UPDATES ARCHIVE FOR MARCH 2005
HOME PAGE	Kleiner's Korner For Week of March 28, 2005 Remember to turn your clock ahead one hour before you retire this Saturday night as most of the Continental USA returns to daylight savings time. link here 1. CODEX DEAD A KK reader wrote to say that the piece last week on Codex is dead for now. [Ed. Note: Always trust your own knowingness! Mine says this is not over!]: link here . 2. CONGRESS APPROVED ARCTIC OIL DRILLING PASSED ON FAVORS “A Bush administration commitment to support the moratorium on oil and gas exploration off Florida's Gulf Coast until 2012 was Sen. Mel Martinez's price for supporting controversial drilling in the Alaskan wilderness…Without the administration's commitment, Martinez said he would have opposed the Arctic drilling,” quoting the Palm Beach Post. [Ed. Note: I’ll vote for Alaska drilling if you won’t drill in Florida. That is hypocrisy par-excellence!] link here Ka Wai Ola OHA, the newspaper for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, in its article titled "Recognition Bill Introduced in 109th Congress" on pages 1 and 6 says that Hawaii's politicians had made a deal that they would support Bush's energy bill [Arctic drilling] in exchange for having votes on a bill to have Hawaiians declared as equal in status to Native Americans with the same rights, representations, perks, etc. [HMM! Wash my back?] Check it out: link here . 3. RFID PEOPLE TRACKING APPROVED BY U. S. STATE DEPT. (IS MARK OF THE BEAST NEXT?) “It's official. Your passport is going high-tech. The State Department's Office of Passport Policy, Planning, and Advisory Services recently announced that it is ready to begin issuing biometric passports. These passports, which feature an RFID chip, will bring about speedier and more secure entry into and exit from the United States, the government says. However, critics say the technology behind the passports is flawed and puts your personal privacy at stake…RFID ‘is great technology for tracking cattle; it's absolutely horrible technology for tracking people,’” quoting PC World. link here And the U. S. State Dept. website. [Ed. Note: Thank you very much Ms. Rice!] link here . 4. SCIENTIST CLAIMS HUMANS COULD SOON LIVE TO AGE 1,000 “A scientist claims that humans could soon live to the age of 1,000. Dr Aubrey de Grey, a geneticist from Cambridge University, says that progress in stem cell research could help to extend our lives. According to the Daily Mail quoting the Today Programme, he said: ‘I would put money on the fact that someone living today could live to be 1,000.’ He believes we are only ten years away from producing a laboratory mouse which will extend its middle age to twice its present lifespan and then indefinitely,” quoting Ananova. link here . 5. SWEAT, RESPIRATION, & URINE TO BE RECYCLED “How do you quench someone's thirst when there is plenty of water but not a drop of it is drinkable? It's a question NASA researchers have pondered for nearly two decades, but villagers in Iraq and tsunami victims in Asia will get a taste of their answer as early as this fall — before any astronaut in space does. The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., has been testing a device intended for the space station that would recycle astronauts' sweat, respiration and even urine into drinking water purer than any found in a tap. ‘They just breathe and exercise, urinate into the urinal and our system handles the rest,’ said Robyn Carrasquillo, chief of the environmental control and life support division at Marshall,” quoting the AP. link here . 6. CRYSTALLIZED FORM OF MOLECULAR MACHINE REVEALS POSSIBLE DISEASE TREATMENT "The crystallized form of a molecular machine that can cut and paste genetic material is revealing possible new paths for treating diseases such as some forms of cancer and opportunistic infections that plague HIV patients. Purdue University researchers froze one of these molecular machines, which are chemical complexes known as a Group I intron, at midpoint in its work cycle. When frozen, crystallized introns reveal their structure and the sites at which they bind with various molecules to cause biochemical reactions," quoting Purdue University [Indiana] News. link here . 7. NEW ADVANCES IN SOLAR VOLTAICS “The Holy Grail of researchers in the field of solar photovoltaic (SPV) electricity is to generate it at a lower cost than that of grid electricity. The goal now seems to be within reach. A Palo Alto (California ) start-up, named Nanosolar Inc., founded in 2002, claims that it has developed a commercial scale technology that can deliver solar electricity at 5 cents per kilowatt-hour,” quoting The Hindu, India’s National newspaper. link here “Nanosolar, Inc., is focused on making solar electricity ubiquitous through new solar-cell technology with profitable customer economics and unprecedented production volume scalability,” quoting their site. link here . 8. EAST CONGO GREATEST HUMANITARIAN CRISIS, SAYS U.N. [NO ONE CARES AS OIL HAS NOT BEEN FOUND THERE] “Eastern Congo is suffering the world's worst current humanitarian crisis, with a death toll outstripping that in Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region, a top United Nations official said on Wednesday [Mar. 16]. U.N. emergency relief coordinator Jan Egeland said that over the last six years the toll in the Democratic Republic of Congo's amounted to "one tsunami every six months" - a reference to the December disaster which left about 300,000 people dead or missing in Asia. ‘In terms of the human lives lost ... this is the greatest humanitarian crisis in the world today and it is beyond belief that the world is not paying more attention,’ he told a news conference. Egeland was speaking during a visit to Geneva for talks with U.N. and other relief workers on improving the global humanitarian aid system can be improved. link here . 9. WORLD’S FIRST HYDROGEN POWERED MOTORBIKE UNVEILED “The world's first hydrogen-powered motorbike has been launched in Britain. It can reach 50mph in 12 seconds, produces no emissions and is as quiet as a laptop computer - but that could be a problem. Anti-noise campaigners welcomed the prospect of a motorbike without the usual earth-shattering roar. But engineers are considering adding an artificial "vroom" as they were worried its silence might be dangerous," quoting Ananova. link here . 10. NO HUMAN DIED IN THIS TSUNAMI CULTURE - THEY KNEW! CBS News "60 Minutes" filed a fascinating report about a group of peoples that had not one death from the tsunami. Why? Read this: "The tsunami may have lasted only a couple of hours, but it will not go away. New casualties are still being discovered: Thais, Swedes, Sri Lankans, and Indonesians. The death toll has topped 175,000. And there’s more than 125,000 still missing and presumed dead. But there’s one group who live precisely where the tsunami hit hardest who suffered no casualties at all. They are the sea gypsies of the Andaman Sea, or as they call themselves, the Moken. They’ve lived for hundreds of years on the islands off the coast of Thailand and Burma. They are, of all the peoples of the world, among the least touched by modern civilization," For the full report, link here And the current edition of National Geographic covers the Moken, known as Sea Gypsies, as well. link here . 11. EPA ISSUES NEW RULES ON MERCURY POLLUTION "The Bush administration says its new power plant regulations will cut mercury pollution from electric utilities nearly in half by 2020, raising electricity prices but helping protect fetuses and young children from a toxic metal known to cause nerve damage. Yet critics say the Environmental Protection Agency's rules, which use an industry-favored market trading approach rather than required cuts at each specific coal-burning power plant, fail to do all that the Clean Air Act requires. 'Unless every coal-fired power plant is required to reduce its emissions, dangerously high concentrations of mercury in Maine and other parts of the country will persist,' said Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine," quoting the AP. [Ed. Note: Please note Snowe is a Republican and even she is saying this is not enough! White House, Hello,???] link here And, the EPA site: link here SURPRISE! EPA’S NEW MERCURY RULING OMITS CONFLICTING DATA “When the Environmental Protection Agency unveiled a rule last week to limit mercury emissions from U.S. power plants, officials emphasized that the controls could not be more aggressive because the cost to industry already far exceeded the public health payoff. What they did not reveal is that a Harvard University study paid for by the EPA, co-authored by an EPA scientist and peer-reviewed by two other EPA scientists had reached the opposite conclusion. That analysis estimated health benefits 100 times as great as the EPA did, but top agency officials ordered the finding stripped from public documents, said a staff member who helped develop the rule. Acknowledging the Harvard study would have forced the agency to consider more stringent controls, said environmentalists and the study’s author," quoting the Washington Post. link here . 12. BOAS STILL REIGN IN HAIGHT-ASHBURY This writer was inspired by his teacher to visit "the Haight" earlier this month while on a visit to the Bay Area. A good friend, Liz Sosnick, took me on a visit down memory lane as we stopped in at Haight-Ashbury’s Piedmont's to check-out the latest in boas. I brought a few wild colors home! Not 4 days later, what appears in the San Francisco Chronicle? None other than a pictorial visit down boa lane in front of Piedmont's in the Haight! See what I saw for yourself. link here . WHAT THE BLEEP - THE MOVIE NEWS "When the DVD of "What the Bleep Do We Know!?" hit the market last week, it did so after earning more than $10 million in theaters over the past year and a half and trailing only "The Incredibles" among preorders on Amazon.com. Not bad for a movie you've probably never heard of...The Post's Style section never did run a review of the film because this critic found it too stylistically lame and intellectually dotty to pass serious muster. But what the bleep do I know?" quoting the Washington Post. link here "The following works best represent on overall view similar to the film. These are great for an introduction to this body of knowledge. If you are a longtime seeker into these areas and haven’t read these books – you’re in for a treat!" quoting the Bleep site: link here And, the book list by the scientists in Bleep: link here . OF NOTE: Mastersconnection.com now has an Orb Page which displays orb photos from students around the world. They invite everyone to send photos to them so they can display them as well. This page is growing and causing a lot of excitement. link here And all Personal Classified Ads are now Free on the Mastersconnection.com Web site, with Business Ads very reasonable. You can post your ads by going to: link here OF LOCAL NOTE "The Yelm Area Chamber of Commerce and the Nisqually Valley News will be holding it's 3rd annual Home, Garden, and Trade Show April 2nd and 3rd," quoting the official Chamber site. link here And The Nisqually Valley Home, Garden & Trade Show Flier: link here Yelm Bypass Update: The Y3 corridor commonly known as the Yelm bypass is now named the SR (State Road) 510 Loop. "This new highway is located entirely in the City of Yelm Growth Management Boundary in Thurston County. The SR 510 Loop will provide a direct link from the existing SR 510 near Mud Run to SR 507 near Cattleman’s," quoting the WA. DOT site. With this now a WA. State designated highway, the urgency of this road has been further placed on the State's funding radar screens. link here . QUOTE OF THE WEEK "We had a summer camp on a lake when I was a kid, and of all the things I miss most about not being young, I don't go barefoot in the summer anymore." Andy Rooney (1919- ) CBS News Reporter From his story filed March 20, 2005 link here . Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2005. For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on “Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives” at link here Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com . Kleiner's Korner Special Edition for March 21, 2005 Dear Readers, Many of you have signed on to Kleiner's Korner because of common interests as fellow students in Ramtha's School of Enlightenment or because you liked what you heard in the movie "What The Bleep Do We Know" and found the KK on their links page. link here Others don't know what Ramtha is or even care, you just want access to out-of-the-box stories that are glossed over by today's media. Whatever your reason, I am thrilled to share what I find of interest to me with all of you. Continuing that desire, I would like to tell you a little story of mine and direct your attention to a landmark event that is happening as a result of the impact of What The Bleep. I was in what my teacher calls "the dark night of the soul" when I came to see him for the first time some 19+ years ago. Having reached the pinnacle of my career goals by age 30 and having the means to acquire anything I desired, I realized I was a very unhappy person, even with all that I had. After searching for answers to my life's purpose and finding only partial truths in the religion in which I was raised, TM, est, the Communication Workshop, Rebirthing, endless psychics, tarot card readers, and astrologers, I finally found answers to questions that rang deep to the core of my being in the teachings of Ramtha. link here I have been a student ever since and those that truly know me have seen tremendous changes in a man on the brink in the late 80's to the passionate, sincere, and impeccable being I am today.. My life has become "some kind of wonderful." Part of being the progenitor to make that happen was a teaching of Ramtha's discussed in What The Bleep by Dr. Joe Dispenza called "I Create My Day." link here This has been the single most impactful thing many people took away from this film. Dr. Joe, as he is affectionately known, learned that from his teacher as well, Ramtha. What The Bleep director Mark Vicente asked Ramtha if he would share his teaching of "Creating the Day" with the world, and filmed his reply. "Now Ramtha has released a special DVD for showing you how easy it is to Create Your Day[SM]." That has now been coupled with the March 15th DVD release of What The Bleep and immediately shot up into Amazon's top 30 orders last week and is in the top 50 this week. . "Creating the Day" is a monumental teaching that gives everyone hope for building a life they truly desire and having that life unfold before their eyes. That is why this DVD is making waves. To continue this recognition, I am inviting everyone to purchase the "Create the Day" DVD this week and see it climb to number one, to really make an impact to Amazon and the world, bringing a message that we are truly the creators of our reality and our lives. Amazon's computer shows a May delivery date however they are just temporarily out of stock. Order yours today and you will have delivery soon, with Amazon sending an expected ship date notification promptly as was the case with my order.. Won't you please join me in purchasing this fabulous DVD for your own library -- and buy several to give as gifts for your family and friends. You can listen to an excerpt and order here: link here Steve Klein. Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2005. For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on “Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives” at link here Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com. Kleiner's Korner For Week of March 21, 2005 One of my favorite writers as a young lad was Jules Verne as I loved how his stories took my mind into "out of this world" fantasies that portended truth. The 100th anniversary of Mr. Verne's death and his life's achievements are being remembered this week on March 24th. France celebrates this week: link here "Considered the father of modern science fiction and a visionary, Jules Verne (1828-1905) wrote over 100 works (novels, plays, poems). The universality of his work has made him an indisputable cultural reference point. Almost a century after his death, Jules Verne is still popular throughout the world," quoting the UNESCO site. link here 1. DO YOU TAKE ANY VITAMINS/SUPPLEMENTS? READ THIS! CODEX TO BE IMPLEMENTED! "Constructed by the pharmaceutical industry, the Codex Alimentarius Commission is a self-proclaimed expert organization that has allied with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Food Organization (FAO). From the beginning, this was done with the intention of passing regulations and laws to protect the global pharmaceutical market. Of the 30 committees using the title "Codex Alimentarius," those involved with food supplements and vitamins are of particular interest to the pharmaceutical industry. The central committee is the "Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses." A puppet of the pharmaceutical industry, this committee has only been concerned with one topic since the middle of the 1990's: how to prevent vitamins and other food supplements from causing the collapse of the markets for beta-blockers, calcium antagonists, cholesterol lowering products and other widely superfluous pharmaceutical preparations," quoting Dr. Rath's site. link here John J. Duncan, Jr., (R-TN 2nd) 10th-term Republican from Tennessee wrote a Letter to the editor to the USA Today with the courage to speak out against this: link here Dr. Rath has been listed on the KK several times. "In 1987, Dr. Rath discovered the connection between vitamin C deficiency and a new risk factor for heart disease- lipoprotein(a). After publication of these research findings in the American Heart Association journal “Arteriosclerosis,” Dr. Rath accepted an invitation to join two-time Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling. In 1990 he went to the United States to become the first Director of Cardiovascular Research at the Linus Pauling Institute in Palo Alto, California. Dr. Rath worked together with the late Nobel Laureate in various areas of nutritional research. The two scientists became close personal friends who shared common humanistic values, including their determination for peace and justice. In 1994, shortly before his death, Linus Pauling stated: 'There is no doubt in my mind that I was thinking about Dr. Rath as my successor,'" quoting Dr. Rath's site. link here As an aside, Linus Pauling wrote the foreword to Yelm's own Dr. Elmer Cranton's landmark "Textbook on EDTA Chelation Therapy." He stated, "EDTA chelation therapy makes good sense to me as a chemist and medical researcher. It has a rational scientific basis, and the evidence for clinical benefit seems to be quite strong." More on this book can be found on Dr. Cranton's site: link here . 2. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH STUDYING CHELATION THERAPY “Many people are considering using chelation therapy because of the belief that it may treat heart disease. However this has not been scientifically proven. Past studies did not show benefit, but may have been too small to be conclusive. That is why the National Institutes of Health is conducting this large study to find out whether chelation therapy is safe and effective in treating heart disease,” quoting The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) website, which is 1 of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH is one of eight agencies under the Public Health Service (PHS) in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). link here . 3. TEA & COFFEE RECOMMENDED AS DISEASE FIGHTER "Tea is increasingly being recommended as a disease fighter, used to counter cancer, heart congestion, tooth decay, stroke, and weight issues, says Sharon Johnson, who teaches nutrition classes for the Oregon State University Extension Service. In January she led a workshop at Providence Medford Medical Center about the health benefits of tea. 'If you drink three cups of tea a day, it’s the same, in terms of antioxidant and antibacterial effect on your body, as eating six apples,' says Johnson. 'In tests on rodents, tea is proven to have incredible health benefits. And it’s popular in most of the world, not America, because it stimulates without rattling you or causing insomnia,'" quoting the Jackson County, Oregon Mail Tribune. link here "Spanish and British scientists have discovered how green tea helps to prevent certain types of cancer. Researchers at the University of Murcia in Spain (UMU) and the John Innes Centre (JIC) in Norwich, England, have shown that a compound called EGCG in green tea prevents cancer cells from growing by binding to a specific enzyme. 'We have shown for the first time that EGCG, which is present in green tea at relatively high concentrations, inhibits the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), which is a recognised, established target for anti-cancer drugs,'“ Professor Roger Thorneley, of JIC, told Reuters. 'This is the first time, to our knowledge, a known target for an anti-cancer drug has been identified as being inhibited by EGCG,' he added," quoting Reuters. link here COFFEE HELPS REDUCE CERTAIN CANCERS "That hot cup of coffee may do more than just provide a tasty energy boost. It also may help prevent the most common type of liver cancer. A study of more than 90,000 Japanese found that people who drank coffee daily, or nearly every day, had half the liver cancer risk of those who never drank coffee. The American Cancer Society estimates that 18,920 new cases of liver cancer were diagnosed in the United States last year and some 14,270 people died of the illness. Causes include hepatitis, cirrhosis, excess alcohol consumption, and diseases causing chronic inflammation of the liver. Animal studies have suggested a protective association of coffee with liver cancer, so the research team led by Monami Inoue of the National Cancer Center in Tokyo analyzed a 10-year public health study to determine coffee use by people diagnosed with liver cancer and people who did not have cancer," quoting the AP. [Ed. Note: This writer had heard about this just last week and saw this article 3 days later.] link here . 4. CHURCH ON DAMAGE CONTROL AS TRUTHS REVEALED IN “DA VINCI CODE” READYING TO GO TO SILVER SCREEN "The Roman Catholic Church in Italy has spoken out against what it says are "shameful and unfounded lies" in the best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Archbishop of Genoa, broke the church's official silence on the controversial book... Its story about the Church suppressing the "truth" that Jesus had a child with Mary Magdalene has convinced many fans...The archbishop Il Giornale: 'The book is everywhere. There is a very real risk that many people who read it will believe that the fables it contains are true...' The book, by US author Dan Brown, has been a publishing sensation around the world and is still in best-seller lists...Its central claim is that the Holy Grail is really the bloodline descended from Jesus and Mary Magdalene - which the Church is supposed to have covered up, along with the female role in Christianity," quoting the BBC. [Ed. Note: Although there are some factual errors in Brown’s book, he has done much to educate the world on the aforementioned line of thought. This writer and his wife visited Rennes le-Chateau and the Languedoc Region in France prior to Brown's book being published, where Mary Magdalene and her children by Yeshua ben Joseph lived. This is not news to them there. Hopefully, this will be the unraveling of the lies perpetrated for centuries!] link here And, "Cardinal's plea: Don't read 'The Da Vinci Code' - Novel's success is proof of 'anti-Catholic' prejudice, he says" according to the MSNBC. link here . 5. NORTHWEST DROUGHT ISSUES: GOVERNOR REQUESTS RETURN OF NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS FROM IRAQ TO HELP FIGHT SUMMER WILDFIRES "Montana's Democratic governor has touched off a political fight with state Republicans after calling for the return of National Guard troops serving in Iraq to help out during what many fear will be a record-setting wildfire season... They also worry that limited resources stretched thinner by National Guardsmen serving overseas could make it difficult to combat the kind of massive blazes that engulfed the state in 2000 when some 2,400 wildfires torched nearly 950,000 acres of mostly public land...Gov. Schweitzer ignited the firestorm last week when he said Montana, which backed Bush's re-election, would disproportionately suffer the pain of proposed cuts in the federal budget, with money targeted for firefighting slashed in half... 'I would be remiss as chief executive of Montana not to look at the cards I'm dealt and not recognize it's not a good hand and we need new cards,' the governor told Reuters earlier this week. As fire season approaches, about 1,500 of Montana's 3,500 National Guard troops have been deployed on Federal active duty, said Montana Guard spokesman Maj. Scott Smith," quoting Reuters. [Ed. Note: Let's hope Washington Governor Gregoire has the courage to do this too. There are few troops left here to guard the home front!] link here SEATTLE & TACOMA MAYORS ISSUE WATER ADVISORY “Mayors for Seattle and Tacoma urged residents and businesses Wednesday [3/16] to conserve water conservation in an effort to deal with what has been the driest winter on record. The request to conserve comes in the form of a "water advisory. The advisory is the first stage of the Seattle Public Utility's Water Shortage Contingency Plan. There are no mandatory water restrictions during the advisory stage. But customers are asked to monitor their use of water and take measures to use it wisely,” quoting KING-5 TV. link here WA. STATE GOVERNOR PROPOSES $12 MILLION FUND TO FIGHT DROUGHT "Gov. Christine Gregoire today [Mar. 18] asked the Legislature for a $12 million fund to 'take action right now to respond quickly and effectively to Washington’s drought conditions. This money is needed right now to help buy water for farms, improve wells, protect fisheries and conduct other projects to protect and restore essential water supplies,' Gov. Gregoire said at a news conference. 'It will also allow the Department of Natural Resources to hire firefighters earlier than usual,'" quoting Gov. Gregoire's Press Release. link here . 6. SCIENCE CAPTURES EARLIEST VIEW OF STAR FORMATION – TELESCOPE EXPOSES HIDDEN GALAXIES “Scientists have pierced through a dusty stellar nursery to capture the earliest and most detailed view of a collapsing gas cloud turning into a star, analogous to a baby's first ultrasound. The observation, made primarily with the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton observatory, suggests that some unrealized, energetic process - likely related to magnetic fields - is superheating the surface of the cloud core, nudging the cloud ever closer to becoming a star,” Space Daily said. link here “These strange galaxies are among the most luminous in the universe, shining with the equivalent light of 10 trillion suns. But they are so far away and so drenched in dust it took Spitzer's highly sensitive infrared eyes to find them. ‘We are seeing galaxies that are essentially invisible,’ said Dr. Dan Weedman of Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., co-author of the study detailing the discovery, published in today's [Mar. 1] issue of the Astrophysical Journal Letters. ‘Past infrared missions hinted at the presence of similarly dusty galaxies over 20 years ago, but those galaxies were closer. We had to wait for Spitzer to peer far enough into the distant universe to find these,’" quoting NASA. link here . 7. BRAIN IMPLANT OPERATES LIMBS IN PARALYZED MAN "For the first time a paralyzed man with an experimental brain implant bypassed his damaged spine to manipulate an artificial limb and a computer program using only his imagination," quoting ScienCentralNews. link here then click "Brain Power" National Geographic on the brain in its March edition: link here . 8. QUANTUM PHYSICS USED TO ENCRYPT DATA "Quantum cryptography has emerged from the laboratory and into the real world. Using properties of quantum physics, the technique encrypts data with keys that reveal if they have been intercepted or tampered with. US company Magiq and Swiss firm ID Quantique have already sold hardware to several customers keen to protect data with quantum cryptography. Governments and armed forces are thought to be among the first users of the technology," quoting the BBC. [Ed. Note: Submitted by a KK reader in Canada who noted that the co-inventor of quantum cryptology with U.S. physicist Charles Bennett is University of Montreal quantum physics teacher Gilles Brassard.] link here . 9. STEM CELL NEWS: CALIFORNIA & MASSACHUSETTS DUEL OVER STEM CELL RESEARCH "When President George W. Bush limited federal funding for stem cell research in 2001, he threw the burden onto the states. Now dozens of them are mired in two-steps-forward, one-step-back legal struggles. From an academic standpoint, Massachusetts may have the most to lose if stem cell research is outlawed or discouraged. 'At this moment,' says Boston-based state Sen. Cynthia Creem, 'there are more scientists doing groundbreaking biological and medical research within 10 miles of my desk than in any other city in the world.' Creem introduced a bill last fall to promote stem cell research, thinking it would be a relatively easy win. The bill failed in the House, but the state Senate approved it 'with more than enough votes to override any veto,' she says." quoting Newsweek. link here CONGRESS CIRCUMNAVIGATING BUSH'S BAN ON STEM CELL RESEARCH "Aiming to circumvent President Bush’s limits on the use of stem cells from human embryos, members of Congress on Wednesday introduced bills to allow Federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Supporters from both major parties joined the coordinated introduction in the House of Representatives and Senate, saying they have given up on persuading Bush to change his policy. ‘If the federal government doesn’t act, we’re going to have a patchwork of state laws -- and that’s already happening,’ said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat helping to sponsor the bill," quoting Reuters. link here "The activation of dormant stem cells in the patient's own brain could someday allow doctors to re-grow lost cells without resorting to surgery, and in ways that target exactly those areas of the brain -- and specific types of cells -- damaged by disease. "We're developing maps so that we'll know exactly which stem cells give rise to every cell subtype in the brain," explained Dr. Mark F. Mehler, chairman of the department of neurology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and neurologist-in-chief at Montefiore Medical Center, New York City. 'That means we'll be able to say the equivalent of, 'OK, in sector three of sub-zone 7, we need to activate that cell.' And not only activate it, but activate it in a specific way,' he added. The technique -- still years away from clinical trials -- is called endogenous (meaning sourced from the patient) stem cell activation," quoting Health Central. link here . 10. DO YOU USE A CELL PHONE? IF SO, READ THIS! "...The controversy goes back to a study by Lai and Singh published in a 1995 issue of Bioelectromagnetics. They found an increase in damaged DNA in the brain cells of rats after a single two-hour exposure to microwave radiation at levels considered "safe" by government standards. The idea behind that study was relatively simple: expose rats to microwave radiation similar to that emitted by cell phones, then examine their brain cells to see if any DNA damage resulted. Such damage is worrisome because DNA carries the body's genetic code and breaks, if not repaired properly, could lead to mutations and even cancer. When the study was first published, a spokesperson from the cell phone industry said it was 'not very relevant because they didn't use the [same] cellular frequency or cellular power.' True, responds Lai, but effects at one frequency could also happen at another frequency, and the exposure level in the experiment was actually lower than one can get from a cell phone. What it indicated was potential problems with the type of radiation the devices emit," quoting the University of Washington Alumni Magazine "Columns." [Ed. Note: KK readers have repeatedly been provided with scientific data about the dangers of using cell phone for the last 3 years.] link here "The [WA.] state Senate yesterday [Mar. 15] told drivers to put down their cell phones and pay attention to the road, passing a bill prohibiting the use of hand-held cell phones while driving. The action was part of a flurry of activity in Olympia as lawmakers worked into the night as an important legislative deadline loomed today [Mar. 16]... The cell phone bill, Senate Bill 5160, passed 28-18 after sharp debate and would make driving with a cell phone a secondary offense, meaning drivers can be cited only if pulled over for another infraction...The bill's sponsor, Sen. Tracy Eide, D-Federal Way, said there are too many distractions for drivers and prohibiting hand-held cell phones while driving will save lives. If the bill is signed into law, starting in January officers would only be allowed to give a verbal warning. After six months, those caught driving while using their hand-held cell phone would be fined $101 per offense," quoting the Seattle PI. link here . 11. FOREIGN TOURISTS & BUYERS AVOID U.S. AND ITS PRODUCTS "Tourism officials ascribe the decline partly to anti-Americanism that arose after the country launched military action in Afghanistan and Iraq and to the 'hassle factor' associated with new visa application and airport security procedures. Aggressive campaigns by other countries to lure tourists have had an impact, too. 'We have developed an image in many countries as fortress America,' said Betsy O’Rourke, senior vice president for marketing at the Travel Industry Association of America, a Washington-based trade group. O’Rourke said tourists should be greeted as 'customers,' not potential 'invaders,'" quoting the AP. From the same article, "Meanwhile, a November poll of 8,000 consumers from eight industrialized nations found that 55 percent of respondents had an increasingly negative perception of that United States, according to Seattle-based market research firm GMI Inc.' GMI, Inc. has also found that there is an anti-USA boycott on American products such as Seattle-based Starbucks, McDonalds, & American Airlines because of the U.S.'s unilateral foreign policies," quoting TIME Magazine. link here And the actual TIME article. link here . 12. ARCTIC DRILLING OK SHOWS BUSH OIL FRIENDS DRIVING ENERGY ISSUES - THE LAND & PEOPLE ARE NOTHING Today [Mar. 16] the U.S. Senate, by a vote of 49-51, defeated an amendment by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) that would have removed a provision of the Senate budget bill that authorizes energy development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The following is a statement by Karen Wayland, legislative director at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). 'Drilling the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge won't make a dent in gas prices at the pump or break our dependence on Middle East oil. This was really a vote for Big Oil, not for the solid majority of Americans who oppose turning America's last great wilderness into a vast, polluted oil field,'" quoting the NRDC. link here WA. SENATOR CANTWELL SAYS FIGHT OVER ARCTIC DRILLING HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN "U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) today [Mar. 16] said the fight to save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil drilling has only begun. While the Senate today rejected on a 49-51 vote Cantwell's amendment to the Senate budget resolution that would have stripped provisions paving the way to Arctic drilling, the next battle will be fought in the Senate Energy Committee. 'The fight over drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is far from over,' said Cantwell, a member of the Senate Energy Committee. 'We almost stopped this budget trickery on the floor today. But now that the Energy Committee will consider this legislation, I'll be prepared to use every tool at my disposal to stop drilling in the Arctic. We need a serious national strategy to move us toward energy independence,'" quoting her Press Release. link here And, a balanced view of all of this from overseas: link here This is an interesting article on how big oil money is propelling this issue: link here . WHAT THE BLEEP –THE MOVIE NEWS "...An Invitation To Open Your Mind" from the film's director: Ramtha was featured in the award-winning independent film, What the Bleep Do We Know?, alongside a few of his students, Dr. Joe Dispenza and Miceal Ledwith. There is a new DVD that complements the DVD version of What The Bleep titled: “Ramtha: Create Your Day - An Invitation To Open Your Mind," from Mark Vicente, director of What The Bleep Do We Know!? Order yours at: link here . OF LOCAL NOTE "South Sound hit a record high temperature Monday [Mar. 14] and matched the record low [both in the same day! HMMM!], and the official start of spring is still days away. Past temperatures in the area for March 14 average a high of 53 and a low of 34. Monday's high of 67 beat the previous record in 1996 by one degree. The low Monday was 25, matching the low temperature set in 1965," quoting The Olympian. link here . CORRECTION A KK reader wrote to tell me the video games I mentioned would be sold for the first time in Yelm with a Wal-Mart opening here was incorrect. He pointed out that Blockbuster Video has been selling such titles as Grand Theft Auto for some time, and indeed he is correct, after my calling to verify. . QUOTE OF THE WEEK "What we see depends upon the theories we use to interpret our observations." Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-born theoretical physicist . Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2005. For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on “Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives” at link here Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com . Kleiner's Korner Special Edition for March 13, 2005 Dear Readers, Saturday evening March 12, 2005 just after twilight marked several coinciding events in the Pacific Northwest that this writer is bringing to the attention of those interested in this area's developments: 1. At 7:37 p.m. PST and just 40 miles from Yelm, there was a magnitude 3.3 earthquake recorded by the USGS. Although an earthquake of this magnitude causes no damage, this shaker's epicenter was the closest to Yelm in quite awhile. Here is the USGS information page on this quake. link here . 2. "A fireball streaked through the night sky across the western half of the Pacific Northwest on Saturday night, startling people all the way from the southern Oregon coast to Canada. Residents across the Northwest reported seeing the bright streak of light as it flashed across the sky. The flash lasted up to five seconds, and was captured on home video by a witness in Talent, Ore. Scientists said the flaming object was probably a meteor, and that it likely disintegrated before any fragments fell into the Pacific Ocean... The last time a meteor was reported striking anything on the ground in Oregon -- becoming a meteorite -- was in May 1981," reports Seattle's KING-5 TV. link here The Olympian carried both stories: link here . 3. The Ramtha School of Enlightenment (RSE) was concluding their Primary Group's Spring Retreat with a teaching by Ramtha as the aforementioned stories were unfolding. Quoting the Ramtha Phone Message Page, "Saturday, March 12th, Ramtha has invited all current students to join the Primary Group and him for a Teaching. Start time will be 3:30 pm." HMMM! The Ramtha School's website is: link here . 4. Further, this March is one of the area's driest on record: link here then scroll to "Precipitation" And March is proving to be one of the warmest on record, with many days at or breaking records, including Friday, March 11th, which broke the record high by 2 degrees at 70 (21 C.), as recorded at Olympia Regional Airport which is the nearest official reporting station to Yelm: link here . QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind. Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-born theoretical physicist . Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2005. For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on “Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives” at link here Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com. Kleiner's Korner For Week of March 14, 2005 VERNAL EQUINOX THIS WEEK/EVENING SKY REVEALS MERCURY March 20 at 4:30a.m. Pacific Standard Time. "The date (near March 21 in the northern hemisphere) when night and day are nearly the same length and Sun, the celestial equator (i.e., declination 0) moving northward. The vernal equinox marks the first day of the season of spring," quoting this site. link here "...For those living in the Northern Hemisphere, a great window of opportunity for viewing Mercury in the evening sky has just opened up. The window will remain open through at least March 19, providing an ample number of chances to see this so-called elusive planet with your own eyes. Currently, Mercury is visible about 45 minutes after sunset, very near to the horizon, just to the south (left) of due west. Yet, if your sky is clear and there are no tall obstructions to your view (like trees or buildings) you should have no trouble in seeing it as a very bright "star" shining with just a trace of a yellowish-orange tinge," quoting Space.com. link here 1. VIDEO GAMES GIVE 'CRANIAL MENU' TO PROGRAM THE BRAIN "Imagine if the entertainment industry created a video game in which you could decapitate police officers, kill them with a sniper rifle, massacre them with a chainsaw, and set them on fire. Think anyone would buy such a violent game? They would, and they have...Attorney Jack Thompson, a long-time crusader against video-game violence, is bringing the suit. 'What we're saying is that Devin Moore was, in effect, trained to do what he did. He was given a murder simulator,' says Thompson... 'He played it hundreds of hours, which is primarily a cop-killing game. It's our theory, which we think we can prove to a jury in Alabama, that, but for the video-game training that he engaged in for hundreds of hours on a carjacking and police-killing game, he would not have done what he did. The video game industry gave him a cranial menu that popped up in the blink of an eye, in that police station,' says Thompson. 'And that menu offered him the split-second decision to kill the officers, shoot them in the head, flee in a police car, just as the game itself trained them to do,.' quoting this fabulous CBS News investigation on 60 Minutes of March 6th. [Ed. Note: And you people in Yelm WA attempting to keep a Wal-Mart from coming to town, be aware that if Wal-Mart does come, video games such as these will be sold for the very first time here. This is true programming of our children and teens in front of our face. From this same story, "Strickland, along with Mealer's parents, are suing Moore, as well as Wal-Mart and GameStop, which sold Moore two versions of Grand Theft Auto. Both companies sent us letters insisting they bear no responsibility for Moore’s actions, and that the game is played by millions of law-abiding citizens." I say anyone selling this programming bears responsibility. What say you? Ignorance is not bliss when you know the results]. link here . 2. GEOLOGISTS AND TV PROGRAM EXAMINE SUPER-VOLCANO POTENTIALS "Geologists have called for a taskforce to be set up to consider emergency management in the event of a massive volcanic eruption, or super-eruption. The recommendation comes in a report timed to coincide with a BBC TV drama that depicts a fictional super-eruption at Yellowstone Park in Wyoming, US. Experts say such an event would have a colossal impact on a global scale...The TV drama, called Supervolcano, sticks closely to scientific understanding of these events. The plot revolves around a series of violent eruptions at Yellowstone in Wyoming that send thousands of cubic kilometres of rock, gas and ash spiralling up in cloud that rains down over three-quarters of the United States," quoting the BBC. link here . 3. U. S. AIR FORCE TELEPORTATION STUDY RELEASED "A special study commissioned by the US Air force on the viability of teleportation was recently released for public dissemination. The "Teleportation Physics Study" was the result of a subcontracted study performed by a Nevada based company, Warp Drive Metrics, for the United States Air Force Research Laboratory based at Edward Air Force Base. The Study focused on different modes of teleportation and analyzed their viability for widespread military and civilian applications in communications and transportation. The Study distinguished between different forms of teleportation. These modes included the classic Star Trek version, called sci-fi teleportation ('sf-Teleportation' ); teleportation of an object's 'quantum state' or 'unique identity', called 'quantum -' or 'q-Teleportation'; and a psychic form of teleportation called 'p-Teleportation'," quoting Exopolitics. link here The U. S. Air Force Teleportation Physics Study is available online at: link here . 4. 30,000 YEAR OLD FROZEN BACTERIA UNEARTHED & THAWED "The discovery of an ancient micro-organism, alive after being frozen in Alaska's permafrost for thousands of years, has again raised speculation that Mars may not be as hostile to life as it appears. It is the second scientific announcement this week that has raised hopes that there may still be microbial life on Mars. The organism, believed frozen for 30,000 years and recovered from a tunnel drilled through the ice near Fox, Alaska, started swimming as soon as it was thawed, said Richard Hoover, of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Centre in Alabama. The previously unknown bacterium, now named Carnobacterium pleistocenium, is believed to have frozen during the Pleistocene Age, when woolly mammoths and sabre-tooth tigers roamed the land. Mr. Hoover said that when he looked through a microscope ‘these bacteria that had just thawed out of the ice ... were swimming around. The instant the ice melted they started swimming. They were alive ... but they had been frozen for over 30,000 years. This week another team of scientists said they had spotted what looked like a frozen sea hundreds of kilometres wide buried near the Martian equator. ‘Just like we found in the Fox tunnel of Alaska, frozen biology in the form of unicellular bacteria might even have remained alive, frozen in the Martian sea,’ Mr. Hoover said,” quoting this article from Down Under. link here And, the NASA article on this story: link here . 5. “HOBBIT" FOSSIL FOUND IN INDONESIA Scientists working with powerful imaging computers say the spectacular “Hobbit'' fossil recently discovered in Indonesia had distinctive brain features that could justify its classification as a separate - and tiny - human ancestor. The new report, published Thursday [Mar. 3] in the online journal Science Express, seems to support the idea of a human dwarf species marooned for eons while modern man spread across the planet. Detractors of the theory, however, said the computer models were unconvincing. link here . 6. STUDY: TEEN BRAINS NOT WELL DEVELOPED ENOUGH TO BE DRIVERS "Brain and auto safety experts fear that 16-year-olds, the youngest drivers licensed in most states, are too immature to handle today's cars and roadway risks. New findings from brain researchers at the National Institutes of Health explain for the first time why efforts to protect the youngest drivers usually fail. The weak link: What's called "the executive branch" of the teen brain — the part that weighs risks, makes judgments and controls impulsive behavior. Scientists at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Md., have found that this vital area develops through the teenage years and isn't fully mature until age 25. One 16-year-old's brain might be more developed than another 18-year-old's, just as a younger teen might be taller than an older one. But evidence is mounting that a 16-year-old's brain is generally far less developed than those of teens just a little older," quoting USA Today. [Ed. Note: This is a very thorough article on teen brain development. Be sure to see the header in this article tilted “A peek inside the brain” ] link here . 7. TSUNAMI NEWS "More than half of all Americans now live on or near a coast, a major evacuation worry in case of hurricanes, tsunamis, or other natural disasters. One possible answer: vertical evacuations that could send people fleeing upward in high-rise buildings rather than away from a stormy coast... Vertical evacuation - moving people upstairs in taller structures - is a possibility in areas like those at risk of tsunamis, especially on the West Coast, said Richard Spinrad, director of NOAA's National Ocean Service," states the AP. [Ed. Note: Would you want to go up in a building being flooded, not knowing how high the water will rise?] link here TSUNAMI SURVIVORS CREATE NEW FAMILY A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong bond with a giant male century-old tortoise in an animal facility in the port city of Mombasa, officials said on Thursday [Jan. 6]," quoting Animal Planet. [Ed. Note: Why is it that the animals all used their instincts and moved to higher ground, while humans breakfasted on the beaches watching the waves recede prior to the onslaught? HMMM!]. link here . 8. DOCUMENTS SHOW WHAT MAY BE WORLD'S OLDEST SURVIVING PERSON TO BE 125 YEARS OLD "An elderly woman living in a small, wooden shack in rural southern Brazil could be the world’s oldest living woman, according to a Brazilian record-keeping organization. Maria Olivia da Silva, who recently celebrated her 125th birthday, ‘is definitely the oldest living woman in Brazil and possibly in the entire world,’ said Iolete Cadari, administrative director of RankBrasil, this country’s equivalent to the Guinness World Records. Da Silva’s birth certificate shows that she was born Feb. 28, 1880 in the city of Itapetininga, Sao Paulo state, Cadari said by telephone. She currently lives in the small town of Astorga, some 370 miles west of Sao Paulo in the state of Parana," quoting the AP. link here . 9. STUDY: LAUGHTER GOOD MEDICINE FOR HEART "A daily dose of laughter may be good for the heart because, like exercise, it makes blood vessels work more efficiently, U.S. researchers reported on Monday [Mar. 7]. Depression, on the other hand, can raise the risk of dying from heart failure, a separate study found. The two studies, presented at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology in Orlando, Fla., show how psychological factors can affect a person’s health," quoting Reuters. link here . 10. QUANTUM COMPUTERS “It is easy to think of computation as something abstract that takes place in the realm of ideas rather than in the physical world. After all, a computer program makes reference to the laws of mathematics not to the laws of physics. But in the final analysis, any actual computation must be done by a physical system, exploiting the laws of physics to manipulate information that is represented by the state of some device, such as the directions of magnetization at some particular spots on a hard drive or the conductivity of a specific set of transistors inside a computer's memory chip. Because each bit of information can take on two values, different physical states are chosen to correspond to "0" or "1" respectively. In a quantum computer, the information is represented by physical states that are sufficiently microscopic and isolated so that they obey the laws of quantum mechanics. The spin of a single electron or the configuration of an individual ion, for example, are two among many possible candidates for storing such a quantum bit (or qubit) of information. The jury is still out on which system is optimal, so for the sake of this discussion, imagine a computer in which the information is stored in the form of coins placed on a tabletop, with heads ("1") and tails ("0") being the two possible states of each bit. Then convert the tabletop into a quantum computer by substituting quantum coins for which heads and tails are quantum mechanical states,” quoting Scientific American. link here . 11. RFK, JR., TELLS RAMTHA'S SCHOOL (RSE) BEST WAY TO ASSIST ENVIRONMENT IS THROUGH NRDC IN U. S. This writer was very fortunate to have been at the RFK, Jr., talk at the Ramtha School of Enlightenment last week. When asked by a student what the best way is to join Mr. Kennedy in his vision, he responded by saying to join the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), in which he is an attorney. This writer has spoken of this organization for many years now, as KK readers are well aware. Additionally, Mr. Kennedy announced he will have his own website available to speak to environmental issues soon. The NRDC: link here NRDC's Action Fund & Alert: link here Mr. Kennedy's website: link here The Olympian story on Mr. Kennedy's talk at RSE: link here Mr. Kennedy's book "Crimes Against Nature" is a sobering must-read: link here And this fabulous story titled "Celebrating Women as Custodians of the Environment" written by Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director UN Environment Programme: link here . 12. WASHINGTON GOVERNOR DECLARES DROUGHT EMERGENCY & SUMMER FIRE DANGERS "Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire, responding to predictions of the worst drought since 1977, declared a statewide drought emergency today [Mar. 10]. Gregoire directed her Emergency Drought Committee to gear up an emergency command center, track and coordinate responses by state agencies and make sure state resources reach where they are needed. She ordered the National Guard to prepare for combatting wildfires this summer and requested that the Legislature boost drought-related appropriations by an additional $8.2 million," quoting the Seattle PI. link here From the governor's website: link here And the official website for the WA. state drought emergency: link here And, the National Weather Service (NOAA) Seattle Weather Forecast Office site: link here . WHAT THE BLEEP - THE MOVIE NEWS March 15 is the release date for the DVD version of this landmark film. Order your here: link here . OBSERVATION: Has anyone noticed that gold has been on the rise towards its 12 year high, oil is again approaching a record price per barrel, and the dollar is nearing the mid $1.30's again against the Euro. HMM!. OF LOCAL NOTE The Art Gallery At Yelm website is now open highlighting our local talent: link here Or visit the Gallery at 715 Yelm Ave E # 3 Yelm, Wa 98597 360 458-3241 . QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "There is a destiny that makes us brothers; None goes his way alone; All that we send into the lives of others, Comes back into our own." Edwin Markham (1852-1940) American Poet . Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2005. For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on “Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives” at link here Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com . Kleiner's Korner For Week of March 7, 2005 CORRECTION: To last week’s story on JZ Knight’s talk at the Prophets Conference in Santa Monica. The correct link for ordering her talk on CD is: link here then scroll down to "JZ Knight" 1. REMOTE VIEW TRAINING ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC Last week, this writer mentioned JZ Knight teaching a discipline in Santa Monica to develop the mind called “sending & receiving.” Another training of the mind with many books on the subject about various government projects of the same name is called “Remote View.” From the Infinite Voyager website: "Remote Viewing" is the ability to cast your mind to a location distant from your body and see with your mind what is there, even if it is hidden. You can see in "real" time or also in the past or in the future. This skill can be enhanced with consistent practice. Each week we will present a different remote view exercise for you to train with.” You can participate at: link here . 2. U. N. SAYS HUMAN RACE TO GROW ON PLANET BY 50% IN 45 YEARS AND GLOBAL MEASLES DEATHS WAY OFF "The human race is expected to swell from the current 6.5 billion to 9.1 billion people by 2050, with populations exploding in hungry developing countries and stagnating in rich nations, the United Nations predicted on Thursday [Feb. 24], quoting Planet Ark. link here "Global deaths from measles have plummeted 39 percent since the 2001 launch of an international vaccination campaign to curb the disease, the World Health Organization and UNICEF said Friday [Mar. 4]. Measles, which mostly strikes youngsters, can easily be prevented through vaccination. It claimed 873,000 lives in 1999, but the toll was down to 530,000 by the end of 2003, the U.N. agencies said," quoting Reuters. link here And the full U. N. News Release: link here . 3. U. N. SAYS AFRICA UNDER SIEGE BY AIDS "More than 80 million Africans may die from AIDS by 2025, the United Nations said in a report released Friday, and infections could soar to 90 million — or more than 10 percent of the continent’s population — if more isn’t done soon to fight the disease," quoting the AP. [Ed. Note: the Western World has conceded Africa to die.We call ourselves a civilized planet, yet do little to help our fellow inhabitants, unless they have oil or gas. Please forgive me, but this is pathetic!] link here . 4. NEW YORK TIMES SAYS BIG OIL NOT INTERESTED IN ARCTIC DRILLING, DESPITE BUSH. CONGRESS & BUSH PRESS FOR ARCTIC DRILLING. GAS PRICES WILL TOP RECORD LEVELS BY SUMMER "George W. Bush first proposed drilling for oil in a small part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska in 2000, after oil industry experts helped his presidential campaign develop an energy plan. Five years later, he is pushing the proposal again, saying the nation urgently needs to increase domestic production. But if Mr. Bush's drilling plan passes in Congress after what is expected to be a fierce fight, it may prove to be a triumph of politics over geology. Once allied, the administration and the oil industry are now far apart on the issue. The major oil companies are largely uninterested in drilling in the refuge, skeptical about the potential there. Even the plan's most optimistic backers agree that any oil from the refuge would meet only a tiny fraction of America's needs." link here "Having been thwarted repeatedly in its effort to open Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to drilling for oil, the Bush Administration and its Congressional leadership have come up with a plan for a sneak attack on the issue. Rather than holding a straightforward vote on the Senate floor, where strong public opposition halted drilling in the past few years, House and Senate members are quietly planning instead to attach the drilling measure to upcoming budget legislation, where it would be all but impossible to stop (budget bills are exempt from filibuster or extended debate)," quoting BushGreenWatch. link here You can fill in this form and write your Senators & Representatives about this issue: link here "'All of the dynamics are in place for U.S. motorists to pay new record high prices again this year,' said AAA spokesman Geoff Sundstrom. Oil prices are roughly 44 percent higher than a year ago, rising sharply in recent weeks due to a combination of colder weather, the declining value of the dollar and the world’s tight supply-demand balance. Instability in Iraq and underlying fears about terrorism have also played a part in the rally," quoting MSNBC. link here . 5. GREY WHALE NUMBERS ON REBOUND IN MEXICO Quoting the Washington Post, "The gray whales are back, jumping and splashing like 30-ton, sugar-buzzed schoolchildren in the luminous blue-green waters of this remote lagoon. Nearly hunted to extinction in the beginning of the 20th century, the whales have rebounded in numbers that are delighting government marine experts who zip around this Pacific Ocean inlet in a 24-foot skiff, meticulously counting the lively mammals." link here . 6. U. S. NAVY SONAR POSSIBLE CAUSE FOR MAJOR DOLPHIN BEACHINGS - AGAIN! "The Navy and marine wildlife experts are investigating whether the beaching of dozens of dolphins in the Florida Keys followed the use of sonar by a submarine on a training exercise off the coast. More than 20 rough-toothed dolphins have died since Wednesday’s [Mar. 2] beaching by about 70 of the marine mammals, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary spokeswoman Cheva Heck said Saturday [Mar. 5]. A day before the dolphins swam ashore, the USS Philadelphia had conducted exercises with Navy SEALs off Key West, about 45 miles from Marathon, where the dolphins became stranded. Navy officials refused to say if the submarine, based at Groton, Conn., used its sonar during the exercise," quoting the AP. [Ed. Note: of course the navy isn't talking becasue the truth would be revealed and just might implicate them!] link here And this NRDC story ran just one week before the latest dolphin beachings: "The Bush administration is strongly opposing international efforts to restrict the Navy's use of active sonar anywhere in the world, putting it at odds with European allies and several key ocean-protection organizations. Although allies have become increasingly concerned about research indicating a link between the mass strandings of whales and nearby naval use of sonar, the new U.S. position, being finalized last week, puts national security first," quoting the NRDC. [Ed. Note: This administration calls for environmental destruction and disregard for life all in the name of national security. Get real!] link here . 7. ORIGAMI MATHEMATICS USED TO EXPLORE OTHER DIMENSIONS Dr. Demaine, an assistant professor of computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is the leading theoretician in the emerging field of origami mathematics, the formal study of what can be done with a folded sheet of paper. He believes the form he is holding is a hyperbolic parabaloid, a shape well known to mathematicians - or something very close to that - but he wants to be able to prove this conjecture. "It's not easy to do," he says. link here . 8. STAR TREK’S CLOAKING DEVICE ON SCIENTISTS’ DRAWING BOARDS “The idea of a cloak of invisibility that hides objects from view has long been confined to the more improbable reaches of science fiction. But electronic engineers have now come up with a way to make one. Andrea Alù and Nader Engheta of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia say that a 'plasmonic cover' could render objects "nearly invisible to an observer." Their idea remains just a proposal at this stage, but it doesn't obviously violate any laws of physics,” quoting the journal Nature. link here . 9. NORTHWEST'S RECORD DRY WINTER MAY CAUSE RECORD SUMMER FIRE DANGER & DROUGHT EMERGENCY "Seattle experienced its third-driest February, with just 1.2 inches of precipitation. That's more than 2 inches below normal. The numbers were grimmer in Eastern Washington, which is usually dry anyway. Spokane reported the driest February since record keeping began in 1881, with just four-hundredths of an inch of rain, acing out February 1929, when just nine-hundredths of an inch fell," quoting USA Today. link here The Seattle P-I is reporting that a "Drought could be declared in days - Federal officials to meet with [WA. Gov.] Gregoire on coping with lack of snow, rain." link here . 10. CHINA HAILED FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY LAW ” China has passed its first ever renewable energy law, drawing praise Tuesday [Mar. 1] from environmental campaigner Greenpeace, which said it had the potential to become a world leader in sustainable development. China's top legislature, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, approved the law Monday [Feb. 28] as the nation battles acute energy shortages and heavy pollution brought on by its rapid economic development. The law, which takes effect next year, requires power grid operators to purchase resources from registered renewable energy producers, the China Daily said,” quoting Terra.wire. link here . 11. NONSTOP HISTORIC SOLO ROUND-THE-WORLD FLIGHT IN RECORD BOOKS “Millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett landed safely Thursday [Mar. 3] at the Kansas airport where he started his nonstop, round-the-world trek — becoming the first man ever to make such a flight solo and without refueling,” quoting MSNBC.com. link here . 12. NASCAR CRITICIZED FOR BURNING LEADED GAS – DO YOU WANT TO FUND A NASCAR TRACK AS A TAXPAYER? “NASCAR is under fire from environmentalists for using leaded gasoline more than six years after the Environmental Protection Agency asked the stock car racing industry to switch to unleaded. ‘By permitting the continued use of lead, your organization may be putting millions of spectators and nearby residents at unnecessary risk of suffering serious health effects,’ the environmental group Clean Air Watch said in a recent letter to NASCAR Chairman Brian France,” quoting Scripps-Howard News Service. link here And, the full text of the Clean Air Watch letter to NASCAR: link here . WHAT THE BLEEP – THE MOVIE NEWS "Now in its third year, Hollywood's Master Storytellers features some of the motion picture industry's most successful filmmakers telling live audiences the "Great Stories Behind The Great Stories." Join the Storytellers along with filmmakers William Arntz and Betsy Chasse, and Oscar winning actress Marlee Matlin on Tuesday, March 15 at the ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood." link here then scroll to Tuesday, March 15. . OF LOCAL NOTE This writer mentioned to KK readers last year that he was closing his Venture Bank (Yelm) account because of the bank president's stand on moving forward with a proposal to attract a NASCAR track to Yelm as a private venture yet including no public input, with the opening lines of the proposal saying they represented the community. The lack of regard for the public in this action was a travesty to the very taxpayers that would foot the price tag, in this writer's opinion. This was the only way I felt I could get this man's attention. Now comes word that the Venture Bank Board has fired Jon Jones for what was called a "lack of confidence in his (Jones') decision-making," which is consistent with his lack of judgment in his NASCAR proposal. I went in to reopen an account at Venture last week as I felt this issue was complete, where I was informed Mr. Jones had previously been released from his post, as reported in The Olympian. Ah, timing! link here . QUOTE OF THE WEEK "If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything." Mark Twain (1835-1910) (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) American Writer . Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2005. For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on “Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives” at link here Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com .