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| Kleiner's Korner for Week of January 26, 2004
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The landmark film "What the Bleep Do You Know" mentioned here previously will have its world premier in Yelm, WA at the Yelm Cinemas on Friday, February 6th. This is the noted production by local residents and Hollywood filmmakers Mark Vicente, Will Arntz and Betsy Chasse. The film explores the most asked questions in the Universe: "What is it? Where do we fit in? And, why do we do what we do?" The film will be playing for 30 days. Please pass this on to everyone and invite them to purchase tickets at the box office 3 days prior to whichever showing they desire to attend.
link here
1. The US Geological Survey (USGS) has said that the area of eastern California that includes Long Valley Caldera and the Mono-Inyo Craters volcanic chain (located just East of Yosemite National Park) has a long history of geologic activity that includes both earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
link here
This activity is likely to continue long into the future. Long Valley Caldera is a 15- by 30-km oval-shaped depression located 20 km south of Mono Lake along the east side of the Sierra Nevada in east-central California. This area of eastern California has produced numerous volcanic eruptions over the past 3 million years, including the massive caldera-forming eruption 760,000 years ago. The most recent eruption occurred just 250 years ago in Mono Lake at the north end of Mono-Inyo Craters volcanic chain. Plenty of links describing this area are listed here.
link here
And:
link here
And:
link here
And:
link here
Here is the current earthquake page for the area.
link here
Long Valley Fact Sheet:
link here
This writer is a former member of Mono Lake Committee, a group committed to keeping the water from this area from being drained to service the LA Basin, which would lead to the destruction of local habitats.
link here
A BBC article on supervolcanoes states: "Hidden deep beneath the Earth's surface lie one of the most destructive and yet least-understood natural phenomena in the world -- supervolcanoes. Only a handful exist in the world but when one erupts it will be unlike any volcano we have ever witnessed. The explosion will be heard around the world. The sky will darken, black rain will fall, and the Earth will be plunged into the equivalent of a nuclear winter.... Scientists have very few answers, but they do know that the impact of a... eruption is terrifying to comprehend. Huge areas of the USA would be destroyed, the US economy would probably collapse, and thousands might die."
link here
Here is a map showing the range of the last major eruption in the Long Valley Caldera.
link here
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2. The mad cow story is still unfolding here in Washington State. Although I may be sounding like a "broken record," many nuances of this issue have been moved to the back burner, what with American politics taking over the news. These links merit attention.
A. Here is an article by an employee of Vern's Moses Lake (WA) Meats. With his "ground zero" view of the discovery of mad cow in that part of the state, this is a definite read.
link here
Or:
link here
B. And an article written from the view of the slaughterhouse shows how this effects a family business, when a cow slaughtered two weeks ago turned out to be the first in the United States to test positive for mad cow disease.
link here
C. In an editorial titled "Mad Cow, Mad Policy," The Nation claims: "When Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman and the agribusiness insiders-turned-'regulators' who run George W. Bush's Agriculture Department finally acknowledged that a case of mad cow disease had been found on a Washington State factory farm, the first order of business was to protect the agribusiness interests that have resisted basic food-safety measures for years." Trusting your own self is key here.
link here
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3. Some shocking things happened in tests with genetically modified (GM) potatoes and pollen, and an herbicide. The results appeared in print earlier this month. Of course, corporate economics is pushing the GM food production in the U.S.
link here
The Canadian Supreme Court is taking the case of plant patent infringement, a burning issue in the GM controversy. A Saskatchewan farmer was sued by Monsanto for patent infringement when pollen from genetically modified corn patented by Monsanto blew onto his corn fields and cross bred with his corn. HUM!
link here
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has donated $25 million to HarvestPlus, which aims to use genetic modifications to improve the nutritional value of foods.
link here
For more, here is a terrific site on genetically engineered foods. Quoting Biotechnologist & Professor Denis Murphy of the University of Glamorgan, UK "Monsanto et al commercialised the technology at breakneck speed [with] no thought about the long term consequences."
link here
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4. "Microwaving raw broccoli and other foods drastically diminishes, and in some cases nearly eliminates, some natural health-promoting chemicals," according to a new study. Steaming resulted in the lowest loss of nutrients.
link here
For more information on electromagnetic fields, check out Electromagnetic Hazard & Therapy, the only independent, regular news report in the United Kingdom covering the research and debate on the health hazards of electromagnetic fields.
link here
Here's how one California town is dealing with electromagnetic fields.
link here
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5. Follow Up on plastic debris: Adding to the story last week on plastic debris flooding the open Pacific Ocean and being ingested by sea animals and then humans through the food chain, an Autumn, 2003 report shows non-refillable plastic containers set for a huge jump in usage around the world, leading to more of this material being dumped.
link here
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6. "Twelve states, several cities, and over a dozen environmental groups joined forces ... to challenge the Bush Administration¹s continued failure to confront global warming" by filing a lawsuit in the D.C. District Court of Appeals. "The plaintiffs are targeting the unprecedented ruling by the Environmental Protection Agency late last summer that summarily disavowed the agency¹s longstanding jurisdiction under the Clean Air Act to regulate global warming emissions."
link here
UK scientists have warned at a Moscow conference that global warming is directly causing 160,000 death a year and "the numbers dying from 'side-effects' of climate change, such as malaria and malnutrition, could almost double by 2020"
link here
According to the NRDC, "against the backdrop of dramatic new evidence that the Arctic ice cap is melting, the U.S. Senate voted for the first time on a bill that would establish a mandatory program to cut global warming pollution and reckon with climate change before it results in widespread water shortages, heat waves, devastating storms, forest destruction and extinction of species." It didn't pass, but it's a step and the article about it is worth reading.
link here
In "the first court decision to directly reverse a Bush administration rollback of a Clinton administration environmental rule," efforts "to roll back air conditioner standards were themselves rolled back ... when a federal court here ruled that Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham violated federal law by weakening efficiency rules made final during the Clinton administration."
link here
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7. Two of many super secret facilities that have been suspected of UFO interface activity with world governments are:
A. Langley AFB and NASA Langley Research Center, just northeast of Hampton, Virginia:
link here
Or:
link here
B. And, Pine Gap Research Facility located 12 miles from Alice Springs in Australia's Northern Territory.
link here
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8. Follow-up on bio-diesel: South Puget Sound finally has its own commercial Biodiesel pump in Olympia. Yes, that's right. The ACME fast fuels pump at I-5 and Lilly Road is now selling both B-20 and B-100 as well as their petroleum fuels. Biodiesel is a domestically produced, renewable fuel that can be manufactured from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant greases. Biodiesel is safe, biodegradable, and reduces serious air pollutants such as particulates, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and air toxics.
link here
The Official site of the Biodiesel Board:
link here
The Alternative Fuels Data Centersite:
link here
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9. Update on wind farms: In December, a state of the art wind farm was completed in California. Considered "a model for overcoming the shortcomings that have kept wind from threatening the dominance of fossil fuels," this is an article worth checking out.
link here
And while on the subject of capturing efficient energy means for electricity, how about the question: "Could I power my computer or my TV with a bicycle generator?"
link here
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10. A team of researchers in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Alberta (Canada) has discovered a new way of generating electricity from flowing water, and this claim is "something that nobody in the scientific world has been able to accomplish since Michael Faraday in 1839."
link here
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11. A security camera from a downtown energy corporation in Kansas City last week captured an "unidentified" falling object in the morning sky. The long image with a yellowish light, was visible long enough on film for employees of the security company to make guesses as to what it was. "NORAD says it was not tracking any man-made space junk reentering the atmosphere" at that time. They mentioned nothing about tracking objects NOT from Earth origin, though.
link here
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12. A story on Dylan Cramer, an 8th grader at the Orting, WA Partnership School appeared earlier this month in the Country Gazette Newspaper. It highlighted the new web design business Dylan has started up. He is taking classes to learn about writing a business plan, getting the proper licenses, and running a healthy enterprise. Dylan has been interested in computers since he was 8 or 9 and his parents have been very supportive of his decision to start his own business. Dylan and his parents are comrades of this writer. Check-out his website.
link here .
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"We are such stuff
As dreams are made on and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep..."
William Shakespeare--From The Tempest (IV, i, 156-157)
Kleiner's Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2003.
For archived issues of Kleiner's Korner, click on "Current Kleiner's Korner and Archives" at www.kleinerskorner.com
Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com
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| Kleiner's Korner for Week of January 19, 2004
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Dear Readers, A comrade of mine recently gave me a subscription to The Ecologist Magazine for a year knowing my interest in the environment. I just received my first copy and started reading last week. This magazine is published in England and I find that going to an overseas news sources will give us a more rounded view of stories here in the USA, as we will get angles to stories no one dare mention on this "side of the pond." This is certainly true in this case, as this magazine delves into depths of corporate greed and irresponsibility as a contributing factor to this world's ecological imbalance. This magazine offers a frankness I have not seen on US soil. I suggest you check-out their website and ask you consider subscribing ($52 USD per year) in support of truth!
link here
1. The first case of mad cow discovered in the US was on a Washington State farm and this story
is still making the news here, although one may not hear much on this issue elsewhere. Here are
some links to update this story:
A. "Another Washington state dairy cow farm, one located in Quincy, has been placed under quarantine in the mad cow investigation, as the federal government faces new allegations that it has not been doing enough to stop the disease." according to Seattle's NBC affiliate KING 5 TV.
link here
B. Further, the Seattle Times reports the hunt for infected cows leaves out slaughter auctions:
link here
C. "The mad cow scare isn't a big deal to local butchers, farmers, inspectors and slaughterhouse workers. They know that the steaks we eat, and the cuts taken from the cow's muscles, are clean and unlikely to be infected. But there's no telling what's inside manufactured products like Slim Jims, ballpark franks and potted meat." quoting from this link:
link here
D. Here is a terrific page of websites for Organic Beef Information:
link here .
2. As if mad cow was not enough, now a just-released study of commercial fish sold in North America, South America and Europe says farm-raised salmon, a growing staple of American diets, contains significantly higher concentrations of PCBs, dioxin and other cancer-causing contaminants than salmon caught in the wild, and should be eaten infrequently. This was not published in some ecology magazine, rather in the venerable Washington Post!
link here
"Puget Sound's wild chinook salmon carry long-lived industrial chemicals at levels as high as those spotlighted by last week's landmark scientific report on farm-raised salmon, tests show. In a few cases, the local fish were even more polluted." quoting the Seattle P-I. [Ed. Note: As mentioned here many times, wild salmon from the far northern oceans or Alaska's rivers are low in such pollutants. We buy these in large quantities in season in July and freeze them to enjoy all year.]
link here
Do not think the Puget Sound water quality will improve anytime soon. Washington State is protesting to the Bush Administration's EPA easing of sewage treatment rules which are called a threat to shellfish. You will have to register for free to the Seattle Times to view this link.
link here
If you have suddenly lost your appetite for salmon, don't get too fond of the other options. Trouble is brewing for all farmed seafood, reports Stephen Khan for The Guardian:
link here
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3. A study of the nation’s most stressful cities lists Tacoma, WA. at the top of the major metropolitan areas because of factors like the unemployment rate, divorce rate, commute time, crimes, suicide rate, alcohol consumption, self-reported "poor mental health" and cloudy days.. Tacoma is just 20 miles from Yelm, WA.
link here
Tacoma topped the list of 100 large metropolitan areas compiled by ranking firm BestPlaces. Here is their site:
link here .
4. Reported here last year was the story that areas of the Pacific Ocean are becoming like a trash dump, with floating debris noticed by ships for miles. Further, sea animals are ingesting our garbage creating difficulties for marine life, further threatening the human food chain. Now, CBS News took on this issue and aired their story on Jan 6th, 2004:
link here .
5. Further on humanity's impact on this world, global warming over the next half-century could put more than a million species of plants and animals on the road to extinction, according to an international study by Chris Thomas, professor of Conservation Biology at England’s University of Leeds and lead author of the study published in the science journal Nature.
link here
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6. At the national meeting of the American Astronomical Society earlier this month, astronomers are proposing that a supernova exploded within 10,000 light years of the Earth, destroying the chemistry of the atmosphere and allowing the sun's ultraviolet rays to cook fragile, unprotected life forms, killing of two-thirds of all species in the second-largest extinction in the Earth's history.
link here
And the American Astronomical Society site:
link here .
7. With all of these previous stories highlighting the planet's increasing toxicity, studies have shown that meditation may increase a person's immune system.
link here
People native to the far north evolved to produce more heat in their cells, says a new study according to the team of researchers led by Eduardo Ruiz-Pesini of the University of California at Irvine. The change occurs in the mitochondria, the parts of human cells that burn fuel to produce heat and energy. They found that through mutations in mitochondria DNA, increasing production of heat, though reducing energy production, rise in people living closer to the pole, compared with tropical residents.
Reported in the journal Science, the change results in an increased propensity for energy deficiency diseases, but also in increased longevity and resistance to aging.
link here
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8. The brain, the most complex of all organs, defines us in more ways than we can even think about. There are about 35,000 genes in the brain, and if only a few of those are missing, the result can be devastating and fascinating. Williams Syndrome is a rare birth defect in which about 20 genes are missing. Gloria Lenhoff remembers more than 1,000 songs, yet she can’t add 5 plus 4. Michael Williams can play almost anything, yet he can’t go out the door without getting lost. Meghan Finn studies music in college but can’t tell left from right. CBS 60 minutes II did a fabulous job telling this story to the world:
link here
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9. "What do you see? Whatever it is, it's probably not what the toddlers in the shopping cart are looking at. The difference is a matter of interest to academia as well as supermarket designers." The CBS News program 60 Minutes did a report on Harvard Professor John Stilgoe's class about being "the observer with eyes open" and what most of us never notice, yet is right in front of us every day. This is an eye-opening report [Ed. Note: pun intended!]
link here
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10. In a follow-up to the story here in Summer, 2003 about the Federal District Court Order of Las Vegas, NV banning the book The Federal Mafia: How the Government Illegally Imposes and Unlawfully Collects Income Taxes by Irwin Schiff, now comes word that the Court Order banning the book is hereby suspended, being declared unconstitutional.
link here
Here is Court document releasing this book from being banned:
link here
And you can now order this previously banned book at:
link here
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11. Salma Hayek's new movie "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" with co-star Antonio Banderas is out in theaters January 20th.
link here
Just seen in the January, 2004 Edition of Northwest Airlines World Traveler inflight magazine, was a story of Ms. Hayek's directorial debut in the Showtime Networks Production of The Maldonado Miracle, which is playing on selected NWA flights this month.
link here
The Northwest Airlines World Traveler Magazine story on Ms. Hayek's directorial debut. Ms. Hayek is a frequent visitor to Yelm, WA:
link here .
12. A little Wizard Humor for the smile of the week:
link here
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Quote of the Week:
"Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes."
Lady Windemere's Fan (1892) act 3.
by Oscar Wilde
Kleiner's Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2003.
For archived issues of Kleiner's Korner,
click on "Current Kleiner's Korner and Archives"
at www.kleinerskorner.com
Send comments to steve@kleinerkorner.com
|
| Kleiner's Korner for Week of Janaury 12, 2004
|
Listed below in A-F are recent developments to stories reported here in the last month:
A. The mad cow story has plenty of interesting twists for consideration this week. One is this story from the UK in 2001. This is a MUST-READ! HUM!
link here
Think testing will address the concerns of mad cow disease in the US? Why were "downer" cows allowed in the US human food chain to begin with? Think again after reading these New York Times articles:
link here
And:
link here
In addition, mentioned here were the benefits of cows grazing on their natural food, grass. Here is the site for Grassland Beef, where cows graze on natural grasses, free-range. Just because a farm says cows are raised on grass however, they must say "100% grassfed" to be sure:
link here
According to Dorothy Carlson, owner of Stewart's Meats in McKenna, WA, she says on the front page of the January 2nd, 2004 Nisqually Valley News that AgriBeef Co. is Stewart's Beef Supplier. AgriBeef says "Our procedures exceed the requirements established by the USDA and were established to curtail the risk of BSE within our production system" Here is their site:
link here
Further, there is also a wonderful family meat shop in rural Tac oma, WA that raises and sells certified organic beef, pork, chicken, turkey, and lamb. The name is "The Meat Shop of Tacoma". Here is their site:
link here
And, quoting The Seattle Times: "Grower George Vojkovich of Skagit River Ranch said his entirely grass-fed, organically grown cattle test higher for beneficial omega-3 fats than cows "finished" with grain in feed lots (though organic rules allow grain feeding)." Although their meat is more expensive, now there are statistics showing the differences:
link here
QFC, a division of Kroger, told Seattle area store customer Brian Weinstein that the ground beef he used for a spaghetti dinner 18 days ago was meat since linked to the slaughtered Holstein with the nation's only known case of mad cow disease. At Weinstein's request, store officials traced his purchase of that meat through his QFC Advantage Card. [Ed. Note: Yikes! Again, KNOW YOUR MEAT SOURCES!]:
link here
B. The first reported case of SARS this year has now been confirmed in China:
link here
Further, China has ordered about 10,000 civet cats destroyed after new genetic tests suggest a possible link to SARS.
link here
C. Here is a thoughtful article on the flu-mist vaccine. Anyone even considering this as an option should read this first. After clicking the link, move the cursor to “articles and letters” and click the bottom one.
link here
D. A report by the USGS in conjunction with the Univ. of Utah, contradicts last week's story about the potential for volcanic eruptions at Yellowstone. Says this report: “There is no evidence that magma beneath the enormous Yellowstone caldera is directly involved in the recent changes at Norris or Nymph Lake.” Now both sides of this issue have been presented here. Use your own discernment to decide what is correct.
link here
That said, the Yellowstone area recorded 8 earthquakes of various magnitudes on January 7, 2004: Once at this site, scroll to 2004/01/07, see Wyoming under "Comments."
link here
E. Recently mentioned here is the introduction of genetically engineered aquarium fish that glow in the dark.that went on sale last week. [Ed. Note: I usually find myself in disagreement with Arthur Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania and bioethics commentator. However, in this case, I stand with him.]
link here
F. And, congratulations to Hollywood cinematographer Mark Vicente’s “Imagine” being one of the 15 finalists in the Bush in 30 Seconds Documentary Contest. The winning commercial will be announced at an event on January 12th at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.
link here
1. Discovered by Bill Yeung, from his observatory in Arizona, US, and reported as a passing Near-Earth Object, this amateur astronomer may have found another moon of the Earth. Experts say it may have only just arrived with much uncertainty surrounding the mysterious object, designated J002E3.
link here
Of course the highlight of the week was the rover Spirit’s successful Mars landing:
link here .
2. The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS 2004) was held in Detroit last week:
link here
Two cars of interest were unveiled:
A. The 2005 Toyota Hybrid Highlander SUV will get over 600 miles per tank:
link here
B. Jeep Treo by Chrysler will seat 3 and be hydrogen powered:
link here
And:
link here
C. Here is the list of the new models and concept cars unveiled last week:
link here .
3. “Forgiveness is divine” now has more meaning as science is beginning to verify advice long given by spiritual leaders and wise moms and dads: Nursing grudges against those who have done you wrong will hurt you worse than it hurts them.
link here
And, researchers at Hope College in Holland, Mich., say forgiveness seems to be better for people than holding a grudge, at least in terms of negative effects on the body.
link here
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4. Researchers believe that scabs found in March, 2003 in between pages in an 1888 Civil War book are either from smallpox vaccine patients or from victims, whose scabs were used in an early inoculation procedure. At the very least, inoculation scabs would shed light on the historic development of American vaccines for smallpox, which though eradicated a generation ago has returned to public consciousness as a potentially devastating weapon for bioterrorists.
link here .
5. As mentioned here in 2002, and continues to be such in 2004, consumer debt continues to climb.
With the holidays now behind Americans, debt has more than doubled in the past 10 years to record levels, making it hard for many families to cope.
At the same time, the government says the nation's savings rate dropped to just 2 percent of after-tax income in the first half of the year.
That means many people lack the means to deal with financial emergencies, much less their eventual retirement. [Ed. Note: "Buy now because there will be no tomorrow" is the mentality that has taken hold today. Previously, the attitude was buy now, pay later.]
link here
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6. Often times, to get truth of a story, one must turn to the reporting in the first hours after the event and before the “Spin Meisters” get their hands on such.
The internet is a fabulous medium to listen to the original ABC News Broadcast of the UFO crash at Roswell, NM July 8, 1947:
link here
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7. We all know this war in Iraq is for oil. Someday soon, the next war may be for water.
link here
The worst drought in South Africa since 1915 is occurring there now during their summer. Thunderstorms are forecast for the Ramtha School Events held there this week.
link here
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8. Everyone has heard of Dean Kamen's invention of the Segway scooter, covered here last year. Now, Mr. Kamen has taken his technology and created a different kind of mobility and accessibility to those in wheelchairs and has a mission to help people with disabilities achieve even more.:
link here
And the Johnson & Johnson Company subsidiary that makes and markets these chairs:
link here
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9. Teenagers in the United States have higher rates of obesity than those in 14 other industrialized countries, including France, Germany, and Israel, a study of nearly 30,000 youngsters ages 13 and 15 found.
link here
Lead author Dr. David Ludwig, director of the obesity program at Children’s Hospital Boston says the findings in their study suggest that fast-food consumption has increased fivefold among children since 1970, and along with a reduction in fruit and vegetable consumption, is linked to obesity in
children:
link here .
10. A nationally circulated Japanese newspaper, Mainichi, reports that scientists at Japan's National Food Research Institute have shown that peeling an apple stimulates the most highly evolved section of the brain. The team used near infrared spectroscopy analysis to measure changes of blood flow to the frontal brain lobes of 14 adults. [Ed. Note: Just shows you, the more you use your brain, the more new dendrite connections are made,leading to expansion.]
link here .
11. Scientists have discovered the world's oldest wine - a vintage produced by Stone Age people 8,000 years ago. The find pushes back the history of wine by several hundred years. [Ed. Note: Hum! Maybe we will find some 35,000 year old wine soon!]
link here
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12. Here is another one of those fabulous mind teasers. This one was submitted by my dad:
link here .
Of local note: The 10 degree temperature recorded at Olympia Airport on Sunday, January 4th was one degree above the all time record low for the date
recorded in 1959. Monday January 5th's low of 10 was 6 degrees above the all time record low for that date set in 1979. The snow of 1 inch on January 2nd, 6 inches on January 3rd and 7 additional inches on January 6th may join the record books for January snow totals. The month is still young!
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Quote of the Week:
“The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them.”
Attributed to Albert Einstein
Kleiner's Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2003.
For archived issues of Kleiner's Korner, click on "Current Kleiner's Korner and Archives" at www.kleinerskorner.com Send comments to steve@kleinerkorner.com
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| Kleiner's Korner for Week of January 5, 2004
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Around the Christmas Holidays, the question always arises: What was the Star of Bethlehem, a divine sign or an astronomical event? According to John Mosley, program supervisor for the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, there are several scientific scenarios for the “Star of Wonder.” These and other questions about the Christmas season are addressed in Mosley's 1987 book "The Christmas Star."
link here The book is available from the Griffith Observatory, and here is the introduction from it on their website.
link here
1. Of course locally the lead story continues to be mad cow disease and the discovery of the first known American case in close proximity to Yelm. You have all seen the press on this. However here are some links that do not make it into mainstream reporting.
A. The Sustainable News Center posts a fact sheet on BSE.
link here
B. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy posts recent BSE news.
link here
C. The Organic Consumers of America also posts recent articles.
link here
D. Mad cow is considered a prion disease. Here is a whole host of information on prions posted on a UK site.
link here
E. The Consumer Federation of America has issued a very strong comment on the USDA's response to mad cow.
link here
Based in Washington, D.C., the CFA has looked out for the interests of America's consumers since 1965. Here is information on the organization.
link here
F. The Agriculture Department announced December 30th it will ban the sale of meat for human consumption from ailing "downer" cattle. This marked a policy turnabout for the Bush administration. Only a few weeks prior to this, the USDA and allies in the powerful meat lobby blocked an identical measure in Congress, which shows the disgusting thing about politicians and how they are swayed by lobby money. Only when mad cow was dicovered, did they change their tune.
link here
G. Last year Kleiner's Korner mentioned the book "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser, who did much to expose the disastrous way our meats are prepared -- showing the way animals are inhumanely treated from birth to slaughter and questioning why we'd want to eat meat handled in such a way. Now, he has written a piece published by The New York Times exposing the flaws in the USDA/mad cow situation. This is very enlightening.
link here .
2. With 2003 another year of record breaking temperatures worldwide and the third warmest year on record, some scientists are concerned.
link here
Besides the greenhouse effect, could the shift in earth's magnetic field be a contributing factor? NASA is reporting that Earth's magnetic north pole is racing away from North America. Compass needles in Africa are drifting about 1 degree per decade. Globally the magnetic field has weakened 10% since the 19th century. What's happening to our planet's magnetic field?
link here
Yet, in an interesting twist, the earth is no longer slowed in its orbit as it had been for 28 years. For the past 5 years, it has not been necessary to add "leap seconds" to the planet's clock because the planet's orbit is "back on schedule." Only no one knows why.
link here .
3. SARS, severe acute respiratory syndrome, has reared up again with the first suspected case since July, 2003. The new case appeared in China in the area where SARS is thought to have originated.
link here
Last month The New England Journal of Medicine published a report on just how fast SARS was able to spread around the world because of infected people traveling by airplane.
link here
According to federal health officials, "the flu is widespread in almost every U.S. state and the number of deaths due to pneumonia and influenza is now at an epidemic level."
link here
And flu could erupt in schools after the winter break with students and staff returning from holiday vacation travels.
link here .
4. A small company in London, UK, appears to have proven its claim that stem-cell-like cells can be created from a person's own blood. The new cells are capable of regenerating damaged or diseased tissues. This could transform the treatment of everything from heart disease to Parkinson's.
link here
You can check out Tristem Corporation's website for yourself.
link here .
5. A medical doctor who writes to Kleiner's Korner sent this direct quote which was published in the print edition of "Family Practice News" on December 1, 2003, page 38.: "Current research indicates that multivitamins can help protect against the cell damage that makes us vulnerable to the development of many diseases common in older adults . . . Jeffery Blumberg, PhD, chief of Antioxidants research at Tufts University School of Nutrition and Policy. . . over a 5-year period, daily multivitamin use could by all older U.S. adults could prevent $3.9 billion in Medicare payments . . . associated with coronary artery disease and serious infection related to immune senescence . . . prudent to recommend that all adults take a daily multivitamin . . .analysis of 80,082 women from the Nurses Health Study who had no history of cardiovascular disease that identified a 24% risk reduction in non-fatal myocardial infarction and fatal coronary heart disease with multi vitamin intake (JAMA 279[5]:359-64 1998)." Unfortunately the link below does not reference the specific article.
link here .
6. Joseph Newman claims to demonstrate an electromagnetic energy generation system that "produces greater external energy output than external energy input."
link here .
7. After 9/11 I mentioned my concern that some day certain books could possibly be banned because of fears they might be terrorist tools. Now that day may be at hand. The FBI has warned "police nationwide to be alert for people carrying almanacs, cautioning that the popular reference books covering everything from abbreviations to weather trends could be used for terrorist planning." [Hum! One of this writer's favorite annual book purchases.]
link here
And because of Secret Service concerns, the U.S. government has released aerial photos of Washington, D.C. with parts of the White House, the Treasury Department, and the Capitol blurred to hide objects which are in plain view. "Experts said they feared the unusual decision reflects a troublesome move toward new government limits on commercial satellite and aerial photography, a booming industry driven by recent technology advances that includes some major companies based outside the United States."
link here
The value of accurate commercial satellite photography is demonstrated by this image of post-earthquake Bam, Iran.
link here .
8. Here in the U.S., some say Yellowstone is long overdue for an eruption. Scientists are closely monitoring it and "volcanologists have been tracking the movement of magma under the park." According to this article from The Idaho Observer, other signs abound in the national park to indicate a volcanic eruption could be imminent.
link here .
9. Now there is more evidence to support the theory that intelligent humans lived on earth 35,000 years ago. 30,000+ year old figurines have been found in a German cave.
link here .
10. Attention all cell-phone users: here's another reason to limit your cell-phone use -- a monitoring, listening and recording system for cell phone interception and monitoring of mobile communications. It is available to government and law enforcement agencies only, according to this ad. Remember, cell-phone conversations can be picked up on air waves anywhere and at anytime, and they are not governed like "land-lines." Whatever you say over cell-phones can and will be monitored at some time.
link here .
11. Salma Hayek's revolutionary Coke ad is now appearing on TV, in movie theaters and in print.
link here .
12. Christina Zohs, former editor of "The Golden Thread Newspaper" and "The Golden Thread Magazine" is now publishing a new monthly newspaper, "Yes News." According to Christina's website, "Yes News is dedicated to present to our readers, knowledge, science, history, religion, politics, personal stories, and so much more. The contributors to Yes News are authors, scientists, educators, and students all following the threads of truth. We are in the midst of exciting times and the greatest of questions being asked - scientific, philosophical - are now being answered. We invite you to join us at Yes News while we embark upon this journey to address these questions in basic and enjoyable terms. Yes News is a part-color 28-page newspaper - 11 3/8 x 15 - that is published monthly."
link here .
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Quote of the Week:
"My fellow citizens of the world:
ask not what America will do for you,
but what together we can do for the freedom of man."
John F. Kennedy in his Inaugural Address, 20 January, 1961.
Kleiner's Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2003.
For archived issues of Kleiner's Korner, click on "Current Kleiner's Korner and Archives" at www.kleinerskorner.com
Send comments to steve@kleinerkorner.com
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