Yea, big surprise... pollution in our feed stock...
"Strong Suspicions of Toxicity in One GMO Corn
By Stèphane Foucart
Le Monde
Tuesday 13 March 2007
Allowed to go on the market in France and Europe, MON 863, a transgenic corn invented by Monsanto, has been at the center of a controversy over its innocuousness for over two years (April 23rd, 2004, Le Monde). These debates could resume after the March 13th publication in 'Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology' of a study suggesting this genetically modified organism (GMO) is toxic to the liver and kidneys.
According to this work, consumption of MON 863 corn disturbs numerous biological parameters in rats to a greater or lesser extent: weight of the kidneys, weight of the liver, the level of reticulocytes (new red blood cells), the level of triglycerides, etc. Urinary chemistry is also changed, with reductions in excreted sodium and phosphorus going as high as 35 percent. The effects vary with the sex of the animals. 'Female rats exhibit an increase in blood fat and sugar levels, and an increase in body weight - all associated with greater hepatic sensitivity,' says Mr. Sèralini, principal author of this study and, moreover, president of the Research Committee for Independent Research and Information on Genetic Engineering (Criigen). 'Among males, the impact is"
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Sunday, March 04, 2007
The New Age
Have you ever wondered when the "New Age" started? Believe it or not, it dates back to the late 1800s, a period of intense spiritual activity in Western
Neptune, ruler of spirituality and psychic phenomena, had just been discovered. Coincidence? Of the many innovations that came out of this extraordinary period was the combination of astrology with Tarot. Today, the connection between the two is a given, and there's no doubt that their divination power is vastly increased when they are used together.
Neptune, ruler of spirituality and psychic phenomena, had just been discovered. Coincidence? Of the many innovations that came out of this extraordinary period was the combination of astrology with Tarot. Today, the connection between the two is a given, and there's no doubt that their divination power is vastly increased when they are used together.
Friday, March 02, 2007
WorldChanging: Tools, Models and Ideas for Building a Bright Green Future: Food is Power
Yes POWER is right... they American Machine takes over the water supplies, uses all their chemicals to destroy all the seeds and foods outside of their control and then pumps their "patented" seeds and GMO's into the counties so you can only eat and survive by buying from a multinational corporation that has taken over...
WorldChanging: Tools, Models and Ideas for Building a Bright Green Future: Food is Power: "“Forum on Food Sovereignty” near Bamako, Mali. For the first time, the world’s largest social movements working on behalf of food producers throughout the world have gathered to discuss the idea of food sovereignty. The organizers include international social movements of peasants, women, fisherfolk, environmentalists, and consumers.
Most of the focus of the forum has been conversation, discussing what the delegates represented here are fighting for, what they’re fighting against, and to set an agenda for the next five to ten years for collective, global campaigns. The gathered groups will also develop position papers on themes ranging from trade and local commerce, to resource rights and urban-consumer partnerships, from production models and appropriate technologies to bilateral and multinational trade policies.
Ultimately, this alliance plans to share these position papers with networks in their home countries as well as heads of state, the United Nations, the FAO, and development bodies.
I’ve been here for a few days now and have been continually amazed by the feat to pull this event off. In rural West Africa, the organizers were able to create a village for more than 600 delegates, from scratch, using mostly local materials and mostly local labor. As one of the org"
WorldChanging: Tools, Models and Ideas for Building a Bright Green Future: Food is Power: "“Forum on Food Sovereignty” near Bamako, Mali. For the first time, the world’s largest social movements working on behalf of food producers throughout the world have gathered to discuss the idea of food sovereignty. The organizers include international social movements of peasants, women, fisherfolk, environmentalists, and consumers.
Most of the focus of the forum has been conversation, discussing what the delegates represented here are fighting for, what they’re fighting against, and to set an agenda for the next five to ten years for collective, global campaigns. The gathered groups will also develop position papers on themes ranging from trade and local commerce, to resource rights and urban-consumer partnerships, from production models and appropriate technologies to bilateral and multinational trade policies.
Ultimately, this alliance plans to share these position papers with networks in their home countries as well as heads of state, the United Nations, the FAO, and development bodies.
I’ve been here for a few days now and have been continually amazed by the feat to pull this event off. In rural West Africa, the organizers were able to create a village for more than 600 delegates, from scratch, using mostly local materials and mostly local labor. As one of the org"
"MORE NATURAL CURES REVEALED"
"A government that once stood for the people is now being sold over and over again to some of the most powerful and influential money interests on the planet. Four of the top ten Fortune 500 companies are pharmaceutical companies. They have a lobbyist for every state representative and senator in Washington, with some extras assigned to the public committees of the House and Senate. Your health is being sold on a daily basis by every representative and senator who takes their money." - p. 74.
"The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) repeatedly puts out press releases which are flagrantly false and misleading. Corruption must stop. The government must stop taking advantage of the citizens. The large multinational corporations must stop putting profits above ethics, integrity, and honesty. We, as a society are being made sick purposely, so that large companies can make billions of dollars in profits. This must cease. The FTC is helping this to continue to occur. They must be stopped. The FTC is supposed to protect us; instead it is protecting the large multinational corporations." - p. 122.
"The FTC is not interested in protecting the consumers; it is interested in protecting the profits of the large companies. The FTC repeatedly sues people like myself who advertise truthfully and honestly, but whose products and opinions can have an adverse effect on the large companies. This is how the FTC protects the monopolies and protects the profits of the large corporations. This is wrong and must be stopped..." - p. 123.
"The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) repeatedly puts out press releases which are flagrantly false and misleading. Corruption must stop. The government must stop taking advantage of the citizens. The large multinational corporations must stop putting profits above ethics, integrity, and honesty. We, as a society are being made sick purposely, so that large companies can make billions of dollars in profits. This must cease. The FTC is helping this to continue to occur. They must be stopped. The FTC is supposed to protect us; instead it is protecting the large multinational corporations." - p. 122.
"The FTC is not interested in protecting the consumers; it is interested in protecting the profits of the large companies. The FTC repeatedly sues people like myself who advertise truthfully and honestly, but whose products and opinions can have an adverse effect on the large companies. This is how the FTC protects the monopolies and protects the profits of the large corporations. This is wrong and must be stopped..." - p. 123.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Ivory Trade Threatens Future of African Elephants
But you know this will also happen to Oil, Old Growth Forests, Wild Tuna and Salmon and every other commodity. . . The Profit Machine is designed to increase the use until there is NO MORE. then they will have total control of the market with Stored supplies and pirated access. Just like the Diamond trade where all the African Tribes that could compete in the market are getting systematically exterminated... ALL of them!!!!
Ivory Trade Threatens Future of African Elephants: "Ivory Trade Threatens Future of African Elephants
SEATTLE, Washington, February 27, 2007 (ENS) - The illegal ivory trade is flourishing and threatens to undermine efforts to save the African elephant from extinction, according to a new study released Monday. Poaching of the species has risen to a level not seen in two decades, researchers report, and could doom the world's largest land animal unless western governments step up efforts to halt the illegal trade.
'The illegal ivory trade recently intensified to the highest levels ever reported,' according to the study, published in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
China's burgeoning economy is a major force driving the growth of the illegal trade, escalating prices and attracting organized crime.
A kilogram of ivory that $200 by 2004 now fetches some $750, the researchers said, and from August 2005 through August 2006, authorities seized some 24 tons of illegal ivory destined for Asia.
But that figure represents only about 10 percent of the estimated illegal shipments, bringing the total closer to 240 tons - an amount that would require the slaughter of more than 23,000 elephants, about 5 percent of the estimated"
Ivory Trade Threatens Future of African Elephants: "Ivory Trade Threatens Future of African Elephants
SEATTLE, Washington, February 27, 2007 (ENS) - The illegal ivory trade is flourishing and threatens to undermine efforts to save the African elephant from extinction, according to a new study released Monday. Poaching of the species has risen to a level not seen in two decades, researchers report, and could doom the world's largest land animal unless western governments step up efforts to halt the illegal trade.
'The illegal ivory trade recently intensified to the highest levels ever reported,' according to the study, published in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
China's burgeoning economy is a major force driving the growth of the illegal trade, escalating prices and attracting organized crime.
A kilogram of ivory that $200 by 2004 now fetches some $750, the researchers said, and from August 2005 through August 2006, authorities seized some 24 tons of illegal ivory destined for Asia.
But that figure represents only about 10 percent of the estimated illegal shipments, bringing the total closer to 240 tons - an amount that would require the slaughter of more than 23,000 elephants, about 5 percent of the estimated"
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Fwd: RE: [discussionlist] dharma and mental illness
MLRN Discussion List
As I read the response below, I find myself thinking "the criteria for inclusion are very subjectively guided." We have to keep in mind that meditation in general is INCREDIBLY broad. Mindfulness is a bit more focused (no pun intended), but still, adherents of TM will vouch for empirically validating TM; adherents of mindfulness will go for mindfulness, etc., just as it happens with CBT being empirically validated first, even though theoretically, it's the new kid on the block. And the fact remains that exactly *what* mindfulness is is up for debate. Is it the posture? Is it the breathing? Is it the acceptance? Is it a synthesis of these and other things? I imagine as many of you read these components, you are thinking "oh, he left out ____." And that's my point exactly. Where we start is fairly subjective, and we must acknowledge that, whether we are in the empiricism-is-best camp or whether we are in the qualitative-is-more-clinically-relevant camp. As is often the case, how this lump of clay is sculpted into a meaningful body of research is as much a result of serendipity, political intrigue, and synchronicity more than intentional design.
As I frequently do on this list, I also feel compelled to draw attention to the false dichotomy between the sick, depraved nature of "western" society, versus the enlightened, spiritual "east". If anyone one of us wish to do serious academic or dharma work, we have to absolutely dispel such wrong views that perpetuate a eurocentric dichotomy that only insidiously perpetuates very colonial, imperialistic ideas. Where is the boundary between "west" and "east"? Is it in Jerusalem? Russia? Where is the center of this two-armed cosmology? (Europe). How do we explain the awful things that have gone on in the "east" that go against our romanticized notions of how perfect and evolved those cute little Asians are?
Clearly, I am being a gadfly, but my point is that any serious meditation practice or research cannot come from holding a group, a practice, or even a teacher up on an idealized pedestal. I can assure you the depravity and vice is just as rampant in Thailand, India, or China as it is in New York, and isn't there because these pristine societes were contaminated by the "west". I heard on NPR some months ago that Wahabbis in Baghdad were killing grocers whose produce might interpreted as pornographic-- eggplants and peaches assembled just so. So what depravity and vice are is clearly very, very subjective. I am also reminded of the bitter complaints Steven mentioned he recieved after his book was mentioned in a popular magazine. Obviously, some Buddhists somewhere were offended, and being "Buddhist" didn't mean they were civil.
Human beings are human beings everywhere. I can't vouch for what goes in every society, but thinking in terms of "east" and "west" only highilights differences, not our common flaws and potentials. My mind, being Indian, wanders as much as anyone elses, I imagine, who has been engaged in daily practice for over a decade. Is this more or less because I am Indian? Does it, or should it, matter? I don't think it does.
Sameet Kumar, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist
Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center
4306 Alton Road
Miami Beach, FL 33140
phone: (305) 535 3362
fax: (305) 535 3352
As I read the response below, I find myself thinking "the criteria for inclusion are very subjectively guided." We have to keep in mind that meditation in general is INCREDIBLY broad. Mindfulness is a bit more focused (no pun intended), but still, adherents of TM will vouch for empirically validating TM; adherents of mindfulness will go for mindfulness, etc., just as it happens with CBT being empirically validated first, even though theoretically, it's the new kid on the block. And the fact remains that exactly *what* mindfulness is is up for debate. Is it the posture? Is it the breathing? Is it the acceptance? Is it a synthesis of these and other things? I imagine as many of you read these components, you are thinking "oh, he left out ____." And that's my point exactly. Where we start is fairly subjective, and we must acknowledge that, whether we are in the empiricism-is-best camp or whether we are in the qualitative-is-more-clinically-relevant camp. As is often the case, how this lump of clay is sculpted into a meaningful body of research is as much a result of serendipity, political intrigue, and synchronicity more than intentional design.
As I frequently do on this list, I also feel compelled to draw attention to the false dichotomy between the sick, depraved nature of "western" society, versus the enlightened, spiritual "east". If anyone one of us wish to do serious academic or dharma work, we have to absolutely dispel such wrong views that perpetuate a eurocentric dichotomy that only insidiously perpetuates very colonial, imperialistic ideas. Where is the boundary between "west" and "east"? Is it in Jerusalem? Russia? Where is the center of this two-armed cosmology? (Europe). How do we explain the awful things that have gone on in the "east" that go against our romanticized notions of how perfect and evolved those cute little Asians are?
Clearly, I am being a gadfly, but my point is that any serious meditation practice or research cannot come from holding a group, a practice, or even a teacher up on an idealized pedestal. I can assure you the depravity and vice is just as rampant in Thailand, India, or China as it is in New York, and isn't there because these pristine societes were contaminated by the "west". I heard on NPR some months ago that Wahabbis in Baghdad were killing grocers whose produce might interpreted as pornographic-- eggplants and peaches assembled just so. So what depravity and vice are is clearly very, very subjective. I am also reminded of the bitter complaints Steven mentioned he recieved after his book was mentioned in a popular magazine. Obviously, some Buddhists somewhere were offended, and being "Buddhist" didn't mean they were civil.
Human beings are human beings everywhere. I can't vouch for what goes in every society, but thinking in terms of "east" and "west" only highilights differences, not our common flaws and potentials. My mind, being Indian, wanders as much as anyone elses, I imagine, who has been engaged in daily practice for over a decade. Is this more or less because I am Indian? Does it, or should it, matter? I don't think it does.
Sameet Kumar, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist
Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center
4306 Alton Road
Miami Beach, FL 33140
phone: (305) 535 3362
fax: (305) 535 3352
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Readers' Q & A with Wikipedia founder - opinion - 20 February 2007 - New Scientist
Readers' Q & A with Wikipedia founder - opinion - 20 February 2007 - New Scientist: "Wikipedia has opened - as New Scientist asserts - knowledge to the people. This is one of the benefits that the internet brings to the world. There remains one area where its impartial and basically incorruptible powers should be brought to bear - this is the area of politics. Can you think of methods by which the stupidity, misdeeds, hidden links and crimes of those who plan (and often succeed) to govern us, could be brought to the attention of the voting public? Such a system would prevent the emergence of the Hitlers, the Dubyas and the Mugabes. A sort of Whistleblowers International...
Jimmy Wales replies:
I don't think we need any special new system, but rather to simply continue to expand the use of the internet as a whole. Blogs are a fantastic tool, which allow anyone to publish anything quickly and at virtually no cost, and the blogosphere quickly spreads the word so that interesting voices are quickly amplified. And then wikis provide a fabulous tool for groups to come together to summarise and catalogue.
My own political project, Campaigns Wikia, is specifically focused on helping to make political campaigns more transparent and responsive to internet technologies. It is my belief that no one system is needed, but rather an explosion of free speech."
Jimmy Wales replies:
I don't think we need any special new system, but rather to simply continue to expand the use of the internet as a whole. Blogs are a fantastic tool, which allow anyone to publish anything quickly and at virtually no cost, and the blogosphere quickly spreads the word so that interesting voices are quickly amplified. And then wikis provide a fabulous tool for groups to come together to summarise and catalogue.
My own political project, Campaigns Wikia, is specifically focused on helping to make political campaigns more transparent and responsive to internet technologies. It is my belief that no one system is needed, but rather an explosion of free speech."
Monday, February 19, 2007
How Gov't Decided Lunch Box Lead Levels
How does any Government decided how to enforce regulations???
easy!
SHOW ME THE MONEY$$$$
How Gov't Decided Lunch Box Lead Levels - washingtonpost.com: "How Gov't Decided Lunch Box Lead Levels
By MARTHA MENDOZA
The Associated Press
Sunday, February 18, 2007; 11:19 PM
-- In 2005, when government scientists tested 60 soft, vinyl lunch boxes, they found that one in five contained amounts of lead that medical experts consider unsafe _ and several had more than 10 times hazardous levels.
But that's not what they told the public.
Instead, the Consumer Product Safety Commission released a statement that they found "no instances of hazardous levels." And they refused to release their actual test results, citing regulations that protect manufacturers from having their information released to the public.
That data was not made public until The Associated Press received a box of about 1,500 pages of lab reports, in-house e-mails and other records in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed a year ago.
The documents describe two types of tests. One involves cutting a chunk of vinyl off the bag, dissolving it and then analyzing how much lead is in the solution; the second test involves swiping the surface of a bag and then determining how much lead has rubbed off.
The results of the first type of test, looking for the actual lead content of the vinyl, showed that 20 percent of the bags had more than 600 parts per million of lead _ the federal safe level for paint and other products. The highest level was 9,600 ppm, more than 16 times the federal standard.
But the CPSC did not use those results.
"When it comes to a lunch box, it's carried. The food that you put in the lunch box may have an outer wrapping, a baggie, so there isn't direct exposure. The direct exposure would be if kids were putting their lunch boxes in their mouth, which isn't a common way for children to interact with their lunch box," said CPSC spokeswoman Julie Vallese.
Thus the CPSC focused exclusively on how much lead came off the surface of a lunch box when lab workers swiped them.
easy!
SHOW ME THE MONEY$$$$
How Gov't Decided Lunch Box Lead Levels - washingtonpost.com: "How Gov't Decided Lunch Box Lead Levels
By MARTHA MENDOZA
The Associated Press
Sunday, February 18, 2007; 11:19 PM
-- In 2005, when government scientists tested 60 soft, vinyl lunch boxes, they found that one in five contained amounts of lead that medical experts consider unsafe _ and several had more than 10 times hazardous levels.
But that's not what they told the public.
Instead, the Consumer Product Safety Commission released a statement that they found "no instances of hazardous levels." And they refused to release their actual test results, citing regulations that protect manufacturers from having their information released to the public.
That data was not made public until The Associated Press received a box of about 1,500 pages of lab reports, in-house e-mails and other records in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed a year ago.
The documents describe two types of tests. One involves cutting a chunk of vinyl off the bag, dissolving it and then analyzing how much lead is in the solution; the second test involves swiping the surface of a bag and then determining how much lead has rubbed off.
The results of the first type of test, looking for the actual lead content of the vinyl, showed that 20 percent of the bags had more than 600 parts per million of lead _ the federal safe level for paint and other products. The highest level was 9,600 ppm, more than 16 times the federal standard.
But the CPSC did not use those results.
"When it comes to a lunch box, it's carried. The food that you put in the lunch box may have an outer wrapping, a baggie, so there isn't direct exposure. The direct exposure would be if kids were putting their lunch boxes in their mouth, which isn't a common way for children to interact with their lunch box," said CPSC spokeswoman Julie Vallese.
Thus the CPSC focused exclusively on how much lead came off the surface of a lunch box when lab workers swiped them.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Google Groups
wow. . . have I done some SERIOUS research!!!
I googled "stars2man" again . . . eeek this is so freaky . . . like I can't find anything that I didn't write yet . . . or start . .
Google Groups: "HELP Qigong/Reiki Standing forms???
alt.healing.reiki Jun 14 2001
HELP Qigong/Reiki Standing forms??? alt.meditation.transcendental Jun 14 2001
HELP Qigong/Reiki Standing forms??? alt.philosophy.zen Jun 14 2001
HELP Qigong/Reiki Standing forms??? alt.meditation.shabda Jun 14 2001
Outlook Express 5.5 reinstall?? microsoft.public.win...tlookexpress Jun 12 2001
Chi Gong??? alt.philosophy.taoism Jun 8 2001
Chi Gong??? alt.meditation.qigong Jun 5 2001
Chi Gong??? alt.philosophy.taoism Jun 5 2001
Chi Gong??? alt.yoga Jun 1 2001"
I googled "stars2man" again . . . eeek this is so freaky . . . like I can't find anything that I didn't write yet . . . or start . .
Google Groups: "HELP Qigong/Reiki Standing forms???
alt.healing.reiki Jun 14 2001
HELP Qigong/Reiki Standing forms??? alt.meditation.transcendental Jun 14 2001
HELP Qigong/Reiki Standing forms??? alt.philosophy.zen Jun 14 2001
HELP Qigong/Reiki Standing forms??? alt.meditation.shabda Jun 14 2001
Outlook Express 5.5 reinstall?? microsoft.public.win...tlookexpress Jun 12 2001
Chi Gong??? alt.philosophy.taoism Jun 8 2001
Chi Gong??? alt.meditation.qigong Jun 5 2001
Chi Gong??? alt.philosophy.taoism Jun 5 2001
Chi Gong??? alt.yoga Jun 1 2001"
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Inside Bay Area - Scientists expose body toxin risks
Truth about all the pollution in our foods and environment is finally getting out...
Inside Bay Area - Scientists expose body toxin risks: "You scramble those reactions at your peril, in other words, and last week hundreds of researchers gathered at the University of California, San Francisco, warned society may be doing exactly that with synthetic chemicals.
The chemicals, known as endocrine disruptors, are found everywhere in our environment: food, lotions, shampoos, baby bottles, toys, appliances, even casings for medicines. They mimic hormones at levels scientists only recently have been able to measure, and some are active at concentrations of a part-per-trillion or less — a speck of dirt sullying 55 tons of clean laundry.
Most worrisome to scientists: In many cases, the effect of such pollution on our bodies remains as unknown and mysterious as the processes they potentially disrupt.
'In the absence of concrete data for many of these chemicals, the precautionary principle should be exercised,' said Dr. Linda Guidice, chairwoman of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at UCSF and the organizer of the reproductive health conference that brought 500 scientists, clinicians and community activists together."
Inside Bay Area - Scientists expose body toxin risks: "You scramble those reactions at your peril, in other words, and last week hundreds of researchers gathered at the University of California, San Francisco, warned society may be doing exactly that with synthetic chemicals.
The chemicals, known as endocrine disruptors, are found everywhere in our environment: food, lotions, shampoos, baby bottles, toys, appliances, even casings for medicines. They mimic hormones at levels scientists only recently have been able to measure, and some are active at concentrations of a part-per-trillion or less — a speck of dirt sullying 55 tons of clean laundry.
Most worrisome to scientists: In many cases, the effect of such pollution on our bodies remains as unknown and mysterious as the processes they potentially disrupt.
'In the absence of concrete data for many of these chemicals, the precautionary principle should be exercised,' said Dr. Linda Guidice, chairwoman of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at UCSF and the organizer of the reproductive health conference that brought 500 scientists, clinicians and community activists together."
THE INTENTION EXPERIMENT
THE INTENTION EXPERIMENT by Lynne McTaggart: "THE INTENTION EXPERIMENT
Lynne McTaggart
For the last forty years renegade scientists, experimenting with the limits of quantum physics, have made seemingly impossible discoveries. In 1966, for instance, a lie-detector expert accidentally discovered that plants can read thoughts; in 1982 Buddhist monks in the Himalayas were found to be able to turn their bodies into furnaces; and a psychologist’s experiments in 1992 revealed a stream of light flowing from healers during healing. All pointed towards one thing - evidence that a thought is a tangible thing, with the power to affect the physical world. In The Intention Experiment, Lynne McTaggart explores scientific evidence supporting the idea that the power of human intentions can actually change the world around us. She also shows you exactly how to ‘power up’ your own thoughts and intentions to change your life. And, joining forces with an international team of scientists, she also invites her readers to participate in the biggest intention experiment in history. Exciting eh?
Visit the website: www.theintentionexperiment.com"
Lynne McTaggart
For the last forty years renegade scientists, experimenting with the limits of quantum physics, have made seemingly impossible discoveries. In 1966, for instance, a lie-detector expert accidentally discovered that plants can read thoughts; in 1982 Buddhist monks in the Himalayas were found to be able to turn their bodies into furnaces; and a psychologist’s experiments in 1992 revealed a stream of light flowing from healers during healing. All pointed towards one thing - evidence that a thought is a tangible thing, with the power to affect the physical world. In The Intention Experiment, Lynne McTaggart explores scientific evidence supporting the idea that the power of human intentions can actually change the world around us. She also shows you exactly how to ‘power up’ your own thoughts and intentions to change your life. And, joining forces with an international team of scientists, she also invites her readers to participate in the biggest intention experiment in history. Exciting eh?
Visit the website: www.theintentionexperiment.com"
Monday, January 29, 2007
How to Always Win
How to Always Win
A stellar characteristic of Americans has always been their ability to compete, indeed to win. This zeal to achieve has accomplished many wonderful things for our country and its citizens, including major medical discoveries, unparalleled economic success, even liberty itself. But after the extremely negative campaigning of the recent elections, and the endless nightly debate about whether or not we are winning the war on terror and who's to blame for what's right or wrong in our country, I can't help but ask if our need to compete has gone awry. It doesn't seem to be enough any more to succeed. What worries me is people's need to take it a step further to prove they are right, and sometimes, to prove they're right no matter what. You can be sure that a win-at-all-costs attitude does not contribute to good relationships on a global scale or, as concerns me here, to personal relationships, which are, after all, the bedrock of a person's emotional and physical well being.
For insight on this painful problem, I talked with Lauren Zander and Meredith Haberfeld of Handel Group Private Coaching (www.handelgrouppc.com). Lauren points out that in every conversation, people have an agenda. It might be to inform, to amuse, to get to know each other better or just to pass the time -- there are lots of reasons for verbal exchanges. But when the agenda includes ensuring that you are right, by definition it means establishing that the other person is wrong. There isn't a conversation in the world that doesn't ultimately come to a screeching halt if one or both parties have the attitude that "I am right, you are wrong, now get used to it." This is incredibly destructive to any relationship -- in the Middle East, in the workplace, with your in-laws, or in the bedroom -- because it slams the door on any real possibility for a dialog. In fact, Lauren says the battle to be "right" is at the base of all dysfunction, be it wars between countries, conflicts at work or closer to home -- marital or parent-child conflicts.
WHAT IS FACT?
There is a simple truth at play here. It is possible to be right -- look out the window and if you see water falling from the clouds you can rightly announce it is raining... or that the sun is shining... or that it is night or day. While some philosophy students may debate this, obvious facts of this nature fall neatly into a right/wrong category. But just about everything else in the world is far more complex and dwells in the world not of black and white, but of gray. This is the realm of relativism, says Lauren, which means that what is right to me is shaped by my point of view and isn't necessarily right to the other person. Meredith explains that often our own point of view is shaped by misunderstandings or misinterpretations that we assume to be hard fact. If you want a relationship to work, she continues, the most important thing you can do is understand that virtually every thought and opinion you have is based on personal perception, not on fact.
Couples may argue that one spouse was being rude or unfair but the so-called offending spouse doesn't see it that way. In fact, that person no doubt thinks the other one was being unfair. Perspective is behind the difference and determines why you both think you are right.
It is crucial to understand and accept that your perspective is not fact and that both parties have a valid point of view. This is how contradictory opinions can exist in a relationship without causing disharmony. The problem is that most people are invested in their own interpretation and perspective and are disinterested in the other person's. Deep inside, people believe that by making themselves right and their "opponent" wrong they'll "win," but this form of winning is not necessarily the key to happiness or success. Once people are willing to accept the existence of contradictory "truths," it changes the dynamics of the discussion because no one is any longer trying to win. Lauren calls this insistence on being right a manipulation, which is a common human trick. People dress their opinion up in self-righteousness -- you have to accept what I am saying because I am right! I am reminded of a couple I know who have different religious beliefs. When he tries to open her thinking to even entertain the idea that others see things differently, she responds "but I know I am right." That ends the conversation -- and much to her frustration, ends her attempts to convert him and win.
SEEKING A NEW DEFINITION OF VICTORY
While the need to win creates continuous and deep-seated relationship dilemmas, it is possible for anyone to pull out of this emotional quagmire and, in so doing, immediately improve interactions with others -- including with those who are closest to you. It is no longer about having one person right and one wrong. Rather, Meredith explains, it is listening to each other's "truths" completely so you have all version(s) of the situation and accept that another person can have a different opinion. Here is what Lauren advises to make this important change...
- Accept that most discussions, including yours, are not based on fact but rather on a relative point of view.
- Always evaluate if you are discussing fact (weather, the time, the color of your new car, etc.).
- Ask yourself if you are treating your platform as fact when it is actually your opinion (and if your discussion has become a battle, you can be sure opinions are the subject).
- Frame your conversation in words that convey not "this is how it is," but rather, "when you said this, what I meant was... " or "this is how it seemed to me" -- in other words, that you accept that your "truth" may be based on important misunderstandings that you believed to be true, and that each view of the situation as it was or is, not as an absolute truth.
- After someone speaks and shares their point of view, before you give yours, first say theirs back to them so they feel heard and understood. And be open to correction, because if you say something that didn't accurately capture their perspective, they should make sure you get it correctly.
CHANGE ONLY TAKES ONE
You may now be thinking that this is great for you, but what about the other guy? If he won't change his position, what good will this do? Take heart -- Lauren observes that when one person assumes responsibility for accepting that his/her perspective is relative and understands that aiming to "win" leaves everyone as losers, it is sufficient to turn a discussion around. You have put one fact on the table and that is there are two different points of view going on. Who can argue with that? You allow the other his/her right to his view of the truth -- but you also claim the right to yours. This acceptance surpasses the need to win, allowing a peaceful negotiation of the situation -- if not immediately than in the near future... and that is truly winning in a far more constructive way.
Sources:
How to Always Win
- Meredith Haberfeld, co-founder and CEO, Handel Group Private Coaching (www.handelgrouppc.com) and Lauren Zander, principle, Handel
Friday, January 19, 2007
medical cartel
"The United States Government and governments of the world have colluded together with international drug and pharmaceutical companies to create a 'medical cartel', a virtual monopoly on what is the 'truth' regarding health, and the treatment of illness and disease. Individuals around the world have been charged criminally for stating their opinions regarding the best ways to prevent and cure disease. This oocurs when these 'opinions' go against what the 'medical cartel' has already established as 'truth'. Therefore, I must write a disclaimer. There is no freedom of speech or freedom of expression in the world when it comes to health. Like it was in Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia, if a person says something that the government, in its supreme infinite wisdom, deems detrimental to society, that person will be severely ridiculed, debunked, discredited, attacked, and in many cases persecuted and prosecuted beyond the wildest imaginations of even the most ardent conspiracy theorists." - from page 15 of "More Natural Cures Revealed" by Kevin Trudeau, published by Alliance Publishing Group, P.O. Box 207, Elk Grove Village, IL 60009 U.S.A. www.naturalcures. com www.thewhistleblower.com www.kevinfightsback .com
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Eckhart Teachings Newsletter - Issue 10 - December 2006
“What does it profit you if you gain the whole world and lose yourself?”
It has been said: There are two ways of being unhappy: not getting what you want, and getting what you want.
When people attain what the world tells us is desirable — wealth, recognition, property, achievement — they’re still not happy, at least not for long. They’re not at peace with themselves. They don’t have a true sense of security, a sense of finally having arrived.
Their achievements have not provided them with what they were really looking for — themselves. They have not given them the sense of being rooted in life, or as Jesus calls it, the fullness of life.
The form of this moment is the portal into the formless dimension. It is the narrow gate that Jesus talks about that leads to life. Yes, it’s very narrow: it’s only this moment.
To find it, you need to roll up the scroll of your life on which your story is written, past and future. Before there were books, there were scrolls, and you rolled them up when you were done with them.
So put your story away. It is not who you are. People usually live carrying a burden of past and future, a burden of their personal history, which they hope will fulfill itself in the future. It won’t, so roll up that old scroll. Be done with it.
You don’t solve problems by thinking; you create problems by thinking. The solution always appears when you step out of thinking and become still and absolutely present, even if only for a moment. Then, a little later when thought comes back, you suddenly have a creative insight that wasn’t there before.
Let go of excessive thinking and see how everything changes. Your relationships change because you don’t demand that the other person should do something for you to enhance your sense of self. You don’t compare yourself to others or try to be more than someone else to strengthen your sense of identity.
You allow everyone to be as they are. You don’t need to change them; you don’t need them to behave differently so that you can be happy.
There’s nothing wrong with doing new things, pursuing activities, exploring new countries, meeting new people, acquiring knowledge and expertise, developing your physical or mental abilities, and creating whatever you’re called upon to create in this world.
It is beautiful to create in this world, and there is always more that you can do.
Now the question is, Are you looking for yourself in what you do? Are you attempting to add more to who you think you are? Are you compulsively striving toward the next moment and the next and the next, hoping to find some sense of completion and fulfillment?
The preciousness of Being is your true specialness. What the egoic self had been looking for on the level of the story —I want to be special —
obscured the fact that you could not be more special than you already are now. Not special because you are better or more wretched than someone else, but because you can sense a beauty, a preciousness, an aliveness deep within.
When you are present in this moment,
you break the continuity of your story, of past and future.
Then true intelligence arises,
and also love.
The only way love can come into your life
is not through form, but through that inner spaciousness that is Presence.
Love has no form.
you break the continuity of your story, of past and future.
Then true intelligence arises,
and also love.
The only way love can come into your life
is not through form, but through that inner spaciousness that is Presence.
Love has no form.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Physics, Mysticism, and the New Holographic Paradigm
The ripple did forget the Self, to be sure--but it was a ripple of the Self, and remained so throughout the play. Thus, this movement from the higher into the lower--which is involution--is at once an act of pure creation and effulgent radiance (on the part of Atman), and a tragic tale of suffering and epic unhappiness (on the part of the self-ripple attempting the Atman project). The ultimate aim of evolution--the movement from the lower to the higher--is to awaken as Atman, and thus retain the glory of the creation without being forced to act in the drama of self suffering.
During the course of our universe's history (and science helps us here), we have evolved from level-1 (which began approximately fifteen billion years ago with the Big Bang) to level-2 (which occurred several billions of years later when matter awakened into some realization of life) to level-3 (which so far has been reached fully by humans only). Evolution is, as it were, half completed. "Mankind," said Plotinus, "is poised midway between the gods and the beasts."
But in the past course of human history, some men and women, through the evolutionary discipline of higher religion, succeeded in pushing their own development and evolution into level-4: that of saintly religion and the first intuition of a transcendental reality, one in essence lying above and beyond the ordinary mind, self, body, and world. This "beyond" was poetically called heaven; this oneness was called the one God.
This intuition did not fully occur until around 3000 B.C., with the rise of the first great monotheistic religions. (Prior to that time, there were only polytheistic realizations--a god of fire, a god of water, etc. This was really sympathetic magic, stemming from a simple manipulation of level-2, emotionalsexual energies and rites.) By the time Of 500 B.C., however, certain evolutionary souls pushed their development into the causal--Christ, Buddha, Krishna, the great axial sages. Their insights were drawn out and extended to produce what the Tibetans called the Svabhavikakaya path--the path of level-6, or already realized Truth, the path of Zen, Vajrayana, Vedanta. What remains is for the world to follow suit, via evolutionary or process meditation, into the higher realms themselves.
According to the perennial philosophy, not only does this whole process of involution and evolution play itself out over centuries, it repeats itself moment to moment, ceaselessly and instantaneously. In this moment and this moment and this, an individual starts out at infinity. But in this moment and this moment and this, he contracts away from infinity and ends up reduced to the level of his present adaptation. He involves to the highest point he has yet evolved--and all the higher realms are simply forgotten, rendered unconscious. This is why all meditation is called remembrance or recollection (Sanskrit smriti, Pali sati, as in satipatthana, Plato's anamnesis, Sufi zikr--all are precisely translated as "memory" or "remembrance").
This whole panoply of higher levels generating the lower moment to moment, and of the dazzling interpenetrating of each level with the others, and of the extraordinary dynamics between the levels, all occurring in a field of effulgent radiance--all this is meant when the mystic-sage speaks of multidimensional interpenetration with nonequivalence
During the course of our universe's history (and science helps us here), we have evolved from level-1 (which began approximately fifteen billion years ago with the Big Bang) to level-2 (which occurred several billions of years later when matter awakened into some realization of life) to level-3 (which so far has been reached fully by humans only). Evolution is, as it were, half completed. "Mankind," said Plotinus, "is poised midway between the gods and the beasts."
But in the past course of human history, some men and women, through the evolutionary discipline of higher religion, succeeded in pushing their own development and evolution into level-4: that of saintly religion and the first intuition of a transcendental reality, one in essence lying above and beyond the ordinary mind, self, body, and world. This "beyond" was poetically called heaven; this oneness was called the one God.
This intuition did not fully occur until around 3000 B.C., with the rise of the first great monotheistic religions. (Prior to that time, there were only polytheistic realizations--a god of fire, a god of water, etc. This was really sympathetic magic, stemming from a simple manipulation of level-2, emotionalsexual energies and rites.) By the time Of 500 B.C., however, certain evolutionary souls pushed their development into the causal--Christ, Buddha, Krishna, the great axial sages. Their insights were drawn out and extended to produce what the Tibetans called the Svabhavikakaya path--the path of level-6, or already realized Truth, the path of Zen, Vajrayana, Vedanta. What remains is for the world to follow suit, via evolutionary or process meditation, into the higher realms themselves.
According to the perennial philosophy, not only does this whole process of involution and evolution play itself out over centuries, it repeats itself moment to moment, ceaselessly and instantaneously. In this moment and this moment and this, an individual starts out at infinity. But in this moment and this moment and this, he contracts away from infinity and ends up reduced to the level of his present adaptation. He involves to the highest point he has yet evolved--and all the higher realms are simply forgotten, rendered unconscious. This is why all meditation is called remembrance or recollection (Sanskrit smriti, Pali sati, as in satipatthana, Plato's anamnesis, Sufi zikr--all are precisely translated as "memory" or "remembrance").
This whole panoply of higher levels generating the lower moment to moment, and of the dazzling interpenetrating of each level with the others, and of the extraordinary dynamics between the levels, all occurring in a field of effulgent radiance--all this is meant when the mystic-sage speaks of multidimensional interpenetration with nonequivalence
"whole in every part" nature of memory storage
In a series of landmark experiments in the 1920s, brain scientistKarl Lashley found that no matter what portion of a rat's brain heremoved he was unable to eradicate its memory of how to performcomplex tasks it had learned prior to surgery. The only problem wasthat no one was able to come up with a mechanism that might explainthis curious "whole in every part" nature of memory storage.
Then in the 1960s, Pribram encountered the concept of holography andrealized he had found the explanation brain scientists had beenlooking for. Pribram believes memories are encoded not in neurons,or small groupings of neurons, but in patterns of nerve impulsesthat crisscross the entire brain in the same way that patterns oflaser light interference crisscross the entire area of a piece offilm containing a holographic image. In other words, Pribrambelieves the brain is itself a hologram.Pribram's theory also explains how the human brain can store so manymemories in so little space. It has been estimated that the humanbrain has the capacity to memorize something on the order of 10billion bits of information during the average human lifetime (orroughly the same amount of information contained in five sets of theEncyclopedia Britannica).
Then in the 1960s, Pribram encountered the concept of holography andrealized he had found the explanation brain scientists had beenlooking for. Pribram believes memories are encoded not in neurons,or small groupings of neurons, but in patterns of nerve impulsesthat crisscross the entire brain in the same way that patterns oflaser light interference crisscross the entire area of a piece offilm containing a holographic image. In other words, Pribrambelieves the brain is itself a hologram.Pribram's theory also explains how the human brain can store so manymemories in so little space. It has been estimated that the humanbrain has the capacity to memorize something on the order of 10billion bits of information during the average human lifetime (orroughly the same amount of information contained in five sets of theEncyclopedia Britannica).
Friday, December 01, 2006
[discussionlist] Physiology of relaxation/meditation
There appears to be a molecular process for relaxation. Given this, we attempt to demonstrate
this phenomenon based on established molecular and physiological processes in light of our current understanding of central and peripheral nervous system mechanisms. Central to our hypothesis is the signifi cance of norepinephrine, nitric oxide, dopamine and morphine signaling both in the central and peripheral nervous system. We fi nd that nitric oxide and morphine control catecholamine processes on many levels, including synthesis, release and actions. We conclude that enough scientifi c information exists to support these phenomena as actual physical processes that can be harnessed to provide better patient care.
this phenomenon based on established molecular and physiological processes in light of our current understanding of central and peripheral nervous system mechanisms. Central to our hypothesis is the signifi cance of norepinephrine, nitric oxide, dopamine and morphine signaling both in the central and peripheral nervous system. We fi nd that nitric oxide and morphine control catecholamine processes on many levels, including synthesis, release and actions. We conclude that enough scientifi c information exists to support these phenomena as actual physical processes that can be harnessed to provide better patient care.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
African Dust Storms Stifle Hurricanes
African Dust Storms Stifle Hurricanes, Study Suggests
By Ker ThanLiveScience Staff Writerposted: 10 October 200612:07 pm ET
This story was updated at 12:49 p.m. EDT.
Westward swirling clouds of dust from the Sahara Desert might be putting a damper on Atlantic Ocean hurricanes, a new study suggests.
Researchers analyzing satellite data from the past 25 years found that during years when the dust storms rose up, fewer hurricanes swept across the Atlantic, while periods of low dust storm activity were followed by more intense hurricane activity. Hurricanes are fueled by heat and moisture, and it's thought the dust storms help muffle the storms before they fully develop.
By doing so, however, the dust storms could shift a hurricane's direction further to the west, the researchers say, increasing the likelihood that it would hit the United States and Caribbean Islands.
"These findings are important because they show that long-term changes in hurricanes may be related to many different factors," said study team member Jonathan Foley of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "While a great deal of work has focused on the links between [hurricanes] and warming ocean temperatures, this research adds another piece to the puzzle."
The correlation between dust storms and hurricane activity are especially strong for the past few years, said study leader Amato Evan, also of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
"In 2004, we saw an increase in dust activity and a decrease in hurricanes. In 2005, it was the exact opposite," Evan said in a telephone interview.
2005 was the busiest hurricane season on record. It included 26 named storms and 13 hurricanes, including Katrina, hailed as the most destructive U.S. storm ever.
Preliminary analyses of this year's dust activity also support the theory, Evan said. The 2006 hurricane season has been weaker than originally forecasted, and Evan thinks the high dust storm activity observed earlier in the year is partly to thank.
"At the beginning of the year, we saw a lot of dust storms—just really continuous. Then, probably a few weeks ago, when we started seeing some of those hurricanes that were forming up in the Atlantic, we saw a real lack of dust activity," he told LiveScience.
The dust storms form when hot desert air from the Sahara collides with cooler, dryer air from the south to form winds that loft sand and dust into the atmosphere, where they are snared by strong trade winds and blown westward, across the Atlantic Ocean.
Some years, millions of tons of the fine tan-colored particles [image] form thick clouds that can traverse the oceans in as little as five days. But other years, for reasons still not understood, hardly any dust storms form at all.
Recently, Saharan dust storms have been implicated in everything from the spread of disease and epidemics to a harmless reddening of U.S. sunsets.
The study, performed in collaboration with the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is detailed in the Oct. 10 issue of Geophysical Research Letters.
How & Where Hurricanes Form
African Dust Storm May Redden U.S. Sunsets
Sahara Desert Was Once Lush and Populated
Bacteria & Fungi Ride Dust Across Oceans
2006 Hurricane Guide
By Ker ThanLiveScience Staff Writerposted: 10 October 200612:07 pm ET
This story was updated at 12:49 p.m. EDT.
Westward swirling clouds of dust from the Sahara Desert might be putting a damper on Atlantic Ocean hurricanes, a new study suggests.
Researchers analyzing satellite data from the past 25 years found that during years when the dust storms rose up, fewer hurricanes swept across the Atlantic, while periods of low dust storm activity were followed by more intense hurricane activity. Hurricanes are fueled by heat and moisture, and it's thought the dust storms help muffle the storms before they fully develop.
By doing so, however, the dust storms could shift a hurricane's direction further to the west, the researchers say, increasing the likelihood that it would hit the United States and Caribbean Islands.
"These findings are important because they show that long-term changes in hurricanes may be related to many different factors," said study team member Jonathan Foley of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "While a great deal of work has focused on the links between [hurricanes] and warming ocean temperatures, this research adds another piece to the puzzle."
The correlation between dust storms and hurricane activity are especially strong for the past few years, said study leader Amato Evan, also of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
"In 2004, we saw an increase in dust activity and a decrease in hurricanes. In 2005, it was the exact opposite," Evan said in a telephone interview.
2005 was the busiest hurricane season on record. It included 26 named storms and 13 hurricanes, including Katrina, hailed as the most destructive U.S. storm ever.
Preliminary analyses of this year's dust activity also support the theory, Evan said. The 2006 hurricane season has been weaker than originally forecasted, and Evan thinks the high dust storm activity observed earlier in the year is partly to thank.
"At the beginning of the year, we saw a lot of dust storms—just really continuous. Then, probably a few weeks ago, when we started seeing some of those hurricanes that were forming up in the Atlantic, we saw a real lack of dust activity," he told LiveScience.
The dust storms form when hot desert air from the Sahara collides with cooler, dryer air from the south to form winds that loft sand and dust into the atmosphere, where they are snared by strong trade winds and blown westward, across the Atlantic Ocean.
Some years, millions of tons of the fine tan-colored particles [image] form thick clouds that can traverse the oceans in as little as five days. But other years, for reasons still not understood, hardly any dust storms form at all.
Recently, Saharan dust storms have been implicated in everything from the spread of disease and epidemics to a harmless reddening of U.S. sunsets.
The study, performed in collaboration with the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is detailed in the Oct. 10 issue of Geophysical Research Letters.
How & Where Hurricanes Form
African Dust Storm May Redden U.S. Sunsets
Sahara Desert Was Once Lush and Populated
Bacteria & Fungi Ride Dust Across Oceans
2006 Hurricane Guide
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Well-funded criminals attack NewsTarget, health freedom groups with covert disruption campaigns
NewsTarget.com printable article
Originally published April 11 2007Well-funded criminals attack NewsTarget, health freedom groups with covert disruption campaigns
by NewsTarget staffTop health freedom consumer advocacy groups in the United States are being clandestinely targeted by organized disruption campaigns and "black PR" efforts. The apparent purpose of these campaigns is to discredit, disrupt and censor their natural health and health freedom political and educational efforts. Both the Natural Solutions Foundation (www.HealthFreedomUSA.org) and natural health news site NewsTarget (www.NewsTarget.com) revealed details today of distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) website attacks, database hacking attempts, personal and professional reputation internet smear campaigns and impersonation attempts, among other tactics. "All of these well-financed activities are clearly criminal in nature and violate free speech rights, libel and slander legislation and criminal statutes." according to health freedom advocacy attorney, Ralph Fucetola.
The barrage of attacks seem to coincide with the recent success of both NewsTarget.com and the Natural Solutions Foundation in expanding their influence in the US and abroad. NewsTarget now reaches more than half a million readers each month with its outspoken reports on natural health solutions and consumer warnings about the dangers of prescription drugs and corrupt government agencies. The Natural Solutions Foundation is an international consumer advocacy group that fights the suppression of natural health options and the global contamination of food by CODEX (Codex Alimentarius).
Codex, as it is known, is a UN-sponsored international effort to regulate or outlaw herbs, vitamins and nutritional supplements and permit high levels of contamination of the global food supply by dangerous chemicals. Natural Solutions Foundation is following a strategy to allow nations to preserve natural health and protect their people from preventable diseases while avoiding Codex-related World Trade Organization (WTO) trade sanctions.
The HealthFreedomUSA.org website was recently knocked offline for several days due to a well organized DDoS attack (Distributed Denial of Service). Emails have also been blocked in an attempt to disconnect Rima Laibow, M.D., the Medical Director of the Natural Solutions Foundation, from her readers. Simultaneously, online donations and product sales were inactivated, denying the Foundation the donations which are its only source of funding. Drug and pornography-related response robots have also forced Dr. Laibow to close commentary on her very popular blog (http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/index.php?page_id=219).
During the same time period, Mike Adams, the editor of NewsTarget.com, has been subjected to numerous personal attacks, including email smear campaigns, bogus inappropriate emails and a bizarre attempt to impersonate Adams by a covert operative who attempted to gain entry into the offices of the company that owns NewsTarget website and content, Truth Publishing International. Automated robot scripts have hammered NewsTarget-related message boards, attempting to fill them with pornographic images and bombarding administrators with garbage posts from bogus users.
"These actions are clearly criminal in nature and are being undertaken by organized, well-funded groups who desire to censor NewsTarget articles and deny the public access to information that tells them the truth about food, nutrition, medicine and health," said Mike Adams, NewsTarget editor and consumer health advocate.
Like the attacks on the Natural Solutions Foundation site, these covert actions specifically target some of the most effective forces in health freedom today. Significantly, they are designed to silence those groups which are effectively educating people and countries about their rights to make their own health choices, regardless of whether or not those choices result in profits to the multinational corporations which attempt to govern our health and our freedoms.
About Dr. Rima Laibow
Dr. Rima Laibow is an MD who has practiced drug free psychiatry and medicine for 37 years since her graduation from Albert Einstein Medical College in 1970. She is a recognized pioneer and medical innovator, teacher and health freedom activist. Her concern over the impact of the illness care industry, including Big Pharma, led her to close her private practice of medicine in 2004 in order to devote herself full time to securing freedoms for natural health and personal health choices on a global basis.Along with Major General Albert N. Stubblebine III she founded the Natural Solutions Foundation and, working with a group of pro-health lawyers, crafted a science-based international legal solution to the global threat of Codex. Briefing Heads of State, Ministers of Health and others around the world, the Natural Solutions Foundation has rapidly become a major force in the global struggle to retain the right to choose and use natural health options including clean, uncontaminated food, high potency dietary supplements and other non-drug health strategies. The Foundation is sponsoring a Citizens Petition legally challenging the 1995 decision of the US Government to "HARMONIZE" with Codex in preference to US Domestic regulations. Over 40,000 Americans have signed this document calling the FDA and USDA to heel over Codex.
National health policy around the world has been positively impacted by their efforts. For example, at the latest Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU, Chiang Mai, Thailand, November 2007) the document provided by the Natural Solutions Foundation allowed health friendly countries to override the vigorous objection of the US, Australia, New Zealand and the EU and prohibit the addition of the dangerous toxin fluoride as an additive to baby formula for healthy children. Fluoride causes bone cancer, leukemia and other cancers, increased tooth decay, bone breaks, endocrine damage, brain damage and poisons other major organ systems.
The Natural Solutions Foundation is welcomed by decision makers as a non-commercial health advocacy organization. Dr. Laibow and General Stubblebine briefed the President of India in an extended private session, was the featured speaker at an Indian government meeting for an organization representing 950,000 Indian farmers, addressed the assembled Health Ministers of eastern, southern and central African nations and has met with dozens of decision makers in their own countries in Asia and Africa.
The Natural Solutions Foundation attends numerous Codex meetings, lobbies for health and health freedom and reports on them extensively. Her articles, interviews, blogs and emails are widely read by natural health advocates and supporters around the world.
Neither Dr. Laibow nor General Stubblebine receives any salaries or royalties from their health advocacy work or the sales generated by their virtual store, Organics4U, at www.HealthFreedomUSA.org/store
About Mike Adams
Mike Adams is the creator of numerous free nutritional guides and health-related interviews that are enjoying widespread popularity. His Honest Food Guide (www.HonestFoodGuide.org) has been downloaded more than 800,000 times. Adams is also the creator of the free Natural Health Library (www.NaturalHealthLibrary.com) and the hugely popular free online reference site www.HealingFoodReference.com . Adams is also the executive director of the non-profit Consumer Wellness Center (www.ConsumerWellness.org), an organization dedicated to enhancing pre-natal nutrition, ending censorship of nutritional supplements and other notable achievements. Mike Adams receives no salary and no royalties from his health advocacy work.NewsTarget.com and the Natural Solutions Foundation work independently and do not pursue any projects jointly. However, together they are both proving to be highly successful in attracting grassroots activism and readership among people who wish to protect their freedoms and their access to accurate information about health.
The history of black ops against health freedom groups
Organized and virulent attacks by groups and government agencies targeting effective health freedom groups, authors and individuals have a long and disgraceful history. Covert disruption attempts have been used against many health freedom advocates. The Life Extension Foundation, for example, was targeted and raided by the FDA and its founders charged with 89 federal crimes. When the LEF fought back vigorously in court, all charges were dropped!The history of conventional medicine is rife with blatant attempts to suppress, silence and discredit anyone daring to teach people the truth about health, nutrition and medicine. The American Medical Association, for example, was twice found guilty of conspiracy to destroy chiropractic medicine in U.S. federal courts. Rife machines were destroyed. Wilhelm Reich’s books were publicly burned by the FDA and his devices destroyed. Cancer remedy creator Harry Hoxsey was hounded (and almost assassinated) by thugs linked to conventional medicine.
The true history of armed FDA raids, kidnappings, and other dubious actions taken against health freedom pioneers is revealed in Mike Adams' new book, Natural Health Solutions (www.TruthPublishing.com). Attacks against Adams were stepped up following the release of this book which documents the real history of Big Pharma and its links to Nazi Germany: Companies like Bayer, BASF and Hoechst are the offspring of IG Farben, the Nazi corporation that conducted medical experiments on prisoners in the Auschwitz concentration camp and was dissolved by the Nurembuerg Tribunal. Attacks against the Natural Solutions Foundation likewise intensified with the publication of "The Killing Ground of Codex", a detailed examination of the links between Codex Alimentarius and the Nazi drug companies continuing until the present day.
"There is no question in my mind that drug companies are funding these covert attempts to target health freedom groups in an effort to destroy or discredit them," said Adams. "As the world's richest corporations that rely on the continued 'disease-ification' of the world population in order to exploit people for profits, drug companies have the motive and the means to launch such attacks against those who threaten their profits and control. The more we reach consumers with honest information about the dangers of pharmaceuticals and the safe, natural cures available from nature, the more we are attacked," Adams said. "And rather than facing us in public with an honest debate about health, they engage in covert operations to get what they want. It's the same way they control Congress and the Food and Drug Administration."
Dr. Laibow notes that since drug companies, which promote the use of dangerous and often deadly products which suppress symptoms by poisoning the body (like the deadly Cox-2 inhibitors Vioxx and Celebrex) could not win an honest debate, they use stealth, science-for-hire, poison press propaganda and covert attacks like the ones to which Mike Adams and the Natural Solutions Foundation are currently being subjected.
Despite the ongoing attacks, both the Natural Solutions Foundation and NewsTarget.com continue to publish daily articles on health freedom, consumer advocacy, revelations and condemnations of the actions of drug companies, the FDA, the USDA and other groups which fail to protect the public. Ironically, both organizations have surged in popularity and garnered new support because of these attacks.
For more information:
Natural Solutions Foundation: www.HealthFreedomUSA.org
NewsTarget: www.NewsTarget.com
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. Newstarget.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NewsTarget.com/terms.shtml
Watch "Nutricide - Criminalizing Natural Health, Vitamins, and Herbs"
Your friend, stars2man@gmail.com, has sent you the following video and included this message:
more videos to watch
Nutricide - Criminalizing Natural Health, Vitamins, and Herbs
40 min 7 sec - Sep 2, 2006
Average rating: 
(545 ratings)
Description: The Codex Alimentarius is a threat to the freedom of people to choose natural healing and alternative medicine and nutrition. Ratified by the World Health Organization, and going into Law in the United States in 2009, the threat to health freedom has never been greater. This is the first part of a series of talks by Dr. Rima Laibow MD, available on DVD from the Natural Solutions Foundation, an non-profit organization dedicated to educating people about how to stop Codex Alimentarius from taking away our right to freely choose nutritional health.
Want to see more cool videos?
Go to video.google.com/
Think you have an even cooler video?
Add it at video.google.com/videouploadform
If you're having trouble watching the video, try copying the following URL into your browser:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5266884912495233634&pr=goog-sl
Friday, November 03, 2006
Scientists: American public being poisoned by radiation once thought harmless
Scientists: American public being poisoned by radiation once thought harmless: "'Science for the Vulnerable: Setting Radiation and Multiple Exposure Environmental Health Standards to Protect Those Most at Risk,' released Thursday, the protection standards for cancer-causing radiation in the United States are so low, only the strongest people are protected.
'A central principle of environmental health protection -- protecting those most at risk -- is missing from much of the U.S. regulatory framework for radiation,' said study co-author Arjun Makhijani, president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research.
The federal standards that limit radiation -- such as what may be found in contaminated soil -- are based on protecting 'Reference Man,' a theoretical white male of Western European or North American habitat or custom, aged 20 to 30, weighing 154 pounds, and standing 5 feet 7 inches tall. Unfortunately, these standards do not apply to women and girls, who are at higher risks of cancer, especially thyroid cancer. A female infant drinking contaminated milk is 100 times more likely to contract thyroid cancer -- and a woman has a 52 percent greater chance -- than an adult male drinking the same milk. The study also found evidence that the offspring of fathers exposed to radiation around the time of conception are at an increased risk of leukemia.
'I've never known a woman to give birth to a full-grown, 154-pound 'Reference Man,'' said Mary Brune, co-founder of California-based group Making Our Milk Safe (MOMS).
The report found that cancer was not the only adverse affect resulting from radiation exposure. The tritium found in water supplies can cross the placenta of a pregnant woman and cause miscarriages and birth defects. "
'A central principle of environmental health protection -- protecting those most at risk -- is missing from much of the U.S. regulatory framework for radiation,' said study co-author Arjun Makhijani, president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research.
The federal standards that limit radiation -- such as what may be found in contaminated soil -- are based on protecting 'Reference Man,' a theoretical white male of Western European or North American habitat or custom, aged 20 to 30, weighing 154 pounds, and standing 5 feet 7 inches tall. Unfortunately, these standards do not apply to women and girls, who are at higher risks of cancer, especially thyroid cancer. A female infant drinking contaminated milk is 100 times more likely to contract thyroid cancer -- and a woman has a 52 percent greater chance -- than an adult male drinking the same milk. The study also found evidence that the offspring of fathers exposed to radiation around the time of conception are at an increased risk of leukemia.
'I've never known a woman to give birth to a full-grown, 154-pound 'Reference Man,'' said Mary Brune, co-founder of California-based group Making Our Milk Safe (MOMS).
The report found that cancer was not the only adverse affect resulting from radiation exposure. The tritium found in water supplies can cross the placenta of a pregnant woman and cause miscarriages and birth defects. "
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Fish, seafood on track to disappear by 2048: study on Yahoo! News
Fish, seafood on track to disappear by 2048: study on Yahoo! News: "Fish, seafood on track to disappear by 2048: study
Thu Nov 2, 5:38 PM ET
The world's fish and seafood could disappear by 2048 as overfishing and pollution destroy ocean ecosystems at an accelerating pace, US and Canadian researchers reported.
If current global trends continue, the loss of fish and seafood will threaten humans' food supplies and the environment, according to the most exhaustive study to date on the subject, published in the November 3 issue of the US journal Science.
'Our analyzes suggest that business as usual would foreshadow serious threats to global food security, coastal water quality, and ecosystem stability, affecting current and future generations,' the international team of ecologists and economists wrote in 'Impact of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services.'
The four-year analysis was the first to study all existing data on ocean species and ecosystems and synthesize them to understand the importance of biodiversity at the global scale.
'Whether we looked at tide pools or studies over the entire world's ocean, we saw the same picture emerging,' lead author Boris Worm of Dalhousie University, in Canada, said in a statement.
Worm said the disappearance of species from ocean ecosystems had been accelerating.
Thu Nov 2, 5:38 PM ET
The world's fish and seafood could disappear by 2048 as overfishing and pollution destroy ocean ecosystems at an accelerating pace, US and Canadian researchers reported.
If current global trends continue, the loss of fish and seafood will threaten humans' food supplies and the environment, according to the most exhaustive study to date on the subject, published in the November 3 issue of the US journal Science.
'Our analyzes suggest that business as usual would foreshadow serious threats to global food security, coastal water quality, and ecosystem stability, affecting current and future generations,' the international team of ecologists and economists wrote in 'Impact of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services.'
The four-year analysis was the first to study all existing data on ocean species and ecosystems and synthesize them to understand the importance of biodiversity at the global scale.
'Whether we looked at tide pools or studies over the entire world's ocean, we saw the same picture emerging,' lead author Boris Worm of Dalhousie University, in Canada, said in a statement.
Worm said the disappearance of species from ocean ecosystems had been accelerating.
"Now we begin to see some of the consequences. For example, if the long-term trend continues, all fish and seafood species are projected to collapse within my lifetime -- by 2048," Worm said.
"In losing species we lose the productivity and stability of entire ecosystems. I was shocked and disturbed by how consistent these trends are -- beyond anything we expected."
At this point, 29 of currently fished species were considered "collapsed" in 2003, that is, their catches have declined by 90 percent or more, he said.
"It is a very clear trend, and it is accelerating," he said."
Monday, October 23, 2006
The Birth of Big Pharma (comic)
The Birth of Big Pharma (comic): "It's astounding: Nearly half the U.S. population is now taking a daily dose of one or more pharmaceuticals. The drug industry, which once merely hoped to medicate sick people, now has a more ambitious goal: medicate everyone, including people who aren't sick.
The way they do that, of course, is to engage in disease mongering (the invention and marketing of fictitious diseases that 'require' medication), false advertising, junk science, bribery of doctors, corruption of government regulators, control of the monopoly drug market, and the destruction of natural alternatives, to name a few of the tactics.
That modern medicine today is even called 'medicine' is astonishing. It has nothing to do with helping patients prevent disease or cure disease, and is almost entirely focused on 'managing' or 'controlling' disease symptoms through drugs that must be taken for a lifetime. The real scam, of course, is that patients actually pay for this sort of chemical abuse. Even worse, they're easily fooled into thinking it's 'medicine.'
Ask yourself a couple of simple questions: If pharmaceuticals make people well, then why is America the sickest nation in the world even though we take more drugs (per capita) than any other nation in the world? And if modern medicine is such a good deal, then why do Americans pay, by far, the highest rates for health care services of any nation in the world, when our mortality statistics are nearly identical to Cuba and China -- two countries that spend a tiny fraction of what we spend on health care? "
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Decades after Silent Spring, pesticides remain a menace -- especially to farmworkers | By Tom Philpott | Grist | Victual Reality | 18 Oct 2006
Decades after Silent Spring, pesticides remain a menace -- especially to farmworkers By Tom Philpott Grist Victual Reality 18 Oct 2006: "Many products from this pesticide class -- which came upon the world stage as a nerve gas developed by German engineers during World War II -- remain legal in the United States. Two months ago, after contemplating the matter for 10 years, the U.S. EPA approved use of 32 organophosphates -- a decision so egregious that it prompted a public outcry from hundreds of agency scientists who claimed their leaders had been swayed by industry influence.
Like the oil industry, agribusiness survives on its ability to privatize profits and socialize costs. Heavy pesticide use helped bring about short-term gains in crop yields, which has meant billions in profits for grain traders, food processors, agrichemical giants, and other food-related multinational corporations. To these firms, pesticide-related deaths and maladies are what economists call an 'externality' -- a cost that lands in someone else's ledger. "
Like the oil industry, agribusiness survives on its ability to privatize profits and socialize costs. Heavy pesticide use helped bring about short-term gains in crop yields, which has meant billions in profits for grain traders, food processors, agrichemical giants, and other food-related multinational corporations. To these firms, pesticide-related deaths and maladies are what economists call an 'externality' -- a cost that lands in someone else's ledger. "
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Is Monsanto playing fast and loose with Roundup Ready Soybeans in Argentina? | By Kelly Hearn | Grist | Main Dish | 22 Sep 2006
Is Monsanto playing fast and loose with Roundup Ready Soybeans in Argentina? By Kelly Hearn Grist Main Dish 22 Sep 2006: "Monsanto claims RR soybeans decrease the need for repeated herbicide applications. But some weeds build resistance to herbicides, and when they do, different herbicides are needed in the mix. Pengue and Altieri report that in the Argentinean pampas, eight species of weeds exhibit resistance to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup. The fear: the more plants become resistant, the more farmers turn to different pesticides, further complicating the soup of poisons being spread through the country's fields.
There are also concerns that all this genetic tinkering is causing GM soy to have lower protein levels than regular varieties. A study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in 2004 analyzed soybeans and soybean meal from the world's top producers: Argentina, Brazil, China, India, and the U.S. Those from Argentina, which Benbrook says at the time were 98 percent Roundup Ready, had the lowest crude protein content. Those from China, which grew no GM soy at the time, had the highest. 'This points directly to the possibility that RR has resulted in significant decline in protein level,' Benbrook said, adding that it mirrors concerns that protein levels in soy and corn in the United States are decreasing.
Meanwhile, experts say that GM crops may be playing a role in rising social dislocation. In 1998 there were 422,000 producers or local farmers in Argentina; by 2002, that number had dropped by 25 percent to 318,000.
And there are health worries stemming from the widespread use of Roundup, which has reportedly been sprayed aerially and drifted onto non-RR crops and into communities. Dario Gianfelici, a general physician from the small town of Cerrito in a soy farming region, says he has seen medical problems in farmhands that stem from herbicide exposure. "I don't have the money or the manpower to [raise awareness] like I would like to do," he said in a telephone interview, "but I continue to talk about this.""
There are also concerns that all this genetic tinkering is causing GM soy to have lower protein levels than regular varieties. A study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in 2004 analyzed soybeans and soybean meal from the world's top producers: Argentina, Brazil, China, India, and the U.S. Those from Argentina, which Benbrook says at the time were 98 percent Roundup Ready, had the lowest crude protein content. Those from China, which grew no GM soy at the time, had the highest. 'This points directly to the possibility that RR has resulted in significant decline in protein level,' Benbrook said, adding that it mirrors concerns that protein levels in soy and corn in the United States are decreasing.
Meanwhile, experts say that GM crops may be playing a role in rising social dislocation. In 1998 there were 422,000 producers or local farmers in Argentina; by 2002, that number had dropped by 25 percent to 318,000.
And there are health worries stemming from the widespread use of Roundup, which has reportedly been sprayed aerially and drifted onto non-RR crops and into communities. Dario Gianfelici, a general physician from the small town of Cerrito in a soy farming region, says he has seen medical problems in farmhands that stem from herbicide exposure. "I don't have the money or the manpower to [raise awareness] like I would like to do," he said in a telephone interview, "but I continue to talk about this.""
Friday, September 22, 2006
Latest E. coli outbreak should prompt rethink of industrial agriculture | By Tom Philpott | Grist | Victual Reality | 21 Sep 2006
Latest E. coli outbreak should prompt rethink of industrial agriculture By Tom Philpott Grist Victual Reality 21 Sep 2006: "The organic question distracts from the real story behind the outbreak: consolidation of production. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that California produces three-quarters of the spinach consumed in the United States -- and of that, fully three-quarters comes from Monterey County, which encompasses Salinas Valley.
Natural Selection Foods buys, processes, and packs salad greens for such giants as Dole, Trader Joe's, and Sysco, among others. The company's Earthbound Farm brand boasts on its website that it produces '[m]ore than 7 out of 10 organic salads sold in grocery stores' in the U.S.
In 1999, Salinas-based Tanimura & Antle, the largest U.S. fresh-vegetable grower and shipper, with 40,000 acres under cultivation in the United States and Mexico, bought a 33 percent stake in Natural Selection/Earthbound.
Given Natural Selection's scale, it's no surprise that an outbreak in a small region of California's central coast could repeatedly wreak havoc nationwide.
One possible culprit is tainted water, either through irrigation or washing in the processing plant. In a letter last year, an FDA official sounded an alarm about this problem, writing that 'creeks and rivers in the Salinas watershed are contaminated periodically with E. coli.' The rolling hills alongside the Salinas River support 'extensive cattle ranches,' according to the Watershed Institute [PDF] at California State University. Might manure from these operations be leaching into the watershed?
Other sorts of agricultural runoff certainly have, including nitrogen-based fertilizer, which is used heavily on conventional farms. The Waters"
Natural Selection Foods buys, processes, and packs salad greens for such giants as Dole, Trader Joe's, and Sysco, among others. The company's Earthbound Farm brand boasts on its website that it produces '[m]ore than 7 out of 10 organic salads sold in grocery stores' in the U.S.
In 1999, Salinas-based Tanimura & Antle, the largest U.S. fresh-vegetable grower and shipper, with 40,000 acres under cultivation in the United States and Mexico, bought a 33 percent stake in Natural Selection/Earthbound.
Given Natural Selection's scale, it's no surprise that an outbreak in a small region of California's central coast could repeatedly wreak havoc nationwide.
One possible culprit is tainted water, either through irrigation or washing in the processing plant. In a letter last year, an FDA official sounded an alarm about this problem, writing that 'creeks and rivers in the Salinas watershed are contaminated periodically with E. coli.' The rolling hills alongside the Salinas River support 'extensive cattle ranches,' according to the Watershed Institute [PDF] at California State University. Might manure from these operations be leaching into the watershed?
Other sorts of agricultural runoff certainly have, including nitrogen-based fertilizer, which is used heavily on conventional farms. The Waters"
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
massage for cancer patients
Bottom Line Secrets."In a three-year study of the effect of massage on more than 1,000 cancer patients -- the largest study to date of massage used for cancer patients -- patients rated their symptoms immediately before and after a single treatment of massage therapy.
Result: Anxiety declined by 52%... pain by 40%... fatigue by 41%... depression by 31%... and nausea by 21%. Massage was as effective as standard drug therapy for these symptoms.
Helpful: Insurance companies are more likely to pay for massage therapy if a doctor writes a referral to a certified therapist or if treatment is part of a hospital in-patient therapy.
To locate a massage therapist in your area, contact the American Massage Therapy Association, 877-905-2700, or visit www.amtamassage.org
Our inside source: Barrie R. Cassileth, PhD, chief, Integrative Medicine Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York City."
Result: Anxiety declined by 52%... pain by 40%... fatigue by 41%... depression by 31%... and nausea by 21%. Massage was as effective as standard drug therapy for these symptoms.
Helpful: Insurance companies are more likely to pay for massage therapy if a doctor writes a referral to a certified therapist or if treatment is part of a hospital in-patient therapy.
To locate a massage therapist in your area, contact the American Massage Therapy Association, 877-905-2700, or visit www.amtamassage.org
Our inside source: Barrie R. Cassileth, PhD, chief, Integrative Medicine Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York City."
Monday, September 18, 2006
For sale: US academic integrity, by Ibrahim Warde
For sale: US academic integrity, by Ibrahim Warde: "CONFLICTS OF INTEREST ON THE CAMPUS
For sale: US academic integrity
Private enterprise is much taken with education, especially the universities. In the United States the race to get hold of academic disciplines that bring in the money has already increased conflicts of interest between research and business. Under cover of a "marketplace of ideas," the logic of the market could turn academics into entrepreneurs and endanger the unity of our universities.
By Ibrahim Warde
In November 1998 the University of California at Berkeley signed a controversial agreement with Novartis, the Swiss pharmaceutical giant and producer of genetically engineered crops. In exchange for $25m to its Department of Plant and Microbial Biology (DPMB), the university would grant the firm first right to negotiate licenses on about one-third of the department's discoveries (including the results of research funded by state and federal sources). Novartis would also be represented on two out of five seats in the department's research committee, which determines how the money is spent.
About half of the faculty members of the College of Natural Resources, of which the DPMB is a part, expressed concern that the deal would erode Berkeley's commitment to 'public good research', and 60% feared it would impede the free exchange of ideas among scientists (1). California state senator Tom Hayden declared that the deal 'raises significant questions of whether biotechnology research primarily serves the interests of corporations and marginalises potential academic critics at the expense of free inquiry and unfettered research'.
Yet, by and large, the deal represents the new model of cooperation between corporations and universities. Since California's Proposition 13, which froze property tax and started a widesand started a widespread "tax revolt" in 1978, state funding for education has started to decline. Changes were afoot at the federal level, too. In 1980 the US Congress, concerned about declining productivity and rising competition from Japan, passed the Bayh-Dole act, which for the first time allowed universities to patent the results of federally funded research. Subsequent legislation further encouraged corporations to fund academic research - through tax breaks among other things - and universities to licence their inventions to corporations.
With the end of the cold war, universities suffered more public cuts. Thus in 1987 Berkeley, which was once funded almost entirely by the state of California, saw the share of public funding fall to 50% of its overall budget, and to 34% in 1999. Buildings erected in the 1990s, such as the one housing the business school, were financed exclusively by private donations. The Haas family (heirs to jeans makers Levi Strauss) was its most generous benefactor, and saw to it that the school bore its name. A number of major corporations endowed faculty positions. Even the dean holds the position of "Bank of America dean". The state-of-the-art building of the Haas School of Business is plastered with corporate logos and all its rooms - and even the tables and chairs - are adorned with plaques commemorating their donor - a company, an alumnus or a graduating class."
For sale: US academic integrity
Private enterprise is much taken with education, especially the universities. In the United States the race to get hold of academic disciplines that bring in the money has already increased conflicts of interest between research and business. Under cover of a "marketplace of ideas," the logic of the market could turn academics into entrepreneurs and endanger the unity of our universities.
By Ibrahim Warde
In November 1998 the University of California at Berkeley signed a controversial agreement with Novartis, the Swiss pharmaceutical giant and producer of genetically engineered crops. In exchange for $25m to its Department of Plant and Microbial Biology (DPMB), the university would grant the firm first right to negotiate licenses on about one-third of the department's discoveries (including the results of research funded by state and federal sources). Novartis would also be represented on two out of five seats in the department's research committee, which determines how the money is spent.
About half of the faculty members of the College of Natural Resources, of which the DPMB is a part, expressed concern that the deal would erode Berkeley's commitment to 'public good research', and 60% feared it would impede the free exchange of ideas among scientists (1). California state senator Tom Hayden declared that the deal 'raises significant questions of whether biotechnology research primarily serves the interests of corporations and marginalises potential academic critics at the expense of free inquiry and unfettered research'.
Yet, by and large, the deal represents the new model of cooperation between corporations and universities. Since California's Proposition 13, which froze property tax and started a widesand started a widespread "tax revolt" in 1978, state funding for education has started to decline. Changes were afoot at the federal level, too. In 1980 the US Congress, concerned about declining productivity and rising competition from Japan, passed the Bayh-Dole act, which for the first time allowed universities to patent the results of federally funded research. Subsequent legislation further encouraged corporations to fund academic research - through tax breaks among other things - and universities to licence their inventions to corporations.
With the end of the cold war, universities suffered more public cuts. Thus in 1987 Berkeley, which was once funded almost entirely by the state of California, saw the share of public funding fall to 50% of its overall budget, and to 34% in 1999. Buildings erected in the 1990s, such as the one housing the business school, were financed exclusively by private donations. The Haas family (heirs to jeans makers Levi Strauss) was its most generous benefactor, and saw to it that the school bore its name. A number of major corporations endowed faculty positions. Even the dean holds the position of "Bank of America dean". The state-of-the-art building of the Haas School of Business is plastered with corporate logos and all its rooms - and even the tables and chairs - are adorned with plaques commemorating their donor - a company, an alumnus or a graduating class."
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Consumer Reports Warns About Benzene Risk In Beverages
Consumer Reports Warns About Benzene Risk In Beverages: "Consumer Reports Warns About Benzene Risk In Beverages
Reported by: 9News
Web produced by: Neil Relyea
First posted: 8/30/2006 11:56:20 PM
You may want to look more closely at the labels in the beverage aisle.
A new report says some ingredients can combine to form a potential cancer causer.
Consumer Reports magazine, tested drinks containing 'sodium benzoate' and 'ascorbic acid,' which is vitamin C.
The magazine says if left out in heat and light, those compounds can create benzene.
Researchers found higher than normal benzene levels in Crystal Light Sunrise; Classic orange; Fanta orange and pineapple sodas; and Sunkist orange soda, after they sat in a warm, bright room. "
Reported by: 9News
Web produced by: Neil Relyea
First posted: 8/30/2006 11:56:20 PM
You may want to look more closely at the labels in the beverage aisle.
A new report says some ingredients can combine to form a potential cancer causer.
Consumer Reports magazine, tested drinks containing 'sodium benzoate' and 'ascorbic acid,' which is vitamin C.
The magazine says if left out in heat and light, those compounds can create benzene.
Researchers found higher than normal benzene levels in Crystal Light Sunrise; Classic orange; Fanta orange and pineapple sodas; and Sunkist orange soda, after they sat in a warm, bright room. "
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Teflon causes cancer. Perfluorooctanoic acid
Q: There have been recent reports that Teflon causes cancer. Should I discard my Teflon pans?
A: Teflon has not been found to cause cancer. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a chemical used in the synthesis of Teflon, has been labeled a "likely carcinogen" by a panel advising the Environmental Protection Agency. But Teflon pans do not emit PFOA when used properly.
Teflon cookware might emit a small amount of PFOA when heated to extreme temperatures -- for example, when a frying pan has been left empty on a heated burner for an extended period. Even then, it has not been established that overheated Teflon produces a dangerous amount of PFOA. Still, it wouldn't be unreasonable to dispose of a Teflon pan that has been left empty on a heated burner.
Approximately 95% of the population has some amount of PFOA in their bloodstream -- but most of this PFOA likely comes from stain- and water-repelling treatments used on carpets and fabrics. Grease-resistant food packaging, such as microwave popcorn bags and cardboard fast-food boxes, also might contain small amounts of PFOA. The fact that PFOA is in our bodies does not mean that we're all going to die from PFOA-related cancers. Individuals who have worked in factories where PFOA is produced, and perhaps some people who live in neighboring areas, seem to have the highest levels of PFOA.
Our inside source: Ronald L. Melnick, PhD, senior toxicologist with National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, a division of the National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. He is currently conducting experiments on chemicals related to PFOA.
A: Teflon has not been found to cause cancer. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a chemical used in the synthesis of Teflon, has been labeled a "likely carcinogen" by a panel advising the Environmental Protection Agency. But Teflon pans do not emit PFOA when used properly.
Teflon cookware might emit a small amount of PFOA when heated to extreme temperatures -- for example, when a frying pan has been left empty on a heated burner for an extended period. Even then, it has not been established that overheated Teflon produces a dangerous amount of PFOA. Still, it wouldn't be unreasonable to dispose of a Teflon pan that has been left empty on a heated burner.
Approximately 95% of the population has some amount of PFOA in their bloodstream -- but most of this PFOA likely comes from stain- and water-repelling treatments used on carpets and fabrics. Grease-resistant food packaging, such as microwave popcorn bags and cardboard fast-food boxes, also might contain small amounts of PFOA. The fact that PFOA is in our bodies does not mean that we're all going to die from PFOA-related cancers. Individuals who have worked in factories where PFOA is produced, and perhaps some people who live in neighboring areas, seem to have the highest levels of PFOA.
Our inside source: Ronald L. Melnick, PhD, senior toxicologist with National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, a division of the National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. He is currently conducting experiments on chemicals related to PFOA.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
FDA WARNING RE: RITALIN AND HEART ATTACK
At my children's school, it seems as if more and more kids are being put on methylphenidate (Ritalin) for so-called behavioral disorders. But in a dramatic reminder that Ritalin and related attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications are potent drugs with dangerous side effects, a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel has recommended that they carry a "black box warning" -- the FDA's highest level warning -- that they may increase the risk of death from heart attack and other cardiovascular problems. This advice came after 25 deaths and 54 serious cases of cardiovascular problems among children and adults taking these stimulants (methylphenidate or amphetamines) between 1999 and 2003. Pick your poison, eh?
TOO MANY DRUGS FOR TOO MANY CHILDREN
In recent years, there has been growing concern that too many children are being put on ADHD medications. Once reserved for kids with obvious and major symptoms (hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention), there seems to have been a kind of trickle-down effect. Now children who would formerly have been considered merely fidgety, impatient or inattentive are being pumped full of powerful drugs.
Is it just my perception or are parents using drugs to medicate behavioral and discipline issues? To learn more about this dilemma, I consulted advisory panel member Steven E. Nissen, MD, interim chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at The Cleveland Clinic and president of the American College of Cardiology. He told me that he hopes the new awareness of the risks will slow down the escalating number of prescriptions for ADHD.
All drugs have side effects, and should be prescribed only when absolutely necessary. This is especially true when it comes to powerful stimulants like Ritalin, which can cause adverse cardiovascular effects including high blood pressure, a racing heart, abnormal heartbeat or stroke.
Often a combination of strategies is best, along with a team approach ensuring that parents, physicians, therapists and teachers are all on the same page.
The bottom line: If you're the parent of a child with behavioral difficulties, rest assured that you're not alone, and there are many helpful treatment options. Don't let yourself be talked into giving your child powerful drugs with powerful side effects until you explore more healthful alternatives.
TOO MANY DRUGS FOR TOO MANY CHILDREN
Is it just my perception or are parents using drugs to medicate behavioral and discipline issues? To learn more about this dilemma, I consulted advisory panel member Steven E. Nissen, MD, interim chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at The Cleveland Clinic and president of the American College of Cardiology. He told me that he hopes the new awareness of the risks will slow down the escalating number of prescriptions for ADHD.
All drugs have side effects, and should be prescribed only when absolutely necessary. This is especially true when it comes to powerful stimulants like Ritalin, which can cause adverse cardiovascular effects including high blood pressure, a racing heart, abnormal heartbeat or stroke.
TRY NONDRUG APPROACHES FIRST
In Dr. Nissen's opinion, while there are still some children who need and benefit from Ritalin, this drug should be prescribed only after other approaches have been exhausted. Be certain that it truly is profound ADHD and not just a child overwhelmed by his/her overscheduled world or in desperate need of parental attention. Psychotherapy, behavior modification, social skills training and nutritional guidance have all met with some degree of success in controlling ADHD symptoms.Often a combination of strategies is best, along with a team approach ensuring that parents, physicians, therapists and teachers are all on the same page.
The bottom line: If you're the parent of a child with behavioral difficulties, rest assured that you're not alone, and there are many helpful treatment options. Don't let yourself be talked into giving your child powerful drugs with powerful side effects until you explore more healthful alternatives.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Integrity of science is in jeopardy
Asking researchers to declare conflicts of interest that might prejudice their work is not enough to safeguard the integrity of science, says Catherine DeAngelis, editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Universities should do more to investigate staff who don't disclose relevant financial ties, she says.
JAMA and The New England Journal of Medicine both require authors to disclose links that could influence a study. Yet several researchers have failed to do so in work published in JAMA this year. In one case, when JAMA rejected a study because the authors refused to obtain an independent analysis of the data, the work was simply published in a different journal.
Even when researchers declare financial ties, readers still don't know how much the conflict has skewed the results, says Daylian Cain, a moral psychologist at Harvard University. Disclosure could even tempt researchers to exaggerate findings, in order to counter anticipated scepticism from readers, he says.
JAMA and The New England Journal of Medicine both require authors to disclose links that could influence a study. Yet several researchers have failed to do so in work published in JAMA this year. In one case, when JAMA rejected a study because the authors refused to obtain an independent analysis of the data, the work was simply published in a different journal.
Even when researchers declare financial ties, readers still don't know how much the conflict has skewed the results, says Daylian Cain, a moral psychologist at Harvard University. Disclosure could even tempt researchers to exaggerate findings, in order to counter anticipated scepticism from readers, he says.
Monday, July 31, 2006
The awakening of the public and the coming overthrow of evil
The awakening of the public and the coming overthrow of evil: "Many people recognize what's really happening in the world of health and medicine today: Increasing disease, unabated disease mongering, corporate exploitation of the people, environmental destruction, a decline in honest health journalism, skyrocketing health care costs, tens of millions of uninsured people and continued assaults on health freedom by the FDA and conventional medicine. These are just a few of the many challenges that concern the lucid, thinking people who now populate Internet blogs, chat rooms and websites. But along with these shared concerns, there is also emerging a consensus that our shared future does not have to follow the pattern of our recent past.
Together, we can create positive change, and it all starts from the day-to-day grind of observing what's happening in the world, applying some critical thinking, and sharing our thoughts, ideas, concerns and solutions with others. Each day that I have an opportunity to engage in this work, I feel deeply honored. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to humbly serve in this important role of taking part in a global paradigm shift that may yet allow us to find true freedom, health and prosperity. I also invite you to join this effort in any way that you are able: To become a blogger, a writer or a video commentator so that your voice may be heard and your ideas may encourage others to find their own voice"
As Albert Einstein famously said, "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."
A time for real change is approachingThere is hope, however, to be found in a new mode of thinking that's now beginning to take shape across the "awakened" members of the Internet community. It's a recognition that exciting changes are now possible, and that the forces of evil that have been acting upon us for so long -- destroying our health, our environment and our freedom -- are poised to be overthrown.
We are all living it what may soon be viewed as a time of the most significant and rapid changes in recent human history. They will not be without difficulty, however, so be prepared for changes that may far exceed what you, or your parents, or even your grandparents ever witnessed.
Most importantly, stay engaged in the conversation. Stay informed. Independent news websites and blogs are now the only remaining sources of accurate information about what's really happening today. There are far too many to name, but I've listed a short selection of my favorites in the right column at www.NewsTarget.com
Be active in what's happening. Teach yourself to stay alert and be a critical thinker. Question what you are told, especially by those in positions of authority or apparent power. The bigger the organization from which any message emerges, the more likely it is to be corrupted by an ulterior motive (profit, public complacency, etc.) Trust the smaller, independent organizations like PR Watch, Commercial Alert, the Organic Consumers Association, the Government Accountability Project and others.
What you do is your own business, but if you want to be engaged in real solutions, turn off your television. Disconnect from cable and reconnect to books and informative Internet sites. Buy organic produce and avoid processed foods. Stop spending money on products made by unethical corporations. (Vote with your dollars.) Demand accountability from your elected officials and representatives (including Judges). Learn how to grow your own food, even if just a little. Get out of the city from time to time and reconnect with nature on a regular basis. Supplement with nutrients that enhance mental acuity, intelligence and presence of mind (I highly recommend supplements from the Life Extension Foundation at www.LEF.org). Practice a little yoga, Tai-Chi or Pilates. Train your body and your mind to be healthy and alert.
These are the things that make you a participant in life, rather than a spectator. These are a few of the things that ultimately help set you free. Stay alert, because you won't want to miss what's coming.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Monsanto's Secret Study Shows Health Hazards of New GE Corn
You don't even want to know how long this has been used and sold in the USA. Just try to find something WITHOUT corn Syrup... and don't even read the ladel on your dog food
Monsanto's Secret Study Shows Health Hazards of New GE Corn: "A Monsanto study on a new type of GM Bt maize shows significant harm caused to rats fed on the variety, called MON 863. The study shows kidney abnormalities and unusually high levels of white blood cells. It raises serious concerns about the impacts of GM foods on human health.
Of course, in spite of the irregularities in the health of the rats fed the GM maize, the Monsanto report concluded that these were irrelevant, and should not be attributed to the GM maize itself, even though the rats fed non-GM exhibited no such problems. Monsanto had tried to suppress their own study, although they had been obliged to hand it in to European regulatory bodies while they consider approval of the maize in Europe (to be decided by vote on this Friday the 24th June). Monsanto had claimed that their study could not be made public as it was "confidential business information."
The German government, alongside Greenpeace, contested Monsanto's claim. On Monday the 20th, a German court overruled Monsanto's appeal, and the data was finally made available to the public. Two scientists, Dr Arpad Pusztai and Prof Eric-Gilles Seralini, who had reviewed the study for the German and French governments, but who had been forbidden from speaking out about it, were finally able to break their silence and reveal their concerns about the safety of MON 863."
Monsanto's Secret Study Shows Health Hazards of New GE Corn: "A Monsanto study on a new type of GM Bt maize shows significant harm caused to rats fed on the variety, called MON 863. The study shows kidney abnormalities and unusually high levels of white blood cells. It raises serious concerns about the impacts of GM foods on human health.
Of course, in spite of the irregularities in the health of the rats fed the GM maize, the Monsanto report concluded that these were irrelevant, and should not be attributed to the GM maize itself, even though the rats fed non-GM exhibited no such problems. Monsanto had tried to suppress their own study, although they had been obliged to hand it in to European regulatory bodies while they consider approval of the maize in Europe (to be decided by vote on this Friday the 24th June). Monsanto had claimed that their study could not be made public as it was "confidential business information."
The German government, alongside Greenpeace, contested Monsanto's claim. On Monday the 20th, a German court overruled Monsanto's appeal, and the data was finally made available to the public. Two scientists, Dr Arpad Pusztai and Prof Eric-Gilles Seralini, who had reviewed the study for the German and French governments, but who had been forbidden from speaking out about it, were finally able to break their silence and reveal their concerns about the safety of MON 863."
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
USDA National Organic Program
This is the whole scam in a nut shell. Everyone knows gov. people are paid peanuts; they are "public servants" so just have great benefits instead. Well that really means is that they serve the public that $erves them so the only regulations enforced are just to keep money$ moving.
Production and Handling: Regulatory Text:
Subpart C - Organic Production and Handling Requirements
205.200 General. The producer or handler of a production or handling operation intending to sell, label, or represent agricultural products as '100 percent organic,' 'organic,' or 'made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s))' must comply with the applicable provisions of this subpart. Production practices implemented in accordance with this subpart must maintain or improve the natural resources of the operation, including soil and water quality.
205.201 Organic production and handling system plan.
(a) The producer or handler of a production or handling operation, except as exempt or excluded under
205.101, intending to sell, label, or represent agricultural products as '100 percent organic,' 'organic,' or 'made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s))' must develop an organic production or handling system plan that is agreed to by the producer or handler and an accredited certifying agent. An organic system plan must meet the requirements set forth in this section for organic production or handling. An organic production or handling system plan must include:
(1) A description of practices and procedures to be performed and maintained, including the frequency with which they will be performed;
(2) A list of each substance to be used as a production or handling input, indicating its composition, source, location(s) where it will be used, and documentation of commercial availability, as applicable;
(3) A description of the monitoring practices and procedures to be performed and maintained, including the frequency with which they will be performed, to verify that the plan is effectively implemented;"
http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/archive/OFPA.html
Production and Handling: Regulatory Text:
Subpart C - Organic Production and Handling Requirements
205.200 General. The producer or handler of a production or handling operation intending to sell, label, or represent agricultural products as '100 percent organic,' 'organic,' or 'made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s))' must comply with the applicable provisions of this subpart. Production practices implemented in accordance with this subpart must maintain or improve the natural resources of the operation, including soil and water quality.
205.201 Organic production and handling system plan.
(a) The producer or handler of a production or handling operation, except as exempt or excluded under
205.101, intending to sell, label, or represent agricultural products as '100 percent organic,' 'organic,' or 'made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s))' must develop an organic production or handling system plan that is agreed to by the producer or handler and an accredited certifying agent. An organic system plan must meet the requirements set forth in this section for organic production or handling. An organic production or handling system plan must include:
(1) A description of practices and procedures to be performed and maintained, including the frequency with which they will be performed;
(2) A list of each substance to be used as a production or handling input, indicating its composition, source, location(s) where it will be used, and documentation of commercial availability, as applicable;
(3) A description of the monitoring practices and procedures to be performed and maintained, including the frequency with which they will be performed, to verify that the plan is effectively implemented;"
http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/archive/OFPA.html
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Chemical child abuse
Greed and corruption have nothing to do with ethics and moral social service. I wonder how much this has to happen before people will wake up?
Here's more from ClinicalTrials.gov:
This is an 8-week open-label study aimed at assessing the effectiveness and tolerability of Quetiapine, in the treatment of preschool children aged 4 to 6 years with bipolar and bipolar spectrum disorder. This is an exploratory, pilot study, seeking to determine whether Quetiapine is efficacious and well tolerated in the treatment of preschoolers with pediatric bipolar and bipolar spectrum disorder in this age group.
Ages Eligible for Study:4 Years - 6 Years, Genders Eligible for Study: Both
Subject must be able to participate in mandatory blood draws.
Massachusetts General Hospital, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, United States; Recruiting
Joseph Biederman, MD, Principal Investigator
Chemical child abuseIn my view, this exploitation of young children for drug testing amounts to nothing less than chemical child abuse. What possible medical justification could these doctors, hospital staff and drug pushers have for prescribing mind-altering drugs to four-year-olds? Even the "disease" being treated here is entirely fictional. So-called "bi-polar disorder" was wholly invented by psychiatrists with strong financial ties to drug companies. The purpose of this disease is not to help children, but to sell drugs to anyone and everyone, including toddlers.
I often wonder when the rest of the country will wake up and notice that the mass-drugging of our nation's children has gone too far. Why isn't the mainstream media giving this front-page coverage? Why aren't lawmakers demanding an end to the chemical abuse of our children? Why isn't the FDA halting these trials on toddlers out of plain decency?
You already know the answer: Because they're all making money from this chemical assault on our nation's children. The doctors, hospitals, drug companies, psychiatrists and mainstream media all profit handsomely from the sales of mind-altering drugs to children. Ethics will never get in the way of old-fashioned greed, even when we're talking about the health and lives of four-year-olds.
Modern psychiatry, with all its false authority, drugging of children and rampant disease mongering, is an affront to all people who believe in honest medical science and basic human decency. Armed with the DSM-IV, on-the-take psychiatrists invent diseases out of thin air (like "bi-polar disorder"), then vote official treatment protocols into the reference books. Yet a recent review of such decision panels reveals that one hundred percent of the psychiatrists and doctors involved in such decisions have financial ties to the drug companies that coincidentally happen to manufacture the recommended drugs
Here's more from ClinicalTrials.gov:
This is an 8-week open-label study aimed at assessing the effectiveness and tolerability of Quetiapine, in the treatment of preschool children aged 4 to 6 years with bipolar and bipolar spectrum disorder. This is an exploratory, pilot study, seeking to determine whether Quetiapine is efficacious and well tolerated in the treatment of preschoolers with pediatric bipolar and bipolar spectrum disorder in this age group.
Ages Eligible for Study:4 Years - 6 Years, Genders Eligible for Study: Both
Subject must be able to participate in mandatory blood draws.
Massachusetts General Hospital, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, United States; Recruiting
Joseph Biederman, MD, Principal Investigator
Chemical child abuseIn my view, this exploitation of young children for drug testing amounts to nothing less than chemical child abuse. What possible medical justification could these doctors, hospital staff and drug pushers have for prescribing mind-altering drugs to four-year-olds? Even the "disease" being treated here is entirely fictional. So-called "bi-polar disorder" was wholly invented by psychiatrists with strong financial ties to drug companies. The purpose of this disease is not to help children, but to sell drugs to anyone and everyone, including toddlers.
I often wonder when the rest of the country will wake up and notice that the mass-drugging of our nation's children has gone too far. Why isn't the mainstream media giving this front-page coverage? Why aren't lawmakers demanding an end to the chemical abuse of our children? Why isn't the FDA halting these trials on toddlers out of plain decency?
You already know the answer: Because they're all making money from this chemical assault on our nation's children. The doctors, hospitals, drug companies, psychiatrists and mainstream media all profit handsomely from the sales of mind-altering drugs to children. Ethics will never get in the way of old-fashioned greed, even when we're talking about the health and lives of four-year-olds.
Modern psychiatry, with all its false authority, drugging of children and rampant disease mongering, is an affront to all people who believe in honest medical science and basic human decency. Armed with the DSM-IV, on-the-take psychiatrists invent diseases out of thin air (like "bi-polar disorder"), then vote official treatment protocols into the reference books. Yet a recent review of such decision panels reveals that one hundred percent of the psychiatrists and doctors involved in such decisions have financial ties to the drug companies that coincidentally happen to manufacture the recommended drugs
Saturday, April 22, 2006
New Scientist Breaking News - Another fundamental constant accused of changing
New Scientist Breaking News - Another fundamental constant accused of changing: "Another fundamental constant accused of changing
13:55 21 April 2006
Cosmologists claim to have found evidence that yet another fundamental constant of nature, called mu, may have changed over the last 12 billion years. If confirmed, the result could force some physicists to radically rethink their theories. It would also provide support for string theory, which predicts extra spatial dimensions.
This is not the first time fundamental constants have been accused of changing over the lifetime of the universe. Most famously, there was controversy over the fine structure constant, alpha (α), which governs how light and electrons interact. Some physicists claimed it is changing while others said it was not (see "Speed of light may have changed recently").
The ratio of a proton’s mass to that of an electron, known as mu, is among the most mysterious of constants. There is no explanation for why the proton’s mass should be 1836 times that of the electron.
The constant governs the strong nuclear force, which holds protons and neutrons together in atomic nuclei, and is also responsible for binding the quarks – the building blocks which make up protons – neutrons and most other fundamental particles.
13:55 21 April 2006
Cosmologists claim to have found evidence that yet another fundamental constant of nature, called mu, may have changed over the last 12 billion years. If confirmed, the result could force some physicists to radically rethink their theories. It would also provide support for string theory, which predicts extra spatial dimensions.
This is not the first time fundamental constants have been accused of changing over the lifetime of the universe. Most famously, there was controversy over the fine structure constant, alpha (α), which governs how light and electrons interact. Some physicists claimed it is changing while others said it was not (see "Speed of light may have changed recently").
The ratio of a proton’s mass to that of an electron, known as mu, is among the most mysterious of constants. There is no explanation for why the proton’s mass should be 1836 times that of the electron.
The constant governs the strong nuclear force, which holds protons and neutrons together in atomic nuclei, and is also responsible for binding the quarks – the building blocks which make up protons – neutrons and most other fundamental particles.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
WorldChanging: Another World Is Here: Microbial Fuel Cells Update
WorldChanging: Another World Is Here: Microbial Fuel Cells Update: "Microbial Fuel Cells Update Jamais Cascio
A Newly Electric Green Sustainable Energy, Resources and Design see all posts in this category
Back in February, we reported on research at Penn State creating microbial fuel cells -- MFCs -- which produced power by cleaning domestic wastewater. As is typical for such posts, we made sure to mention that this was early stage stuff, not yet ready for deployment, but with updates sure to follow.
Well, follow they have. Last week, the Penn State engineers reported that they've managed to boost the electricity output by nearly six times while cutting the cost by two-thirds. They also demonstrated MFCs in action by connecting a unit to a three milliwatt fan (video here, 5.2mb mpeg). In principle, the MFC could power the fan using less than a teacup of wastewater.
Every now and then we hit upon a story which really feels like a glimpse into the desired future. The idea of using microbes to simultaneously clean the water supply and generate power is almost too good to be true. But it's in the labs now, and it's getting closer to the real world every day.
Posted by Jamais Cascio at June 23, 2004 04:29 PM TrackBack
comments
This is interesting. I have been working on waste water treatment combined with energy production in the form of bioenergy. With modesty I have to admit that, I had been extremely successful. The data was not published as the sponsosring agencies of the project had planned to take up a patent on it. Nevertheless, clean, green energy is here to come and stay. Hope we will leave behind cleaner, greener and renewable environment to our children.
Wish to interact for more information exchange in this regard."
A Newly Electric Green Sustainable Energy, Resources and Design see all posts in this category
Back in February, we reported on research at Penn State creating microbial fuel cells -- MFCs -- which produced power by cleaning domestic wastewater. As is typical for such posts, we made sure to mention that this was early stage stuff, not yet ready for deployment, but with updates sure to follow.
Well, follow they have. Last week, the Penn State engineers reported that they've managed to boost the electricity output by nearly six times while cutting the cost by two-thirds. They also demonstrated MFCs in action by connecting a unit to a three milliwatt fan (video here, 5.2mb mpeg). In principle, the MFC could power the fan using less than a teacup of wastewater.
Every now and then we hit upon a story which really feels like a glimpse into the desired future. The idea of using microbes to simultaneously clean the water supply and generate power is almost too good to be true. But it's in the labs now, and it's getting closer to the real world every day.
Posted by Jamais Cascio at June 23, 2004 04:29 PM TrackBack
comments
This is interesting. I have been working on waste water treatment combined with energy production in the form of bioenergy. With modesty I have to admit that, I had been extremely successful. The data was not published as the sponsosring agencies of the project had planned to take up a patent on it. Nevertheless, clean, green energy is here to come and stay. Hope we will leave behind cleaner, greener and renewable environment to our children.
Wish to interact for more information exchange in this regard."
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Here we go....
"you a chance to tune into your deeper, more spiritual space. There is no need to work at such a frantic pace. You may even find that life slows down a little to enable you to get a rest at this time. Tuesday looks like "
All Is Fair in Love and...
On Saturday, April 8, the two warrior planets Mars and Pluto will face off. You may feel a build-up in intensity as the week progresses and these two hotheads form an exact opposition. Unresolved emotions, old anger, and pent-up passions are possible sources of explosion. If you know what the situation could be about, address it early in the week to avoid a huge eruption. Depending on your birth chart, this could affect relationships with family, a lover, or even a business partner. Consult the Tarot at this time to find out how to diffuse any possible conflicts in advance. It's worth it!
Need love and relationship advice? Consult the Love Tarot for answers!
Financial SurprisesThe Sun is in your mysterious twelfth house, eric, and is bringing you a chance to tune into your deeper, more spiritual space. There is no need to work at such a frantic pace. You may even find that life slows down a little to enable you to get a rest at this time. Tuesday looks like a good day to approach others and to enjoy a social gathering or a business meeting. Saturn turns direct on Wednesday in Leo which helps matters on the home front and gives you an opportunity to focus on a solution that may be beneficial to all. But you do need to take more care over your finances. Mars in your personal financial zone moves to oppose Pluto on Saturday, creating quite a powerful aspect that could indicate a challenge in this zone. If you know beforehand what this could be about, then try and diffuse any tension early on and get a head start at finding the right solution. It is possible that one area of your finances will need to be changed quite dramatically. Venus moves into Pisces on Wednesday and this is good news for your social life, which seems to be fairly active right now.
All Is Fair in Love and...
On Saturday, April 8, the two warrior planets Mars and Pluto will face off. You may feel a build-up in intensity as the week progresses and these two hotheads form an exact opposition. Unresolved emotions, old anger, and pent-up passions are possible sources of explosion. If you know what the situation could be about, address it early in the week to avoid a huge eruption. Depending on your birth chart, this could affect relationships with family, a lover, or even a business partner. Consult the Tarot at this time to find out how to diffuse any possible conflicts in advance. It's worth it!
Need love and relationship advice? Consult the Love Tarot for answers!
Financial SurprisesThe Sun is in your mysterious twelfth house, eric, and is bringing you a chance to tune into your deeper, more spiritual space. There is no need to work at such a frantic pace. You may even find that life slows down a little to enable you to get a rest at this time. Tuesday looks like a good day to approach others and to enjoy a social gathering or a business meeting. Saturn turns direct on Wednesday in Leo which helps matters on the home front and gives you an opportunity to focus on a solution that may be beneficial to all. But you do need to take more care over your finances. Mars in your personal financial zone moves to oppose Pluto on Saturday, creating quite a powerful aspect that could indicate a challenge in this zone. If you know beforehand what this could be about, then try and diffuse any tension early on and get a head start at finding the right solution. It is possible that one area of your finances will need to be changed quite dramatically. Venus moves into Pisces on Wednesday and this is good news for your social life, which seems to be fairly active right now.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
All Clinical Trials [NCCAM]
All Clinical Trials [NCCAM]: "M
Macrobiotic Diet
Magnesium
Magnetic Brain Stimulation
Massage
Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy
Meditation
Melatonin
Memory Disorders
Menopause
Micronutrient Therapy
Milk Thistle
Mind-Body
Mindfulness
Mistletoe
Moxibustion
Multiple Sclerosis
Music Therapy "
Macrobiotic Diet
Magnesium
Magnetic Brain Stimulation
Massage
Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy
Meditation
Melatonin
Memory Disorders
Menopause
Micronutrient Therapy
Milk Thistle
Mind-Body
Mindfulness
Mistletoe
Moxibustion
Multiple Sclerosis
Music Therapy "
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
USF COM Department of Psychiatry
USF COM Department of Psychiatry: "'Discovering how brain development affects the behavior of children Scientists and clinicians collaborating to understand the biological and Environmental factors responsible for disorders of thought, learning, communication and behavior, and translating this knowledge Into newer, more effective treatments. "
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)