UPDATES ARCHIVE FOR JANUARY 2006
HOME PAGE	Kleiner's Korner Special Edition for January 31, 2006 Dear Readers; This writer receives many emails from readers around the world commenting on various stories, receiving two of particular note in recent weeks. The results of one of them is still unfolding, while the other has evolved to where I would like to share this discussion with all of you. 1. I received a letter in response to this January 9th story which was #9: "MASS MIND CONTROL THROUGH NETWORK TELEVISION..." T’is rare that this writer will put a story from Rense.com on this site [because many of his stories can not be corrobrated elsewhere], yet this story is worth the read: "Why do countless American people go along with the War on Iraq? Why do so many people call for a police state control grid? A major component to a full understanding of why this kind of governmental and corporate corruption is to discover the modern science of mind control and social engineering. It's baffling to merely glance at the stacks of documentation that this world government isn't being constructed for the greater good of humanity. Although there are a growing number of people waking up the reality of our growing transparent soft cage, there seems to be just enough citizens who are choosing to remain asleep. Worse yet, there are even those who were at least partially awake at one time but found it necessary to return to the slumber of dreamland. This is no accident; this is a carefully crafted design. The drive to dumb down the populations of planet earth is a classic art that existed before the United States did. One component to understanding and deciphering the systems of control is to become a student of the magicians of influence and propaganda. In order to defeat our enemies (or dictators), its imperative that we understand how they think and what they believe in." link here . 2. The letter I received was from a university professor stating that he had his research on a similar subject published in 1963 and was pleased to see this getting into the mainstream, asking if I would like a copy of his work. I heartily accepted, received it via snail mail and asked if I could share it with all of you. I further asked how he came to view my website? He is the father of a student in the Ramtha School who was given my site by his daughter Lucy Jeanne, exactly the target audience of the KK as mentioned on the Kleiner's Korner homepage. link here Here in his own words is Dr. Forman's summary of his 1963 work: Your January 7th Update had a paragraph and a link concerned with public opinion and mass mind control. This made me think of research that had been done in the 1960's and earlier on public panic and response to air raid alarms. Everyone has the image of panic from the classic situation of fire in a crowded theater. There is a threat and people think if they get out soon enough they will be safe. Too many people trying too hard to escape hinder each other and all may be lost. The 1938 "Invasion from Mars" radio broadcast provided a model in which people flee from their homes in their cars or even on trains. The program involved news bulletin interruptions to supposedly normal programs. However, the program itself provided a model of panic flight. One "news bulletin" reported that "highways are clogged," probably encouraging audience members to flee. There are three examples from the 1950's of air raid sirens being sounded inappropriately -- Oakland, CA in 1955, Washington, DC in 1958, and Chicago in 1959. The first two were accidental, the Chicago alarm was sounded to celebrate the White Sox winning the pennant (!). In no case was there mass panic. There is a fourth instance, which I studied. In November 1961 on a Sunday morning a policeman accidentally sounded the air raid siren in Oshkosh, WI. While Oshkosh, with a population of about 50,000, was much smaller than the other cities, the siren came at the height of the Berlin wall crisis a day after news reports that American and Russian soldiers were throwing things at each other by the wall. It was easily possible to imagine that the situation could have escalated into actual warfare. I set up interviews with 87 randomly chosen Oshkosh residents. We found there was no panic, which I concluded was because people had no idea of where to flee to. Although the government had been pushing the idea of people building fallout shelters, none of our respondents had one. There was no guarantee that rushing to the countryside or another city would be any better than staying put so most people simply stayed where they were. I titled my article in The American Journal of Sociology, November 1963, "Resignation as a Collective Behavior Response," and concluded that people didn't panic because they were resigned to their fate. This response is not uncommon. We can see it when after the Titanic's last lifeboats were launched and some 1,600 people were left on board they calmly awaited the end. Much more recently, on 9-11 when the passengers on one of the hijacked planes concluded it would be used to do damage in Washington D.C. they overcame the highjackers and deliberately crashed the plane in Pennsylvania. So we can see that a major determinant of mass reactions depends on the public's definition of the situation which, as your Update indicated, depends on what and how gets reported in the mass media. Robert E. Forman, Ph.D B.A., University of Minnesota, 1948 M.A., University of Minnesota, 1949 Instructor of Sociology, University of Minnesota, Duluth, 1949-50 Instructor of Sociology, St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN 1951-53, and part time 1953-58 Counselor in Dean of Students Office, University of Minnesota, 1953-59 Ph.D, Sociology, University of Minnesota, 1959 Assistant Professor of Sociology, Rockford, College, IL, 1959-61 Assistant Professor to Associate Professor and Department Chairman, Wisconsin State University, Oshkosh 1961-69 Associate Professor to Professor of Sociology, University of Toledo, Ohio, 1969-86 Professor Emeritus, University of Toledo, 1986-- . QUOTE OF THE WEEK "If the people knew what we had done, they would chase us down the street and lynch us." attributed to George Herbert Walker Bush (1924- ) 43rd President of the USA . Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2006. For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on "Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives" at link here Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com. Kleiner's Korner For Week of January 30, 2006 Twenty-one years ago this week a Galaxy Airlines Lockheed Electra crashed near Reno, NV. January 29, 1985. The aircraft was on a charter flight from Reno to Minneapolis. Shortly after takeoff, aicraft vibrabration casued the crew to reduce power and execute a return to the airport. Shortly after reducing power, the aircraft lost airspeed and entered a stall, crashing near the airport. All six crew and 64 of 65 passengers were killed. Three people initially survived the accident, but died within a month of the accident. The sole survivor was a 17-year old boy who was thrown from the wreckage. George Lamson, Jr., was thrown clear of the aircraft and landed upright, still in his seatbelt, on South Virginia Street. He unbuckled his belt as quickly as he could and ran away from the inferno. Why is this story important for this writer to cover here? I remember the exact accident when it happened and paused then to think how strange one person survived when all around him perished. I now know this boy had a destiny that needed to be fulfilled. May we all be so noble as to change timelines and live beyond what would have been our time. link here Oh! And Mr. Lamson celebrated his second decade of a new life after Reno last year. link here 1. WHAT THE BLEEP PART II "DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE" OPENS "Down the Rabbit Hole marks a tremendous cinematic evolution of the original international hit What the BLEEP Do We Know!? It includes important new scientific findings that highlight the very real and deepening link between quantum mechanics, neurobiology, human consciousness, and day-to-day reality. What the BLEEP – Down the Rabbit Hole is streamlined, jet-fueled, and packed with a satisfying payload of new information including: one hour and 45 minutes of new interviews, interviews with two new scientists, Dean Radin, Ph.D. and Dr. Masaru Emoto, interviews with author Lynne McTaggart, never-before-seen footage, three new animation sequences and even a new beginning," quoting their site. [Ed. Note: This writer and his wife saw the film in Portland, OR. for its premier and appreciated the expanded presentations by Ramtha, Dr. Miceal Ledwith, and Dr. Joe Dispenza.] link here Check showtimes in your area: link here Speaking of Dr. Dispenza, here is his letter to Today’s Chiropractic Magazine in response to their July/August, 2005 feature story on his work. link here . 2. INTERACTIVE PHOTO OF BRAIN This interactive photo of the brain is worth a repeat that KK readers have seen several times previously. link here . 3. "GEOMETRY MAY BE HARD-WIRED INTO BRAIN STUDY SHOWS" "Amazonian hunter-gatherers who lack written language and who have never seen a math book score highly on basic tests of geometric concepts, researchers said on Thursday [Jan. 19] in a study that suggests geometry may be hard-wired into the brain. Adults and children alike showed a clear grasp of concepts such as where the center of a circle is and the logical extension of a straight line, the researchers report in this week's issue of the journal Science. Stanislas Dehaene of the College de France in Paris and colleagues tested 14 children and 30 adults of an Amazonian group called the Munduruku, and compared their findings to tests of U.S. adults and children. ‘Munduruku children and adults spontaneously made use of basic geometric concepts such as points, lines, parallelism, or right angles to detect intruders in simple pictures, and they used distance, angle, and sense relationships in geometrical maps to locate hidden objects,’ they wrote. ’Our results provide evidence for geometrical intuitions in the absence of schooling, experience with graphic symbols or maps, or a rich language of geometrical terms.’ Geometry is an ancient field and Dehaene's team postulated that it may spring from innate abilities." quoting Reuters. link here . 4. "CHIMPS MORE LIKE HUMANS THAN APES" & EVOLVING FASTER THAN HUMANS "While you might think of yourself as smarter than the average ape, beware: Those distant relatives of ours have a knack for evolving more quickly than we do. And by revealing this through DNA analysis, scientists have provided support for a controversial hypothesis that chimpanzees are more closely related to humans than to other species of great apes with which they're currently classified. The findings were announced today in a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Researchers generally agree that humans and chimps diverged from a common ancestor about 5 million to 7 million years ago," quoting LiveScience. link here . 5. FOLLOW-UP: CHEMICAL IN TEFLON TO BE DECLARED TOXIC BY EPA "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to list a toxic chemical used to make Teflon alongside such well-known persistent pollutants as mercury, lead and PCBs, signaling increasing alarm about its effects on human health. EPA officials also are increasing pressure on companies to stop using the chemical, called perfluorooctanoic acid, by asking DuPont and six other corporations to voluntarily eliminate PFOA and similar substances from plant emissions and products by 2015. Regulators still are reviewing potential risks of such chemicals, which have been used for more than a half-century with virtually no government oversight," quoting the Chicago Tribune. link here . 6. DNA PLAYING MAJOR ROLE IN FREEING INNOCENT PEOPLE "Alan Crotzer stepped into the warm sunlight outside the courthouse Monday [Jan. 23] and raised his arms to the sky, celebrating his freedom after more than 24 years behind bars for crimes he didn’t commit. A judge freed the 45-year-old Crotzer after DNA testing and other evidence convinced prosecutors he was not involved in the 1981 armed robbery and rapes that led to his 130-year prison sentence," quoting the AP. [Ed. Note: This black man was 21 when arrested and convicted and has spent greater than half his life behind bars for a crime he always said he did not commit.] link here "The Innocence Project at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, founded by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld in 1992, is a non-profit legal clinic and criminal justice resource center. We work to exonerate the wrongfully convicted through postconviction DNA testing; and develop and implement reforms to prevent wrongful convictions. This Project only handles cases where postconviction DNA testing can yield conclusive proof of innocence," quoting the site. [Ed. Note: Barry Scheck is the famed DNA specialist brought in for the OJ Simpson so-called "Dream Team" legal defense.] link here . 7. WINE & FRENCH FOOD HELP TO STAY HEALTHY A. EAT LIKE THE FRENCH IF YOU WISH TO BE THIN "Despite a fondness for goose-liver pate, chocolate mousse, and puffy pastries, the French have the lowest body weight per capita in the Western world. According to best-selling author and diet guru Michel Montignac, this proves that to eat well is to eat healthily. His latest book, "The Montignac Diet: Eat for Pleasure—Stay Slim Forever," will be released in 12 countries in February. Montignac spoke by phone from his country home near Geneva with NEWSWEEK's Eric Pape. Excerpts:... **Why is French food healthy? **We use three times less sugar, less milk, more vegetables. **Our fats are better—fewer trans-fatty acids. **We eat fewer refined cereals in the morning and fewer sandwiches. And in France, 70 percent of the population makes lunch at home, which means less pre-made refined foods… **Why doesn't rice make Asians fat? It is an enigma. They rarely have diabetes or obesity. A study by Jenny Brown-Miller, an Australian professor, showed me that rice can be fine, as long as it is eaten with vegetables," quoting Newsweek. link here B. WINE DRINKERS HAVE HEATHIER DIETS THAN BEER DRINKERS "Wine drinkers have healthier diets than people who prefer beer, according to research reported by Danish scientists on Friday [Jan ]. They tend to buy more fruits, vegetables, olives, low fat cheese, and cooking oil than beer drinkers who are more likely to consume ready meals, soft drinks, sugar, sausages, lamb, and butter or margarine. ‘This study indicates that people who buy wine purchase a greater number of healthy food items than those who buy beer,’ said Professor Morten Gronbaek of the National Institute of Public Health in Copenhagen," quoting the British Medical Journal. link here . 8. PHYSICAL EXERCISE IMPORTANT FOR BRAIN FUNCTION AS WE AGE "Older people who exercise three or more times a week are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia, according to a study that adds to the evidence that staying active can help keep the mind sharp. Researchers found that healthy people who reported exercising regularly had a 30 to 40 percent lower risk of dementia. The study, published Tuesday [Jan. 17]in the Annals of Internal Medicine, reached no conclusions about whether certain types of exercise helped more than others, but researchers said even light activity, such as walking, seemed to help," quoting the AP. link here . 9. BIRD FLU GREATEST THREAT ACCORDING TO WORLD'S BUSINESS LEADERS "The global threat that most preoccupies the world’s business leaders is the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, according to a study released Thursday [Jan. 26] at the World Economic Forum.Other global risks, such as terrorist attacks and the possibility of an even bigger oil price shock, were deemed just as dangerous, but less likely to happen in the coming year, said the “Global Risks 2006” report," quoting the AP. link here Note: No one seems to comment how gold is now holding its floor at $550 an ounce: link here ]. 10. FOLLOW-UP: YOUR CHILDREN CAN NOT OPT OUT OF PENTAGON RECRUITMENT DATABASE Kleiner's Korner has reported several times the Pentagon recruitment practices in this nation's High School's. Now comes word that: "Parents cannot remove their children’s names from a Pentagon database that includes highly personal information used to attract military recruits, the Vermont Guardian has learned. The Pentagon has spent more than $70.5 million on market research, national advertising, website development, and management of the Joint Advertising Market Research and Studies (JAMRS) database — a storehouse of questionable legality that includes the names and personal details of more than 30 million U.S. children and young people between the ages of 16 and 23. The database is separate from information collected from schools that receive federal education money. The No Child Left Behind Act requires schools to report the names, addresses, and phone numbers of secondary school students to recruiters, but the law also specifies that parents or guardians may write a letter to the school asking that their children’s names not be released. However, many parents have reported being surprised that their children are contacted anyway, according to a San Francisco-based coalition called Leave My Child Alone (LMCA)," quoting the Vermont Guardian. [Ed. Note: Be proactive in finding out what private information your child's schools are collecting about them AND YOU!] link here . 11. WORLD’S BEST PAID YOUNG PEOPLE ARE ACTORS/ACTRESSES & ATHLETES "Actors/actresses, singers, athletes on list are all under 25 years old. In fact, according to Forbes' annual listing of the World's Most Powerful Celebrities, the 11 youngsters on our list earned some $127 million in just one year. And not one of them has even cracked the quarter-century mark yet," quoting Forbes. [Ed. Note: This is a society in complete degradation that rewards actors and athletes such huge paychecks. These people are today’s heroes which is sad. What about stem cell researchers that work to prolong a healthy life, teachers that educate our children, scientists reaching out to the stars, doctors, researchers, environmentalists, animal care workers, people fighting for freedom and equality for all, etc.. These are this writer's heroes and know they deserve these huge paychecks, just as much if not more. This is pathetic!] link here . 12. WASHINGTON STATE’S NISQUALLY RIVER WATERSHED RECEIVES $1.6 to RESTORE WATERSHED "The Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board approved funds for projects that benefit salmon recovery in the state. More than $1.6 million was earmarked to restore or protect threatened habitat on the Nisqually watershed," quoting the Nisqually Valley News in this unarchived story from their Janaury 27, 2006 edition. For more information, check out this fabulously informative site from the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife: link here "The Nisqually River Watershed is a land of wind and wildlife, glaciers and storms, towering firs and diminutive banana slugs. Yet it is also a land greatly affected by human decisions and activities. Though the Nisqually is one of the least developed rivers in southern Puget Sound, it faces an uncertain future. Flowing 78 miles from its source at the Nisqually Glacier on 14,410-foot Mount Rainier to its delta at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, the Nisqually is a direct link between the summit snows of Washington's highest peak and the marine waters of Puget Sound. Recognizing the priceless heritage of the Nisqually River, the state legislature directed the Department of Ecology in 1985 to create a comprehensive management plan for the river and its watershed. The Nisqually River Task Force, consisting of federal, state and local governments, business representatives, the Nisqually Indian Tribe, and interested citizen activists, created the Nisqually River Management Plan. The plan provides for a '...balanced stewardship of the area's economic resources, natural resources and cultural resources,'" quoting the Nisqually River site. link here . RAMTHA SCHOOL NEWS The following was written by Tim Ventura, noted researcher with over a decade of experience compiling data on leading experimental methods of antigravity on his americanantigravity.com website. This writer had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Ventura last year on his visit to Yelm. Here is his report about Ramtha’s School: Secrets of the Ramtha School: If you ever get the chance to visit the Ramtha School of Enlightenment, I’d highly recommend it. I’m not saying that as a student, because I’m not. Quite frankly, I don’t know what to believe, so I’ve chosen not to make a choice on the matter. Get ready for an a behind-the-scenes look at psychic powers, channeling, blind archery, and 'The Tank', from behind the veil at RSE's 2005 summer retreat. The Ramtha School of Enlightenment is a psychic & spirituality center located in the rural city of Yelm that’s dominated by a single personality – the legendary JZ Knight. The story is that back in the 1970’s, she began to recognize the spiritual presence of an ethereal being called “Ramtha”, which she later began to ‘channel’. Through the conduit of JZ Knight’s body, Ramtha began communicating with the public and eventually started teaching about the untapped powers of the human consciousness, which led to the gradual development of the “Ramtha School of Enlightenment”. Since I’ve already mentioned visiting the Ramtha School, I might as well tell you who gets in and why they show up. Taking into account the usual array of threats and critics, you can probably guess that not every Tom, Dick, and Harry who arrives at the front door gets a red-carpet welcome. The Ramtha School of Enlightenment has its own unique culture, and getting an invite is basically the same as any other college campus: you’re either a student or a teacher... link here . OF LOCAL NOTE "The winter of 2005-06 has gone into the record books. The rain that fell on South Sound on Friday [Jan. 20] marked the 34th consecutive day of measurable wet stuff at the National Weather Service station at Olympia Regional Airport, breaking the record of 33 straight days of rain set in 1953," quoting The Olympian. link here The Yelm Earthworm & Castings Farm has new owners. "The products that we develop using earthworm castings are all about restoring or boosting the biology of your soil so that this "living" soil can break down soil nutrients and feed them to your plants' roots," quoting their site From their newsletter: "National Public Radio did an interview at the Farm this past Jan. 9, 2006. It is delightful. You can listen to it on our web site. Saturday, Jan. 21st the Tacoma News Tribune carried an article on soils, and the Yelm Earthworm and Castings Farm was in it. We really are growing!" link here [Ed. Note: Best wishes to Kelen & Hunt and a person this writer holds very dear, Kyle!] . QUOTE OF THE WEEK "The individual is handicapped by coming face to face with a conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists." J. Edgar Hoover (1895-1972) Former Director of the USA’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) . Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2006. For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on "Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives" at link here Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com. Kleiner's Korner For Week of January 23, 2006 The most emails received since the election were from KK readers asking this writer to share this story: "A humpback whale freed by divers from a tangle of crab trap lines near the Farallon Islands [just outside of San Francisco's Golden Gate] nudged its rescuers and flapped around in what marine experts said was a rare and remarkable encounter. 'It felt to me like it was thanking us, knowing that it was free and that we had helped it,' James Moskito, one of the rescue divers, said Tuesday. [Dec. 14]. 'It stopped about a foot away from me, pushed me around a little bit and had some fun.' Sunday's [Dec. 12] daring rescue was the first successful attempt on the West Coast to free an entangled humpback, said Shelbi Stoudt, stranding manager for the Marine Mammal Center in Marin County," quoting the San Francisco Chronicle. link here And, Marin County’s Marine Mammal Center site: link here 1. FOLLOW-UPS: NEWS OF HUMAN CONQUESTS A. COMET-DUST CAPTURING CRAFT RETURNS "After a seven-year, 2.9 billion-mile round trip, NASA's Stardust space capsule floated down to a landing in the Utah desert early Sunday, bringing back interstellar dust and comet samples that scientists hope will yield clues to the origins of the solar system… The Stardust mission came to a climax in the middle of the night, starting with the sample return capsule's release from its mothership when it was 69,000 miles (110,000 kilometers) away from Earth. The shuttlecock-shaped capsule streaked through the atmosphere at about 29,000 mph (46,000 kilometers per hour), representing the fastest re-entry of any human-made probe," quoting MSNBC. link here B. STEVE FOSSETT WILL ATTEMPT TO SET WORLD'S LONGEST FLIGHT "Where the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer attempts to fly further than any other aircraft in history. Temperatures at Kennedy Space Center will be too warm for a heavyweight takeoff until after Jan 27," quoting the website. link here . 2. DOGS' SMELL SENSES MAY AID IN EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF CANCER "Dogs' keen sense of smell might help in the early diagnosis of cancer, researchers report in the current issue of Integrative Cancer Therapies. The findings show that trained ordinary household dogs can detect early-stage lung and breast cancers by merely sniffing the breath samples of patients. 'We've seen anecdotal evidence before suggesting that dogs can smell the presence of certain types of cancer,’ Michael McCulloch, from the Pine Street Foundation in San Anselmo, California, told Reuters Health, ‘but until now nobody had conducted a thorough study such as this.' Researchers have observed that cancer cells release molecules different from those of their healthy counterparts, and that might be perceived by smell by the highly sensitive dog's nose," quoting Reuters. link here . 3. FOLLOW-UP: WHAT DO MOTHER NATURE’S CREATURES KNOW THAT HUMAN’S DO NOT? A. HOW ANTS INSTRUCT EACH OTHER "Ants teach other ants how to find food using a poking and prodding technique called "tandem running," a new study reveals. Researchers say the experiment reveals the first nonhuman example of formal instruction between a teacher and pupil in which there is two-way feedback and an adjustment of the course curriculum. When female worker ants of the species Temnothorax albipennis set out for food, they often find another ant to make the journey with. If the second ant doesn't know where to find food, the leader teaches her through tandem running," quoting Live Science. link here B. STEM CELLS' ROLL IN DEER ANTLERS Titled: "Stem cells play a key role in the deer's remarkable ability to grow new antlers, according to research." "The deer is unique among mammals in being able to regenerate a complete body part - in this case a set of bone antlers covered in velvety skin. Experts at the Royal Veterinary College hope the work could one day lead to new ways to repair damaged human tissues. Details were outlined in an edition of the BBC TV programme Super Vets, which was screened on 12 January," quoting the BBC. link here . 4. SOME OF MOTHER NATURE’S CREATURES NOT ADAPTING WELL TO HUMANITY’S DESTRUCTION OF THE PLANET A. FROGS DECIMATED BY GLOBAL WARMING "An infectious fungus aggravated by warmer global temperatures has killed entire populations of frogs in Central and South America and driven some species to extinction, scientists said on Wednesday [Jan. 11]. In research that showed the effects of rising temperatures on delicate ecosystems, a team of researchers found that a warming atmosphere encouraged the spread of a fungus that has wiped out species of harlequin frogs and golden toads. 'This is the first clear evidence that widespread extinction is taking place because of global warming'’ Alan Pounds, an ecologist of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve in Costa Rica, said in an interview. 'Climate change is already altering the dynamics of infectious disease and causing species to disappear.'" quoting Reuters. link here B. WINE USED TO KEEP MOSCOW MONKEYS WARM "More than 30 people across Russia have died since Tuesday, in the coldest weather to affect the country in more than 25 years. Energy consumption has hit new highs as Russia struggled to keep warm in the severe winter conditions...One zoo near Moscow has meanwhile come up with another way of beating the cold, our correspondent says. She says that Russian media have reported that some of the monkey (sic) will be given wine three times a day for protection against the elements," Says the BBC. link here . 5. "’DOOMESDAY’ SEED BANK TO BE BUILT" "Norway is planning to build a "doomsday vault" inside a mountain on an Arctic island to hold a seed bank of all known varieties of the world's crops. The Norwegian government will hollow out a cave on the ice-bound island of Spitsbergen to hold the seed bank. It will be designed to withstand global catastrophes like nuclear war or natural disasters that would destroy the planet's sources of food. Seed collection is being organised by the Global Crop Diversity Trust," quoting the BBC. link here . 6. SCATHING ASSESSMENT OF BUSH ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES BY 6 FORMER EPA DIRECTORS "Six former heads of the Environmental Protection Agency — five Republicans and one Democrat — accused the Bush administration Wednesday [Jan. 18] of neglecting global warming and other environmental problems.'"I don’t think there’s a commitment in this administration,' said Bill Ruckelshaus, who was EPA’s first administrator when the agency opened its doors in 1970 under President Nixon and headed it again under President Reagan in the 1980s," quoting the AP. link here . 7. U. S. GOVERNMENT OPENS ALASKA WETLANDS TO OIL DRILLING [BYE!] "The Bush administration has opened nearly half a million acres of federal land in northeastern Alaska to oil drilling — a move blasted by environmentalists but praised by industry, which notes the area is in a long-designated petroleum reserve. The Interior Department on Wednesday [Jan. 11] said it would allow oil development in virtually all of the wetlands surrounding Lake Teshekpuk in the northeast corner of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The lake region includes one of the most important molting areas in the Arctic for wild geese and areas sought out by caribou herds for calving. The lake is the biological “heart” of the region, said Dora Nukapigak, a resident of the Inupiat village of Nuiqsut, the community closest to Teshekpuk. The lake is about 80 miles east of Point Barrow, Alaska’s northernmost point" quoting MSNBC. [Ed. Note: This writer has flown over this area between Barrow and Deadhorse/Prudhoe Bay, visited Barrow, and found this pristine land on the Arctic Ocean one of the last untouched of the world's great wildernesses. Prudhoe Bay is destroyed under oil drilling rigs dotting the landscape...What next?] link here . 8. RESEARCHERS DEVELOP QUANTUM PROCESSOR "A computer chip based on the esoteric science of quantum mechanics has been created by researchers at the University of Michigan. The chip might well pave the way for a new generation of supercomputers. Employing the same semiconductor-fabrication techniques used to create common computer chips, the Michigan team was able to trap a single atom within an integrated chip and control it using electrical signals...'With quantum mechanics, an object can be in two places at the same time, as long as you don't look at it,' he said. The quantum computer architecture can store quantum bits (qubits) of information, where each qubit can hold the numbers one or zero, or even both digits simultaneously," quoting newsfactor.com. link here . 9. WEIGHT DOES MATTER FOR BETTER HEALTH AS WE AGE "Middle-age people who are overweight but have normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels are kidding themselves if they think their health is just fine. Northwestern University researchers tracked 17,643 patients for three decades and found that being overweight in mid-life substantially increased the risk of dying of heart disease later in life -- even in people who began the study with healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels. High blood pressure and cholesterol are strong risk factors for heart disease. Both are common in people who are too fat, and often are thought to explain why overweight people are more prone to heart disease. But there is a growing body of science suggesting that excess weight alone is an independent risk factor for heart attacks, strokes and diabetes. The new study fits with that evolving school of thought and contrasts with a controversial government study published last year that suggested excess weight might not be as deadly as previously thought...The study appears in Wednesday's [Jan. 11] Journal of the American Medical Association [JAMA]," quoting the AP. link here And the JAMA complete study : link here . 10. THESE STORIES REALLY HAD THIS WRITER PAUSE AND THINK THAT ALL WE DO IS ALREADY KNOWN A. "The Panopticon is defined as a prison so constructed that the inspector can see each of the prisoners at all times, without being seen. This is an accurate description of the accelerating movement by western governments to erect giant, powerful, all-pervading mass surveillance, tracking, and control grids that will keep all populations firmly under the baleful and watchful gaze of Big Brother. We are still debating the NSA listening to foreign calls from the US when the NSA admitted twenty years ago that they were listening to domestic US calls under the Echelon program. This is declassified and public but the media acts like they don't know about it," quoting Prison Planet. link here And: link here B. And from Newsweek, "The Pentagon has its own domestic spying program. Even its leaders say the outfit may have gone too far. The demonstration seemed harmless enough. Late on a June afternoon in 2004, a motley group of about 10 peace activists showed up outside the Houston headquarters of Halliburton, the giant military contractor once headed by Vice President Dick Cheney. They were there to protest the corporation's supposed "war profiteering." The demonstrators wore papier-mache masks and handed out free peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches to Halliburton employees as they left work. The idea, according to organizer Scott Parkin, was to call attention to allegations that the company was overcharging on a food contract for troops in Iraq. 'It was tongue-in-street political theater,' Parkin says. But that's not how the Pentagon saw it. To U.S. Army analysts at the top-secret Counterintelligence Field Activity (CIFA), the peanut-butter protest was regarded as a potential threat to national security. Created three years ago by the Defense Department, CIFA's role is "force protection" - tracking threats and terrorist plots against military installations and personnel inside the United States. In May 2003, Paul Wolfowitz, then deputy Defense secretary, authorized a fact-gathering operation code-named TALON - short for Threat and Local Observation Notice - that would collect "raw information" about "suspicious incidents." The data would be fed to CIFA to help the Pentagon's "terrorism threat warning process," according to an internal Pentagon memo." link here C. From The New York Times, "Enough is never enough, not when the government believes that it can invade your privacy without repercussions. The Justice Department wants a federal judge to force Google to turn over millions of private Internet searches. Google is rightly fighting the demand, but the government says America Online, Yahoo and MSN, Microsoft's online service, have already complied with similar requests. This is not about national security. The Justice Department is making this baldfaced grab to try to prop up an online pornography law that has been blocked once by the Supreme Court. And it's not the first time we've seen this sort of behavior. The government has zealously protected the Patriot Act's power to examine library records. It sought the private medical histories of a selected group of women, saying it needed the information to defend the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act in the federal courts. The furor is still raging over President Bush's decision to permit spying on Americans without warrants. And the government now wants what could be billions of search terms entered into Google's Web pages and possibly a million Web-site addresses to go along with them." link here . 11. KK READER SHARES BILL MOYERS’ SPEECH ABOUT MEDIA - VERY ENLIGHTENING "This is the prepared text of the address delivered on December 9, 2005, by Bill Moyers for the 20th anniversary of the National Security Archive, a nongovernmental research institute and library at The George Washington University, in Washington D.C. The Archive collects and publishes declassified documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. Collaborating with him on this speech was Michael Winship. They have been colleagues in public broadcasting for over thirty years, including, most recently, on the PBS weekly broadcast NOW with Bill Moyers. Moyers, who retired from the NOW broadcast last December, is the President of the Schumann Center for Media and Democracy.)" [Ed. Note: This is long yet well worth the read.] link here . 12. DISCOVERY CHANNEL SIMULATION OF 9.0 EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI AFFECTING SEATTLE AREA "The Discovery Channel computer model simulation of a 9.0+ earthquake along the Cascadia Fault in the USA's Pacific Northwest and ensuing tsunami destroying Seattle is "based on data collected from the Indian Ocean mega-thrust fault." [Ed. Note: This video is a chilling reminder that no government is going to be able to protect and assist all of its people in a similar situation. This writer has heard his Teacher Ramtha speak of this type of event in the Northwest for two decades and has wisely advised to be over 3 miles away from the shore and 400+ feet above sea level in Yelm. Yelm is at the extreme southern end of Puget Sound 16 miles inland and potential waves would enter through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and be much smaller by the time they hit the South Sound, yet will do profound damage even this far south, by traveling up the rivers.] link here then click "continue". RAMTHA SCHOOL NEWS "Ramtha -The White Book" is available in 6 languages including Hebrew. With his message of hope and his recent exposure to USA's largest Hebrew speaking city by appearing in New York's Times Square via NBC's Astrovision Billboard, sharing his teachings "The Power Is In You", "Make Known The Unknown," "Create Your Year, Change The World," & "Ramtha's School of Enlightenment - The Quintessential School Of The Mind", Hebrew speaking people the world over now have an opportunity to be touched by Ramtha. link here And for those English speaking people that would like to see how Ramtha's Teachings are portrayed to Israelis and Hebrew speakers, click this link: link here [Ed. Note: Yes, my wife is owner of Adapa Publishing and chief Hebrew translator of Ramtha's Teachings and I am very proud of her tremendous achievement to translate this text into a language that, at times, has no words comparable to deliver Ramtha's context.] And, if you missed the Times Square announcement, here is the Press Release: link here Speaking of Times Sqaure, JZ Knight and Ramtha return to New York City with their Message of Hope open to the public at Manhattan Center March 24 & 25. Enroll here: link here The White Book is also available in Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, & French. link here Ramtha first appeared to JZ Knight 29 years ago next month. She started channeling a year later. [Ed. Note: This writer recently paused and contemplated how many people have done any one single thing for almost 29 years in their lives? Some have worked, studied, or been married for 30 years, t'is true. Yet to continue to channel that long amidst a world that has been antagonistic at best and threatening to her life at times, all because this fabulous message to humanity "pushes the envelope of human consciousness to evolve one's mind" speaks to the stamina of Ramtha's Channel. This writer applauds the work of JZ Knight to overcome all obstacles and continue this endeavor! This writer gets frequently asked "Why does Ramtha Channel rather than show himself. Click here and scroll down to "JZ KNIGHT, THE CHANNEL" for that explanation: link here . OF LOCAL NOTE "Thurston County [WA.] is considering a new Ordinance that may seriously affect both the value of your property and what you are allowed to do with it. Known as the Critical Areas Ordinance, the proposal is fraught with errors and bad science and has caused an uproar amongst the citizens of this County. This is why a group of concerned individuals came together and formed PREP - People for Responsible Environmental Policies. If we don't let our County leaders know that we are unwilling to accept the new Ordinance, it is likely to be adopted as written. The purpose of this website is to inform all property owners in Thurston County of the details of the proposal and what you can do to protect your rights. Together we can ensure that eroneouos (sic) law is not adopted," quoting their site. link here . QUOTE OF THE WEEK "Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-born theoretical physicist, originator of the theory of relativity . Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2006. For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on "Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives" at link here Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com. Kleiner's Korner for Week of January 16, 2006 This writer has often been called a "doom and gloomer" and has again last week, based on some of the content of Kleiner’s Korner. Twenty years ago following what I felt was sound advice from my Teacher Ramtha meriting consideration and action, I left the condo of the city, purchased land in the country, bought and stored food water, gold, silver, and nonelectric tools, paid off my debt, and planted a garden with my own hands. Quite a change for a city boy and white-collar corporate minion. I was labeled a fool and ridiculed for storing food, paying a hefty $475 an ounce for gold that soon dropped to $250 an ounce and building a wind generator, that to some proved I was some eccentric nut. Not so nutty now as this past week most did not hear about these stories: A. Gold hit a 25 year high of $550 and closed on January 13th at $556.50. B. The United States government issued a warning for citizens to store food and medicine. C. American debt & bankruptcies hit all-time highs. So, yes, call me a "doom and gloomer." Seems like so many of these stories merit review in this KK anyway for those that have "the ears to hear and eyes to see." SK- 1. U. S. GOVERNMENT WARNING PUBLIC TO STOCKPILE FOOD & MEDICINE Kleiner’s Korner reported the startling Christmas morning, 2005 Meet The Press interview where Tom Brokaw and Ted Koppel spoke of storing food for their families on national television. Now, it's the U. S. government making this same suggestion quoting this Fox News story, "The federal government on Friday [Jan. 6] urged Americans to stockpile food and medicine in an effort to prepare for what officials warn could be widespread disruptions in the event of an influenza pandemic. A flu pandemic is a global outbreak that occurs when a new influenza A virus causes serious human illness and spreads easily from person to person, according to the CDC. Experts inside and outside the government have warned of a medical crisis if, for example, a highly pathogenic virus like the H5N1 bird flu virus begins to infect large numbers of humans. But they have also warned that a flu pandemic would likely interrupt nearly every aspect of normal life, as schools, workplaces, grocery stores, and even utilities shut down." link here . 2. GOLD HITS 25 YEAR HIGH AS ECONOMIC UNCERTANTIES ABOUND "The spot price of gold was quoted marginally lower on Tuesday [Jan. 10], after breaking above $550 a troy ounce for the first time since January 1981 on Monday evening [Jan. 9]... In January 1981, gold was fixed at a high of $602.25/oz...Fund buying in tandem with the strong gold price on Tuesday morning [Jan. 10] took the spot price of platinum to $1018 an ounce, which was the metal's highest level since March 1980 when platinum climbed to an all-time high of about $1040/oz.," quoting I-Net Bridge. link here [Ed. Note: The public is driving up prices through private purchases as uncertainties in energy, governments, and Mother Nature are causing people to look for safety in metals with numbers not seen since the Carter Administration during the last conflict with Iran. This is an excellent summary this writer finds valid. However, trust your own knowingness. link here Read this if you wish to know more in-depth about these issues, particularly Iran moving into the Euro to trade oil instead of dollars. YIKES! link here And: link here . 3. CREDIT-CARD DELINQUENCIES & BANCRUPTCIES STAY NEAR RECORD LEVELS A. "The proportion of consumers behind on their credit card bills remained near record-high levels in the July-September period as high gasoline prices and rising interest rates continued to put stress on personal budgets. The American Bankers Associated reported Tuesday [Jan. 10] that the percentage of credit card accounts 30 or more days past due dipped slightly to 4.74 percent in the July-September quarter after having hit an all-time high of 4.81 percent in the spring," quoting the AP. [Ed. Note: This writer has always said American debt is its Achilles Heal and this country's paper is owned by other countries that can pull the plug on us anytime. That will not be a pretty picture.] link here B. "U.S. consumer bankruptcies increased to a record 2.04 million in 2005, as people rushed to seek protection from creditors ahead of tough new laws, data released on Wednesday [Jan. 11] show. Filings rose 31.6 percent from 1.55 million in 2004, with increases in every U.S. state and double-digit percentage increases in every geographic region, according to Lundquist Consulting Inc., a financial research firm. One in every 53 households filed for court protection, the firm said," quoting Reuters. [Ed. Note: The AP reported this is "their highest annual level on record."] link here . 4. BIRD FLU UPDATE: A. TURKEY’S HUMAN BIRD FLU CASES MULTIPLY "Laboratory tests conducted in Turkey have confirmed detection of the H5 subtype of avian influenzavirus in samples from an additional 10 patients. Five of these cases were announced by the Ministry of Health yesterday and an additional five were announced today. Most patients are children and all have been hospitalized for treatment and evaluation. This brings the total number of cases in Turkey, confirmed by laboratory tests there, to 14. Of these patients, two have died. WHO will add these numbers to its cumulative total following further verification by an external H5 reference laboratory. The quality of laboratory testing at Turkey’s National Influenza Centre in Ankara is high. Results from tests conducted there last week were fully confirmed by a WHO collaborating laboratory in the United Kingdom. WHO considers it likely that test results on the newly announced cases will be confirmed by the UK laboratory, where samples are being sent for further analysis," quoting the United Nation’s WHO. link here And, "There are no signs that the bird flu virus spreading in Turkey is being passed among humans, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday [Jan. 9]," quoting Reuters. link here B. This is a thoughtful story from NPR titled "Staving Off Panic in a Flu Pandemic." "If the current bird-flu outbreak becomes a pandemic, fear could turn to panic. Experts say whether that happens will probably depend on how honest governments are with the public. In the flu pandemic of 1918, there was enough panic that society began to disintegrate in some cities, says historian John Barry, author of The Great Influenza." link here C. SEATTLE & KING COUNTY PLANNING FOR BIRD FLU "Many local authorities in the United States are just getting started. Few have any plans in place to deal with the massive number of people who could need hospital care. Fewer still have concrete plans to cope with extended periods of cancelled school sessions, business shutdowns and disruptions of commerce. There's at least one exception: Seattle and surrounding King County, Washington. For some time now officials there have been making the rounds of health care facilities, businesses and schools, warning about the scope of a potential flu pandemic. They've also been talking about and what might be done to minimize illness, death and social disruption. Their master plan, just released, is based roughly on the deadly flu pandemic of 1918," quoting NPR. [Ed. Note: You must see on this same link "A computer simulation on how a pandemic might unfold in King County, Washington, projected the number of new cases there would be each day during a severe pandemic." Chilling!] link here . 5. NEXT STEP IN GETTING PUBLIC TO ACCEPT IMPLANTED ID CHIPS "Forgetting computer passwords is an everyday source of frustration, but a solution may literally be at hand — in the form of computer chip implants. With a wave of his hand, Amal Graafstra, a 29-year-old entrepreneur based in Vancouver, Canada, opens his front door. With another, he logs onto his computer. Tiny radio frequency identification (RFID) computer chips inserted into Graafstra's hands make it all possible. 'I just don't want to be without access to the things that I need to get access to. In the worst case scenario, if I'm in the alley naked, I want to still be able to get in (my house),' Graafstra said in an interview in New York, where he is promoting the technology. 'RFID is for me.' The computer chips, which cost about $2, interact with a device installed in computers and other electronics. The chips are activated when they come within 3 inches of a so-called reader, which scans the data on the chips. The "reader" devices are available for as little as $50," quoting Reuters. link here . 6. USA SAYS MAIL FROM FOREIGN LANDS MAY BE OPENED "A spokesman for the Customs and Border Protection division said he couldn’t speak directly to Goodman’s case but acknowledged that the agency can, will and does open mail coming to U.S. citizens that originates from a foreign country whenever it’s deemed necessary. ‘All mail originating outside the United States Customs territory that is to be delivered inside the U.S. Customs territory is subject to Customs examination’ says the CBP Web site. That includes personal correspondence. 'All mail means ‘all mail,’' said John Mohan, a CBP spokesman, emphasizing the point. ‘This process isn’t something we’re trying to hide,’ Mohan said, noting the wording on the agency’s Web site. ‘We’ve had this authority since before the Department of Homeland Security was created,’" Mohan said. link here . 7. WHAT DO MOTHER NATURE'S CREATURES KNOW THAT HUMAN'S DON'T? "Ants build their own medicine cabinet. Life without medicine cabinets has apparently driven one species of farmer ants to extreme measures — growing their own antibiotics. Pesticides may be a relatively recent innovation for human farmers, but a team led by University of Wisconsin bacteriologist Cameron Currie says the ants, who farm fungus, have likely been keeping their crops pest-free with these antibiotics for at least 50 million years...A close look at curious white spots on "Attine" ants, yielded the find, reported in the current /Science/ magazine. Hidden between the mouth and forelegs of the ants are tiny "crypts" the team reports, filled with antibiotic-producing bacteria. "These crypts have small openings to the external surface of the ant," allowing the creatures to apply the antibiotics to their crops, the team found after examining the creatures with a high-tech microscope called an electron micrograph. The antibiotics kill a parasite that plagues the ants' gardens, and in return the bacteria receive a free ride and nourishment from the ants, via specialized glands," quoting USA Today. link here . 8. INDIA LOSES FEMALES TO ABORTION & SEX SELECTION "More than 10m female births in India may have been lost to abortion and sex selection in the past 20 years, according to medical research. Researchers in India and Canada for the Lancet journal said prenatal selection and selective abortion was causing the loss of 500,000 girls a year. Their research was based on a national survey of 1.1m households in 1998...In most countries, women slightly outnumber men, but separate research for the year 2001 showed that for every 1,000 male babies born in India, there were just 933 girls. The latest research is by Prabhat Jha of St Michael's Hospital at the University of Toronto, Canada, and Rajesh Kumar of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Research in Chandigarh, India. They found that there was an increasing tendency to select boys when previous children had been girls," quoting the BBC. link here . 9. CRAFT RETURNS WITH COMET DUST "In a blaze across the night sky, it should be a spectacular homecoming at the end of a very, very long journey. After covering 2.88 billion miles over seven years, the Stardust spacecraft is nearing home with its minute but precious cargo: samples of what are believed to be the oldest materials in the solar system. Tucked away in what looks like a giant fly swatter of a collector is dust swooped up from a close encounter with the comet Wild 2 and an accumulation of particles picked up in three circuits of the Sun. ‘This has been a fantastic opportunity to collect the most primitive material in the solar system,’ said Donald Brownlee of the University of Washington, the principal investigator for the mission. ‘We fully expect some of the comet particles to be older than the Sun,’" quoting the New York Times. link here And NASA: link here . 10. "A GENIUS EXPLAINS" "Daniel Tammet is an autistic savant. He can perform mind-boggling mathematical calculations at breakneck speeds. But unlike other savants, who can perform similar feats, Tammet can describe how he does it. He speaks seven languages and is even devising his own language. Now scientists are asking whether his exceptional abilities are the key to unlock the secrets of autism. Daniel Tammet is talking. As he talks, he studies my shirt and counts the stitches. Ever since the age of three, when he suffered an epileptic fit, Tammet has been obsessed with counting. Now he is 26, and a mathematical genius who can figure out cube roots quicker than a calculator and recall pi to 22,514 decimal places. He also happens to be autistic, which is why he can't drive a car, wire a plug, or tell right from left. He lives with extraordinary ability and disability." Interview by Richard Johnson for UK'S GUARDIAN. link here . 11. HONDA WOWS WITH FUEL-CELL VEHICLE AT DETROIT AUTO SHOW "The 2006 North American International Auto Show, Detroit’s annual celebration of all that’s cool and new in the auto world, is well underway and already some of the biggest names in the business are showing why they’re considered forward-thinking car makers. Take Honda for example, which on Sunday won both the prestigious North American Car of The Year and Truck of the Year awards for its Civic and Ridgeline brands. The Japanese carmaker is looking further down the road here in Detroit, showing off its future concepts for alternative automotive fueling and energy conservation, and illustrating the rapid development of its fuel cell technology program. Honda’s FCX concept vehicle was first unveiled four months ago and is on show again here in Detroit. The fuel-cell powered vehicle is possibly one of the most innovative and exciting alternative-fuel cars on display at this year’s auto show," quoting MSNBC. link here . 12. REMEMBERING MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. The USA celebrates the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. this week and his impact and contributions to the upliftment of this nation's people. With Dr. King on the cover of the January 9th edition of TIME Magazine, this marks the fifth TIME cover featuring Dr. King: link here [Ed. Note: Further, this is an important and very well written story by Jonathan Alter for Newsweek about the final years of Martin Luther King's life as we celebrate this man and his work. Aspects are told from the perspective of an 8 year-old observer and stories like these need to be recorded to give an historical context for future generations of the times these events happened. Many were not born and think of this as just a day off work or from school. For those of us who lived during the tumultuous times of our country's grappling with civil rights issues all the way from Rosa Parks and Selma, Alabama, to Dr. King's "I have a dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial to Memphis, 1968 and that Summer's burning of great American cities, this day is more than a day off; this is about the liberation of every individual to know they are a valued and equal part of this brotherhood and sisterhood we call humanity. Regardless of the naysayers and dissidents of the day who will focus on Dr. King's shortcomings, this writer will pause this day and remember the life and passions of a man who cast a vision of hope and inspiration for his people, changed the minds of countless non-blacks and stood tall amidst those that would put his message asunder. What an ideal for all of us!] "In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the unfinished agenda of the 1960s is under discussion again, if not in Washington then at least among the legions of local leaders still trying to better their communities," quoting Mr. Alter. link here . RAMTHA SCHOOL NEWS "Alan Steinfeld [of New Realities in New York] is very familiar with {sic} teachings of Ramtha and his channel JZ Knight. His encounter with Ramtha in 1981 sparked a spiritual realization about the divinity within. This interview comes at the culmination of a 24 year investigation into the teaching of Ramtha and JZ Knight. In this up close and personal dialogue, JZ shares many of the struggles that she has had over the years in realizing the source of her own God-self. Here she talks about how she has been able to just get out of the way and channel, but her biggest challenge was to find out who she was. And that is what revealed here," quoting New Realities.com. link here . OF LOCAL NOTE Are you from Yelm or Ylem? The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000 says Ylem is "A form of matter hypothesized by proponents of the big bang theory to have existed before the formation of the chemical elements." Websters: "(cosmology) the original matter that (according to the big bang theory) existed before the formation of the chemical elements." "The city [Seattle and Puget Sound's cities] had its 26th straight day of rain Friday [Jan. 13] and was just a week short of the 1953 record of 33 consecutive rainy days. Daily rainfall records have already fallen in Seattle and Olympia," quoting the AP. link here . QUOTE OF THE WEEK "Too bad that all the people who know how to run this country are busy driving taxis and cutting hair." George Burns (1986-1996) American comedian in vaudeville, radio, television and movies . Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2006. For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on "Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives" at link here Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com . Kleiner's Korner for Week of January 16, 2005 This writer has often been called a "doom and gloomer" and this week has again, based on the content of Kleiner’s Korner. Twenty years ago, following what I felt was sound advice from my Teacher Ramtha which merited consideration and action, I left the condo of the city, purchased land in the country, bought and stored food water, gold, silver, and nonelectric tools, paid off my debt, and planted a garden with my own hands. Quite a change for a city boy and white-collar corporate minion. I was labeled a fool and ridiculed for storing food, paying a hefty $475 an ounce for gold that soon dropped to $250 an ounce and building a wind generator, that to some proved I was some eccentric nut. Not so nutty now as this past week: A. Gold hit a 25 year high of $550 and closed on January 13th at $556.50. B. The United States government issued a warning for citizens to store food and medicine. C. American debt & bankruptcies hit all-time highs. So, yes, call me a "doom and gloomer." Seems like so many of these stories merit review in this KK anyway for those that have "the ears to hear and eyes to see." SK- 1. U. S. GOVERNMENT WARNING PUBLIC TO STOCKPILE FOOD & MEDICINE Kleiner’s Korner reported the startling Christmas morning, 2005 Meet The Press interview where Tom Brokaw and Ted Koppel spoke of storing food for their families on national television. Now, it's the U. S. government making this same suggestion quoting this Fox News story, "The federal government on Friday [Jan. 6] urged Americans to stockpile food and medicine in an effort to prepare for what officials warn could be widespread disruptions in the event of an influenza pandemic. A flu pandemic is a global outbreak that occurs when a new influenza A virus causes serious human illness and spreads easily from person to person, according to the CDC. Experts inside and outside the government have warned of a medical crisis if, for example, a highly pathogenic virus like the H5N1 bird flu virus begins to infect large numbers of humans. But they have also warned that a flu pandemic would likely interrupt nearly every aspect of normal life, as schools, workplaces, grocery stores, and even utilities shut down." link here . 2. GOLD HITS 25 YEAR HIGH AS ECONOMIC UNCERTANTIES ABOUND "The spot price of gold was quoted marginally lower on Tuesday [Jan. 10], after breaking above $550 a troy ounce for the first time since January 1981 on Monday evening [Jan. 9]... In January 1981, gold was fixed at a high of $602.25/oz...Fund buying in tandem with the strong gold price on Tuesday morning [Jan. 10] took the spot price of platinum to $1018 an ounce, which was the metal's highest level since March 1980 when platinum climbed to an all-time high of about $1040/oz.," quoting I-Net Bridge. link here [Ed. Note: The public is driving up prices through private purchases as uncertainties in energy, governments, and Mother Nature are causing people to look for safety in metals with numbers not seen since the Carter Administration during the last conflict with Iran. This is an excellent summary this writer finds valid. However, trust your own knowingness. link here Read this if you wish to know more in-depth about these issues, particularly Iran moving into the Euro to trade oil instead of dollars. YIKES! link here And: link here . 3. CREDIT-CARD DELINQUENCIES & BANCRUPTCIES STAY NEAR RECORD LEVELS A. "The proportion of consumers behind on their credit card bills remained near record-high levels in the July-September period as high gasoline prices and rising interest rates continued to put stress on personal budgets. The American Bankers Associated reported Tuesday [Jan. 10] that the percentage of credit card accounts 30 or more days past due dipped slightly to 4.74 percent in the July-September quarter after having hit an all-time high of 4.81 percent in the spring," quoting the AP. [Ed. Note: This writer has always said American debt is its Achilles Heal and this country's paper is owned by other countries that can pull the plug on us anytime. That will not be a pretty picture.] link here B. "U.S. consumer bankruptcies increased to a record 2.04 million in 2005, as people rushed to seek protection from creditors ahead of tough new laws, data released on Wednesday [Jan. 11] show. Filings rose 31.6 percent from 1.55 million in 2004, with increases in every U.S. state and double-digit percentage increases in every geographic region, according to Lundquist Consulting Inc., a financial research firm. One in every 53 households filed for court protection, the firm said," quoting Reuters. [Ed. Note: The AP reported this is "their highest annual level on record."] link here . 4. BIRD FLU UPDATE: A. TURKEY’S HUMAN BIRD FLU CASES MULTIPLY "Laboratory tests conducted in Turkey have confirmed detection of the H5 subtype of avian influenzavirus in samples from an additional 10 patients. Five of these cases were announced by the Ministry of Health yesterday and an additional five were announced today. Most patients are children and all have been hospitalized for treatment and evaluation. This brings the total number of cases in Turkey, confirmed by laboratory tests there, to 14. Of these patients, two have died. WHO will add these numbers to its cumulative total following further verification by an external H5 reference laboratory. The quality of laboratory testing at Turkey’s National Influenza Centre in Ankara is high. Results from tests conducted there last week were fully confirmed by a WHO collaborating laboratory in the United Kingdom. WHO considers it likely that test results on the newly announced cases will be confirmed by the UK laboratory, where samples are being sent for further analysis," quoting the United Nation’s WHO. link here And, "There are no signs that the bird flu virus spreading in Turkey is being passed among humans, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday [Jan. 9]," quoting Reuters. link here B. This is a thoughtful story from NPR titled "Staving Off Panic in a Flu Pandemic." "If the current bird-flu outbreak becomes a pandemic, fear could turn to panic. Experts say whether that happens will probably depend on how honest governments are with the public. In the flu pandemic of 1918, there was enough panic that society began to disintegrate in some cities, says historian John Barry, author of The Great Influenza." link here C. SEATTLE & KING COUNTY PLANNING FOR BIRD FLU "Many local authorities in the United States are just getting started. Few have any plans in place to deal with the massive number of people who could need hospital care. Fewer still have concrete plans to cope with extended periods of cancelled school sessions, business shutdowns and disruptions of commerce. There's at least one exception: Seattle and surrounding King County, Washington. For some time now officials there have been making the rounds of health care facilities, businesses and schools, warning about the scope of a potential flu pandemic. They've also been talking about and what might be done to minimize illness, death and social disruption. Their master plan, just released, is based roughly on the deadly flu pandemic of 1918," quoting NPR. [Ed. Note: You must see on this same link "A computer simulation on how a pandemic might unfold in King County, Washington, projected the number of new cases there would be each day during a severe pandemic." Chilling!] link here . 5. NEXT STEP IN GETTING PUBLIC TO ACCEPT IMPLANTED ID CHIPS "Forgetting computer passwords is an everyday source of frustration, but a solution may literally be at hand — in the form of computer chip implants. With a wave of his hand, Amal Graafstra, a 29-year-old entrepreneur based in Vancouver, Canada, opens his front door. With another, he logs onto his computer. Tiny radio frequency identification (RFID) computer chips inserted into Graafstra's hands make it all possible. 'I just don't want to be without access to the things that I need to get access to. In the worst case scenario, if I'm in the alley naked, I want to still be able to get in (my house),' Graafstra said in an interview in New York, where he is promoting the technology. 'RFID is for me.' The computer chips, which cost about $2, interact with a device installed in computers and other electronics. The chips are activated when they come within 3 inches of a so-called reader, which scans the data on the chips. The "reader" devices are available for as little as $50," quoting Reuters. link here . 6. USA SAYS MAIL FROM FOREIGN LANDS MAY BE OPENED "A spokesman for the Customs and Border Protection division said he couldn’t speak directly to Goodman’s case but acknowledged that the agency can, will and does open mail coming to U.S. citizens that originates from a foreign country whenever it’s deemed necessary. ‘All mail originating outside the United States Customs territory that is to be delivered inside the U.S. Customs territory is subject to Customs examination’ says the CBP Web site. That includes personal correspondence. 'All mail means ‘all mail,’' said John Mohan, a CBP spokesman, emphasizing the point. ‘This process isn’t something we’re trying to hide,’ Mohan said, noting the wording on the agency’s Web site. ‘We’ve had this authority since before the Department of Homeland Security was created,’" Mohan said. link here . 7. WHAT DO MOTHER NATURE'S CREATURES KNOW THAT HUMAN'S DON'T? "Ants build their own medicine cabinet. Life without medicine cabinets has apparently driven one species of farmer ants to extreme measures — growing their own antibiotics. Pesticides may be a relatively recent innovation for human farmers, but a team led by University of Wisconsin bacteriologist Cameron Currie says the ants, who farm fungus, have likely been keeping their crops pest-free with these antibiotics for at least 50 million years...A close look at curious white spots on "Attine" ants, yielded the find, reported in the current /Science/ magazine. Hidden between the mouth and forelegs of the ants are tiny "crypts" the team reports, filled with antibiotic-producing bacteria. "These crypts have small openings to the external surface of the ant," allowing the creatures to apply the antibiotics to their crops, the team found after examining the creatures with a high-tech microscope called an electron micrograph. The antibiotics kill a parasite that plagues the ants' gardens, and in return the bacteria receive a free ride and nourishment from the ants, via specialized glands," quoting USA Today. link here . 8. INDIA LOSES FEMALES TO ABORTION & SEX SELECTION "More than 10m female births in India may have been lost to abortion and sex selection in the past 20 years, according to medical research. Researchers in India and Canada for the Lancet journal said prenatal selection and selective abortion was causing the loss of 500,000 girls a year. Their research was based on a national survey of 1.1m households in 1998...In most countries, women slightly outnumber men, but separate research for the year 2001 showed that for every 1,000 male babies born in India, there were just 933 girls. The latest research is by Prabhat Jha of St Michael's Hospital at the University of Toronto, Canada, and Rajesh Kumar of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Research in Chandigarh, India. They found that there was an increasing tendency to select boys when previous children had been girls," quoting the BBC. link here . 9. CRAFT RETURNS WITH COMET DUST "In a blaze across the night sky, it should be a spectacular homecoming at the end of a very, very long journey. After covering 2.88 billion miles over seven years, the Stardust spacecraft is nearing home with its minute but precious cargo: samples of what are believed to be the oldest materials in the solar system. Tucked away in what looks like a giant fly swatter of a collector is dust swooped up from a close encounter with the comet Wild 2 and an accumulation of particles picked up in three circuits of the Sun. ‘This has been a fantastic opportunity to collect the most primitive material in the solar system,’ said Donald Brownlee of the University of Washington, the principal investigator for the mission. ‘We fully expect some of the comet particles to be older than the Sun,’" quoting the New York Times. link here And NASA: link here . 10. "A GENIUS EXPLAINS" "Daniel Tammet is an autistic savant. He can perform mind-boggling mathematical calculations at breakneck speeds. But unlike other savants, who can perform similar feats, Tammet can describe how he does it. He speaks seven languages and is even devising his own language. Now scientists are asking whether his exceptional abilities are the key to unlock the secrets of autism. Daniel Tammet is talking. As he talks, he studies my shirt and counts the stitches. Ever since the age of three, when he suffered an epileptic fit, Tammet has been obsessed with counting. Now he is 26, and a mathematical genius who can figure out cube roots quicker than a calculator and recall pi to 22,514 decimal places. He also happens to be autistic, which is why he can't drive a car, wire a plug, or tell right from left. He lives with extraordinary ability and disability." Interview by Richard Johnson for UK'S GUARDIAN. link here . 11. HONDA WOWS WITH FUEL-CELL VEHICLE AT DETROIT AUTO SHOW "The 2006 North American International Auto Show, Detroit’s annual celebration of all that’s cool and new in the auto world, is well underway and already some of the biggest names in the business are showing why they’re considered forward-thinking car makers. Take Honda for example, which on Sunday won both the prestigious North American Car of The Year and Truck of the Year awards for its Civic and Ridgeline brands. The Japanese carmaker is looking further down the road here in Detroit, showing off its future concepts for alternative automotive fueling and energy conservation, and illustrating the rapid development of its fuel cell technology program. Honda’s FCX concept vehicle was first unveiled four months ago and is on show again here in Detroit. The fuel-cell powered vehicle is possibly one of the most innovative and exciting alternative-fuel cars on display at this year’s auto show," quoting MSNBC. link here . 12. REMEMBERING MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. The USA celebrates the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. this week and his impact and contributions to the upliftment of this nation's people. With Dr. King on the cover of the January 9th edition of TIME Magazine, this marks the fifth TIME cover featuring Dr. King: link here [Ed. Note: Further, this is an important and very well written story by Jonathan Alter for Newsweek about the final years of Martin Luther King's life as we celebrate this man and his work. Aspects are told from the perspective of an 8 year-old observer and stories like these need to be recorded to give an historical context for future generations of the times these events happened. Many were not born and think of this as just a day off work or from school. For those of us who lived during the tumultuous times of our country's grappling with civil rights issues all the way from Rosa Parks and Selma, Alabama, to Dr. King's "I have a dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial to Memphis, 1968 and that Summer's burning of great American cities, this day is more than a day off; this is about the liberation of every individual to know they are a valued and equal part of this brotherhood and sisterhood we call humanity. Regardless of the naysayers and dissidents of the day who will focus on Dr. King's shortcomings, this writer will pause this day and remember the life and passions of a man who cast a vision of hope and inspiration for his people, changed the minds of countless non-blacks and stood tall amidst those that would put his message asunder. What an ideal for all of us!] "In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the unfinished agenda of the 1960s is under discussion again, if not in Washington then at least among the legions of local leaders still trying to better their communities," quoting Mr. Alter. link here . RAMTHA SCHOOL NEWS "Alan Steinfeld [of New Realities in New York] is very familiar with {sic} teachings of Ramtha and his channel JZ Knight. His encounter with Ramtha in 1981 sparked a spiritual realization about the divinity within. This interview comes at the culmination of a 24 year investigation into the teaching of Ramtha and JZ Knight. In this up close and personal dialogue, JZ shares many of the struggles that she has had over the years in realizing the source of her own God-self. Here she talks about how she has been able to just get out of the way and channel, but her biggest challenge was to find out who she was. And that is what revealed here," quoting New Realities.com. link here . OF LOCAL NOTE Are you from Yelm or Ylem? The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000 says Ylem is "A form of matter hypothesized by proponents of the big bang theory to have existed before the formation of the chemical elements." Websters: "(cosmology) the original matter that (according to the big bang theory) existed before the formation of the chemical elements." "The city [Seattle and Puget Sound's cities] had its 26th straight day of rain Friday [Jan. 13] and was just a week short of the 1953 record of 33 consecutive rainy days. Daily rainfall records have already fallen in Seattle and Olympia," quoting the AP. link here . QUOTE OF THE WEEK "Too bad that all the people who know how to run this country are busy driving taxis and cutting hair." George Burns (1986-1996) American comedian in vaudeville, radio, television and movies . Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2006. For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on "Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives" at link here Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com . Kleiner's Korner For Week of January 9, 2006 Dear Readers; Due to many comments about the links being too long, text being too wide and the "link here" not revealing the URL, this writer has updated Kleiner's Korner to be received in your format style, text version or graphic. Enjoy... 1. BIRD FLU MAY HAVE MADE DRAMATIC SHIFT WESTWARD -- IN TURKEY (NO JOKE FOLKS!) "An 11-year-old girl died Friday [ Jan. 6] of suspected bird flu in eastern Turkey — days after her brother and sister succumbed to the disease — and their doctor said they probably contracted the illness by playing with dead chickens. Scientists were closing in on identifying the virus as the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu that has already killed more than 70 people in East Asia since 2003, said a spokeswoman for the World Health Organization in Geneva. 'If it’s confirmed, these would be the first human cases outside China and Southeast Asia,' WHO spokeswoman Christine McNab told the AP." link here "EXPERT: TURKEY BIRD FLU NO CAUSE FOR PANIC" "Reports that two Turkish children had bird flu and that one has died of the virus are disturbing but not yet a cause for panic, a U.N. official said Wednesday [Jan. 4]...'This is disturbing information, but we expect to see sporadic cases of bird flu in humans in an environment where there is significant bird flu among chickens or other poultry,' Dr. David Nabarro, senior coordinator for avian influenza at the United Nations and a former World Health Organization official, said in a telephone interview. 'This is not the start of the pandemic. The start of the pandemic starts when there is human to human transfer, confirmed and sustained.' If confirmed, the cases would be the first known human infections outside of eastern Asia," quoting Reuters. link here . 2. FOLLOW-UP: IF YOU ARE STORING FOOD/WATER, ADD THESE Following last week's story about storing food, one thing to also be considered is the next generation LED flashlight that never needs new batteries or new bulbs. link here And, the RotoRadio™ combines the convenience of two great accessories: The LED Flashlight and FM Radio in one great package! Just rotate the power handle for 1 minute and receive 30 minutes of light and sound. Like all RotoPower products, RotoRadio never needs batteries, bulbs or electricity, so it's great for recreation or any emergency. Like the RotoGlo, this great product is also rated for 10,000 hours of use (10 years). link here . 3. SCIENTIST SAYS AVERAGE LIFE SPANS CAN BE 1,000 YEARS "...how would you like to live say, 400 or 500 years, or even more and all of them in perfect health? It’s both a Utopian and a nightmare scenario but there are those who say it is well within the realm of possibility. Though we live longer and healthier lives than our grandparents, 100 is more or less the outer limit because, catastrophic disease aside, we just plain wear out. But 60 Minutes correspondent Morley Safer talked to one scientist who says that’s old-fashioned thinking, that sometime in the next 20 to 30 years or so we’ll be able to recondition ourselves for the first steps towards immortality," quoting CBS News. link here . 4. MARS ROVERS NOW TWO YEARS OLD AND STILL GOING "The warranty expired long ago on NASA's twin robots motoring around Mars. These two golf cart-sized vehicles were only expected to last three months. In two years, they have traveled a total of seven miles...The rover Spirit landed on Mars on Jan. 3, 2004, and Opportunity followed on Jan. 24. Since then, they've set all sorts of records and succeeded in the mission's main assignment: finding geologic evidence that water once flowed on Mars. Part of the reason for their long survival is pure luck. Their lives were extended several times by dust devils that blew away dust that covered their solar panels, restoring their ability to generate electricity... The overachieving opportunity dazzled scientists from the start. It eclipsed its twin by making the mission's first profound discovery evidence of water at or near the surface eons ago that could have implications for life. The rock-climbing Spirit went down in the history books by becoming the first robot to scale an extraterrestrial hill. Last summer, it completed a daredevil climb to the summit of Husband Hill as tall as the Statue of Liberty despite fears that it might not survive the weather," quoting the AP. link here And, NASA's site on the Rovers: link here . 5. RESULTS SOON TO BE RELEASED WHETHER SKULL FOUND IS MOZART'S "Researchers say they will reveal the results of DNA tests on a skull believed to be that of Mozart in a film airing this weekend on Austrian television as part of a year of celebratory events marking the composer's 250th birthday. The tests were conducted last year by experts at the Institute for Forensic Medicine in the alpine city of Innsbruck, and the long-awaited results will be publicized in "Mozart: The Search for Evidence," to be screened Sunday by state broadcaster ORF. Past tests were inconclusive, but this time, 'we succeeded in getting a clear result,' lead researcher Dr. Walther Parson, a renowned forensic pathologist, told ORF. He said the results were "100 percent verified" by a U.S. Army laboratory, but refused to elaborate. The skull in question is one that for more than a century has been in the possession of the International Mozarteum Foundation in Salzburg, the elegant Austrian city where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on Jan. 27, 1756," quoting the AP. link here . 6. U OF KY. PhD STUDENT DESCRIBES USA'S USE OF WHITE PHOSPEROUS "The U.S. is again using white phosphorus, a chemical munition known more commonly in the military as Willy Peter....White phosphorus is a chemical weapon with two different uses. In its "conventional" use as a tool of war, white phosphorus provides illumination and smoke cover for soldiers in combat. During the battle of Fallujah in November 2004, the United States used white phosphorus in "shake and bake" missions to flush out insurgent positions. Such use potentially violates the Geneva Convention on Biological and Chemical Weapons of 1980 banning the use of incendiary weapons in civilian areas. (The U.S. has yet to sign this part of the Convention.)... Unlike napalm, which in Vietnam left villagers and enemies alike with massive burns all over their bodies, white phosphorus burns down to the bone," quoting Z Magazine. link here . 7. ELEPHANTS' HAIR & GPS TECHNOLOGY GRAPH ROAMING HABITS "Lewis had gourmet taste: Whenever the dry season browned grass in his Kenyan sanctuary, he'd abandon the other elephants and race 25 miles to the mountains -- to raid farmers' corn fields under cover of night. A foot-long hair plucked from his tail, and GPS technology, tell the story. It's a new way to track elephants' dietary needs and roaming habits that scientists hope ultimately could help the endangered species survive, information key to minimizing conflicts between pachyderms and people... 'Part of the problem with the elephant is, we need to know how much space they really need,' explained geochemist Thure Cerling of the University of Utah, who led the research reported Monday in the online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences," quoting the AP. link here . 8. FOLLOW-UP: HIPPO & TORTOISE MARK ONE YEAR TOGETHER "The unlikely couple of a baby hippo and a 130-year-old tortoise were still together, a year after the hippo was separated from its family by the Indian Ocean tsunami. The relationship between Owen, the two-year-old hippopotamus, and Mzee, the giant tortoise, surprised conservation workers and made international headlines. Owen was living with his family on the Sabaki River when massive waves from the Indian Ocean tsunami reached the East African coast. He was washed into the ocean and stranded on a reef. Residents of Malindi, a small coastal town, used fishing nets to catch him. He was then taken to the Haller Park sanctuary, where he met Mzee and adopted him as a surrogate parent. Owen may have been attracted by Mzee's round shape and gray color that are somewhat similar to that of an adult hippopotamus," quoting the AP. link here And an anniversary picture courtesy of an AP Photo on ABC News. link here . 9. "MASS MIND CONTROL THROUGH NETWORK TELEVISION..." T’is rare that this writer will put a story from Rense.com on this site, yet this story is worth the read: "Why do countless American people go along with the War on Iraq? Why do so many people call for a police state control grid? A major component to a full understanding of why this kind of governmental and corporate corruption is to discover the modern science of mind control and social engineering. It's baffling to merely glance at the stacks of documentation that this world government isn't being constructed for the greater good of humanity. Although there are a growing number of people waking up the reality of our growing transparent soft cage, there seems to be just enough citizens who are choosing to remain asleep. Worse yet, there are even those who were at least partially awake at one time but found it necessary to return to the slumber of dreamland. This is no accident; this is a carefully crafted design. The drive to dumb down the populations of planet earth is a classic art that existed before the United States did. One component to understanding and deciphering the systems of control is to become a student of the magicians of influence and propaganda. In order to defeat our enemies (or dictators), its imperative that we understand how they think and what they believe in." link here . 10. STORIES ON OUR AMAZING BRAIN- "BRAVE NEURO WORLD: THE ETHICS OF THE NEW BRAIN SCIENCE" One of the best articles on the current dilemmas of neuroscience this writer has seen, quoting The Nation: "The accident happened during the construction of a railroad in Vermont, in 1848, and it happened fast: A three-foot-long tamping iron sparked an explosion, shot skyward and sailed through the frontal cortex of the project's foreman, Phineas Gage. Gage, famously, got a whole new personality, and students of the brain got perhaps their most iconic case study. In transforming Gage from the amiable and responsible person he had been before the accident to the temperamental and bawdy one he became after, the iron bar also drilled a hole in Cartesian dualism, the intuitive distinction we all make between our minds and our brains. As the foreman had the misfortune to demonstrate, altering the physical brain can alter personality, behavior, mood – virtually everything we think of as constituting our essential (and incorporeal) self. Scientifically fruitful construction accidents happen only just so often, thankfully, and brain research has traditionally been hamstrung by ethical constraints on experimenting with human subjects. In recent years, however, scientists have developed minimally invasive and comparatively benign techniques for exploring--and altering--the brain." link here SPEAKING OF THE BRAIN; "READ MINDS. YOUR OWN." "Read minds! Your own!" "If you're giving a speech the next day, review it before falling asleep," says Candi Heimgartner, an instructor of biological sciences at the University of Idaho. Since most memory consolidation happens during sleep, anything you read right before bed is more likely to be encoded as long-term memory," quoting Men’s Health. link here . 11. "TODAY IN HISTORY: JANUARY 6, 2006" This is an intersting piece with this subtitle: "Gifted Scientist and Her Theories Emerge from Relative Obscurity. Why did Einstein agree in his divorce agreeement to give any prize money he won for his theories to his physicist ex wife?" Further, "History shows that Mileva was married on January 6, 1903. A fateful day. She was a woman the world should know about. The few who know her story, marvel at it. The 103nd anniversary of her marriage is an appropriate day on which to remember her. Mileva Maric was born in Hungary on December 19, 1875," quoting OpEd News. link here Kleiner's Korner has run the following story previously, yet is worth a repeat. link here . 12. RENNES-LE-CHATEAU PREPARES FOR DA VINCI CODE VISITORS One of the most exciting movies of the year will open in May 19, 2006 as the book Da Vinci Code is brought to the silver screen. A lot of attention will be focused on the Languedoc in the south of France, Rennes-le-Chateau, which this writer and his wife have visited twice and love for the history, beauty, and hospitality. Rennes-le-Chateau just won 5th place in all the villages of France under 2,000 inhabitants for its website. Check it out: link here This writer is a member of the Les Labadous Foundation of Rennes-le-Chateau, which produces a bi-monthly bulletin about happenings in Les Labadous, a lovely inn at the base of Rennes-le-Chateau. "In the region Languedoc, department Aude, at the foot of the Pyrenees and in the center of the Cathar country, lies the mystic village of Rennes-le-Château. "Les Labadous" is a special place, a place were you feel good, where you can come to your senses, where you can successfully escape from the hectic world we live in. A place where you will get energy back and where your creativity will flourish again. The nature is rich, wild and abundant, the area is very hilly and still unspoiled and pure. Perfect environment for a walk, for enjoying the beautiful flowers and trees or loosing yourself in daydreams by the river. For people interested in history or archaeology or intrigued by mysteries this place is pure gold. Everywhere are traces of rich and turbulent past. On the mountains, in churches and castles. In the small streets of the villages and cities and in the many caverns and natural springs. But there are many other possibilities for recreation varying from horse riding to ballooning. And what to think of the delicious dishes the region has to offer and of course the excellent wine," quoting their website. link here (See the Blue Butterfly on the homepage.) Joke & her daughter Femke provide an environment, hospitality, and homemade meals that create the ambiance for a restful and satisfying retreat. This writer wishes to return this year. You can subscribe to the bulletin for 40 Euros a year ($48 USD) by clicking the envelope icon here: link here Please tell them you heard about their newsletter from Kleiner’s Korner. . RAMTHA SCHOOL NEWS This writer has heard his Teacher Ramtha mention several times in the last few years the Avenue of the Rams in Egypt. The following provides more information on "The Avenue of Rams leading to the West gate of the Karnak Temple complex" link here Further, a complete diagram of the area along with a close-up photo of a Sphinx of the Ram. link here . OF LOCAL NOTE "On July 20, 2005, the Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board (Hearings Board) ruled that Thurston County’s Comprehensive Plan and development regulations do not comply with the 1990 Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA). The Hearings Board gave Thurston County until January 17, 2006 to achieve compliance. Since late July, 2005, County staff have been gathering information and researching ways to comply with the Growth Management Hearings Board’s ruling. On September 19, 2005 the Board of County Commissioners decided to send information about possible study areas for the Rural Rezoning project to the Thurston County Planning Commission. At the same time, they instructed the Planning Commission to develop and carry out a public involvement process related to these issues. The Planning Commission decided to hold open houses and workshops around the county in December 2005 and January 2006. Creating study areas for the Rural Rezoning project will be discussed at these meetings, as will LAMIRDs." Several in the next few weeks can be found here: link here This writer and his wife laughed until we hurt at the January 6th version of ENLIGHTEN UP! VANDA'S QUANTUM COMEDY SHOW with Steven Knopp providing his terrific musical talents as warm-up. Vanda returns Friday, January 13th at Gordon's Grange in Yelm at 7:30PM, Tickets are $10.00 at the door and $7.00 in advance by clicking: link here . QUOTE OF THE WEEK "Let me tell you something that we Israelis have against Moses. He took us 40 years through the desert in order to bring us to the one spot in the Middle East that has no oil!" Golda Meir (1898-1978) Israel Prime Minister 1969-1974 First & Only Woman to head Israel . Kleiner’s Korner is copyrighted by Stephen R. Klein, 2006. For archived issues of Kleiner’s Korner, click on "Current Kleiner’s Korner and Archives" at link here Send comments to steve@kleinerskorner.com. Kleiner's Korner For Week of January 2, 2006 Dear Readers; Happy New Year and welcome to 2006! Several news stories are very likely to remain at the top for 2006 and the one most likely to be leading the list is the Avian Flu potential to become a human pandemic. To that end, December 25th, 2005 was a remarkable day as two U. S. news reporter titans spoke to viewers on national television suggesting Americans go out and buy food for storage to protect themselves and their families in case of a pandemic. Imagine that! This writer first heard such advice from his teacher Ramtha in 1986 and when sharing this idea with friends and family, was chided for such tomfoolery. Not anymore! This is now mainstream. NBC's Meet the Press host Tim Russert interviewed former ABC Nightline anchor Ted Koppel and retired NBC News Anchor and Managing News Editor Tom Brokaw about the leading stories of 2005, including the tsunami and Katrina's effects on New Orleans. Quoting from the transcript of the interview: MR. RUSSERT: Let me talk about an issue that is of grave concern to people but we don't know much about it and that's the avian flu, the potential for pandemic. We had Dr. Michael Ryan of the World Health Organization on MEET THE PRESS. Let's listen to him and come back and talk about how to deal with this. (Videotape, November 20, 2005): DR. MICHAEL RYAN (World Health Organization): The avian flu strain has the potential to become a pandemic strain. It is very worrying that we see this virus transmitting across the species barrier into humans and the virus itself is evolving and we are probably closer to a pandemic at any time in the last 37 years, since the last pandemic of '68. This virus has crossed the species barrier. It has infected humans. It's killing a high proportion of those human beings and we need to prepare for the possibility of a pandemic. MR. KOPPEL: ...Among the things we need to do, and it sounds horrific, to say it, is to put in a decent supply of food and water and whatever medicine is needed by a family in each American home now, before it's too late, so that if, and when, a flu hits an area, like, let's say, our area here in Washington, the people, especially older people, or people who have breathing problems, lung problems, people who have heart problems, can afford to stay home for two or three weeks, or longer. MR. BROKAW: Have you done that at your house? MR. KOPPEL: No, in truth. Have you? MR. BROKAW: We have. MR. KOPPEL: Have you? MR. BROKAW: Yeah. MR. KOPPEL: Good for you. MR. BROKAW: Well, we did it for a couple of reasons. Meredith--we live in New York and we have a house outside of New York and Meredith said, "This is going to be our sanctuary. We have to be prepared in case something happens." And we did put in a small supply of food and water and... MR. KOPPEL: Yeah. MR. BROKAW: ...other things to have on the ready. It's also--the avian flu and the pandemic possibilities are a real commentary on the world in which we're living now. The mobility of people to move across places that--the crush of population everywhere, how rapidly these things spread. And I think that leads in this country to a kind of unsettled feeling on the part of a lot of people. They have so much access to information now. They don't feel that they have their own sanctuary because it all happens at warp speed and I think politicians are not doing a very good job in my impression. MR. KOPPEL: But, you see, doing what Tom and Meredith have done, and what my wife and I have not done, yet--will do, I promise--wouldn't at this stage cause any shortages... MR. BROKAW: No. MR. KOPPEL: ...it wouldn't cause any panic. I'm not suggesting that people go out and instantly buy a four-week supply of medicine... MR. BROKAW: Right. MR. KOPPEL: ...food, water. But if you start... MR. BROKAW: You have to think about it. Yeah. MR. KOPPEL: ...over a period of the next three months... MR. RUSSERT: And that's the hard truth, it's probably the only thing you can do. MR. BROKAW: Yeah. MR. KOPPEL: Just--it's the only thing that the individual can do... MR. BROKAW: Yeah. MR. KOPPEL: ...so that at the very least, if the pandemic hits your community, you can stay at home, don't go out. The complete transcript is at: link here Further, "Experts at WHO and elsewhere believe that the world is now closer to another influenza pandemic than at any time since 1968, when the last of the previous century's three pandemics occurred. WHO uses a series of six phases of pandemic alert as a system for informing the world of the seriousness of the threat and of the need to launch progressively more intense preparedness activities. The designation of phases, including decisions on when to move from one phase to another, is made by the Director-General of WHO. Each phase of alert coincides with a series of recommended activities to be undertaken by WHO, the international community, governments, and industry. Changes from one phase to another are triggered by several factors, which include the epidemiological behaviour of the disease and the characteristics of circulating viruses. The world is presently in phase 3: a new influenza virus subtype is causing disease in humans, but is not yet spreading efficiently and sustainably among humans," quoting the UN's WHO website. link here "Bird flu appears more likely to wing its away around the globe by plane than by migrating birds. Scientists have been unable to link the spread of the virus to migratory patterns, suggesting that the thousands of wild birds that have died, primarily waterfowl and shore birds, are not primary transmitters of bird flu. If that holds true, it would suggest that shipments of domestic chickens, ducks and other poultry represents a far greater threat than does the movement of wild birds on the wing," quoting the AP. link here 1. "HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN STILL MISSING AFTER KATRINA" "Controversy brewed Friday [Dec. 23] over FEMA’s reluctance to release information on evacuees, data that some agencies have said could speed up the process of finding children missing since Hurricane Katrina. It was not until the FBI began requesting information that FEMA this month turned over the records, which are protected by privacy laws...The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has a database with close to 500 names, all of them children whose whereabouts are still unknown. Walter Fahr, manager of the Louisiana Clearing House for Missing Children, said FEMA has names, addresses, phone numbers, and social security numbers of evacuees that could help connect parents with children," quoting New Orleans CBS affiliate WWL-TV. link here The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children database: link here . 2. "BRITAIN WILL BE FIRST COUNTRY TO MONITOR EVERY CAR JOURNEY" "Britain is to become the first country in the world where the movements of all vehicles on the roads are recorded. A new national surveillance system will hold the records for at least two years. Using a network of cameras that can automatically read every passing number plate, the plan is to build a huge database of vehicle movements so that the police and security services can analyse any journey a driver has made over several years. The network will incorporate thousands of existing CCTV cameras which are being converted to read number plates automatically night and day to provide 24/7 coverage of all Motorways and main roads, as well as towns, cities, ports and petrol-station forecourts," quoting UK’s The Independent. link here [Ed. Note: How far behind will the USA be? George Orwell right again; "Big Brother is watching you." You say the USA has a Constitution that protects us, yet the UK does not. As if that means anything anymore! Read this about our current President thumbing his nose at the Constitution he took an oath to uphold, protect and defend. Since when can it be suspended at the will of a President? Looks like anytime he wants! And if anyone questions that, the President will do the Nixon thing; change the focus from his acts and get the Justice Department to investigate the "leak" as is now the case, all while proclaiming innocence. HMMM! link here And the leak probe story: link here ]. 3. DUPONT PAYS LARGEST FINE FOR HIDING INFO ABOUT TEFLON'S DANGERS "Chemical giant DuPont Co. will pay the largest administrative fine in the history of the Environmental Protection Agency to settle charges that it hid information for more than 20 years indicating that a compound used to make Teflon poses a substantial threat to human health. Without admitting any guilt or liability, DuPont has agreed to pay $16.5 million, including a $10.25-million civil fine, to settle a case alleging eight violations of federal laws that require companies to report the toxic dangers of chemicals they manufacture. Perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, a synthetic compound pioneered by DuPont and used for 50 years, has been found in the blood of 95% of Americans tested. It persists in the environment indefinitely and migrates long distances in the air. Researchers have found it in the blood of polar bears near the North Pole. ‘This is the largest civil administrative penalty EPA has ever obtained under any environmental statue. Not by a little, by a lot,’ EPA Assistant Administrator Granta Y. Nakayama said. ‘This settlement sends a strong message that companies are responsible for promptly informing EPA about risk information associated with their chemicals,’" quoting the LA Times. (Registration required.) link here This story can be viewed without registration on CBS News: link here . 4. THOUGHT PROVOKING STORY REGARDING INTERNET CENSORSHIP "Internet censorship. It did not happen overnight but slowly came to America’s shores from testing grounds in China and the Middle East. Progressive and investigative journalist web site administrators are beginning to talk to each other about it, e-mail users are beginning to understand why their e-mail is being disrupted by it, major search engines appear to be complying with it, and the low to equal signal-to-noise ratio of legitimate e-mail and spam appears to be perpetuated by it. In this case, "it," is what privacy and computer experts have long warned about: massive censorship of the web on a nationwide and global scale. For many years, the web has been heavily censored in Countries around the world. That censorship continues at this very moment. Now it is happening right here in America," quoting Wayne Madsen. link here Now, Bush and his National Security Agency (NSA) has admitted to spying on internet users: link here [Ed. Note: Yes, I will get letters from some of you saying I am critical of our President. I remember President Nixon was impeached because of the same arrogant attitude that he could bypass the Constitution in the name of security. All we need is another attack on this soil and all privacy will be owned by the government because the public will gladly give that away to "Big Brother" in the name of what they think is security] . 5. AMAZON.COM'S BEZOS PLANS PASSENGER ROCKET "The new space race has touched down in Kent, where Amazon.com billionaire Jeff Bezos is building a rocket-ship complex set to open early next year.Blue Origin, Bezos' aerospace company, will use the facility to design and build spacecraft and engines. The company's near-term goal is to develop a vehicle that can take passengers on a thrill ride to the edge of space. But eventually, Bezos has said, he wants to build spaceships powerful enough to orbit the Earth. He even hopes to establish permanent colonies in space someday.Bezos paid $13 million for just less than 25 acres of industrial land next to the railroad tracks in the Kent Valley. City records show he is spending up to $8 million to remodel an existing office building and warehouse and build an experimental stand where rocket engines will be tested in three-minute-long trial runs. Among the upgrades spelled out in the plans: installation of aircraft hangar doors," quoting the Seattle Times. [Ed. Note: Western Washington is home to Bezos's Amazon.com, Weyerhauser, Microsoft, Starbuck's, Nintendo, Seattle's Best Coffee, Costco, Alaska Airlines, Nordstrom & Ramtha's School of Enlightenment, among others. Quite a talented area!] link here . 6. POLIO ERADICATION EFFORTS BACK ON TRACK "The 17-year effort to eradicate polio from the world appears to be back on track after nearly unraveling in the past three years. A new strategy of using a vaccine targeting the dominant strain of the virus appears to have eliminated polio from Egypt, one of six countries where it was freely circulating. That approach is on the verge of doing the same in India. Twenty-five years ago, India had 200,000 cases of paralytic polio a year. A decade ago, it was still seeing 75,000 cases annually. Through November this year, it recorded 52. Such dramatic successes, many the result of a more potent formulation of polio vaccine, have once again made eradication of the paralyzing viral disease a realistic goal. Only one human disease -- smallpox -- has ever been wiped out, and that was almost three decades ago," quoting the Washington Post. link here . 7. BE WARE WHEN DRINKING ANY CITY’S TAP WATER! "Drinking water may have a lot more in it than just H20 and fluoride, according to an environmental group's analysis of records in 42 states. A survey by the Environmental Working Group released on Tuesday [Dec. 20] found 141 unregulated chemicals and an additional 119 for which the Environmental Protection Agency has set health-based limits. Most common among the chemicals found were disinfection byproducts, nitrates, chloroform, barium, arsenic and copper. The research-and-advocacy organization compiled findings from the states that agreed to provide data they collected from 1998 to 2003. That data comes from nearly 40,000 water utilities, serving 231 million people. The utilities were required by federal law to report that data to consumers," quoting CBS News. link here And "A National Assessment of Tap Water Quality" from the Environmental Working Group. link here . 8. "NEW EVIDENCE SHOWS MARINE LIFE IS UNDER SIEGE FROM RISING OCEAN NOISE" "New evidence shows that the rising level of intense underwater sound produced by oil and gas exploration, military sonar and other manmade sources poses a significant long-term threat to whales, dolphins, fish and