UPDATES ARCHIVE FOR AUGUST 2004
HOME PAGE	Special to Kleiner's Korner for August 31, 2004 “What the #$BLEEP*! Do We Know!?” - the Movie makes news: This little movie ranked number 29 last weekend, meaning it ranked in the top 30 of ALL films in the August 27-29 period based on gross receipts and this in only 40 theaters nationwide. That placed the film ahead of Hollywood big budget films like King Arthur, Day After Tomorrow, Catwoman, and A Cinderella Story, and each of those played in four times as many theaters. This film ranked three positions lower than Michael Moore's record breaking independent film "Fahrenheit 9/11" in receipts last weekend. This landmark title is now approaching $2.5 million in cumulative gross revenue. link here WHAT THE BLEEP IS GOING ON? And, what the bleep will happen when What the Bleep-the Movie goes into national distribution in September to over 100 theaters instead of just 40? scroll to NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION at: link here Have you seen this film? If not, place it in your plans soon: link here click "showtimes and tickets" for times in your neighborhood Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2004. For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on “Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives” at www.kleinerskorner.com Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com . Kleiner's Korner for Week of August 30, 2004 Part two in this several part series: Follow-up to the cell phone issue mentioned here last week, is the fact that the physical cell phone itself is loaded with a whole toxic soup of chemicals that leech into the ground when discarded. Here is some pertinent information on what is becoming a major health hazard: Microwaving Our Planet: The Environmental Impact of the Wireless Revolution Published by the Cellular Phone Taskforce link here From The Seattle Times, "From 30 million to 100 million times a year in the United States, a cellphone heads for the trash heap. . . . We don't need more trash of any kind, especially the kind full of mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium and other heavy-metal pollutants that are in cellphones. Instead, recycle that phone. Or rather, 'reuse' it by giving it to an organization that will find a new user." link here "Landfill and incinerator facilities are often the final resting-place for electronic waste. Computers, cell phones, electronic games, television sets - are piling up with increasing rapidity, ready to be burned or buried. But are you aware that these leftover gadgets are loaded with toxins that can leak into the groundwater or produce carcinogens and toxins?" Scroll to heading "Risks related to some e-toxins found in computers" – the same ingredients are found in cellphones. link here "Washington Toxics Coalition protects public health and the environment by eliminating toxic pollution. WTC promotes alternatives, advocates policies, empowers communities, and educates people to create a healthy environment." link here Non toxic alternatives are catching on as materials: link here With toxic elements such as lead and mercury found in each cellphone, it is important to keep them out of landfills and incinerators. There are many resources available to help you either recycle your old cellphone or reuse it through donation programs set up nationwide. Click here to find out where to recycle or donate your cellphone. link here And: link here And, what is becoming a serious threat to our children is parents wanting to use cellphones as a ‘tether’ for instantly contacting their children. Buying cell phones for your kids? Think again. "They [leading experts] point to evidence that cell phone radiation penetrates the skulls and brains of kids more deeply than adults, and that this radiation might cause tumors or otherwise affect a developing brain," quoting this site: link here Target marketing to children has been covered here several times previously. Do you want your child target marketed for a cell phone after reading this material? A survey of youth marketers, PR and advertising professionals found that, while respondents say children are “unable to make intelligent choices as consumers” until nearly 12 years old, it's OK to market to seven year olds. Just over 60 percent of those surveyed say advertising targets children at too young an age, but others feel “educational purposes” and brand loyalty justify targeting three year olds. The president of The Wonder Group, a youth-marketing agency, said: “When we do research, the parents want the child to know about the product. . . . As a marketer do you really care that the consumer is getting exactly the message you want or can recognize the brand? They point to Tony the Tiger.” SOURCE: PR Week, April 23, 2004 [Ed. Note: Cell phones in colorful styles and patterns are now being target marketed to children! Yikes!] link here (available only to subscribers) 1. "Are private firms helping Big Brother too much? ACLU warns of surveillance-industrial complex. In May 2002, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors voluntarily provided the FBI with a disk containing the names, addresses and other personal information of about 2 million people, nearly every U.S. citizen who had learned to scuba dive in the previous three years. That’s just one of the myriad ways federal law enforcement agencies are quietly recruiting private industry and private citizens as de facto agents in the war on terror, according to a report recently issued by the ACLU called The Surveillance-Industrial Complex. The study paints a picture of an unofficial government policy to enlist companies and citizens in the building of massive databases aimed at monitoring people in the United States," quoting MSNBC. link here And more on the disturbing trend in this country, "U.S. Sen. Edward M. ‘Ted’ Kennedy said yesterday [Aug. 19] that he was stopped and questioned at airports on the East Coast five times in March because his name appeared on the government's secret ‘no-fly’ list. . . . 'T. Kennedy' used as alias by terrorist suspect." [Ed. Note: This is starting to sound very similar to the old Soviet-style Communism we decried. Anyone speaking out about this now?] link here . 2. Hot summer days are getting hotter because of global warming, but that's not all. This 2004 NRDC report shows that higher temperatures would also mean more summertime smog. link here “A comprehensive new analysis by some of the nation's top medical experts projects that residents in more than a dozen U.S. cities will enjoy significantly fewer healthy air days in coming summers as hotter temperatures caused by global warming speed formation of the lung-damaging pollution commonly known as smog. That means more people will have to restrict outdoor activities, while those with asthma and other respiratory troubles face life-threatening results.” link here "Global warming may be increasing the severity of allergies and asthma particularly among inner-city children, according to a report released Thursday [Apr. 29] by Harvard University researchers and the American Public Health Association....particularly among inner-city children, according to a report released Thursday by Harvard University researchers and the American Public Health Association...Between 1980 and 1994, asthma among preschool children increased 160 percent and 75 percent in the general population, the report said. The highest incidence of asthma is found among low-income, African-American toddlers, a large share of whom live in urban areas, the report said." link here The source for this report was the Harvard Medical School's Center for Health and Global Environment White Paper: link here The Harvard Medical School's Center for Health and Global Environment homepage: link here . 3. From Space.com, "Pockets of superheated gas several times the size of Earth have been discovered swirling like bathtub drains high above the planet. The vortices seem to suck high-energy particles from the Sun into Earth's otherwise protective magnetic shield. The finding should help solve a longstanding mystery." HUM! link here And: "Satellite photos of Mount Aratat [Ararat], Turkey taken by commercial imaging satellite company Digital Globe released today [Apr. 26] are said to contain proof of the existence of the biblical Noah's Ark. The images, revealed at a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. (see right), are said to reveal a man-made structure at the site where the Bible states the vessel came to rest. The claim was made by Daniel P. McGivern, president of Shamrock -- The Trinity Corporation, who according to a press release has been searching for the Ark for several years." link here to “April 26” heading) . 4. While on the subject of revealing ancient mysteries, "Authorities are hoping that DNA testing of animal bones discovered in excavations at the Qumran plateau will reveal the origins of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Archeologists believe the findings will resolve the debate sparked nearly half a century ago with the discovery of the biblical manuscripts in 11 separate caves on the shores of the Dead Sea. Prof. Oren Gutfield of Hebrew University, who participated in the excavations, is attempting to ascertain the relationship between the scrolls and their place of discovery," quoting the Jerusalem Post. link here . 5. And this: "Archaeologists have failed to learn the secrets of Mexico's largest ancient monument. Particle physicists might save the day, says Michael Hopkin [a reporter for Nature online]. . . . The project is the brainchild of researchers from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City, who hope to succeed where traditional archaeology has failed. Instead of taking up pickaxes and shovels to get at the pyramid's secrets, they will use their machine to detect the cosmic rays that continually pass through this mass of stone and dirt. With patience, the researchers believe, the rays will generate a picture of what is inside the monolith." link here (free registration required to access this article) . 6. A scientist from the Russian city of Voronezh invented a camera for taking pictures of the past and ghosts and shows this is possible, according to this February 2003 Pravda story. link here And this updated story from August 6, 2004: link here . 7. In follow-up to the recent KK story about human limb regeneration, science is striving to capture limb-making genes. "Gene engineers are looking to starfish for what could be the answer to the dreams of amputees – a gene that could regenerate lost limbs." link here . 8. Here is a lofty campaign from the UK titled "Campaigning for Safer Chemicals" which states "Everyday, tens of thousands of man-made chemicals are manufactured, used and released into the environment. They're in everything from soap and perfume to computers, TVs, furniture and paint. There's no mistaking they've made a huge contribution to modern life (this isn't an anti-chemicals campaign) but certain man-made chemicals present a global problem. Our Safer Chemicals campaign with leading environmental charity, WWF-UK [World Wildlife Federation, link here ] targets chemicals that are persistent (meaning they don't readily break down) and bioaccumulative (meaning they tend to build up in living things, particularly body fat). Persistent and bioaccumulative chemicals have been found to contaminate not only wildlife and the environment but ourselves, breast milk and the unborn child.” link here . 9. Ever thought where baby carrots come from? From this USA Today story, "Baby carrots aren't babies at all. They're grown-up carrots cut into 2-inch sections, pumped through water-filled pipes into whirling cement-mixer-size peelers and whittled down to the niblets Americans know, love and scarf down by the bagful." [Ed. Note: I did not know there was no such thing either.] link here And, the carrot quiz: link here . 10. KK readers know of my wife's organic, cotton, recyclable feminine hygeine pads (www.emapads.com). Now, here are some other organic fiber options for everyone, on these sites from the UK: A. "Greenfibres offers you goods & garments made from organic cotton, organic linen, hemp, organic wool, and untreated silk for women, men, children & babies." link here B. "Reducing the level of chemical inputs in cotton production has been motivated at the producers end by the need to lower production costs, the growing awareness of the environmental and health dangers of pesticides use, and rapidly increasing insecticide resistance problems. ( PAN UK 19/03/2003.)" link here . 11. Some sites that picture and list information on UFO black traingle ships: A. link here B. link here C. link here D. link here E. link here Kleiner's Korner does not endorse any of these sites, yet they are provided for informational purposes only. Always use your own knowingness and discernment.. 12. Mentioned previously here was global warming and its effects. Here are some other weather issues in the news recently: A. With Hurricane season upon the USA, here are some interesting facts about how these heat releasers from the oceans affect the US: link here click on links of interest to you in the "Hurricane Guide" box B. A good list and description of some of the USA's worst Hurricanes. Note that most of the major US Hurricanes listed here occurred in the last 15 years: link here And Hurricane information from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): link here C. "Scientists are beginning to accept that Earth has entered a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene, so named because humans have come to rival nature in their impact on the global environment. The EuroScience forum in Stockholm heard on Thursday [Aug. 26] that climate change was the most obvious of a complex range of man-made effects that is rapidly changing the physics, chemistry and biology of the planet," quoting this Financial Times story on MSNBC's site. link here D. Western drought is grounding boaters in Arizona lakes, according to this ESPN report: link here E. This writer knows many locals who have been focusing on wet weather here in Western Washington after one cloudless day after another, including our family! Our collective thoughts worked! "July might have been one of the driest months in South Sound history, but August is turning into one of the wettest. Just 0.03 inches of rain fell the entire month of July. But August 2004 might be one of the wettest since 1948, when the National Weather Service began tracking the statistics...As of 6:30 p.m. Wednesday [Aug. 25], 3.46 inches of rain have fallen in South Sound, well above the monthly average of a little more than 0.81 inches. Only three previous Augusts have seen more rain. Nearly 4 inches fell in 1975, and 4.17 inches came down two years later. The record is 5.45 inches in 1968," quoting The Olympian. link here then type "July might have been one of the driest months in South Sound history" in the Search bar, click "GO", then click "Yes, August has been extra wet" and note "rain by the numbers" . Of Note to all Current Ramtha School of Enlightenment (RSE) students: On Friday, Sept 3, JZ Knight will be interviewed by Contact Radio in the Arena from 9 am to 11 am. This will be a live remote broadcast. Any current student who wishes to be a part of the broadcast audience may attend at no charge. Gates will be open at 8 am and close PROMPTLY at 8:30. You must bring your student ID and show it at the door. The arena doors will close at 8:55. The out gate will be from 11 to 11:30 am and all students must leave at that time. link here Mentioned here previously was Sir Robert Jones book, “The Truth Behind Racism,” this landmark auto-biographical book on racism, which has now had coverage this week in the Nisqually Valley News. The NVN does not archive their online editions, so the abridged version from their website is quoted: "Rainier resident Sir Robert Jones, Jr., founder of the I Beat Dyslexia school, has self-published a book on racism. The book,'The Truth Behind Racism,' contains Jones’ thoughts on prejudice, and is also a life review that chronicles his childhood, as an African American youth growing up in Kansas City, through adulthood. 'I tell my life story,' he said. Published last year, it’s his second book, following 'I Beat Dyslexia, So Can You.' Jones postulates that people’s perceptions of themselves help fuel prejudice. He says that, during the many 16 years he’s lived in the Yelm area, he’s never experienced prejudice here. Jones said he believes that’s because he’s never let himself believe he’s a victim. 'My goal is to help people look at themselves,' he said, instead of pointing a finger at someone else." If you want to get a whole different perspective of this issue, order this book at: link here And: link here or the Ramtha website at: link here then type in "racism" in the search bar and click "Search" The complete story is on newstands now in the August 27, 2004 Nisqually Velley News (NVN): link here then scroll to "Not A Victim" . Of Local Note: Yelm Travel Manager Elizabeth Felix's picture is posted to this MSNBC story as she drills her dog Wesley during a dancing workshop in Portland, Ore., on April 17. The freestyle program mixes obedience, timing, music and even costumes. Congratulations to Elizabeth for being nationally acknowledged. link here . “What the #$BLEEP*! Do We Know!?” - the Movie, latest news: Now hear this: This little movie ranked number 34 in the August 20-22 weekend gross receipts in just 37 theaters nationwide. That placed the film ahead of Hollywood big budget films like The Stepford Wives and Around the World in Eighty Days and each in five times as many theaters. link here WHAT THE BLEEP IS GOING ON? And, what the bleep will happen when What the Bleep-the Movie goes into national distribution in September to over 100 theaters? scroll to NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION at: link here I mentioned previously for South Florida to stay tuned; What The Bleep would be coming. And, so it is, with a debut there at the Regal South Beach Cinema 18 on Lincoln Rd. in Miami Beach on October 8th: link here and scroll to Florida . Quote of the Week: "No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave." Calvin Coolidge 1872-1933 30th President of the USA . Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2004. For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on “Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives” at www.kleinerskorner.com Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com . Kleiner's Korner For Week of August 23, 2004 Dear KK readers; What was once seemingly "doomsday" talk or some New Age fanatical thinking is now becoming more known in the mainstream: the dangers of cell phone use. This writer and his wife did away with our cell phones years ago when a cell phone tower was under consideration for this area. How can one protest a cell phone tower and yet still have a cell phone? Lo and behold, we survived without them, and thrived! You can, too! – after all, didn’t you before you ever had a cell phone? The following list of items brings this issue to light. From FutureTech today, "You may or may not be aware that cell phones are miniature microwave transceivers. This means that they not only receive microwave radio signals but transmit them as well. Industry operators who sell or give tech support for cell phones and phone service seem to be trained to tell people that they have nothing to worry about when it comes to safety; they compare a cell phone to a ‘walkman’ or personal radio that tunes in a radio signal from a radio station. Since radios are safe - why not cell phones! They do the same thing, Right? Not exactly . . . ." Read on: link here Further, "Microwaves are a specific band in the Radio Frequency spectrum. Microwave ovens heat food with higher frequency microwaves than those used to transmit cell phones but the frequency is very close in some cases. The power levels in a microwave oven are much higher hence all the shielding that these ‘ovens’ have." link here Are "stealth" cell phone towers being placed in your neighborhood? [Ed. Note: Such as church steeples, road signs or water towers?] link here And: link here And more: link here link here link here Find out which cell phone models give off the most radiation, according to C/Net Reviews. link here 1. Is an average of $3.00 a gallon for gasoline in the USA a far out concept? This writer thinks not! Oil hit $49 a barrel on 8/19 “. . . as the threat of sabotage to Iraqi oil infrastructure loomed larger than promises from Baghdad to boost exports in coming days,” according to MSNBC. link here This writer hopes that US gasoline prices will go above the $2.50/gallon mark because then there would be greater incentives for conservation and hydrogen-based systems to take a foothold. "Oil spike has economy over a barrel- Even Saudi Arabia's intervention hasn't slowed the rise to record high prices in the petroleum market. And as oil goes, so goes the economy...Some analysts say oil could hit $50 a barrel," quoting the Chicago Tribune. [Ed. Note: That happened less than a week after this article was written! The slogan from a previous U. S. Presidential election opponent with an incumbent President Bush "It's The Economy, Stupid!" may ring true again! Remember 1992?] link here "We are finally running out of cheap gas - Good" by Mitchell Anderson reprinted from The Toronto Star is a compelling look at the birth pains now being felt around the world as we move from the Industrial Age into the Age of Potentials and how the "power plays" associated with oil have affected humanity. "As gas prices loft into the stratosphere, likely never to come down, we can expect to hear much doomsaying about how this will end the world as we know it. Let's hope so. Our long-standing addiction to cheap oil has cost us dearly in terms of health, global security, human rights and a changing climate. It has also long stifled investment and innovation in alternative energy sources and technologies. Maybe we should look at expensive gas as an opportunity rather than a crisis...When it comes to cheap oil, the developed world has been like a bad drunk on a bender. Thank God the booze is running out.." link here . 2. Speaking of Iraqi oil, although political discourse has been something I have mostly avoided here for the last year, this item deserves to be shared with the world, in this writers opinion: From his book, "A World Transformed", link here which George Bush, Sr. [Bush 41] penned more than five years ago, he wrote the following to explain why he chose to leave Saddam Hussein in power at the end of the Gulf War, "Trying to eliminate Saddam, extending the ground war into an occupation of Iraq, would have violated our guideline about not changing objectives in midstream, engaging in 'mission creep,' and would have incurred incalculable human and political costs. Apprehending him was probably impossible. We had been unable to find Noriega in Panama, which we knew intimately. We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq. The coalition would instantly have collapsed, the Arabs deserting it in anger and other allies pulling out as well. Under the circumstances, there was no viable 'exit strategy' we could see, violating another of our principles. Furthermore, we had been self-consciously trying to set a pattern for handling aggression in the post-Cold War world. Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the United Nations' mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression that we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the United States could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land. It would have been a dramatically different — and perhaps barren — outcome." [Ed. Note: HUM! If only Bush 43 would have read Bush 41's book!] link here . 3. You know things are ripe for change in the environmental preservation scene when 'Big Business' sees big profit potentials in endeavors to reverse the global warming trend . . . a condition which has been caused mostly due to many 'Big Business' practices in the first place, along with consumer consensus and hefty doses of greed, ignorance, laziness and stupidity. Nowhere was this more evident than on American magazine shelves last week as three titans in the business magazine world ran articles on the adverse effects of man on the environment: A. From BusinessWeek’s August 16th cover story: "Global Warming–Why Business Is Taking It So Seriously." link here Subscribers can view these BW articles on Global Warming: link here B. US News Special Report on the oceans: link here And further from US News: "Warming oceans, depleted fish stocks, dirty water--they set the stage for a jellyfish invasion" link here The series of US News articles in their August 16th issue: link here C. FORTUNE Magazine's Cover Story "How to Kick the Oil Habit --Gas prices are soaring, pipelines are burning, oil supplies are tight. Here are four ways to fix the mess before the well runs dry." Full article requires subsrciption link here "Oil Prices Are Spiking—Has Supply Hit Its Peak? The rate of oil discovery worldwide has been in decline for decades." link here . 4. "Researchers in the US and Greece have invented a reactor that can produce hydrogen from ethanol. Lanny Schmidt of the University of Minnesota, Xenephon Verykios of the University of Patras and co-workers say their reactor is both efficient and cost-effective, and that it represents a major step towards a realistic ‘hydrogen economy’. It could be employed in small fuel cells capable of generating enough hydrogen for 350 Watt-hours of electricity," quoting PhysicsWeb.com. link here . 5. Speaking of Greece, any visitor to Athens is moved by the Acropolis, the hill so called the "Sacred Rock" of Athens. Perched there is the Parthenon, the most recognizable of the structures from afar. The venue of the 2004 Olympic Games gives the world an opportunity to focus on the tremendous restoration of this ancient wonder. The Parthenon was built between 447 and 438 B.C. Here is a detailed website about this amazing work: link here And the restoration projects: link here And this from PBS: link here . 6. Follow-up to the supervolcano and caldera stories KK ran earlier this year: "Over the past two million years, the Yellowstone supervolcano has erupted every 600,000 years. It was 640,000 years ago when it last exploded. Another eruption, geologically speaking, is therefore, threatening. Five miles beneath Yellowstone, lies an immense pool of red hot magma. Fed from the Earth's mantle, it has been growing. This reservoir of magma and gas is now 31 miles long, 19 miles wide, and six miles deep. The building pressures must be enormous. The Yellowstone ‘hot spot’ is considered the foundation of a rare ‘supervolcano’. It is estimated that a supervolcano would erupt with the power at least 1000 times greater than that of an 'ordinary' volcano," quoting earthside.com link here . 7. Follow-up: "NASA officials Tuesday [Aug 10] described plans to press ahead with a robotic rescue of the aging Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble's batteries and stabilizing gyroscopes are expected to fail by 2008, and the possibility of repair has been in question for months. Tuesday's announcement, discussed at a telephone briefing, shows that the robotic rescue of Hubble has passed a series of summer reviews at NASA. ‘We believe this can be done in the next 3½ years,’ NASA associate administrator Al Diaz says. ‘Six months ago, we had not considered this a viable alternative,’” quoting USA Today. link here . 8. "Mothers who think they have longer to live are more likely to give birth to boys than girls, a survey of British women shows. The finding backs up the long-held theory that women may unwittingly be able to influence the sex of their unborn child, " from Nature.com. [Ed. Note: HUM! This could imply that if a woman wants to influence the likelihood of having a girl, she must believe she will die sooner!] link here . 9. Mental illness can be a debilitating situation and has been mostly ignored in the USA for decades. Now, ". . . President Bush plans to unveil a broad new mental health plan called the 'New Freedom Initiative’. . . . The New Freedom Initiative proposes to screen every American, including you, for mental illness. To this end, the president established a New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, to study the nation’s mental health delivery service and make a report. It’s interesting to note that many on the staff appointed to the Commission have served on the advisory boards of some of the nation’s largest drug companies," according to an article that comes from Intervention Magazine. [Ed. Note: I wish I could say this idea sounds promising, however, coming from this Administration, this smells like Big Brother's hand to me!] link here . 10. "Tim Berners-Lee, the London-born scientist who invented the World Wide Web, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II on Friday, July 16, 2004. He received the knighthood in recognition of his services to the development of the Internet through the invention of the Web, a system to organize, link and browse pages on the Internet. The Queen made the 49-year-old scientist a knight commander, the second-highest rank of the Order of the British Empire, in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Dubbed the ‘Father of the Web’, he came up with a system over 10 years ago to organize, link and browse net pages. The famously modest man said he was 'quite an ordinary person', and although it felt strange, he was 'honored'. Sir Tim was recently reunited with the machine he used to invent the web when he e-mailed 80 schools from the UN's summit on the information society," quoting this article. link here For more information on and interview with Tim Berners-Lee: link here . 11. "Cement shortage hits US housing boom" reads the title to this Christian Science Monitor story. "Construction demands in China are one factor crimping global cement supplies and affecting 29 US states." [Ed. Note: I experienced this very issue recently as sand for mixing cement for our new home was in short supply and restricted for purchase. Listening to local home supply stores, prices on construction goods have risen because of the huge amount of building supplies going to Iraq.] link here . 12. Everyone in the Pacific Northwest knows this summer's string of cloudless days and dryness has been one for the record books. "The archery season for deer begins Sept. 1 here, but some of the most popular -- and productive—private timberlands will probably remain off-limits to hunters. . . . The Weyerhaeuser Co. has closed the huge Vail Tree Farm to all visitors because of the hot, dry conditions and extreme fire danger, said Julie Keough, land-use manager. . . . ’It’s just too dry—everything is just crunchy.’ Vail’s 175,000 acres [near the Yelm/Rainier areas] have some of the best deer hunting in Western Washington, but the company can’t risk millions of dollars worth of trees, Keough said,” quoting The Olympian. link here . Of Local Note: Ed. Note: A KK reader wrote suggesting this fabulous idea: Do you think that there would be some way to link the Yelm area into the Lewis & Clark initiative, with Yelm's close proximity to the end of the Lewis and Clark Trail in Washington State, of which this initiative was recently mentioned here? link here Here is the Lewis & Clark Experience site for Washington State: link here For example, could the site proposed in Yelm for the NASCAR track be proposed as a tourist and children’s educational center associated with a Lewis & Clark natural history focus? (the National Parks Service calls educational centers ‘Interpretive Centers.’ The left column of this site, link here , lists the Lewis & Clark Trail Interpretive Centers. As KK readers are likely aware, the first woman to climb Mt. Rainier was a schoolteacher from Yelm, Fay Fuller in 1890: (Hum! and Washington's two Senators are women, also). link here (see heading “Early Explorers and Climbers”). This NASCAR issue seems like an opportunity for a beautiful, more environmental-friendly and powerful overlay, which would nurture and preserve the Greater Yelm Community, provide jobs, educational resources for children (e.g., computers and learning tools at the "Yelm-Rainier Lewis & Clark Natural History Center"), and increased commerce for local businesses and at a manageable, yet profitable pace. Consider this option! . Correction: An astute KK reader, who is also a medical doctor, wrote the following letter to USA Today and copied this writer in regards to item 12. reported in last week's KK. “The 08/15/2004 USA Today article on page 7A, “Cuba pursues a 120-year-old future”, states that in Cuba, “The infant-mortality rate is 6.45 out of 1,000 live births, not far behind the USA, where it's 6.63.” A higher mortality rate--for infants, or anyone--is obviously less favorable. Note then that an infant mortality rate (IMR) of 6.45 means that Cuba is actually AHEAD of (or better than) the USA IMR of 6.63 reported in your article. As you can see by the chart below, in many American cities, the infant-mortality rate is much higher than Cuba and the US national average: link here . Indeed, the figure of 6.63 (source: CIA The World Factbook 2004) for the USA infant mortality rate is a questionable choice, considering that the 2/11/2004 USA Today article, “Infant mortality rate increases for the first time in four decades” states, “Still, the 2002 infant mortality rate — “7 per 1,000 live births” — is a significant improvement from 1958, when there were more than 29 deaths per 1,000 live births.” This number is more consistent with the data (see Table A below) presented in the US National Vital Statistics Reports (Vol. 51, No. 5, March 14, 2003). link here then scroll down to page 3." . Quote of the Week: "I have said this before, but I shall say it again and again and again: Your boys are not going to be sent into any foreign wars." Franklin D. Roosevelt 1882-1945 32nd President of the United States Speech in Boston, 30 October 1940, in "Public Papers" (1941) vol 9, p. 517. Cf. Johnson 367:10 "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed." George W. Bush 1946- 43rd President of the United States Speech aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, at sea off California, 01 May, 2003, The White House news releases . Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2004. For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on “Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives” at www.kleinerskorner.com Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com . Kleiner's Korner for Week of August 16, 2004 YES! Congratulations to Will Arntz, Betsy Chase & Mark Vicente on their achievements with the film “What the Bleep Do We Know”, heralded here for nigh 3 months now. Kleiner’s Korner readers worldwide have heard the evolution and touching stories of this film. Now, none other than TIME Magazine has weighed in on this phenomenon! link here (registration & purchase is required for access to complete article) 1. "One of the most fascinating and mysterious features of the human mind is its capacity to house striking abilities and profound disabilities in the same person -- as [CBS 60 Minutes] Correspondent Lesley Stahl found out last fall in a then-8-year-old boy named Rex. Rex Lewis-Clack was born with an array of problems so extreme it looked as though he might never walk, talk, or do much of anything. And yet he has a talent the rest of us can only dream of," from the 60 Minutes website. This story was rebroadcast August 1, and is a fabulous example of excellence in journalism. link here . 2. "Satellites in low-Earth orbit over Southern Africa are already showing signs of radiation damage. . . . This forthcoming revolution is a reversal in the Earth's magnetic field, an event that occurs every 500,000 years or so. . . . the decay in the Earth's magnetic field was becoming increasingly apparent in "the South Atlantic anomaly", a huge deviation in the Earth's magnetic field discovered with the help of the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory. This month, the European Space Agency (ESA) approved a multimillion-euro space mission, called Swarm, to measure the anomaly, which stretches from Southern Africa towards South America," from the Sunday Times (South Africa). link here . 3. NASA launched a messenger to Mercury on Tuesday [Aug. 3], the first spacecraft in 30 years to head to the sun's closest planet. If all goes well, come 2011, Messenger will be the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury. link here MESSENGER, link here an acronym for MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging, is the first NASA spacecraft to Mercury since Mariner 10 passed by the planet three times between 1974 and 1975. link here And, this from NASA.gov link here . 4. "A new theory invokes the common rubber band in an attempt to explain dark energy, a mysterious force causing the universe to expand at an ever-increasing pace. Scientists discovered in the late 1990s that galaxies were not just receding from each other, but doing so at an accelerating rate. Dark energy was conjured to explain the antigravity that must be at work. Nobody knows if the force is generated from within the universe or if it's an outside effect. The new idea links dark energy to neutrinos, subatomic particles that rarely interact with other matter but which were recently found to have a minute amount of mass. Neutrinos are generated in the sun and other stars and were also a product of the Big Bang. They pass through your house, your body and even the earth constantly. Conventional theory holds that neutrino mass does not change over time. In the new theory, neutrinos gain mass when given some room," quoting this Space.com story which demands our attention. link here . 5. Follow-up on the story reported previously about the teleportation of an atom ("Otago University physicist Dr Murray Barrett and a team of American scientists have just ‘teleported’ the state of an atom from one place to another - only about 0.3 mm away, but the principle has been established, " NZ Herald.), I thought this update fascinating, from the July 24th New Zealand Herald. link here . 6. From the Seattle Times, "An odd event is happening this year that will have salmon anglers blushing with delight. Pink salmon, which usually return during odd-numbered years in local rivers, are streaming into the Snohomish river system, and the first-time fishery opens today [August 1]. . . . Fisheries biologists first noticed an even-year pink run in the Snohomish river system back in 1978, and since then the return rate has soared. . . . The Snohomish system is the sole river in the United States south of Alaska to host an even year of pinks, but they are not uncommon in parts of British Columbia and Alaska." [Ed. Note: This occurrence is good news from an area of Nature which is under assault from humanity's polluting practices.] link here And speaking of assaults on Nature, "The Bush administration yesterday [July 29] made it easier for the government to approve pesticides used by farmers and homeowners, saying it no longer would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to first consult other federal agencies to determine whether a product could harm endangered species. The change affects federal regulations that carry out the Endangered Species Act, a law that protects about 1,200 threatened animals and plants. . . . Conservationists attacked the rule change as another example of the Bush administration weakening protections for endangered species, including Northwest salmon that are sensitive to low levels of some pesticides. . . . The EPA now will be free to approve pesticides without consulting wildlife agencies on their possible harm to endangered species, such as the peregrine falcons," from the Seattle Times. [Ed. Note: Strike another blow to Nature from President Bush's Administration! Chalk up another one for corporate interests winning out over respect for and preservation of Nature.] Further from this article, "The Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group that has repeatedly sued the government to force species protection, reported this week that pesticides aggravate the plight of nearly a third of all threatened and endangered species." link here . 7. In a follow-up to the story about Ron Reagan, Jr. speaking in favor of stem cell research to the Democratic National Convention in Boston, MSNBC reports, "First lady Laura Bush defended her husband’s policy on embryonic stem cell research Monday [Aug. 9], calling Democratic rival John Kerry’s criticism ‘ridiculous’ and accusing proponents of overstating the potential for medical breakthroughs." link here Quoting Jay Leno, "First Lady Laura Bush said that people shouldn't be saying the benefits from stem-cell research are ‘right around the corner’ because it gives people false hope. Then later, her husband said that the economic recovery is 'right around the corner’.” This was quoted from the Laughlines section of the August 10 USA Today; however, this quote is no longer accessible there. Other Jay Leno monologue quotes can be found at: link here This cartoon from Nick Anderson Cartoons titled "The Other Reagan Revolution" says it all on this subject: link here . 8. The American spirit is still alive, evidenced by regular citizens using their know-how in attempts to launch a rocket into space, and not leaving that venture only to governments, militaries and corporations. "Two young men vowed Monday [Aug 9] to keep trying to launch a manned rocket into space although their craft, with three test dummies aboard, blew up shortly after lift-off over the US Pacific coast. Phillip Storm and Eric Meier, presidents of Space Transport Corp., are vying for a 10 million-dollar Ansari X Prize, to the first group to send into space a privately-funded craft carrying three people twice within two weeks," from Space Daily. link here . 9. KK readers have certainly read here about the broken promise of Candidate George W. Bush four years ago to not use Yucca Mt., NV as a nuclear waste storage site. Now, Presidential Candidate John Kerry is bringing this issue to the forefront. Quoting USA Today, "If elected, Kerry said, he'll order the National Academy of Sciences to work with other nations on studying ways to store the spent fuel without leaking lethal radiation into water supplies." [Ed. Note: I intend NO political discourse here, rather, desire to note how the Yucca Mt. issue might be supposedly dealt with if there is a change in White House occupant come November.] link here Further, "Nebraska will pay $141 million plus interest for blocking efforts to build a nuclear waste dump within its borders, but will not be obligated to host a site under terms of a settlement accepted Monday [Aug 9] by a five-state compact that includes Oklahoma. Member states of the Central Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact Commission voted 3-1 to accept the settlement. Kansas voted ‘no’ and Nebraska could not vote. . . . Nebraska officials argued that they didn't license the dump because of concerns about possible pollution and a high-water table at the proposed site," from this AP story. link here . 10. "Bystanders performing CPR and using automated external defibrillators (AEDs) save as many cardiac arrest victims as highly trained paramedics — and send more of them home with normal brain function, according to research out today [Aug. 12]. The findings, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, may lead to sweeping changes in the way emergency medical systems across the nation allocate resources, experts say," quoting this USA Today story. link here . 11. Stocking-up for emergencies is now mainstream news and is not just for the "doomsday" crowd, as evidenced by this fabulous article in USA Today on August 13 titled "Be prepared for emergency--stocking up doesn't have to break the bank." This article includes pertinent suggestions and websites regarding emergency kits. link here For more information, check out these sites: The Red Cross link here The US Dept. of Homeland Security link here The NYC Office of Emergency Mgt. link here The America Prepared Campaign link here . 12. Regardless of your or your government's opinion of Cuban Dictator Fidel Castro, one has to admit that to begin a program to have his people focus on living to 120 years of age is unique in all the world. That's just what was unveiled on the dictator’s 78th birthday last week [Aug 13]. [Ed. Note: Has your President or Prime Minister suggested this to you in your country?] link here . Of Local Note: If you had not previously seen my Letter to the Editor sent to The Olympian and the Nisqually Valley News from last week concerning local officials pursuing a NASCAR proposal without public comment, scroll down to the August 8, 2004 Special Ediiton of Kleiner's Korner. Mayor Sherrie O'Dell of Rainier has now withdrawn her support of the track proposal until more studies are done. [Ed. Note: This is exactly the response desired on the part of government officials---to gather all information possible BEFORE reaching a conclusion!] . Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2004. For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on “Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives” at www.kleinerskorner.com Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com . Kleiner's Korner for Week of August 9, 2004 Some of you have written to say that you are unable to open some of the KK links. This is most likely due to your server inhibiting you from doing so on your end. All links are active on the date of that week’s KK. If you are having difficulty accessing a link, go to the website where all KK’s are archived and attempt to open them from there: link here If you are still not able to open them, let me know. 1. I predicted here in the KK that "What the Bleep" would be national by Christmas. Seems like I was a bit tardy--try September: " No matter where the "Bleep" opens, it sells out and then plays for weeks. The sell-outs have confounded and interested distributors to the point that "What the Bleep Do We Know!?" has partnered with a major distributor,Samuel Goldwyn/Roadside Attractions, who is booking theaters around the country for the "What the Bleep" National Release in September!" link here Calling the “What The Bleep” movie ‘Brain Candy’, [Ed. Note: I like that description. It fits!] San Francisco based website SPLICEDwire says, "It's a film that fires the mind with scores of terrific, circular scientific quandaries, such as the fact that experiencing, remembering and imagining an event all trigger the exact same signals in the exact same areas of the brain." link here , then click "What the #$*!" San Francisco Weekly says, "Bring your eager hypothalamus and your tuned-up frontal lobes with you. They'll get a workout." link here Now held over in Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Encincitas, Palm Springs, Durango, Aspen, Hawaii, Portland & Bend(Or.), Tempe, Tucson and for an incredible 12 weeks in Seattle! link here My former domicile of San Francisco has also embraced this film with a "blast" of a review: link here . 2. How would you like to wake up and find that your tap water (if not from your own private well) has traces of drugs in it? Well, that’s just the report out this week in Scotsman.com: “Britons could unwittingly be swallowing traces of anti-depressant Prozac and other drugs in drinking water, according to a report released today [Aug 8]. Environmentalists have labelled the situation ‘hidden mass medication of the unsuspecting public’ after the study states pharmaceutical residues can travel through the sewage system and end up in the ‘aquatic environment’. The levels of any such residue is unknown, and the Environment Agency has called on the drugs industry to prove its products are unlikely to cause significant harm to the environment.” link here And, from Reuters: link here Yikes, and here is a report that statins, a medication, are being considered for addition to drinking water for all of England. From this BBC report, “Doctors have known for a long time that statins reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease - the biggest cause of death in the UK. Studies show they can cut the risk of a heart attack and stroke by a third. Statins are given to patients who are known to be at high risk of heart disease, such as those with inherited high cholesterol or people who have already had a heart attack. This is called secondary prevention. . . . But is the threat of cardiovascular disease so great that statins may as well be added to the water supply? This was the debate held recently by doctors at the annual meeting of Heart UK - a patient and science charity for cholesterol.” And this from Professor Sanders, a nutritionist at King's College, London, and Nutrition Director for Heart UK, “Putting drugs in the drinking water is medicalisation of human activity. It's wrong. You convert people into patients.” link here Hum . . . and another report from Oct, 2000, “Drugs and personal care products that are excreted from or washed off the body naturally end up in the sewage that flows into sewer systems and septic tanks, but where do they go from there? Scientists are beginning to monitor the extent of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in the aquatic environment and their consequences. What they’re finding is that, through leaching from septic tanks and escaping intact through sewage treatment processes, some of these substances are ending up back in the drinking water.” link here And, link here Further, “Researchers at the University of Missouri-Rolla have found removing antibiotic drugs and other medicines from drinking water supplies could be easier than it first appears. It is likely that water treatment plant operators can cut trace levels of pharmaceuticals that get through sewage treatment systems by adjusting amounts of activated charcoal and chlorine now used to purify water. Water treatment plant operators might not have to worry about needing new, expensive technology to rid water of drugs if levels of such substances are regulated in the future, “ from Water Quality Management. link here . 3. For those of you interested in the study of Cicero and his daughter, here is an interesting quote from this site: “In April 1485, workmen quarrying for marble near the old Appian Way in Rome, Italy made a strange discovery. They broke into an underground chamber with ‘walls of smooth stone’ that was ‘illuminated by a bright lampada (lamp) cool to the touch.’ They also discovered the body of a black-haired teenaged girl in unfamiliar clothing. Among those who visited the mysterious crypt was Bartolomeo Fonte, a Renaissance artist from Firenze (Florence). He described the find in a letter to his friend, Francesco Sassetti. ‘They discovered there a marble sarcophagus. On opening it they found a body on its back covered by a substance two inches thick, greasy and perfumed. The oforous crust was removed beginning at the head, there appeared to them a face of such limpid paleness it seemed as if the young lady had been buried that day. Her long black hair still hung from her skull, parted and knotted to suit a young girl and fastened in a little net of silk and gold.’” link here , then scroll to: 1485: CICERO’S DAUGHTER (about three quarters of the way down the page.) . 4. The July 12th KK (#4) included a story about how the bottom of the food chain, ocean krill, are being killed by increased UV radiation in the oceans. In follow-up, DISCOVER Magazine has a fabulous story about what science is understanding about sea plankton, which is food for krill. link here . 5. An endangered Woodland Caribou calf was born at Northwest Trek animal park in rural Pierce County on June 30th. Other babies have been born there of late, including big four bison calves and five bighorn lambs. link here . 6. KK previously reported about rocket fuel showing up in California grown lettuce. Now, "Milk from cows raised in some parts of California may expose infants and children to more of a toxic rocket fuel chemical than is considered safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the State of Massachusetts, according to unreleased tests by state agriculture officials and independent laboratory tests commissioned by Environmental Working Group (EWG)," reported by Environmental Working Group. link here . 7. "Francis H. C. Crick, co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, the genetic blueprint for life, and the leading molecular biologist of his age, died on Wednesday night [July 29] in a hospital in San Diego. He was 88. . . . Dr. Crick laid the foundations of molecular biology in a sustained burst of creativity that began in 1953 with the discovery of the structure of DNA, the hereditary material, in Cambridge, England, and ended about 13 years later with the subject's primary problems solved, most of them either by Dr. Crick or by scientists in his circle. The discovery of the structure of DNA resolved longstanding questions about the nature of the hereditary material and the manner in which it is copied as one generation succeeds another. The proposal for the structure, almost immediately accepted, was electrifying to scientists not only because of its inherent elegance but also because it showed how biology, evolution and the nature of life itself could ultimately be explained in terms of physics and chemistry," according to this New York Times story. link here (for access to the entire article, it must be purchased.) And: link here . 8. "At more than $6,000 a month for a few square feet, it may be the most expensive real estate in New York. The thin sliver of space on top of lampposts, traffic signals and highway signs is where the city plans to allow telecommunications companies to put cellphone antennas and Internet transmitters. The plan, which will add about $21.3 million to city coffers, will improve spotty cellphone reception - and turn many intersections into wireless Internet ‘hot spots’. But, city officials say, it will also help those who cannot afford regular telephone service, by providing a cheaper option, through wireless Internet-based access, in neighborhoods with the fewest connections to the phone network." [Ed. Note: Now this is a brilliant observation from a city council member.] "Opponents of the plan say that the only thing the antennas will bring is an increased health risk. ‘We have no idea what dangers are posed by the concentration of these devices,’ said Councilman Peter F. Vallone Jr. of Queens, explaining that the city does not keep records of the numbers or locations of the antennas already in the city. ‘They keep saying that these things are less dangerous than microwave ovens,’ Mr. Vallone said, ‘but no one has a microwave running 24/7, right next to their bedroom window,’" quoting The New York Times. link here (for access to the entire article, it must be purchased.) . 9. Kleiner's Korner received an e-mail from a reader about the differences between butter vs. margarine and the risks of consuming margarine. So, this writer decided to "check it out", as it were, with this hoax verification site. [Ed. Note: Yikes! If you have not stopped using margarine, you may want to reconsider that option. The detriments of margarine has been known by this writer for years. I use clarified butter, known as ghee.] Here is the story: ttp://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/butter.asp . 10. I recently mentioned The Water Car, which runs on water! KK ran a story last year about the Air Car. A reader sent me this link recently, so a rerun is in order for you new subscribers to KK. From the website, "Inventor Guy Négre has developed a car capable of a top speed of 110 km/h [68.35 mls/hr], 300 kilometres [186.4 miles] on one tank of fuel and at a cost of just a penny per kilometre. All of this at 'zero pollution'. In fact the car cleans the air it uses!" link here . 11. HUM! In follow-up to the time traveler story in KK recently, did you see this story from the December 8, 2003 edition of the Russian publication Pravda titled "Foreseeing the Future" about time travelers? [Ed. Note: This is an interesting article, yet some of you may not believe. AH! The only detriment to any potential is a closed mind!] link here And, from the January 3, 2004 Pravda story titled "Time Can be Turned Back", this article states, "Eight years ago, American and British scientists who conducted investigations in Antarctica made a sensational discovery. US physicist Mariann McLein told the researchers noticed some spinning gray fog in the sky over the pole on January 27 which they believed to be just ordinary sandstorm. However, the gray fog did not change the form and did not move in the course of time. The researchers decided to investigate the phenomenon and launched a weather balloon with equipment capable to register the wind speed, the temperature and the air moisture. But the weather balloon soared upwards and immediately disappeared. In a little while, the researchers brought the weather balloon back to the ground with the help of a rope attached to it before. They were extremely surprised to see that a chronometer set in the weather balloon displayed the date of January 27, 1965, the same day 30 years ago. The experiment was repeated several times after the researchers found out the equipment was in good repair. But each time the watch was back it displayed the past time. The phenomenon was called ‘the time gate’ and was reported to the White House." link here . 12. In response to recent KK stories, I received two letters dated July 14th, 2004 from Washington Senator Maria Cantwell's office, and I quote the first paragraph of each: A. "Dear Mr. Klein: I am excited to report to you that on July 14, 2004 the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources passed my bill to create a Lewis and Clark National Historic Park. The next step for my legislation is a vote by the full Senate." Here is the Press Release issued by her office on July 14th: link here Here is the site for the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail: link here B. "Dear Mr. Klein: I am excited to report to you that on Wednesday July 14, 2004 the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on which I serve passed a bill to expand Mount Rainier National Park, a goal I have been working hard on all year. The expansion plans have been successful because of a bipartisan effort: Senator Patty Murray and I introduced a bill to expand the park in February, and Representative Jennifer Dunn introduced nearly identical legislation in the House of Representatives." Here is the press release issued by her office on July 14th: link here Here is the site for Mt. Rainier National Park: link here . Of Local Note: With the Yelm area citizenry engaging in public about the merits/detriments of a proposal for a NASCAR track to be located here, another threat is knocking at Yelm's door – Wal-Mart – as they are looking at local acreage, mentioned here recently. Wal-Mart was named "Sweatshop of the Year" in 2003. Wal-Mart has a sex-discrimination lawsuit against them that has become the largest private civil rights case in U.S. history. They historically force smaller businesses in small towns to close their doors. Yelm is within 20 miles of two already existing Wal-Marts (Lacey & Graham). Here are some sites to consider and keep in the forefront of discussion along with the NASCAR issue: Wal-marts record in 2003: link here "Wal-Mart Milks Taxpayers" by Jim Hightower: link here "The Wal-Mart You Don't Know" link here Wal-Mart Watch gives you the latest breaking news: link here The Wal-Mart Litigation Project is an effort to gather, refine and market information about lawsuits against Wal-Mart. The term ‘Wal-Mart’ includes Sam's Club, and the company's captive insurer as well. link here And from PBS, "Store Wars, When Wal-Mart Comes to Town" link here Be aware! . Quote of the Week: "There's a lot more business out there in small town America than I ever dreamed of." Sam Walton 1918-1992 Founder of Bentonville, AR USA based Wal-Mart Stores . Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2004. For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on “Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives” at www.kleinerskorner.com Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com . Kleiner's Korner Special Edition, August 8, 2004 Many people have asked to read my letter to the local papers and NASCAR/ISC officials, so I print it here. Observations about the Finish line Committee's proposal to ISC for a NASCAR track in Yelm: Fact #1: The Finish Line Committee's proposal is a private one, quoting Margaret Clapp's Letter to the Editor in the July 30th Nisqually Valley News, and I quote: "We sent our privately sponsored proposal to ISC informing them of the Yelm site." Question: Why is Adam Rivas representing himself as the Mayor of Yelm, instead of Adam Rivas, private citizen, if this is a private proposal? Wouldn't the citizens of Yelm and the Yelm City Council see this as a conflict of interest? I pose the same question to the Mayors of Roy and Rainier, also on the Finish Line Committee? Fact #2: The Finish Line Committee has publicly stated that their's is a private proposal, yet the opening line of their proposal to ISC states, and I quote, "The community of Yelm, Washington located in Thurston County is pleased to submit this proposal for your consideration." "Community" is defined by Webster's as: "Society as a whole; the public" Question: If the opening line the Finish Line Committee presents to ISC is a community invitation, why has this proposal excluded "Society as a whole; the public." Fact #3: Quoting Jim Szymanski from his Sunday, August 1 Olympian article: "Those who made the bid felt a hearing would be premature and did not schedule a public meeting about the issue." Question: Why would a hearing be premature, yet the Committee presents their proposal at the invitation of the community? Fact #4: All of the members of the Finish Line Committee are Corporate Presidents or Owners, Mayors/Tribal Leaders, and Chamber of Commerce/EDC/Visitor Bureau officials. There is NOT one local Yelm area "Blue Collar" type person on this committee that is representative of Yelm's John Q. public who also owns a house and lives here with their family, yet does not own a business or is involved in city/county affairs. Question: If this was presented to ISC at the invitation of the Yelm community, then shouldn't we, the area citizens who are non-city/county officials and non-corporate heads or owners, demand representation on the Finish Line Committee, so that at least 10-25% of the Finish Line Committee is represented by us? Wouldn't that have built bridges for all citizens to have a representation for each point of view on this issue? Isn't the job of the Mayor to insure all of his constituents have a voice in their community, rather than dividing the community by joining a private committee of corporate, EDC types and special interests alone, excluding everyone else? Fact #5: The Yelm Chamber of Commerce sponsored the Yelm Vision Plan of January 5, 1995 which was created with community raised funds from a 1994 Chamber of Commerce effort. I quote several sections of this Plan, available to the public from Yelm City Hall and the Yelm Timberland Library: Part II. Goals and Policies (page 6, section a): a. Attract clean industry by providing large parcels suitable for development and supporting infrastructure. Seek out potential businesses to locate in Yelm's industrial areas." Build community pride and involvement: d. Encourage better coordination between public and private interests. Upgrade Yelm's image and identity: Determine a town character for Yelm that builds on the following ideas: f. "Connection to Nature" idea. Part III. Strategic Redevelopment Concept b. clean job-creating industries Question: Has the January 5, 1995 Yelm Vision Statement been changed? If the answer is NO, then why does the Yelm Chamber of Commerce have three of its members on the Finish Line Committee, including Mr. Cunningham representing the Yelm Chamber's EDC? These members are part of a private proposal that goes against that Yelm Chamber sponsored Yelm Vision Plan. If the Yelm Vision Plan has been changed, why was the public NOT notified! Also, 1. The proposed NASCAR site is NOT located in the industrial area of Yelm as outlined on the Yelm Vision Plan. 2. There has been no community pride and involvement that encourages better coordination between public and private interests. 3. The Finish Line Committee's proposal is not a "Connection to Nature" idea. 4. Any reasonable person would have to acknowledge that NASCAR is NOT a clean industry, what with its noise, pollution and traffic. I challenge the local city and county officials, the Finish Line Committee and the newspapers to delve into answering these questions? Stephen R. Klein P. O. Box 201 McKenna, WA. 98558 360-458-4422 . Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2004. For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on “Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives” at www.kleinerskorner.com Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com . Kleiner's Korner for Week of August 2, 2004 Follow-up: Ron Reagan, Jr., son of the former President, gave a rousing speech on the stem cell issue and highlighted the differences between the US political parties on such, as this prominent Republican family name was presented at the Democratic National Convention in Boston last week. Here is the text of that speech. link here Or: link here [Ed. Note: The telling quote from his speech to Democrats and the nation: "In a few months, we will face a choice. Yes, between two candidates and two parties, but more than that. We have a chance to take a giant stride forward for the good of all humanity. We can choose between the future and the past, between reason and ignorance, between true compassion and mere ideology. This is our moment, and we must not falter. Whatever else you do come November 2nd, I urge you, please, cast a vote for embryonic stem cell research." Hum! "...cast a vote for embryonic stem cell research," to me means vote Democratic . . . and this coming from a Republican family! I like someone who steps out of their box and moves above party to espouse convictions!] If you haven't seen Ron Reagan's assessment on the son of his father's Vice-President, read this that he penned for Esquire, titled "The Case Against George W. Bush" Mr. reagan lives in Seattle: link here 1. Continuing with important news on this subject is this recent story. "ViaCell, Inc., a cellular therapy company dedicated to enabling the widespread application of human cells as medicine, and the International NETCORD Foundation, the leading international network of public umbilical cord blood banks, today announced the publication of a peer-reviewed article in The Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM). For the first time, using novel cells found in human umbilical cord blood, researchers have shown the ability to grow bone, cartilage, hematopoietic (blood), neural, liver and heart tissue in in vivo studies. The article is entitled, "A new human somatic stem cell from placental cord blood with intrinsic pluripotent differentiation potential" and is available in the July 19, 2004 issue, vol. 200, no. 2, of JEM," quoting the PharmaLive website. link here And, for those of you wishing to see the JEM abstract on this story, link here . 2. Also in the "science of the human body" department, "Johns Hopkins researchers report that once a growing nerve 'tastes' a certain protein, it loses its 'appetite' for other proteins and follows the tasty crumbs to reach its final destination. The finding in mice, reported in the July 23 issue of Cell, appears to help explain how nerves connect to their targets and stop growing once there, a process important for the normal development of mouse and man," quoting the source: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. link here And here is the link to Cell online: link here . 3. The Western U. S. is in a 5 year drought that could last 10 or more years. Even the cloudy Pacific Northwest has been sun-parched this summer with very few cloudy days. As such, water needs are outstripping supply as Western cities grow at prodigious rates. Western USA cities are looking at any and all ideas in order to fulfill their water needs, as outlined in this USA Today article last week: link here July recorded several record high temperatures around Western Washington; in addition, July has been one of the driest on record, with Olympia Municipal Airport reporting .03 inches of rain. [Ed. Note: Rain! try spit!] For the year to date, this area is 9 inches below, or 30% behind, normal in rainfall. link here Speaking of heat, this study will make everyone pause and think about humanity's effects on the environment since the Industrial Age dawned. "Flowering plants in Boston's Arnold Arboretum are blossoming about a week earlier than they did a century ago, according to a new study by researchers at Boston University who say the primary culprit is higher temperatures," quoting Newsday. link here . 4. Two major reports out about this world's growing water crises: A. "There are nearly 150 oxygen-starved or ‘dead zones’ in the world’s oceans and seas, a new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) shows. These ‘dead zones’ are linked to an excess of nutrients, mainly nitrogen, that originate from agricultural fertilizers, vehicle and factory emissions and wastes. Low levels of oxygen in the water make it difficult for fish, oysters and other marine creatures to survive as well as important habitats such as sea grass beds," according to this UN Environment Programme press release. link here B. This is a very alarming story from a February 3, 2003 report from The Center for Public Integrity: "The explosive growth of three private water utility companies in the last 10 years raises fears that mankind may be losing control of its most vital resource to a handful of monopolistic corporations. In Europe and North America, analysts predict that within the next 15 years these companies will control 65 percent to 75 percent of what are now public waterworks. The companies have worked closely with the World Bank and other international financial institutions to gain a foothold on every continent. They aggressively lobby for legislation and trade laws to force cities to privatize their water and set the agenda for debate on solutions to the world's increasing water scarcity. The companies argue they are more efficient and cheaper than public utilities. Critics say they are predatory capitalists that ultimately plan to control the world's water resources and drive up prices even as the gap between rich and poor widens. The fear is that accountability will vanish, and the world will lose control of its source of life." Here is the link from which this quote was taken: link here And, check out this report, further on water privatization, "So far, privatization has been concentrated in poorer countries where the World Bank has used its financial leverage to force governments to privatize their water utilities in exchange for loans...The contract gave the company control over ground water and allowed it to close down people's private wells unless they paid Aguas del Tunari for the water." HUM! Read the report: link here . 5. Oh, and while on the subject of city water supplies, here is a follow-up to a KK story on the fluoridation issue with a book called "The Fluoride Deception". "’The Fluoride Deception by Christopher Bryson, just published in the US, examines the background of the fluoridation debate. Bryson, who has had the advantage of access to recently declassified files, concludes that fluoridation is a triumph not of medical science but of US government spin.’ THE GUARDIAN, ‘A Kick in the Teeth’, June 8, 2004.” link here And, you can order your copy of this revealing story from another Puget Sound based company, Amazon.com: link here . 6. News of interest from Space: A. “The Cassini spacecraft has found new mysteries at the ringed planet and Titan, its largest moon, leaving scientists eager to see what else the craft will uncover during a mission in Saturn's neighborhood expected to last at least four years,” according to Newsday. link here And the latest from the NASA JPL site: link here B. "The best meteor display of the summer comes during the second week of August, during the Perseid event. At its peak around the nights of Aug. 11 and 12, the shower can produce 50 to 100 fast, bright meteors per hour for any observer with a wide-open view of a dark sky," according to MSNBC. link here C. "A sunspot group aimed squarely at Earth has grown to 20 times the size of our planet and has the potential to unleash a major solar storm. The amorphous mix of spots, together called Number 652, has been rotating across the Sun and growing for several days. On Friday [July 23], it sat at the center of the solar disk. Sunspots are areas of intense magnetic energy, cooler and darker than the surrounding surface of the thermonuclear furnace. Sometimes the magnetic fields let loose and huge amounts of radiation and charged particles are hurled into space, " quoting Space.com. link here Further about this: "A major solar storm with the force of a billion megaton bombs could be set to hit the Earth, scientists warned yesterday . . . [and] could release a storm powerful enough to damage satellites and put power grids out of action. . . . ‘The implications of this spot have scientists on the edge of their seats,' Nasa said in a statement," quoting the This Is London website. link here . 7. The author of “The Elegant Universe” has a new book out in bookstores titled “The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality”. link here And from Brian Greene's website at Columbia University comes this quote, for those of you not familiar with his work: "My area of research is superstring theory, a theory that purports to give us our first sensible theory of quantum gravity as well as a unified theory of all forces and all matter. As such, superstring theory has the potential of realizing Einstein's long sought for dream of a single, all encompassing, theory of the universe." link here . 8. Mentioned here several times is the reversal President George Bush did after assuming said position. As Presidential Candidate George Bush, he was totally against storing any nuclear wastes at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Candidate Bush went to Nevada and promised NOT to store nuclear waste material there. When he became President Bush, he then did approve the site for nuclear waste storage. CBS News 60 Minutes program updated their story on this subject with a rebroadcast on July 25th. Updated material from the transcript, "The state of Nevada is still battling to keep Yucca Mountain from opening. It sued the federal government to stop the project, and it's trying to stall the Department of Energy's efforts to get a license to operate the site. Nevada also has recruited a powerful ally in its fight. Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry told Las Vegas voters that he's against the project. There will be no Yucca Mountain nuclear waste depository in a Kerry administration." The complete transcript is accessed at: link here . 9. Mentioned here several times is the reversal President George Bush did after assuming said position. As Presidential Candidate George Bush, he was totally against storing any nuclear wastes at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Candidate Bush went to Nevada and promised NOT to store nuclear waste material there. When he became President Bush, he then did approve the site for nuclear waste storage. CBS News 60 Minutes program updated their story on this subject with a rebroadcast on July 25th. Updated material from the transcript, "The state of Nevada is still battling to keep Yucca Mountain from opening. It sued the federal government to stop the project, and it's trying to stall the Department of Energy's efforts to get a license to operate the site. Nevada also has recruited a powerful ally in its fight. Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry told Las Vegas voters that he's against the project. There will be no Yucca Mountain nuclear waste depository in a Kerry administration." The complete transcript is accessed at: link here . 10. Follow-up: one of the results of the Mad Cow scare is a huge cattle glut in Canada since their animals are barred from being sold in the USA, which has rancher concerned about a terrific price drop due to over supply there as this years animals mature and are ready for slaughter. [Ed. Note: Yikes! The ripple effects.] This from the Calgary [Alberta] Sun: link here . 11. "An expert on ancient wine, Patrick McGovern is searching for the origins of the first domesticated grapevine. . . . Wine snobs might shudder at the thought, but the first wine-tasting may have occurred when Paleolithic humans slurped the juice of naturally fermented wild grapes from animal-skin pouches or crude wooden bowls," from this fascinating National Geographic News article. link here . 12. Follow-up: Last week's Kleiner's Korner reviewed the effects sugar has on kids' learning abilities. If you think avoiding sugar by going to an artificially sweetened drink is going to help, think again as you read just what "aspartame" does to the body. [Ed. Note: If you drink "diet sodas" and do not want to quit, do NOT read this!] link here . Quote of the Week: "The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe in blood for centuries." James Madison (1751-1836) 4th President of the United States . Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2004. For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on “Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives” at www.kleinerskorner.com Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com .