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| KLEINER'S KORNER FOR WEEK OF OCTOBER 29, 2007
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Happy Halloween
link here
1. “MAN LEVITATES OUTSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE”
“DUTCH magician Ramana has been doing his best to freak out American people by levitating in Times Square and in front of the White House.
The illusionist, real name Wouter Bijdendijk, hovered several feet above the pavement with apparent ease. His only "prop" was a stick that he held with his left hand.
A household name in his native Netherlands, Ramana has performed for Queen Beatrix and has been honoured in India with the Golden Cloth award, the highest cultural honour ever given to a westerner, metro.co.uk reported.
‘This is an art,’ he said.
‘And in India, they see it also as a science. I hope I make people wonder,’ Ramana said,” quoting News.com of Australia. [Ed. Notre: see the video on the link below.]
link here
And this from NBC's WRC Channel 4 in Washington, DC
link here .
2. “HOW A VOLCANO WIPES AWAY A SUMMER”
“The biggest volcanic eruption ever recorded in human history took place nearly 200 years ago on Sumbawa, an island in the middle of the Indonesian archipelago…
But it was the enormous cloud of gas — some 400 million tons of it — released by the eruption that produced the "year without summer."
When the gas reacted with water vapor in the atmosphere, it formed tiny little droplets of sulfuric acid that became suspended in the stratosphere, creating a veil over the Earth, Sigurdsson says.
This veil of gas acted like a mirror, bouncing radiation back into space and decreasing the amount of heat that reached the Earth's surface, causing global cooling, he says.
Of course, no one knew that at the time, and few people know about it even now. It wasn't until the early '80s, Sigurdsson says, that he caught the Tambora bug. In that decade, researchers taking core samples in Greenland's ice made an amazing discovery.
‘You drill down through the ice, and you can count the rings just like in a tree. And people started doing research on the layers, and they found there was a whacking great sulfur concentration at one particular layer: 1816,’ Sigurdsson says,” quoting National Public radio. [Ed. Note: No sun for a year: think about what this would do to the world food supplies if this happened today. This is exactly what Ramtha has been saying for 25 years.]
link here .
3. “DOWNSIDES OF DIET SODAS”
“Diet soda may mean zero calories—but not zero risk. In analyzing data on 6,000 people in the Framingham Heart Study, scientists from Boston University and the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute found that drinking one soda a day—regular or diet—boosts by 48 percent the risk of developing metabolic conditions, including high blood pressure, high blood sugar and excess abdominal fat, which can cause diabetes and heart disease. The researchers, in the Aug. 24 issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, said it's not clear why diet soda has this effect. California cardiologist and nutrition expert Dean Ornish, M.D., wants the scientists "to demonstrate this [link], which, clearly, they have not done." The AHA notes that diet soda doesn't cause heart disease and is preferable to sugar-sweetened soda," quotiN the AARP Bulletin.
link here
Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association:
link here .
4. “PHANTOM VIBRATIONS” CELLPHONES & BLACKBERRY USERS BEWARE
“If your hipbone is connected to your BlackBerry or your thighbone is connected to your cellphone, those vibrations you're feeling in the car, in your pajamas, in the shower, may be coming from your headbone.
Many mobile phone addicts and BlackBerry junkies report feeling vibrations when there are none, or feeling as if they're wearing a cellphone when they're not,” quoting CNEWS.
link here .
5. “AMERICAN KIDS, DUMBER THAN DIRT”
“Warning: The next generation might just be the biggest pile of idiots in U.S. history…We are, as far as urban public education is concerned, essentially at rock bottom. We are now at a point where we are essentially churning out ignorant teens who are becoming ignorant adults and society as a whole will pay dearly, very soon, and if you think the hordes of easily terrified, mindless fundamentalist evangelical Christian lemmings have been bad for the soul of this country, just wait,” quoting the San Francisco Chronicle.
link here .
6. "STAPH FATALITIES FATALITIES MAY EXCEED AIDS DEATHS"
“More than 90,000 Americans get potentially deadly infections each year from a drug-resistant staph "superbug," the government reported in its first overall estimate of invasive disease caused by the germ.
Deaths tied to these infections may exceed those caused by AIDS, said one public health expert commenting on the new study. Tuesday's [Oct. 16] report shows just how far one form of the staph germ has spread beyond its traditional hospital setting.
The overall incidence rate was about 32 invasive infections per 100,000 people. That's an "astounding" figure, said an editorial in Wednesday's [Oct. 17] Journal of the American Medical Association, which published the study,” quoting Health News.
link here .
7. “CANCER DEATH RATES DROPPING FASTER THAN EVER”
“Good news on the cancer front: Death rates are dropping faster than ever, thanks to new progress against colorectal cancer. [Ed. Note: I am sure thanks in part to Katie Couric's educational report on colonoscopy.]
A turning point came in 2002, scientists conclude Monday [Oct. 15] in the annual “Report to the Nation” on cancer. Between 2002 and 2004, death rates dropped by an average of 2.1 percent a year.
That may not sound like much, but between 1993 and 2001, deaths rates dropped on average 1.1 percent a year,” quoting the AP.
link here .
8. "EXPERT: WARMING CLIMATE FUELS MEGA-FIRES”
"Every year you can count on forest fires in the West like hurricanes in the East, but recently there has been an enormous change in Western fires. In truth, we've never seen anything like them in recorded history. It appears we're living in a new age of mega-fires -- forest infernos ten times bigger than the fires we're used to seeing.
To find out why it's happening, 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley went out on the fire line to see the burning of the American West....
‘You know, there are a lot of people who don't believe in climate change,’ Pelley remarks.
'You won't find them on the fire line in the American West anymore,' Tom Boatner says. 'Cause we've had climate change beat into us over the last ten or fifteen years. We know what we’re seeing, and we're dealing with a period of climate, in terms of temperature and humidity and drought that's different than anything people have seen in our lifetimes,'" quoting CBS News 60 Minutes broadcast on Oct. 21, 2007.
link here .
9. RECYCLE ANYTHING
“Welcome! The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,142 groups with 3,963,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer (them's good people). Membership is free. To sign up, find your community by entering it into the search box above or by clicking on “Browse Groups” above the search box. Have fun!”
link here
Locally: Welcome to the Olympia Freecycle group!
The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4142 groups with 3963654 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns. Membership is free, and everything posted must be FREE, legal and appropriate for all ages.
link here .
10. “’WARM WIND’ HITS ARCTIC CLIMATE”
“The Arctic is being hit by melting ice, hotter air and dying wildlife, according to a US government report on the impact of global warming there.
A new wind circulation pattern is blowing more warm air towards the North Pole than in the 20th Century, scientists found.
Shrubs are now growing in tundra areas while caribou herds are dwindling in Canada and parts of Alaska.
The report stresses that the fate of the Arctic affects the entire planet,” quoting the BBC.
link here
See the satellite photo on Reuters report on this story:
link here .
11. NORTHWEST AIRLINES FEATURES GUIDE DOGS OF AMERICA IN THEIR INFLIGHT MAGAZINE
“For more than 50 years, Guide Dogs of America has paired dogs and visually impaired individuals and provided comprehensive, free training and instruction to create a rewarding and beneficial relationship for both humans and canines. The principles of the organization - "Independence," "Companionship," "Confidence" and "Freedom" - are ones for each team to live by.
To learn more about this remarkable organization and the good work it does, visit its Web site at guidedogsofamerica.org
link here
NWA World Traveler magazine article:
link here
then click "Takeoffs" under "Departments," then "Follow the Red tail." .
12. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE RON PAUL COMING TO JAY LENO
Finally, Ron Paul gets some national media attention with his appearance on Tonight Show with Jay Leno on the evening of Tuesday, October 30.
link here
Check out this video about Mr. Paul:
link here .
RAMTHA STUDENT NEWS
A. Brigitte Silberhorn-Tomassini, owner of Silver Life Enterprises of Yelm has sold interdimensional art and design worldwide since 1991. Her art-postcards will soon be carried at JZ-Rose and in the Quantum Cafe. She also offers beautiful T-shirts and much more is coming, like calendars, mugs, caps, & handbags.
link here
B. See the fabulous singer Paul Potts singing Opera, shown at Blue College.
link here
C. Masters of Cards is developing his website. In the meantime, see his new work:
link here
D. The Naomi Klein interview on CNN shown at B. C. can be seen here:
link here
E. The RSE October Newsletter is out and packed with knowledge:
link here
F The new format for RSE International events is now available. It’s gorgeous!
link here
G. JZ Knight at Lift the Light in Seattle Nov. 3:
link here .
LOCAL NOTE
Covered last week on the Yelm Community blog:
A. Introcusing area Democratic PCOs
B. Yelm woman pathmaker in her industry
C. Violin soloist woos Yelm
D. Impeach Bush/Cheney March in Seattle
E. Campbell stands ground on hospital disclosures
F. Give eyewear for the benefit of sight this Halloween
G. QFC closes
H. Yelm business woman honored
link here .
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
You see things; and you say, "Why?" But I dream things that never
were; and I say "Why not?"
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
Irish Playwright
In "Back to Methuselah" (1921), part 1, act 1 .
Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2007.
For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on "Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives" at
link here
Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com .
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| KLEINER'S KORNER FOR WEEK OF OCTOBER 22, 2007
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FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES: "Paul Tudor Jones II, one of Wall Street’s most fabled financial speculators, predicted the 1987 market crash but today is keeping quiet about the market."
link here
1. MAJOR AMERICAN CITY ON TRACK TO BE WITHOUT WATER IN 3 MONTHS
A. "Lake Sidney Lanier, metro Atlanta's main source of water, has about three months of storage left, according to state and federal officials.
That's three months before there's not enough water for more than 3 million metro Atlantans to take showers, flush their toilets and cook. Three months before there's not enough water in parts of the Chattahoochee River for power plants to make the steam necessary to generate electricity. Three months before part of the river runs dry.
'We've never experienced this situation before,' state Environmental Protection Division Director Carol Couch said of the record-breaking drought and fast-falling lake.
In two weeks [from Oct. 11], Couch plans to give Gov. Sonny Perdue a list of options to further restrict water use by businesses and industries, along with an analysis of potential water savings and estimated job losses. Some exemptions to the state's ban on outdoor watering in north Georgia could end, including those applied to water-dependent businesses such as car washes, pressure washing companies and landscapers. Couch's staff is still working on the details.
She said she fully expects an economic hit if substantial rain doesn't fall soon and the emergency actions are taken," quoting the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
link here
B. "GEORGIA'S GOVERNOR DECLARES DROUGHT EMERGENCY"
link here
C. FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES:
" Drought-Stricken South Facing Tough Choices"
link here .
2. DO YOUR CHILDREN LEARN THIS IN SCHOOL - THE SYMBOLISM OF THE U. S. DOLLAR
Understanding the Design and Symbolism of the U.S. One Dollar Bill
From
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
link here .
3. “I AM CREATING ARTIFICAL LIFE, DECLARES US GENE PIONEER”
“Craig Venter, the controversial DNA researcher involved in the race to decipher the human genetic code, has built a synthetic chromosome out of laboratory chemicals and is poised to announce the creation of the first new artificial life form on Earth,” quoting the Guardian UK.
link here .
4. NOBEL IN CHEMISTRY AWARDED FOR OZONE LAYER THINNING SCIENCE
"Gerhard Ertl of Germany won the 2007 Nobel Prize in chemistry on Wednesday [Oct. 10] for studies of chemical reactions on solid surfaces, research that has advanced the understanding of why the ozone layer is thinning.
Ertl's research, starting in the 1960s, also has helped explain how fuel cells work, how catalytic converters clean up exhaust in cars and even why even why iron rusts, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said," quoting the AP.
link here .
5. “ONES MAN’S EPIC QUEST FOR UNDERSTANDING”
“Lynch is a neuroscientist at UC Irvine, where he has spent 37 years trying to uncover the biochemical mechanisms of memory.
He has, for almost the length of his career, been trying to answer essentially a single pair of questions: What happens in the brain when a human being encounters a new experience so that he or she can recall it at will tonight, tomorrow, in 2025? And what goes wrong when we can't remember?
This second question has in the last several years taken on great weight,” quoting this in=depth report in the LA Times.
link here .
6. DRAGONFLY OR INSECT SPY? SCIENTISTS AT WORK ON ROBOBUGS.
"Out in the crowd, Bernard Crane saw them, too. ‘I'd never seen anything like it in my life,’ the Washington lawyer said. ‘They were large for dragonflies. I thought, “Is that mechanical, or is that alive?"
That is just one of the questions hovering over a handful of similar sightings at political events in Washington and New York. Some suspect the insectlike drones are high-tech surveillance tools, perhaps deployed by the Department of Homeland Security...
'America can be pretty sneaky,' said Tom Ehrhard, a retired Air Force colonel and expert in unmanned aerial vehicles who is now at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, a nonprofit Washington-based research institute," quoting the Washington Post.
link here .
7. "MAZE CRAZE”
“It may sound corny, but making your way through a corn maze can be a wonderful bonding moment for families. This increasingly popular form of agri-entertainment is spreading across the globe, so chances are good that there's one near you. To find a corn maze this fall, check your local newspapers or navigate through this site. It contains listings for nearly 200 locations in five countries, as well as helpful tips on how to conquer the twists and turns to make your way to the exit,” quoting corn field maze.com.
link here .
8. “HOW HOSPITALS HARM PEOPLE” [AT LEAST IN THE U. S.]
“Kim Ridley writes: "The minute you're admitted into the hospital, you confront a disturbing paradox: Most hospitals aren't particularly healthy places. As a patient, you're likely to encounter toxic chemicals, eat lousy food, breathe unhealthy air and suffer stress triggered by an often-dismal and alienating environment. Even worse, you may find yourself at the mercy of drug-resistant 'superbugs' or overworked staff members who make mistakes - all in a place that's supposed to help you heal. It's enough to make you sick. And sometimes it does," quoting Ode Magazine.
link here
And:
"SCHOOLS REPORT SPIKE IN STAPH INFECTIONS"
"Schools across the country are reporting outbreaks of staph infections, particularly among athletes, and the germs include an antibiotic-resistant strain that is sometimes associated with serious skin problems and blood disorders," quoting the AP.
link here .
9. “SAY GOODBYE TO THE BIG APPLE”
Paul Brown says, "It is hard to shock journalists and at the same time leave them in awe of the power of nature. A group returning from a helicopter trip flying over, then landing on, the Greenland ice cap at the time of maximum ice melt last month were shaken. One shrugged and said: 'It is too late already,'" quoting AlterNet.org.
link here .
10. GREENHOUSE GAS LEVELS GRAVE
“Strong worldwide economic growth has accelerated the level of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere to a dangerous threshold scientists had not expected for another decade, according to a leading Australian climate change expert," quoting the AP.
link here .
11. MUSLIMS LEADERS WARN POPE ‘SURVIVAL OF WORLD’ AT STAKE”
“The "survival of the world" is at stake if Muslims and Christians do not make peace with each other, leaders of the Muslim world will warn the Pope and other Christian leaders today [Oct. 11].
In an unprecedented open letter signed by 138 leading scholars from every sect of Islam, the Muslims plead with Christian leaders "to come together with us on the common essentials of our two religions" and spell out the similarities between passages of the Bible and the Koran.
The scholars state: "As Muslims, we say to Christians that we are not against them and that Islam is not against them - so long as they do not wage war against Muslims on account of their religion, oppress them and drive them out of their homes."
The phrasing has echoes of the New Testament passage: "He that is not with me is against me" - a passage used by President George Bush when addressing a joint session of Congress nine days after 9/11.
The Muslims call instead for the emphasis to be on the shared characteristics of world's two largest faiths,” quoting The Times UK.
link here .
12. "VATICAN PAPER SET TO CLEAR KNIGHTS TEMPLAR"
"The mysteries of the Order of the Knights Templar could soon be laid bare after the Vatican announced the release of a crucial document which has not been seen for almost 700 years.
A new book, Processus contra Templarios, will be published by the Vatican's Secret Archive on Oct 25, and promises to restore the reputation of the Templars, whose leaders were burned as heretics when the order was dissolved in 1314," quoting UK's Telegraph.
link here
And this from CNN:
"KNIGHTS TEMPLAR SECRETS REVEALED"
"The Vatican has published secret archive documents about the trial of the Knights Templar, including a long-lost parchment that shows that Pope Clement V initially absolved the medieval Christian order from accusations of heresy, officials said Friday [Oct. 12]. The 300-page volume recently came out in a limited edition -- 799 copies -- each priced at $8,377, said Scrinium publishing house, which prints documents from the Vatican's secret archives."
link here .
RAMTHA STUDENTS' NEWS
A. Our creative students:
1. Introducing Dr. Lisa Rosenberger, Consumer Advocate
Co-Founder, President & CEO of American Mortgage Educators, Inc.
link here
2. Introducing Adam, Maia, & Bellaluna of Clean Freaks Carpet Care.
link here
3. JeanMarie Christenson is running for State Representative in 2008 from this legislative district (2).
link here .
LOCAL NOTES
Last week on Yelm’s Community Blog:
A. Chamber After Hours at Rosemont Assisted living
B. Thurston County public hearing on Urban Growth Areas Sizing
C. German violinist Ian Mardon to perform here
D. Introducing Silver Springs Organics in Rainier
E. Sea-Tac Int'l Airport recognition
F. Support locals: Sunrise homes
G. "Wal-Mart short-changes public schools"
link here .
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"I am only one,
But still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
But still I can do something;
And because I cannot do everything
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."
Edward Everett Hale (1822-1909)
American author, Unitarian clergyman .
Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2007.
For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on "Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives" at
link here
Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com .
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| KLEINER'S KORNER FOR WEEK OF OCTOBER 15, 2007
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AL GORE, UN PANEL WIN NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
"Former Vice President Al Gore and the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Friday [Oct. 12] for their efforts to spread awareness of man-made climate change and lay the foundations for counteracting it.
Gore won an Academy Award this year for his film "An Inconvenient Truth," a documentary on global warming, and had been widely expected to win the prize.
'His strong commitment, reflected in political activity, lectures, films and books, has strengthened the struggle against climate change,' the citation said. 'He is probably the single individual who has done most to create greater worldwide understanding of the measures that need to be adopted,'" quoting the AP.
link here
"WHAT GORE MIGHT LEARN FROM TEDDY"
link here
1. “ASTRONOMERS SEE SECOND EARTH IN THE MAKING”
“Astronomers have spotted evidence of a second Earth being built around a distant star 424 light-years away.
Using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, astronomers have spotted a huge belt of warm dust swirling around a young star called HD 113766 that is just slightly larger than our sun. The dust belt, which scientists suspect is clumping together to form planets, is located in the middle of the star system's terrestrial habitable zone where temperatures are moderate enough to sustain liquid water. Scientists estimate there is enough material in the belt to form a Mars-sized world or larger.
At approximately 10 million years old, the star is just the right age for forming rocky planets, the researchers say. Their finding will be detailed in an upcoming issue of Astrophysical Journal,” quoting Space.com.
link here .
2. “KEY GENE WORK SCOOPS NOBEL PRIZE”
“Two US scientists and their UK collaborator have been awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine for their groundbreaking work in gene technology.
Mario Capecchi, Oliver Smithies and Briton Martin Evans developed a technique known as gene targeting.
It enabled them to replicate human diseases in mice by introducing genetic changes into the animal's stem cells.
The Nobel Committee said this had led to many new insights into conditions such as cancer and heart disease,” quoting the BBC. [Ed. Note: Amazing this did not make headlines in the USA!]
link here .
3. “THE WHITE HOUSE VS. MOTHER’S MILK”
“What science the Bush administration chooses to stifle or promote seems to be a matter of politics and economics. According to a recent story in the Washington Post, the multibillion-dollar baby formula industry pressured the Department of Health and Human Services to weaken a 2004 public-service campaign promoting breast-feeding -- and it worked, even though the science supported the other side.
Numerous studies suggest that breast milk protects infants from developing certain illnesses and that formula-feeding increases their health risks.
The ad campaign was designed to drive home that point. Now the health of millions of infants is at risk because mothers don't have the scientific knowledge the ads would have conveyed to make an informed choice between breast- or formula-feeding,” quoting the LA Times. [Ed. Note: Oh jeepers, where does this Administration not have its tentacles to subvert knowledge from the public. See the next story]
link here .
4. “THE DOORS OF PERCEPTION: WHY AMERICANS WILL BELIEVE ALMOST ANYTHING”
This is a very astute article by Dr. Tim O’Shea. Now we know where Josef Goebbels, Hitler's minister of propaganda got much of his work and how it festers in our society today.
link here .
5. THIS IS A VERY MOVING RENDITION SUNG BY A FIVE YEAR OLD
"Declan Galbraith (born December 19, 1991, in Hoo St Werburgh, Kent) is an English singer of Scottish and Irish origin. He and his family live in Hoo, a village near Rochester, Kent...
Another big success came during a nationwide tour of Young Voices concerts when breaking the Guinness World Record. It was at the Odyssey Arena, Belfast in December 2002 when he sang "Tell Me Why" live with some 10,000 children and was also simultaneously linked, by radio and satellite, with more than 80,000 children in their schools all over the UK, who accompanied him in achieving the world’s largest choral sing," quoting Wikipedia.
link here
Turn up your volume and prepare to be moved! [Ed Note: Remember, Declan was 11 when he sang this.]
link here .
6. “HUMAN BEHAVIOR, GLOBAL WARMING AND THE UBIQUITOUS PLASTIC BAG”
“...it is estimated that the United States goes through 100 billion plastic bags a year, which take an estimated 12 million barrels of oil to produce and last almost forever. And if individual decisions can't solve the problem, the wrong ones can certainly compound it.
Once upon a time, the question was plastic or paper, which had its own somewhat uncertain calculus of virtue and waste. Now, it has begun to dawn on people that you don't need either. Most supermarkets these days sell sturdy, reusable bags for 99 cents that people can use instead of plastic ones.
Except almost no one does. For lots of different reasons. They buy them and forget to use them…They figure they can reuse the plastic bags for garbage and dog-walking duties,” quoting this New York Times story.
link here .
7. “SOUTH AMERICA CHOKES AS AMAZON BURNS”
“Vast areas of Brazil and Paraguay and much of Bolivia are choking under thick layers of smoke as fires rage out of control in the Amazon rainforest, forcing the cancellation of flights…
Each year at the end of the dry season, in anticipation of the first winter rains, farmers and cattle ranchers throughout South America set fires to "renovate" pasture land. But this age-old cycle has spun out of control as deforestation and climate change have created a tinderbox. There has also been a massive expansion of cattle ranching into forested areas, where fires are then set to clear an area after chainsaws have felled the trees” quoting The UK Independent. [Ed. Note: Clearing Earth’s major oxygen producing forests to produce more burgers? Insanity!]
link here .
8. UN: “CLIMATE CHANGE DISASTER IS UPON US”
“A record number of floods, droughts and storms around the world this year amount to a climate change "mega disaster", the United Nation's emergency relief coordinator, Sir John Holmes, has warned.
Sir John, a British diplomat who is also known as the UN's under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said dire predictions about the impact of global warming on humanity were already coming true.
"We are seeing the effects of climate change. Any year can be a freak but the pattern looks pretty clear to be honest. That's why we're trying ... to say, of course you've got to deal with mitigation of emissions, but this is here and now, this is with us already," he said.
As a measure of the worsening situation, Ocha, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - part of the UN secretariat that employs Sir John - has issued 13 emergency "flash" appeals so far this year. The number is three more than in 2005, which held the previous record,” quoting The Guardian UK.
link here .
9. SCIENTISTS: GLOBAL WARMING THREATEN ALASKA’S WALRUS
“Thousands of walrus have appeared on Alaska's northwest coast in what conservationists are calling a dramatic consequence of global warming melting the Arctic sea ice,” quoting the AP on Louisville’s WAVE-3 TV.
link here .
10. MOST COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF CELL PHONE RISKS PUBLISHED
“Using a mobile phone for more than 10 years increases the risk of getting brain cancer, according to the most comprehensive study of the risks yet published.
The study - which contradicts official pronouncements that there is no danger of getting the disease - found that people who have had the phones for a decade or more are twice as likely to get a malignant tumour on the side of the brain where they hold the handset.
The scientists who conducted the research say using a mobile for just an hour every working day during that period is enough to increase the risk - and that the international standard used to protect users from the radiation emitted is "not safe" and "needs to be revised"…
The study, published in the latest issue of the peer-reviewed journal Occupational Environmental Medicine, is important because it pulls together research on people who have used the phones for long enough to contract the disease,” quoting The UK Independent.
link here .
11. “ON TORTURE AND AMERICAN VALUES”
“Once upon a time, it was the United States that urged all nations to obey the letter and the spirit of international treaties and protect human rights and liberties. American leaders denounced secret prisons where people were held without charges, tortured and killed. And the people in much of the world, if not their governments, respected the United States for its values.
The Bush administration has dishonored that history and squandered that respect,” quoting the New York Times.
link here .
12. THIS WRITER TAKING YOUR QUESTIONS TO THE AIR
“The Kleiner's Korner Newsletter & Yelm blog answer many questions,
they also elicit many comments and more questions. Steve responds
to his readers via e-mail. Here's your chance BTO Listeners!
Please send your questions suitable for on-air discussion
directly to steve@kleinerskorner.com He will read them on the
air on a special program --- Tuesday October 30th,” quoting Beyond the Ordinary internet radio.
link here .
RAMTHA STUDENT NEWS
A. Our Creative Students:
Amanda Gifford and Claire Janisch of South Africa have started a business called Genius Lab. It’s a place to explore the genius around you, and inspire the genius in you, making innovative new connections between subjects like theatre and neurology, music and mathematics, geometry and nature, science and psychology.
link here
B. JZ’s dynamic interview with World Puja’s Maureen Moss on Oct 7th can be heard here:
link here then click October 7, 2007
C. This month’s Bleeping Herald is now out:
link here
D. Listen for free to a fascinating and entertaining 10-minute audio excerpt from
Dr. Miceal Ledwith’s Sedona Orbs presentation:
link here
E. The deeper implications of the Bush II presidency is the focus of an essay The Rev. Dr. Richard Banach recently had published in The Olympian, and the Yelm Community Blog. His reply to the challenge of a professional “provocateur” can be found under “comments”
link here scroll to Sept. 25
An amended essay with endnotes giving more information on the subject was posted 10/14/07.
link here
F. The Friends of the Yelm Library present a very special performance next Tuesday, October 23
by visiting German violinist Ian Mardon of
“Lux Aeterna:” a Performance of Classical Music for the Violin
Mr. Mardon presents works by Bach, Paganini and Debussy, as well as the American Premiere of Mardon’s newest composition, “Lux Aeterna“. Enjoy the intense, warm tone of his 1775 Guadagnini violin.
7 - 8 PM Sponsored by Yael & Steve Klein
in the Yelm Timberland Library.
link here
G. JZ Knight recommends all students coming to Yelm for Blue College to visit Yelm Cinemas to see the movie "No End in Sight" being carried here by special request.
link here .
LOCAL NOTES
On The Yelm Community Blog this week:
A. Thurston County public hearing on traffic 10/10
B. Sebastian's Best Bakery Class for October
C. Introducing Clean Freaks Carpet Care
D. Thurston County Planning Commission Public Hearing
E. Yelm Cinemas brings NO END IN SIGHT to Yelm
F. Yelm lady makes headlines
G. Guest Entry: Rev. Dr. Richard Banach's amended essay
link here .
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Too many people overvalue what they are not
and undervalue what they are.”
Malcolm Forbes (1919-1990)
US art collector, author, & publisher publisher .
Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2007.
For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on "Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives" at
link here
Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com .
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| KLEINER'S KORNER FOR WEEK OF OCTOBER 8, 2007
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Correction to last week’s KK:
where I listed two long-term food sellers a few weeks back - Survivialcenter & happyhovel.com for bulk food sources. The correct reference should have been to Survival Center & Happy Hovel Foods.com
link here &
link here , which leads as a nice segue to this week’s number one story:
1. GROCERY BILLS TO SOAR AS GRAIN PRICES SURGE
"Rising prices and surging demand for the crops that supply half of the world's calories are producing the biggest changes in global food markets in 30 years, altering the economic landscape for everyone from consumers and farmers to corporate giants and the world's poor. 'The days of cheap grain are gone,' says Dan Basse, president of AgResource Co., a Chicago commodity forecasting concern," quoting The Wall Street Journal.
link here
And:
link here .
2. “DO MIGRATORY BIRDS ’SEE’ THE MAGNETIC FIELD?”
“A visual pathway links brain structures active during magnetic compass orientation in migratory birds…Thus, the only two parts of the central nervous system shown to be highly active during magnetic compass orientation are linked to each other by a well-known visual brain circuit, namely by parts of the so-called thalamofugal pathway. For the first time, clear neuroanatomical data suggest which specific brain pathway processes magnetic compass information in migratory birds.
These findings strongly support the hypothesis that migratory birds use their visual system to perceive the reference compass direction of the geomagnetic field and that migratory birds are thus likely to "see" the geomagnetic field,” quoting Science Daily.
link here .
3. “JANE GOODALL SAYS BIOFUEL CROPS HURT RAIN FORESTS”
Timothy Gardner for Reuters reports that "primate scientist Jane Goodall said on Wednesday [Sept. 26] the race to grow crops for vehicle fuels is damaging rain forests in Asia, Africa and South America and adding to the emissions blamed for global warming," quoting Reuters.
link here .
4. MAP: “MAJOR TECTONIC PLATED OF THE WORLD”
“The earth's surface is broken into seven large and many small moving plates. These plates, each about 50 miles thick, move relative to one another an average of a few inches a year,” quoting the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS). [Ed. Note: Be sure to this terrific map.]
link here .
5. STUDIES OF CHILDREN TV HABITS “STUNNING”
A. “CHILD TV VIEWING LINKED TO BEHAVIOR ISSUES
“Daily television viewing for two or more hours in early childhood has been linked to behavioral problems and poor social skills, a U.S. study found,” quoting Science Daily.
link here
B. “REPORT: TV EXPOSURE HIGH AMONG INFANTS”
“A recent study conducted by University of Washington researchers found nearly 40 percent of 3-month-olds spend 45 minutes a day watching television…”"That's stunning when you consider that the best evidence shows that early viewing puts children on a trajectory that places them at a high risk for attention deficit, diminished reading ability, and obesity," researcher Andrew Meltzoff said.” Quoting Science Daily.
link here .
6. “’FASCINATING’ POSSIBLE CANCER TREATMENT”
“Leukemia patient John Kanzius has developed a new cancer-fighting technique that uses radio waves to destroy cancer-causing agents,” quoting CBS News.
link here .
7. “ORGANIC FARMING CAN FEED THE WORLD, U-M STUDY SHOWS”
“Organic farming can yield up to three times as much food on individual farms in developing countries, as low-intensive methods on the same land—according to new findings which refute the long-standing claim that organic farming methods cannot produce enough food to feed the global population.
Researchers from the University of Michigan found that in developed countries, yields were almost equal on organic and conventional farms. In developing countries, food production could double or triple using organic methods, said Ivette Perfecto, professor at U-M's School of Natural Resources and Environment, and one the study's principal investigators. Catherine Badgley, research scientist in the Museum of Paleontology, is a co-author of the paper along with several current and former graduate and undergraduate students from U-M,” quoting the University of Michigan.
link here .
8. “ARCTIC MELT UNNERVES THE EXPERTS”
“The Arctic ice cap shrank so much this summer that waves briefly lapped along two long-imagined Arctic shipping routes, the Northwest Passage over Canada and the Northern Sea Route over Russia. Over all, the floating ice dwindled to an extent unparalleled in a century or more, by several estimates…Scientists are also unnerved by the summer’s implications for the future, and their ability to predict it,” quoting The New York Times. [Ed. Note: Several pictorials and graphs.]
link here
Quoted from the same story, “Russia, Canada and Denmark, prompted in part by years of warming and the ice retreat this year, ratcheted up rhetoric and actions aimed at securing sea routes and seabed resources.” [Ed. Note: How truly ridiculous and amazing! The coastal world as we know it is about to be flooded from the melting ice rate and countries are securing exposed Arctic seabed floor space to explore for oil, whose burning caused the ice melt to begin with. Truly amazing, such ignorance! See this map of what areas the sea-level rise will flood: ]
link here
And the UK’s Observer report on this subject:
link here
And the European Space Agency report on this with their pictures:
link here .
9. “ANTARCTIC PLANT AND ANIMAL LIFE SURVIVED ICE AGES”
“Springtails, mites, worms and plant life could help solve the mystery of Antarctica's glacial history according to new research published in the journal Science. Scientists from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and Massey University New Zealand report that of the evolutionary history of Antarctica's terrestrial plant and animal life does not reconcile with current reconstructions of past glacial ice extent going back more than 23 million years,” quoting Science Daily.
link here .
10. GET THE SKINNY ON USA’S ZIP CODES
“Enter your Zip Code to see U. S. Census data and comparisons with neighboring Zip Codes.
link here .
11. BUSINESS WEEK “WAL-MART: YOU CAN’T SUCCEED ON PRICE ALONE”
Thought KK readers might be interested in this in-depth story from a respected business journal, Business Week, about a sliding Wal-Mart. With the Wal-Mart Effect now local as competitor QFC closes in Yelm, will Yelm be left with empty stores and shoddy Wal-Mart service. Even Business Week says you can't succeed on low-price alone.
link here .
12. INTERVIEW OF YAEL & STEVE KLEIN AT IMPEACH BUSH.CHENEY MARCH NOW ONLINE
Quicktime version
link here
Windows Media version
link here
And, if you missed the radio interview on Beyond the Ordinary, access here:
link here .
RAMTHA STUDENT NEWS
1. OUR CREATIVE STUDENTS:
A. UNIQUE MOTHER-DAUGHTER BUSINESS ANNOUNCED
Madeleine Bongiorno and her daughter Maddy have announced the opening of their unique business Fields of Fleece; "dedicated to bringing you the highest quality fleece blankets and clothing for youngsters of all ages."
link here
B. LOCAL AUTHOR SUZANNE NICHOLS ANNOUNCES HER NEW BOOK
Suzanne Nichols has announced the launching of her website with the publication of another book, The Life and Times of Schrodinger's Cat - A Quantum Tale of Love and Entanglement.
link here
C. INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED VIOLINIST IAN MARDON TO PERFORM IN YELM
International acclaimed violinist Ian Mardon presents works by Bach, Paganini and Debussy, as well as the American Premiere of Mardon’s newest composition, “Lux Aeterna“. Enjoy the intense, warm tone of his 1775 Guadagnini violin on Ian's visit to the United States Tuesday, Oct. 23 in the Yelm Timberland Library, 7-8pm. Sponsored by Yael & Steve Klein.
link here
D. JACQUI DAVIS ANNOUNCES HER NEW DANCE WORK-OUT
Jacqui Davis has created her new business DANCE N CREATEsm - It's a Workout. "Not simply for the mind to create, but for the body to sweat, be joyful and become refreshed and new. The dance technique is like that of a consciousness party. This dance WORKS!
link here
E. CONSCIOUS FASHIONS FOR BABY INSPIRED FROM A MOTHER
Sara Mehringer contemplated "that if I dressed my baby in the concepts that I wanted to teach her, I'd be sure to keep my focus. Mind Your Words was born."
"Did you know that words carry intent and have an impact on your baby when they are said, read, and worn? Our super comfy baby onesies are designed to inspire parents and their children to be extraordinary and unlimited. We offer unique baby gifts to make an impact on both parent and child."
link here
2. The Dave Ross interview with JZ Knight on September 28 is now available:
link here .
LOCAL NOTES
Stories covered last week on the Yelm Community Blog:
A. Rescheduled Thurston Public Hearing now Oct. 10
B. WASL stirs up passion in region
C. Out-going County Commissioner Oberquell honored
D. Alder Lake at historic lows
E. Green Homes Open house Saturday
F. Support our local businesses: Introducing Dance N' Create
G. Washington Salmon Recovery pkan gets top marks
G. Yael & Steve Klein's videoed interviews at the Impeach Bush/Cheney March in D. C.
link here .
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“We may go to the moon,
but that's not very far.
The greatest distance we have to cover still lies within us.”
Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970)
French general & President of France, 1959-1969 .
Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2007.
For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on "Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives" at
link here
Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com .
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