth was not the center of the universe, has said the observatory's mission is to serve as a bridge between religion and science,” quoting the Chicago Tribune. [Ed. Note: the Church still has not apologized for the death of Giodorno Bruno!] link here . 2. “ASTRONOMERS OFFER PROOF OF UNSEEN ‘DARK MATTER’” “Using a host of telescopes, researchers focused on the collision between two galactic clusters. They found that most of the gravitational pull from the aftermath of the encounter comes from a relatively empty looking patch of sky, a strong suggestion that there is something more there than meets the eye. ‘This provides the first direct proof that dark matter must exist,’ said Doug Clowe, a research astronomer at the University of Arizona,” quoting the AP. link here . 3. “OZONE FIXES PROVE WORSE FOR WARMING” When more than two dozen countries undertook in 1989 to fix the ozone hole over Antarctica, they began replacing chloroflourocarbons in refrigerators, air conditioners and hair spray. But they had little idea that using other gases that contain chlorine or fluorine instead also would contribute greatly to global warming…The chemicals that replaced CFCs are better for the ozone layer, but do little to help global warming. These chemicals, too, act as a reflective layer in the atmosphere that traps heat like a greenhouse…This unintended consequence now haunts the nations that signed both U.N. treaties,” quoting the AP. link here . 4. FOLLOW-UP: LEBANON OIL SPILL ASSESSED “What has been described as Lebanon's worst-ever environmental disaster — up to 15,000 tons of oil that spilled into the Mediterranean Sea — is finally being dealt with four weeks after the fact. President Bush on Monday [Aug. 21] announced a spill response team was being sent to the region, and Europe and the United Nations last week also promised to help Lebanon clean up the slick, which was caused when Israel bombed a power plant near Beirut in mid-July, destroying oil storage tanks. Experts say it could take up to a year to clean up the spill a cost of more than $65 million," quoting MSNBC. link here And this from the AP: “An oil slick caused by Israeli bombing has begun sinking to the floor of the Mediterranean, blanketing marine life with sludge, according to a Greenpeace video that shows dead fish along the sea bottom. The scuba diver's videotape, released Tuesday [Aug. 22] by Greenpeace, also shows the sunken slick sliding ominously toward a lone red sea urchin rooted in the sand, its tentacles waving in the current. The footage graphically details some of the environmental destruction a month after the oil spill began sinking, creating what has been called Lebanon's worst-ever environmental disaster.” link here . 5. “…HOW AL GORE TAMED HOLLYWOOD” "...The same question Gore's been getting over and over again lately, and to which he always gives the same reply. ‘'I have no plans to run for president’' is his answer. ‘'I'm involved in another sort of campaign these days. I have a different sort of job to do.’' Indeed he does. And it's a job that, to the surprise of many, he's doing extremely well. Thanks to his labor both on and off the screen, An Inconvenient Truth has grossed $15 million in the U.S., and it is projected to earn another $10–15 million with its release overseas next month (along with nobody-knows-how-many-more-million when the DVD arrives this fall). No, these aren't Pirates-size (or even Penguins-size) figures. But they're pretty impressive for a documentary that cost just over a million dollars to make, based on a slide show about global warming that Gore has been presenting over the past two decades. The movie has sped by Hoop Dreams and Super Size Me at the box office, has just passed Madonna's/Truth or Dare to become the fourth-highest-grossing non-IMAX, non-concert documentary of all time, and may even have a shot at snatching third place from Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine," quoting Entertainment Weekly link here . 6. “PLACEBO’S POWER GOES BEYOND THE MIND” “For years, scientists have looked at the placebo effect as just a figment of overactive patient imaginations. Sure, dummy medications seemed to curb epileptic seizures, lower blood pressure, soothe migraines and smooth out jerky movements in Parkinson's — but these people weren't really better. Or so scientists thought. Now, using PET scanners and MRIs to peer into the heads of patients who respond to sugar pills, researchers have discovered that the placebo effect is not "all in patients' heads" but rather, in their brains. New research shows that belief in a dummy treatment leads to changes in brain chemistry,” quoting MSNBC. link here . 7. TO AGE FAST OR NOT: “CELL HAS MOLECULAR HOMEOWNER THAT KEEPS UP REPAIRS UNTIL A PREDETERMINED” “We can dye gray hair, lift sagging skin, or boost lost hearing, but no visit to the day spa would be able to hide a newly discovered genetic marker for the toll that time takes on our cells. ‘We've found something that is at the core of aging,’ said Stuart Kim, PhD, professor of developmental biology and of genetics at the School of Medicine. In a study published in the July 21 issue of Public Library of Science-Genetics, Kim and colleagues report finding a group of genes that are consistently less active in older animals across a variety of species. The activity of these genes proved to be a consistent indicator of how far a cell had progressed toward its eventual demise…His new study suggests that the cell has a molecular homeowner that keeps up repairs until a predetermined time, when the owner picks up the welcome mat and moves out. Once that process kicks off, the decay happens as a matter of course. The homeowners in tortoise cells stick around for hundreds of years delaying the decay, while those in fly cells move out within weeks. Although Kim's work doesn't identify what triggers that process, it does provide a way of detecting the point a cell has reached in its life span,” quoting the Stanford Report. link here . 8. “NEW METHOD MAKES EMBRYO-SAFE STEM CELLS” “In an innovative move, a biotech company has found a new way of making stem cells without destroying embryos, touting it as a way to defuse one of the country's fiercest political and ethical debates… The new method works by taking an embryo at a very early stage of development and removing a single cell, which can be coaxed into spawning an embryonic stem cell line. With only one cell removed, the rest of the embryo retains its full potential for development. The method was described online Wednesday [Aug. 23] in the British journal Nature. The journal published a similar paper by Advanced Cell Technology last year demonstrating the technique's viability in mice,” quoting the AP. link here . 9. “BEES PROVIDE HUMANS WITH MORE TNAN JUST PAINFUL STINGS” "Without bees, there would be no pumpkins, no apples, no oranges and no onions — to name just a few of the crops that wouldn't exist if bees didn't accumulate pollen from male flowers and deposit it in female flowers. David Hackenberg has been a beekeeper for more than 40 years. ‘People don't understand how important this honey bee is to, you know, the survival of us,’ he says. ‘One-third of all the food we eat is derived from honeybee pollination. It actually amounts to about $14.5 billion a year in the United States, what the value of food that is produced from pollination of honeybees,’ he tells CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Martha Teichner. If those statistics surprise you, be prepared to be amazed. Holley Bishop is the author of "Robbing The Bees" and an amateur beekeeper," quoting CBS News Sunday Morning broadcast of August 20, 2006. link here . 10. SHOULD YOU EVER NEED A HOSPITAL, GO TO ONE OF THESE” Over 3,000 Hospitals Have Joined the 100,000 Lives Campaign! “The 100,000 Lives Campaign is an initiative to engage US hospitals in a commitment to implement changes in care proven to improve patient care and prevent avoidable deaths. The Campaign is the first national effort to promote saving a specified number of lives by a certain date (June 14, 2006),” quoting the Institute for Healthcare Improvement site. link here . 11. BETTER RETHINK HOT DOGS AND READY-TO-EAT MEATS - TO STAY CLEAR OF HOSPITALS "A University of Nebraska researcher says good old American hot dogs may contain DNA-mutating compounds that might boost your risk for cancer. Sidney Mirvish, a University of Nebraska Medical Center chemist found there may be a 240-fold variation in levels of the mutating chemicals from one hot dog brand to another.’ One could try and find out what the difference in manufacturing techniques are between the (hot dog) Brands’" said Mirvish in an article published in this week's LiveScience. link here Added Mirvish, ‘If it's decided these things (hot dogs) are a hazard, one could change the manufacturing methods.’ That's hard news to digest for millions of Americans. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council estimates that over seven billion hot dogs will be eaten by Americans between Memorial Day and Labor Day this year. Each year, Americans eat an average of 60 hot dogs apiece. quoting NewsNetNebraska link here FURTHER NEWS OUT THIS WEEK: “A mixture of six bacteria-killing viruses can be safely sprayed on meat and poultry to combat common microbes that kill hundreds of people a year, federal health officials said Friday [Aug 18]. The mixture of special viruses, called bacteriophages, would target strains of Listeria monocytogenes, the Food and Drug Administration said in declaring it is safe to use. The viruses are designed to be sprayed on ready-to-eat meat and poultry products just before they are packaged," quoting the AP. link here . 12. 9/11 PRESS FOR TRUTH Following the attacks of September 11th, a small group of grieving families waged a tenacious battle against those who sought to bury the truth about the event—including, to their amazement, President Bush. In ‘9/11 PRESS FOR TRUTH’, six of them, including three of the famous “Jersey Girls”, tell for the first time the powerful story of how they took on the greatest powers in Washington—and won!—compelling an investigation, only to subsequently watch the 9/11 Commission fail in answering most of their questions,” quoting 9/11: Press For Truth. link here . RAMTHA SCHOOL NEWS Dr. Miceal Ledwith spoke at the ECETI Science, Spirit, and World Transformation Conference in Trout Lake, WA. Held August 18-20, 2006. link here Dr. Ledwith’s website: link here . LOCAL NOTE Covered this week on the first and only Yelm Community Blog hosted by Steve Klein: A. City of Yelm Planning Commission Public Hearing on the Comprehensive Plan Update B. Yelm Prairie Arts Assn. (YPAA) Press Release C. Follow-up to the Planning Commission Public Hearing link here . QUOTE OF THE WEEK "Having raised the earth's temperature 1 degree Fahrenheit in the last three decades, we're facing another increase of 4 degrees over the next century. That would imply changes that constitute practically a different planet. It's not something we can adapt to. We can't let it go on another 10 years like this." James Hansen (1941- ) NASA's Goddard Space Institute Director Speaking to the Washington Post about how NASA's computer models are predicting the quick progression of global climate change . 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 August 21, 2006 Dear Readers; This writer received an email highlighting the National Geographic DVD "In The Womb." "From a single cell to a complex, self-sustaining organism. With ground-breaking photography, computer graphics, and 4-D imaging, In the Womb reveals this amazing process as the first heart cells begin to beat, the nerve cells flicker to life, and the senses develop." This writer and his wife ordered the DVD and were both fascinated with the new technology allowing human gestation to be viewed. This DVD is worth your resources in time & money. link here 1. “WOMAN FINDS…GURGLING WATER FROM TREE” “Is it an artesian spring, a broken water pipe, or an abandoned well? Lucille Pope's red oak tree has gurgled water for about three months, and experts can't seem to get to the root of the problem. Pope, 65, has sought answers from the Texas Forest Service, the Edwards Aquifer Authority, and nurseries. They have taken pictures and conducted studies, but none have arrived at a firm answer. ‘I got a mystery tree,’ Pope said in Friday [Aug. 11] editions of the San Antonio-Express News. ‘What kind of mystery do I have where water comes out of a tree?’" quoting the AP on CNN. link here . 2. ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE GOES MAINSTREAM” “When a medical crisis hits people want to know that someone smart in a white coat can prescribe Prozac to boost their mood, perform heart surgery to open their clogged arteries, or administer chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery to cure them of cancer. But growing numbers of Americans are also eager to experiment with alternative therapies. They take herbs to boost their immunity, meditate to calm frayed nerves, and seek acupuncture to combat nausea and pain. Two 1998 studies reported that 42% of Americans use alternative medical therapies to treat their conditions - and that, in 1997, Americans made an estimated 629 million office visits to complementary therapy providers. A 2002 government survey found that 36% of adults use some form of complementary and alternative medicine, and if megavitamin therapy and prayers for health are included in the list, the number rises to 62%...But over the last 10 years this wall has started, partially, to erode. Aided by federal funds, an increasing number of alternative therapies have been put to Western-style clinical tests, separating ones that seem beneficial, such as acupuncture for relief of pain, meditation to reduce hypertension, or ginger to relieve nausea - from the chaff that appears ineffective. And conventional practitioners have come to appreciate the effect of the mind on chronic pain, heart disease, autoimmune conditions, anxiety and depression - even the progress of disease,” quoting the LA Times. link here . 3. “BRAZIL’S ALCOHOL CARS HIT 2 MILLION MARK” “Brazil's new generation of cars and trucks adapted to run on alcohol has just hit the two-million mark, motor industry figures show. ‘Flex-fuel” vehicles, which run on any combination of ethanol and petrol, now make up 77% of the Brazilian market. Brazil has pioneered the use of ethanol derived from sugar-cane as motor fuel…Brazil began its Pro-Alcohol programme more than 20 years ago to promote the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel for cars. At the time, Brazil had a military government, which wanted to reduce the country's dependence on imported Middle Eastern petroleum after the 1970s oil shocks,” quoting the BBC. link here . 4. “FAT MUMS HAVING FATTER BABIES” “It might not seem inevitable that overweight mothers will have fatter babies. But this is exactly what's happening in the United States, say researchers who have documented how the 'obesity epidemic' is being passed on to the next generation. The team, based at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, has found that the proportion of overweight babies has risen by almost two-thirds over the past two decades, so that 10% of babies now fall into this category. And the proportion of babies at the upper end of the weight scale — termed 'at risk of becoming overweight' — has risen by a third to 14%. The group, led by Matt Gillman, followed more than 120,000 children between birth and 6 years of age, monitoring their weight and height. Infants from birth to 6 months old showed a particularly large increase in obesity from the 1980s to the 2000s, they add. A mother who gains a lot of weight during pregnancy can predispose her child to being overweight for life, says Gillman, who reports the work in the journal Obesity,” quoting the journal Nature. link here . 5. “SCIENTISTS FIND BRAIN EVOLUTION GENE” “Scientists believe they have found a key gene that helped the human brain evolve from our chimp-like ancestors. In just a few million years, one area of the human genome seems to have evolved about 70 times faster than the rest of our genetic code. It appears to have a role in a rapid tripling of the size of the brain's crucial cerebral cortex, according to an article published Thursday [Aug. 17] in the journal Nature. Study co-author David Haussler, director of the Center for Biomolecular Science and Engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz, said his team found strong but still circumstantial evidence that a certain gene, called HAR1F, may provide an important answer to the question: ‘What makes humans brainier than other primates?’ Human brains are triple the size of chimp brains,” quoting the AP. link here . 6. “PILL ‘REVERSES’ VEGATATIVE STATE” “A sleeping pill can temporarily revive people in a permanent vegetative state to the point where they can have conversations, a study finds. Zolpidem is usually used to treat insomnia. South African researchers, writing in the NeuroRehabilitation, looked at the effects on three patients of using the drug for up to six years,” quoting the BBC. link here . 7. “RICH AND POOR COUNTRIES ALIKE FACE WATER CRISIS” “Rich countries have to make drastic changes to policies if they are to avoid the water crisis that is facing poorer nations, the WWF environmental organization said on Wednesday [Aug. 16]. In a survey of the situation across the industrialized world, it said many cities were already losing the battle to maintain water supplies as governments talked about conservation but failed to implement their pledges. ‘Supporting large-scale industry and growing populations using water at high rates has come close to exhausting the water supplies of some First World cities and is a looming threat for many, if not most, others,’ the report warned,” quoting Reuters. link here . 8. “HURRICANES HEATING UP” & THIS DOES NOT MEAN MIAMI FOOTBALL “Last year produced a record 15 Atlantic hurricanes, including four of the most severe Category 5 variety. One of those, of course, was Katrina, the most economically damaging storm in U.S. history. So it's no surprise that climate scientists are scrambling to learn whether these events merely constituted a freak coincidence or evidenced a frightening trend. Some studies have suggested that rising temperatures worldwide are to blame for the increased frequency of hurricanes. The jury remains out on that issue, but new research suggests the first direct link between global warming and greater hurricane intensity. James Elsner of Florida State University in Tallahassee studied data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration stretching back over the past half century. In the 23 August Geophysical Research Letters, he reports that whenever average global air temperatures increased during the June-November hurricane season, water temperatures in the tropical Atlantic rose in lockstep. This nearly always produced a season with more powerful tropical storms. Elsner's findings suggest that air temperatures tend to drive sea temperatures, but not the other way around--which implies a link between greenhouse gases and storm intensity. "The large increases in powerful hurricanes over the past several decades, together with the results presented here, certainly suggest cause for concern," Elsner says. "These results have serious implications for life and property throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, and portions of the United States,” quoting ScienceNow. link here . 9. “…GREENLAND ICE SHEET MAY BE MELTING AT A FASTER RATE…” “Something ominous may be happening beneath Greenland's vast ice sheet. For nearly 50 years, the world's second largest ice cap has inched inexorably downhill toward the ocean, but at a stable rate. Now, the sheet seems to be melting and sliding seaward much faster, and the rate seems to be accelerating--a condition that could eventually endanger coastal populations and affect Earth's climate. When glaciers begin to melt, water works its way down to the bottom of the ice. There it lubricates the glacier, which will pick up its downhill pace. Why worry? Greenland holds about 10% of the world's ice, so if it melts completely--though an unlikely prospect--it would raise global sea level about 6.5 meters. That's enough to flood all of the planet's coastal cities and displace billions of people. To check in on the sheet's status, University of Texas at Austin research scientist Jianli Chen and his team measured its mass with NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite data,” quoting ScienceNow. link here . 10. “CALIFORNIA ON BRINK OF GLOBAL WARMING BREAKTHROUGH” “California is forging ahead with the most aggressive U.S. program to reduce global warming -- a plan that pits Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger against fellow Republican George W. Bush. Both the governor and his state's Democratic-led legislature want to make California -- the world's eighth largest economy -- a model to follow with caps in greenhouse gas emissions that the U.S. President rejects. State politicians still are hammering out differences over the proposed Global Warming Solutions Act. If passed, it is likely to play a role in November's vote for governor and in national politics for years to come. Schwarzenegger -- branded "very green for a Republican" by the conservation group Sierra Club -- became an overnight hero for environmentalists a year ago by setting a goal to cut California's emissions to 1990 levels by 2020,” quoting Reuters. link here And this from the Washington Post: “With Washington lawmakers deadlocked on how best to curb global warming, state and local officials across the country are adopting ambitious policies and forming international alliances aimed at reducing greenhouse gases…Recently, 22 states and the District of Columbia have set standards demanding that utilities generate a specific amount of energy - in some cases, as high as 33 percent - from renewable sources by 2020. And 11 states have set goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.” link here . 11. ‘RADIOACTIVE LEAK REACHES NUCLEAR PLANT’S GROUNDWATER” “Radioactive, cancer-causing tritium has leaked into the groundwater beneath the San Onofre nuclear power plant, prompting the closure of one drinking-water well in southern Orange County, authorities said. Officials have not found evidence that the leak from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, California's largest, has contaminated the drinking water supply. Sandwiched between Camp Pendleton and the Pacific Ocean in northwestern San Diego County, the San Onofre power plant has had a controversial presence on the coast since its construction in the 1960s. In the years since, sea lions and endangered sea turtles have been killed when caught in the plant's seawater intake pipes for its cooling system. Since Sept. 11, 2001, nearby residents also have grown wary of the plant as a potential terrorist target that stores highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel,” quoting the LA Times. [Ed. Note: What if an earthquake rips open a fault in that area and spews forth contamination into the Pacific Ocean? And the Bush Administration wants to start building more of these old-way-of-thinking nuclear plants! Time to grow up. This writer was recently in Phoenix and saw nary a solar panel for electrical storage. They ought to be on every home in Southern California & Nevada, Arizona, & New Mexico for starters.] link here . 12. BUFFET ACQUIRES FIRST MAJOR CO. OUTSIDE OF USA - IN ISRAEL! “Billionaire investor Warren Buffett is acquiring 80 percent in Iscar Metalworking Companies, a property of the Wertheimer family, for $4 billion in cash. The move represents Buffett's first major acquisition of a company outside of the United States. Iscar is a private company which manufactures advanced cutting tools and is internationally renowned for its line of milling and turning products. The company's factories are situated in the Tefen industrial zone in the Galilee which was founded by Stef Wertheimer. Iscar also owns and operates factories in countries around the world. Buffett, who is chairman and chief executive officer of the investment firm Berkshire Hathaway, believes in the quality of Iscar's management team, all of whose members are expected to remain in their posts, including President and Chief Executive Officer Jacob Harpaz, a press release said. Eitan Wertheimer, the son of the company's founder Stef Wertheimer and who is credited with leading it to new heights of success, will also remain with Iscar in his capacity as chairman of the board,” quoting Ishitech. [Ed. Note: This is here only to note one of the world’s most savvy investors’ moves. HMMM!] link here . RAMTHA SCHOOL NEWS “[Local Yelm author] Bertha Rainen joins the program to discuss her book, "No Excuses [My Plea for World Peace]" on August 15, 2006. You can listen to the archive broadcast by scrolling to "2006-Aug-15" on this site: link here “This is a simply told story from a place of honesty intertwined with humor that is for anyone seeking something more in their life. While it is autobiographical in presentation, it is not meant to be so per se. It describes one person’s journey and how anyone can lift themselves out of any circumstances they don’t like into a greater, happier, richer life than they ever thought possible. This is about a spiritual journey in great joy that is never ending!” This book is available in Yelm at JZ Rose, formerly the Outback Boutique. [Ed. Note: This writer listened to the interview and finds Ms. Rainen’s humor, light-heart, wisdom, and frankness very refreshing.] Kathleen Francis of Sedona, AZ. based Four Corners Magazine filed this report of her experiences attending JZ Knight’s Fabulous Wealth Retreat last June for the magazine's August/September issue. link here (PDF, see pg. 2) The Nisqually Valley News (NVN) is reporting in this week's ediiton [Aug. 18]: "Backers of the Children's School of Excellence raised a record $175,000 for the Rainier private school during its third annual Garden Party fund raiser and auction night. Proceeds from the dinner, live and silent auctions blew through last year's $117,000 tally. About 500 people attended...Funds raised go toward the operation of the school as well as financial assistance to parents... Children's School of Excellence serves grades K-9, and opened in 1999, founded by RSE student Marjorie Layden... The school doesn't have a financial relationship with RSE, but does have a relationship with presenting to children some of the concepts that adults learn from the School of Enlightenment. Many of the students go to Ramtha's School of Enlightenment, but some do not. Students don't have to attend RSE to go to the Children's School of Excellence, Church said [CSE board secretary Terri Church]. It costs about $4,725 per year for a child to attend CSE." This story is fully accessible only to NVN subscribers. [Ed. Note: What is amazing to this writer is that for two years in a row, the 80+ student private school has raised more funds than the 5,000+ student Yelm Community Schools fundraiser sponsored by the Yelm Chamber of Commerce & with the same auctioneer Larry Schorno, however this as a story has yet to be covered by the NVN. HMMM.] link here then click "LIVING" or link here . LOCAL NOTE The following local stories were covered last week on the Yelm Community Blog hosted by Steve Klein: A. Mt. Rainier Clinic, a jewel bringing international acclaim to Yelm. B. Mail-in Voter Registration deadline August 19th. In person registration at County Auditor until September 5 for September 19th Primary. C. Yelm Planning Commission Hearing on City’s Comprehensive Plan Aug. 21st. D. Excellent night time safety tip. link here . QUOTE OF THE WEEK “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German, poet, novelist, and playwright . 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 August 14, 2006 Dear Readers; During our School's New Year's Eve Evening December 31, 2005, our Master Teacher Ramtha worked with us to create our coming year 2006, focusing on what we desired each season to bring. When we got to creating our Summer, I heard Ramtha to say; Summer, chaos, look up! With the recent further disruption to air travel, Kleiner's Korner examines major issues in the news this week relegated from the front pages, as you may have missed these from all of the chaos. Last week this country found out the truth about the U. S. Federal Government "cooks the books" regarding this nation's debt, a situation now revealed that is far worse than ever told. And consumer debt has now outpaced consumer income. I will get a lot of “unsubscribes” for saying this, however this nation is no longer the richest in the world, and has not been for a long time. We are delusional thinking that way with our bravado. With a national debt that is fabricated on the low side and consumer debt out of sight, look out for continuing major erosion of your dollar’s value. Please see #12 below about the consumer debt story out this week, as well. This is not new to Kleiner's Korner readers! "The federal government keeps two sets of books. The set the government promotes to the public has a healthier bottom line: a $318 billion deficit in 2005. The set the government doesn't talk about is the audited financial statement produced by the government's accountants following standard accounting rules. It reports a more ominous financial picture: a $760 billion deficit for 2005. If Social Security and Medicare were included — as the board that sets accounting rules is considering — the federal deficit would have been $3.5 trillion. Congress has written its own accounting rules — which would be illegal for a corporation to use because they ignore important costs such as the growing expense of retirement benefits for civil servants and military personnel,” quoting USA Today. link here 1. FOLLOW-UP: “UN: LEBANESE OIL SPILL COULD RIVAL EXXON VALDEZ” “An oil spill caused by Israeli raids on a Lebanese power plant could rival the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster that despoiled the Alaskan coast if not urgently addressed, the United Nations has said. The Nairobi-based UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said Tuesday the spill that poses severe ecological and human threats is already comparable to a 1999 oil tanker accident off the coast of France and had the potential to get far worse. ‘In the worst-case scenario and if all the oil contained in the bombed power plant at Jiyyeh leaked into the Mediterranean Sea, the Lebanese oil spill could well rival the Exxon Valdez disaster of 1989,’ it said in a statement. ‘We are dealing with a very serious incident and any practical steps are still constrained by the continuation of hostilities,’ UNEP chief Achim Steiner said in a blunt appeal for immediate cooperation to stem any damage. ‘While I fully understand the complexity and political implications, many are appalled ... there has been no on-the-ground assessment to support the Lebanese government, no moves possible towards a clean-up and indeed few practical measures to contain the further spread of the slick,’ he said. UNEP said 12,000 tons of leaking oil from the Jiyyeh plant, which was bombed by Israel on July 14 and July 15 a few days into its offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon, had already polluted more than 140 kilometers (87 miles) of the Lebanese coast and spread north into Syrian waters. The Exxon Valdez spilled 37,000 tons of oil into Alaska's Prince William Sound after running aground on a reef on March 24, 1989, causing massive damage from which some scientists argue the area has yet to completely recover,” quoting Agence France-Presse. [Ed. Note: And remember, the USA mobilized the best teams of containment and recovery personnel within days to the stricken area in Alaska. No such teams have mobilized this time to a war zone.] link here . 2. "A GLOBAL WARNING" "This story originally aired on Feb. 19, 2006. [Ed. Note: This report was rebroadcast August 6, 2006 and deserves a repeat on Kleiner's Korner, as well.] The North Pole has been frozen for 100,000 years. But according to scientists that won't be true by the end of this century. The top of the world is melting. There's been a debate burning for years about the causes of global warming. But the scientists you're about to meet say the debate is over. New evidence shows man is contributing to the warming of the planet, pumping out greenhouse gases that trap solar heat. Much of this new evidence was compiled by American scientist Bob Corell, who led a study called the "Arctic Climate Impact Assessment." It's an awkward name — but consider the findings: the seas are rising, hurricanes will be more powerful, like Katrina, and polar bears may be headed toward extinction. What does the melting arctic look like? Correspondent Scott Pelley went north to see what Bob Corell calls a ‘global warning,’” quoting CBS News. link here GLOBAL WARMING COULD SLAM FOOD SUPPLY” “Suppose the dinner on your table last night had cost 20 times what it did? Or 50 times as much? Scientists say global warming very likely has something like that in store in the coming decades. The agricultural abundance Americans have long taken for granted and the low food prices that go with it, they say, now face a withering enemy — and the recent blows to California agriculture are a taste of things to come,” quoting ABC News. [Ed. Note: Exactly as this reader heard Ramtha to say in 1986.] link here . 3. WORLD GRAIN SUPPLY LOWEST SINCE 1972 "World wheat supply is forecast to tighten in 2006/07 as production falls for the second consecutive year. Global consumption is also projected to decline (from last year’s record), as a result of less animal feeding. Europe and the Former Soviet Union typically account for 75 percent of world wheat feeding, and with short crops in many countries in these regions, demand will likely shift to greater coarse grains use. Global food use is expected to remain largely unchanged, but some growth is expected to continue in developing countries in Asia and Africa. With global consumption still expected to outstrip production, ending stocks are forecast to reach their lowest levels in 25 years. Prices are therefore expected to climb, especially in the United States," quoting the USDA. [Ed. Note: have you stored any grains for your future preservation? You’re not depending on “Uncle Sam” are you? Another Ramtha prediction in 1986 and recorded for all to see in the book "Change:The Days To Come" link here ] link here And the graph: link here . 4. AARP MAGAZINE RUNS GREAT STORIES ON LIVING LONGER “Living Longer, September & October 2006, Add ten (healthy) years to your life” link here “Living Longer: Science” “Luck aside, the discovery that has generated the most excitement among scientists who study why we age appears to be the existence of telomeres—chunks of DNA at the ends of each chromosome in the nucleus of every cell that are sometimes likened to a strand of beads. Back in 1961, Leonard Hayflick, Ph.D., an anatomy professor at the University of California at San Francisco, demonstrated that cells have their own biological clock, one that ticks off the days of their life span. Thirty years later other scientists discovered the reason: in humans, each time the cell divides, one of the beads—or telomeres—disappears. When there are no more telomeres left, we start to die. There is a way to stop this,’ Sprott says. Telomeres ‘don't get shorter if an enzyme called telomerase is in the cell at the same time. It puts back a bead to replace the lost bead. When that happens, the cell is immortal’" The trouble is, Sprott adds, ‘it's great for the cell but not for us. Because that's what we call ‘cancer’ Hence the excitement. ‘We've known for many years that there is a very strong relationship between aging and cancer,’ Sprott says. Scientists are now examining whether cancer can be caused by a sudden recurrence of telomerase as well as whether telomerase-rich stem cells can be used to slow aging," quoting AARP Magazine. link here “Living Longer: Balance” ‘Long-term stress, the kind you can't control or resolve, however, can have far-reaching, harmful consequences. Recent research at the University of California, San Francisco, has shown that chronic stress appears to shorten telomeres, the caps at the end of our chromosomes; this leads to the premature aging of our cells. Says Elissa Epel, Ph.D., a psychologist and leading stress researcher at UC, San Francisco: ‘We know that stress plays a role in health and aging’” link here ”3 Concepts in Aging Aging isn’t a disease; it’s a process. Here’s what you need to know about how it all works” link here . 5. “STUDY: EMOTION RULES THE BRAIN’S DECISIONS” “The evidence has been piling up throughout history, and now neuroscientists have proved it's true: The brain's wiring emphatically relies on emotion over intellect in decision-making. A brain-imaging study reported in the current Science examines ‘framing,’ a hot topic among psychologists, economists and political hucksters. Framing studies have shown that how a question is posed — think negative ads, for instance — skews decision-making. But no one showed exactly how this effect worked in the human brain until the brain-imaging study led by Benedetto De Martino of University College London. De Martino and colleagues asked 20 men and women to undergo three 17-minute brain scans while being asked to gamble — or not — with an initial pot of English pounds worth about $95. When told they would "keep" 40% of their money if they didn't gamble, the volunteers chose to gamble only 43% of the time. Told they could "lose" 60% of the money if they didn't gamble, they rolled the dice 62% of the time. Their chances of winning the money were carefully explained beforehand, and participants knew the odds were identical. But the framing effect still skewed their decisions significantly,” quoting USA Today. link here . 6. “…RECORD NUMBER OF BEACH CLOSURES NATIONWIDE” “Bacterial contamination closed more beaches and prompted more health warnings for the third straight year, according to a report released today [Aug. 3] by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The number of closing and health advisory days at ocean, bay and Great Lakes beaches topped 20,000 in 2005 -- the most since NRDC began tracking the problem 16 years ago -- confirming that our nation's beaches continue to suffer from serious water pollution. (Read the report, Testing the Waters link here ) quoting the NRDC Press Release. link here . 7. MORE RECORD WEATHER USA HEAT RECORDS TUMBLE “Folks who sweated through last month’s blistering heat wave may be surprised to know it was only the second hottest July on record for the United States. More than 2,300 daily temperature records were broken from coast to coast, and the average temperature for the 48 contiguous states was 77.2 degrees Fahrenheit, the National Climatic Data Center reported Monday [Aug. 7]. July 1936 still holds the record at 77.5, while July 1934 fell to third place at 77.1, the agency said,” quoting the AP. link here CHINA IMPACTED BY WORST TYPHOON IN 1/2 CENTURY - A MILLION+ EVACUATED "The death toll from the most powerful storm to strike China in five decades rose to at least 104 Friday [Aug. 11], with another 190 people missing, after Typhoon Saomai destroyed thousands of homes and capsized ships. Authorities evacuated more than 1.5 million people from flood-prone areas before the storm hit land Thursday evening on the southeastern coast. Damage was expected to be widespread in areas that were still recovering from Tropical Storm Bilis, which killed more than 600 people last month," quoting MSNBC. [Ed. Note: Imagine evacuating 1.5 million people where you live.] link here . 8. “X-RAYS REVEAL ARCHIMEDES HIDDEN WRITINGS” “Previously hidden writings of the ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes are being uncovered with powerful X-ray beams nearly 800 years after a Christian monk scrubbed off the text and wrote over it with prayers. Over the past week, researchers at Stanford University's Linear Accelerator Center in Menlo Park have been using X-rays to decipher a fragile 10th century manuscript that contains the only copies of some of Archimedes' most important works. The X-rays, generated by a particle accelerator, cause tiny amounts of iron left by the original ink to glow without harming the delicate goatskin parchment,” quoting the AP. link here . 9. “STUDY LINKS EXPLICIT MUSIC, TEENAGERS SEXUAL ACTIVITY” “Teenagers who regularly listen to music lyrics with explicit references to casual sex are more likely to initiate sexual intercourse and take part in other sexual activity, compared with those who do not listen to such music, according to a study being released today [Aug. 7]. The study is the first to document that music with ‘degrading’ lyrics appears to trigger different kinds of behavior than other songs, including those that focus on romantic attachment, love and longing. Lyrics about casual sex affected both male and female teenagers, whites and nonwhites, according to Rand Corp. researchers who published their findings in the journal Pediatrics. The study tracked 1,461 adolescents over three years and compared the music they said they listened to with self-reported sexual activity,” quoting the Washington Post. [Ed. Note: Now there is scientific proof how commercialism is used to program the brains of unknowing people, spoken about here many times over the last 5 years. Corporate programming rules in this society!] link here . 10. EVEN COSTCO TELLS YOU TO PREPARE FOR ‘THE DAYS TO COME' Costco talks about having a plan in place to save your business when disaster strikes. [Ed. Note: I first was educated about preparing for the "Days to Come" by Ramtha in 1986. Living atop Nob Hill in San Francisco, I was enjoying "the good life." And Ramtha "pushes my buttons" and says to prepare for long term food shortages, weather disasters, lack of clean water, lack of power and more. He beseeched us city dwellers at the time to buy just one extra can of vegetables each and every time we shop and put them away in the closet for the future. And when we could, to leave the cities for the pristine air of the country. That was 18 years ago and what was once seemingly the gold, pales in comparison to my life today. Now we all know how wise that counsel was. You can read what Ramtha had to say in the late 80's about everything happening in the world today: link here link here ] link here . 11. “Was 9/11 AN 'INSIDE JOB’? “More than a third of the American public suspects that federal officials assisted in the 9/11 terrorist attacks or took no action to stop them so the United States could go to war in the Middle East, according to a new Scripps Howard/Ohio University poll. The national survey of 1,010 adults also found that anger against the federal government is at record levels, with 54 percent saying they "personally are more angry" at the government than they used to be. Widespread resentment and alienation toward the national government appear to be fueling a growing acceptance of conspiracy theories about the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Suspicions that the 9/11 attacks were "an inside job" -- the common phrase used by conspiracy theorists on the Internet -- quickly have become nearly as popular as decades-old conspiracy theories that the federal government was responsible for President John F. Kennedy's assassination and that it has covered up proof of space aliens,” quoting Scripps Howard News Service. [Ed. Note: This writer always gets heaps of mail decrying the inside-job theory. Now more information is becoming into the mainstream.] link here Translated from the Dutch website of the TU, “Eight students of the Technische Universiteit (TU) Delft will this summer investigate if the WTC was blown up by the US government. They will attempt to demonstrate that the official explanation of events is untenable." link here And quoting Vanity Fair, “How did the U.S. Air Force respond on 9/11? Could it have shot down United 93, as conspiracy theorists claim? Obtaining 30 hours of never-before-released tapes from the control room of NORAD's Northeast headquarters, the author reconstructs the chaotic military history of that day - and the Pentagon's apparent attempt to cover it up. VF.com exclusive: Hear excerpts from the September 11 NORAD tapes. Click PLAY after each transcript to listen.” link here “Some staff members and commissioners of the Sept. 11 panel concluded that the Pentagon's initial story of how it reacted to the 2001 terrorist attacks may have been part of a deliberate effort to mislead the commission and the public rather than a reflection of the fog of events on that day, according to sources involved in the debate,” quoting the Washington Post. link here . 12. “…THE SCOPE OF AMERICA’S CONSUMER DEBT” “For the first time ever recorded, Americans owe more money than they make. Household debt levels have now surpassed household income by more than eight percent, reaching 108.4 percent in 2005, according to a May 2006 study by the Center for American Progress. Consumer debt is now at a record $2.17 trillion, reports the Federal Reserve Board and consumers cashed out a whopping $431 billion in home equity last year. Christian E. Weller, the author of a recent Center for American Progress (CAP) report, 'Drowning in Debt,' says the middle class, specifically, is struggling. Wages have been stagnant and they're losing the battle to keep up with the cost of living. ‘The data shows that people are borrowing more money not because of over-consumption, but because they're caught in a bind,’ says Weller, a senior economist at the CAP. ‘In that bind, the only escape valve for middle class families is to borrow more money.’ Newsweek’s Jessica Bennett spoke with Weller about the scope of America's debt, why it's so hard to get out from under, and how it will affect the economy in the future,” quoting Newsweek. [Ed. Note: This comes as no surprise to KK readers, as this writer has mentioned this as the Achilles’ heel of this society for 5 years now.] link here . RAMTHA SCHOOL NEWS A. Congratulations to James Flick on his fantastic achievements in the World Series of Poker last week in Las Vegas, the largest of-its-kind event in the world. Maintaining absolute focus for 14 hour days for a week, James placed 70 out of 8,500 entrants. This is a tremendous feat of will, focus and stamina. Awesome job, James! link here B. If you missed any of The Olympian’s fabulous report on JZ Knight and the Ramtha School, they have a section daily on their website devoted to these filed stories: link here then scroll to right side of page "Special Report: Inside Ramtha" [Ed. Note: JZ Knight & Ramtha sell newspapers!] C. Correction to last week’s story: Here is the basketball video shown by Dean Radin at Assay VII in Yelm. Ramtha’s appointed Teacher Mike Wright wrote “The correct question should have been: count the number of passes the White Team make to pass the ball in the video?” link here What did you NOT see? D. Ramtha's student & Yelm area author Bettye Johnson was featured in the Seattle P-I last week about her book "The Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls." Congrats also go to Bettye! link here Bettye's book site can be accessed here: link here E. Jean Marie Christenson, RSE student and candidate for the WA. State Legislature will be on hand for a Meet The Candidate Evening for all current students Wed., August 16th from 5-8pm. link here . LOCAL NOTES Yelm Community blog posted these local items last week: A. Yelm City Hall accepting passport applications. B. Where local sex offenders live. C. Yelm Traffic Gridlocked on August 8th D. Bald Hill Rd./Lacamas Creek Bridge Construction E. New City Council meeting days on Tuesdays F. Gas pipeline fords Nisqually River link here . QUOTE OF THE WEEK “’Come to the edge,’ He said. They said, ‘We are afraid.’ ‘Come to the edge,’ He said. They came. He pushed them... and they flew.” Guillaume Apollinaire (1880-1918) pseudonym for Wilhelm Albert Vladimir Apollinaris Kostrowitzky French poet, writer & art critic . 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 August 7, 2006 Dear Readers; I am including this because this is the best op-ed piece this writer has seen recently on why the USA is always engaged at war. This assessment is exactly what I have heard Master Teacher Ramtha say several time over the last two decades. "Only the dead, said Plato, have seen the end of war. As true as this may be, it does beg the question: why?...There is a simpler answer, however, one that lands right in our back yard here in America. Why so much war? Because war is a profitable enterprise. George W. Bush and his people can hold forth about the wonders of democracy and peace, and can condemn worldwide violence in solemn tones. Until the United States stops being the world's largest arms dealer, these words from our government absolutely reek of hypocrisy. Mr. Bush and his people did not invent this phenomenon, of course. The United States has been selling hundreds of billions of dollars worth of weapons to the world for decades. In the aftermath of September 11, however, American arms dealing kicked into an even higher gear. The Bush administration, in 2003, delivered arms to 18 of 25 nations now engaged in active conflicts. 13 of those nations have been defined as "undemocratic" by the State Department, but still received $2.7 billion in American weaponry," quoting William Rivers Pitt. link here 1. HUMAN-EYE-TO-BRAIN TRANSMISSION AT SPEED OF COMPUTER "A single retinal ganglion cell transmits information to the brain at rates of 10 to 100 bits per second. Because the human retina contains about 10^6 ganglion cells, the total information transmitted is more than 10^7 bits per second. This is equivalent to the capacity of a dedicated internet connection to the University of Pennsylvania! These considerations raise a key question: How is all of this information combined by the ganglion cell and transmitted to the brain? Ultimately, the answer will require understanding in detail: (1) how much information is carried by a synaptic vesicle when its contents are released upon the ganglion cell; (2) how much information a vesicle conveys after its postsynaptic currents are combined in the ganglion cell with those from other vesicles; (3) how much of the information from the vesicle reaches the spike train," quoting the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine website. link here . 2. SCIENTIST THINKS INVISIBILITY POSSIBLE IN FUTURE “It's unlikely to occur by swallowing a pill or donning a special cloak, but invisibility could be possible in the not too distant future, according to research published on Monday [July 31]. Harry Potter accomplished it with his magic cloak. H.G. Wells' Invisible Man swallowed a substance that made him transparent. But Dr Ulf Leonhardt, a theoretical physicist at St Andrews University in Scotland, believes the most plausible example is the Invisible Woman, one of the Marvel Comics superheroes in the "Fantastic Four."...In the research published in the New Journal of Physics, Leonhardt described the physics of theoretical devices that could create invisibility. It is a follow-up paper to an earlier study published in the journal Science...Although the devices are still theoretical, Leonhardt said scientists are making advances in metamaterials -- artificial materials with unusual properties that could be used to make invisibility devices,” quoting Reuters. link here . 3. CHOCOLATE LOVERS REJOICE AT ENDORSEMENT FROM SCIENCE “Confectionary giant Mars has lauded recently published research as further evidence of the benefits of flavanols from cocoa for a wide range of health conditions, and looks set to lead to a new wave of cocoa flavanol-enriched products targeted at different health conditions. ‘This new science sets the stage for the potential development of cocoa flavanol-based products useful for a wide variety of important public health issues impacted by decreased blood flow, ranging from, cardiovascular health to dementia,’ said Harold Schmitz, PhD, chief science officer of Mars. Flavanols are antioxidant compounds found in unprocessed cocoa, tea, wine, and some fruits…A special issue of the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology (Vol. 47, pp. S99-S225) has been published that pulls together science presented at an international meeting of Mars-supported scientists convened last year in Lucerne, Switzerland,” quoting Decision News Media. link here . 4. “GENES GIVE CELLS AN ELECTRIC PERSONALITY” “Talk about healing energy. Every wound, from the tiniest scratch to the nastiest gash, generates an electric field that pulls in cells that help repair the damage. Now researchers have identified the genes which allow cells to respond to electricity, a finding that could have important medical implications. Scientists have known for more than 150 years that wounds generate faint electric fields. Most researchers recognize that these fields play some role in wound healing, but just exactly how this worked or which genes were involved in this electric response--called electrotaxis--remained unclear. Biomedical scientist Min Zhao of the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom and colleagues charged at the problem by creating a set of fluorescent markers that lit up when electrical signals set off a biochemical cascade inside the cell,” quoting ScienceNow. link here . 5. “RARE CLOUD FORMATION SEEN IN ANTARCTIC” “Some of the coldest temperatures on Earth brought a rare cloud formation to the skies over Antarctica, scientists said Tuesday [Aug. 1]. Meteorological officer Renae Baker captured spectacular images of the nacreous clouds, also known as polar stratospheric clouds, last week at Australia's Mawson station in Antarctica. The clouds only occur at high polar latitudes in winter, requiring temperatures less than minus 176 Fahrenheit. A weather balloon measured temperatures at minus 189 Fahrenheit on the day the photos were taken,” quoting the AP. link here . 6. “LICENSE PLATE TRACKING FOR ALL” “In recent years police around the country have started to use powerful infrared cameras to read plates and catch carjackers and ticket scofflaws. But the technology will soon migrate into the private sector and morph into a tool for tracking individual motorists' movements, says former policeman Andy Bucholz, who's on the board of Virginia-based G2 Tactics, a manufacturer of the technology. Bucholz, who designed some of the first mobile license-plate reading, or LPR, equipment, gave a presentation at the 2006 National Institute of Justice conference here last week [July 25] laying out a vision of the future in which LPR does everything from helping insurance companies find missing cars to letting retail chains chart customer migrations. It could also let a nosy citizen with enough cash find out if the mayor is having an affair, he says,” quoting Wired News. link here . 7. “NOAA FORECASTS LARGER THAN NORMAL "DEAD ZONE" FOR GULF THIS SUMMER” A team of scientists from the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium and Louisiana State University is forecasting that the "Dead Zone" off the coast of Louisiana and Texas this summer will be larger than the average size since 1990. This NOAA supported modeling effort, led by Eugene Turner, Ph.D., of LSU, predicts this summer's "Dead Zone" will be 6,700 square miles, an area the half the size of the state of Maryland. Since 1990 the average annual hypoxia-affected area has been approximately 4,800 square miles. The forecast is based on nitrate loads from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers in May and incorporates the previous year's load to the system. The nitrogen data are provided by the US Geological Survey. NOAA funds research cruises to track development of hypoxia. The "Dead Zone" is an area in the Gulf of Mexico where seasonal oxygen levels drop too low to support most life in bottom and near-bottom waters. It is caused by a seasonal change where algal growth, stimulated by input of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers, settles and decays in the bottom waters. The decaying algae consume oxygen faster than it can be replenished from the surface, leading to decreased levels of dissolved oxygen,” quoting NOAA News. link here . 8. “MARINE 'DEAD ZONE' OFF OREGON IS SPREADING” “A hypoxic "dead zone" has formed off the Oregon Coast for the fifth time in five years, according to researchers at Oregon State University. A fundamental new trend in atmospheric and ocean circulation patterns in the Pacific Northwest appears to have begun, scientists say, and apparently is expanding its scope beyond Oregon waters. This year for the first time, the effect of the low-oxygen zone is also being seen in coastal waters off Washington, researchers at OSU and the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary indicate. There have been reports of dead crabs stretching from the central Oregon coast to the central Washington coast. Some dissolved oxygen levels at 180 feet have recently been measured as low as 0.55 milliliters per liter, and areas as shallow as 45 feet have been measured at 1 milliliter per liter. These oxygen levels are several times lower than normal, and any dissolved oxygen level below 1.4 milliliters per liter is hypoxic, capable of suffocating a wide range of fish, crabs, and other marine life,” quoting NASA’s Earth Observatory News. link here . 9. “CHINA’S AIR POLLUTION REACHING U.S. SKIES” “On a mountaintop overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Steven Cliff collects evidence of an industrial revolution taking place thousands of miles away. The tiny, airborne particles Cliff gathers at an air monitoring station just north of San Francisco drifted over the ocean from coal-fired power plants, smelters, dust storms, and diesel trucks in China and other Asian countries. Researchers say the environmental impact of China's breakneck economic growth is being felt well beyond its borders. They worry that as China consumes more fossil fuels to feed its energy-hungry economy, the U.S. could see a sharp increase in trans-Pacific pollution that could affect human health, worsen air quality, and alter climate patterns. ‘We're going to see increased particulate pollution from the expansion of China for the foreseeable future’" said Cliff, a research engineer at the University of California, Davis,” quoting the AP. link here . 10. "SCIENTIST PUBLISHES 'ESCAPE ROUTE' FROM GLOBAL WARMING" " A Nobel Prize-winning scientist has drawn up an emergency plan to save the world from global warming, by altering the chemical makeup of Earth's upper atmosphere. Professor Paul Crutzen, who won a Nobel Prize in 1995 for his work on the hole in the ozone layer, believes that political attempts to limit man-made greenhouse gases are so pitiful that a radical contingency plan is needed. In a polemical scientific essay to be published in the August issue of the journal Climate Change, he says that an "escape route" is needed if global warming begins to run out of control," quoting UK's Independent. link here . 11. EVEN COLDEST U. S. CITY BREAKING HEAT RECORDS "It's one for the record books: Duluthians just lived through the hottest month on record. The average monthly temperature hit 71.8 degrees on Monday -- thanks to a final surge of blistering hot air -- surpassing Duluth's previous record high of 71.7 degrees set in 1881. The normal monthly average is 65.5...Accurate records have been kept in Duluth since 1870. 'Records like this just aren't broken very often. It's very uncommon,' said Sam Standfield, climate expert for the National Weather Service in Duluth. Oddly, January 2006 also was the warmest January recorded in the city," quoting the Duluth (MN.)News Tribune. link here Duluth is one of the coldest cities in the lower 48 states, too. link here . 12. IS USA’S VOTING MACHINE RELIABLE? READ THIS. YIKES! This op-ed was written by David L. Dill, Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University and the founder of VerifiedVoting.org., Doug Jones, Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Iowa & Barbara Simons, retired from IBM Research and a former ACM President. Jones and Simons are writing a book on voting machines to be published by PoliPoint Press. “Most computer scientists have long viewed Diebold as the poster child for all that is wrong with touch-screen voting machines. But we never imagined that Diebold would be as irresponsible and incompetent as they have turned out to be. Recently, computer security expert Harri Hursti revealed serious security vulnerabilities in Diebold's software. According to Michael Shamos, a computer scientist and voting system examiner in Pennsylvania, ‘It's the most severe security flaw ever discovered in a voting system,’” quoting Op-Ed News. link here . RAMTHA SCHOOL NEWS Here is the basketball video shown by Dean Radin at Assay VII in Yelm. How many times is the ball passed between the team dressed in black? link here What did you not see? Ramtha's School site: link here . OF LOCAL NOTE The movie “Who Killed the Electric Car” is coming to the area August 11th at the Tacoma Grand Cinemas. About the movie: link here From Tacoma’s Grand Cinema: link here Features this week on Yelm’s Community Blog hosted by Steve Klein: A. Jean Marie Christenson was endorsed as the Democratic Party’s Candidate for State Representative, District 2, Position 1, which encompasses Yelm, Rainier, Eatonville, & Roy. B. SE Thurston County Fire/EMS Update C. Record Breaking Temperatures recap D. "An Inconvenient Truth" in Olympia & Tacoma link here . QUOTE OF THE WEEK "All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) 3rd President of the USA . 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 .