The Perfect Storm Series #9: Hitting The Wall or Breaking Through and Ascending
Hello everyone!
Once again, black clouds of war are gathering on the horizon as the Bush/Cheney war-mongerers, under the cover of escalating (or "augmenting" as Condoleeza would have it) the conflict in Iraq, are massing their evil forces in preparation to launching, 2 months from now, in tandem with their Israel pawns, a massive conventional and nuclear strike against Iran, despite the best advices of their military men, in a futile and desperate attempt to shore up their flagging fortune. This very dangerous plan risks triggering a much wider conflict, not only because of the predictable reaction of Iran now armed with some of the best military technology thanks to their Russian providers, but also because of the possibility that China will not stand idle while its access to oil resources that is vital for its fast expanding economy is being attacked by the Empire of Darkness formed by the United States, Israel and all the other lesser partners coaxed into subservient participation into the Empire's deadly conquests around the world.
This is no time to let our guard down and complacently allow this ongoing regime of terror and destruction to continue spreading its mayhem unchallenged by the Peace Lovers and Light Servers around this now terribly ill planet. The radioactive and humanitarian fallouts from their planned unprovoked attack will make the orgy of violence in Iraq since 2003 pale in comparison. The entire planet will be affected one way or another by this deliriously idiotic and malevolent drive towards oblivion. Not only would the oil price go through the roof if they attack, but the economic repercussions and the sheer cost in human suffering would be a very severe setback for humanity at a time when we should instead dedicate our best talents and all our resources towards countering and hopefully defeating the worst enemy—of our own making!—facing us all right now: runaway global warming and the likely extinction of most Life on Earth, ours included!
You will find all the necessary material in this compilation to back these assertions, in addition to the massive amount of information already networked through this service in the past several years.
Is there a silver lining somewhere in these grave threats we are looking at? Well, for one, people who want to live in peace and who wish only the best for everyone else are the vast, overwhelming majority on Earth. Comparatively, there is only a handful of "bad apple" to contend with, even if they monopolize a disproportionate share of the wealth and resources of this planet and wield enormous power over countless people through the Matrix-like system of deceitful control they have erected through the years to enslave humanity into serving their will, however greedily corrupted and deviously murderous it may be.
As the theme of the current Meditation Focus emphasizes, we are the Key to the future in the sense that once we have found in ourselves the spiritual stamina to sufficiently believe in our Selves as sovereign souls capable of seemingly miraculous feats, and once this "awareness backbone" spreads in hundredth monkey fashion to our entire species, there is nothing the corrupted ones can do to stop the juggernaut of goodwill, spiritual healing and massive remembrance that will "infect" (from their standpoint) the entire human species, the planetary community of souls—in synch with Gaia's all other sentient Life forms—wash over the entire world and dismantle from the inside their hate-dependent citadels of greed, war and violence against Life itself. Just consider how the environmental movement, though years of unrelenting education and action, has now succeeded to establish a keen awareness of the fragility of our ailing planet as the near dominant concern in all forms of decision-making and how this movement, along with the peace movement and all the others benevolent activities undertaken by a vast army of volunteers to tackle all kinds of humanitarian, justice and economic crises, will naturally lead to the kind of Global Spiritual Awakening we, as active Light Servers, are striving to stimulate in our own multitudinous ways.
And remember... We Are Not Alone!
So which horse will be the first one to cross the finish line? The dark horse of Apocalypse, in the sense of "utter destruction" or the white horse of Apocalypse, in the sense of "utter revelation"?
It's in all of us to be wise... and I Know we have already made the Right Enlightened Choice...
INVITATION from Jean: I've prepared a webpage with 22 of some of the best pictures I've taken in 2005 and 2006 as I was kayaking on the Saguenay River, hiking, canoeing or simply enjoying the many wonders of Nature in our still remarkably pristine environment here in L'Anse-Saint-Jean... To access them, go at http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com/BestPics.htm - If you have a phone line connection, it could take a couple minutes to load as they add up to about 3.2 megs. For the best view, enlarge your web browser window to its maximum size.
P.S. Your feedbacks are as always welcomed and may be included in a coming compilation - unless you prefer they are not. Circulating this compilation (or any part of it) and personally inviting your correspondents to subscribe to this list would also help enlarge the circle of people who have access to this material. Please include the following note and the URL address for the archived copy below along with your forwards, so others may have the opportunity to explore the original copy, if they so choose.
This compilation is archived at http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com/Archives2007/PerfectStorm9.htm
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THE QUOTES
"Give me the money that has been spent in war and I will clothe every man, woman, and child in an attire of which kings and queens will be proud. I will build a schoolhouse in every valley over the whole earth. I will crown every hillside with a place of worship consecrated to peace."
— Charles Sumner
"I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask, 'Mother, what was war?'"
— Eve Merriam (Both quotes above were sent by Stan Penner (stanp@mts.net) (the quote expert!)
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
— Martin Luther King, Jr., quote from his 1967 book
"The Bush regime is counting on us to be silent in the face of this escalation. They know that millions of us hate this war. And they know they have no easy solution to winning the war. In this kind of situation, imagine what it would mean if massive resistance from millions of people inside the US demanding the war end now and the Bush regime step down. Imagine if colleges and universities went on strike in protest. Imagine if the streets filled like they did in the spring of 2003. Imagine if celebrities and religious leaders devoted their lives to ending the war. Imagine if among the troops being called up for their third or fourth tour of duty followed the example of people like Ehren Watada and refuse to fight in an unjust war. Now don't just imagine. Make it happen. It’s in moments like these, when the Bush regime faces huge problems with (even as Bush acknowledged) no easy solutions, and opposition to their new strategy inside the government, that the actions of millions of people can change the course of history. End the War Now! Drive Out the Bush Regime!
— Taken from Bush's New Strategy: An ESCALATION of the War by the people of The World Can't Wait movement who are organizing a Jan. 27 Protest in Washington DC - Stop the War Now! IMPEACH BUSH FOR WAR CRIMES! They also wrote in an email today: "George Bush has a dramatic and risky plan to escalate and expand the war, not all of which he’s revealed. As he was speaking last Wednesday, US forces went into Kurdish territory, broke into an Iranian diplomatic building, and seized files and people, in violation of the sovereignty of both Iran and the Kurdish region – a clear provocation. Now, 3 aircraft carriers are in the Persian Gulf. As someone said at the World Cant’ Wait meeting this past weekend, “this is the start of another war, not just the expansion of this one.” There is no way a president who has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity should be in office. Now he’s pledged to commit more and worse – he is moving towards war with Iran. A president who has no popularity and little legitimacy should have none."
“We have a very bad reputation,” Alex Collier indicates, “because we are the only human race in the galaxy that kills itself, that turns on itself. We are the only race [human] that allows itself to live in poverty. We are the only ones who allow members of our race to starve. We are the only ones that allow members of the race to be homeless. We are the only race that would sell itself into slavery. I don’t like the reflection they give me of us. It’s not that they are judging. They just don’t understand why we do it. If anyone’s got an answer for it, I’m open. Yes, we’ve been manipulated by belief systems, but why do we believe these belief systems?” According to testimony by Alex Collier, associated with alleged ET contacts, Earth Humans “are the only race of human beings which oppresses and kills itself.”
“Although I grew up a vegetarian, I have never felt to convince others to follow the same path. Far be it from me to interfere into anyone's life. That was until last year. When we played at the Omega Yoga Conference in September we were deeply touched by a discussion panel on vegetarianism, hosted by David Life and Sharon Gannon. The figures showing how much impact eating meat has on the environment were mind blowing. Not to mention the suffering caused to the animals themselves. Here is some information you may like to digest (excuse the pun!): More than 25 billion animals are killed each year for food in the United States alone. That statistic is staggering considering the fact that there are only 6 billion human beings in the entire world. Eating meat takes an environmental toll that generations to come will be forced to pay. Raising animals for food causes more water pollution in the U.S. than any other industry - because animals raised for food create 130 times the excrement of the entire human population---87,000 pounds per second! Much of the waste from factory farms and slaughterhouses flows into streams and rivers, contaminating water sources. More than 260 million acres of U.S. forest have been cleared to grow crops to feed animals raised for meat, and another acre of trees disappears every eight seconds. The tropical rain forests are also being destroyed to create grazing land for cattle. Fifty-five square feet of rain forest may be razed to produce just one quarter-pound burger. More than half the water consumed in the U.S. is used to raise animals for food. It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce a pound of meat, but only 25 gallons to produce a pound of wheat. A totally vegetarian diet requires 300 gallons of water per day, while a meat-eating diet requires more than 4,000 gallons of water per day. You can also learn more about the global impact of what we eat in John Robbins‚ The Food Revolution: How Diet Can Help Save Your Life And Our World. Like I said, I'm the last one to stand up on a soap box, but these figures just cry out to be considered. "
1. Feedback Kathleen
2. Land of Enchantment and Impeachment
3. 100,000 mercenaries, the forgotten "Surge"
4. Terrified Soldiers Terrifying People
5. The long view
6. Fatah Moves Toward Coup Against Hamas
7. EU: Climate Change Will Transform the Face of the Continent
8. Over 4.5 Billion people could die from Global Warming-related causes by 2012
9. "Wacky Weather" Is Deadly Global Heating
10. How Business Saw the Light
11. THE SINISTER SACKING OF THE WORLD'S LEADING GM EXPERT
12. BIG MONEY OVER PUBLIC HEALTH
13. The $10 Solution
14. Laurence Gardner on Ancient Secret Science
15. Letter from Suzanna
16. African Lion Kisses, Hugs Woman Who Saved It
17. Scientists find Extraterrestrial genes in Human DNA
18. Thoughts
WORTHY OF YOUR ATTENTION
Fastwalkers http://www.fastwalkers.com/
Fastwalkers, a feature length documentary discloses for the first time, information you were never meant to know. Amazing UFO photos and footage you were never meant to see. Recommended by Kathleen Roberts (weerkhr@pacbell.net) who wrote: "If you liked the Project Disclosure DVD you'll love this!
US Petition
Just when we thought the war in Iraq couldn't get any worse - it has. Lastnight, President Bush rejected reality, spurned the American people's verdict, and announced his new policy: MILITARY ESCALATION IN IRAQ. The good news is that the newly elected United States Congress can stop this madness. We're launching an immediate campaign to let the Congress hear from global voices - placing an ad with the number of signatures to our petition in "Roll Call", an influential political paper sent to every member of the US Congress. Click below to see the ad, and sign the petition: http://www.avaaz.org/en/iraq_campaign_jan_2007/
A Time to Break Silence - "A time comes when silence is betrayal." By Rev. Martin Luther King (Audio and transcript) http://tinyurl.com/45hm9
In his "Beyond Vietnam" speech delivered at New York's Riverside Church on April 4, 1967 -- a year to the day before he was murdered -- King called the United States "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today."
Martin Luther King, "It's A Dark Day In Our Nation" (circa 1967)
"Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam" - Audio and transcript http://tinyurl.com/yxmj9y
"I call on the young men of America who must make a choice today to take a stand on this issue. Tomorrow may be too late. The book may close. And don't let anybody make you think that God chose America as his divine, messianic force to be a sort of policeman of the whole world. " Highly recommended by Tom Feeley (emailtom@cox.net)
View Point: Being Happy (January 2007) A MOST INTERESTING TOPIC! http://www.gvnr.com/118/viewpoint.htm
Happiness is our basic state of being according to Robert Holden, founder of the Happiness Project. This article, taken from his talk at the The Spirit of Healing Conference at Findhorn, explains how his work is encouraging the men and women of the manic society to slow down and stop, to enquire more deeply, ‘what is happiness?’ (...) In my work I create opportunities for people to move beyond the thin conversations of our everyday life so that we can explore what happiness is together. Every normal healthy parent wants their children to be happy and yet, when I ask them how much time they spend talking about happiness with their children, it is remarkably little. In relationships it is the same. Every normal healthy person wants their partner to be happy, but having a conversation about it is still a rare thing. Carl Jung said: “Most people suffer not from physical illness but from spiritual aimlessness. They have lost their aim. They have lost sight of who they really are and what is really valuable.” It’s easy to do in this day and age. Every year in a Western culture the average adult will be exposed to over a hundred thousand advertisements telling us what we should truly value. I believe our job, as friends to the world, is to distinguish between desire and truth. When we ask ourselves what happiness is, we are really asking what is real. (...) Amongst advanced industrialised societies there is practically no relationship between income level and subjective well-being. Making more money, the aim of so many in the western world, does not breed bliss. We are better paid, fed, housed, educated and healthier than ever before with more human rights, faster communication and more convenient transportation than we have ever known and yet ironically, since the 70s, divorce rates have doubled, teenage suicides have tripled, the recorded violent crime rate has quadrupled and prison populations have quintupled. The World Bank and World Health Organisation have both published reports that we, the children of the golden era, are more susceptible to depression than our parents. (...) I became interested in the Happiness Project because I wanted to remember the truth of who I am and to be able to support others in that. That’s what being a true friend to the world really is; helping to heal people’s forgetfulness, to heal the amnesia which says that somehow who I am isn’t about happiness. But it is. It’s what we are. Wholeness is not something you travel to. It’s something you carry within you. Krishnamurti said: “truth is a pathless land.” There’s no path, only acceptance that we are ‘it’ already. (...) Happiness is a compass. It helps you to see that you are on track with your purpose and your values. So, if you don’t feel happy, get curious and let your happiness teach you how you can show up in the world and be who you really are. The Project believes that happiness isn’t the absence of sadness, but it is actually the capacity to heal your sadness. It is the ability to be truthful about your unhappiness, enquire, learn about it and to use the experience to evolve you. It’s really an emotional healing project. Embracing our happiness teaches us to let go of our past. Anybody who has made it to the age of 30 already has enough reasons to be miserable for the rest of their life but happiness teaches you to let go because fundamentally you can’t be happy and be a victim to your past. That’s the gift of happiness. It’s about finding the now, finding your now. Your now is in the timeless values you carry with you. It’s in the constant principles that inspire your actions and the inner wisdom that coaches your every moment. Your now is the portal to grace and inspiration. You find what’s valuable to you wherever you are. Happiness is the realisation that ultimately the whole of your life is right here, right now. So, commit to it. Get your heart wide open, just jump in and give it everything you have. Contact: The Happiness Project: http://www.happiness.co.uk -- To access the rest of this January issue of the Global Village News, go at http://www.gvnr.com/
TAKE ACTION! Let the Ugandan President and Parliament know rainforests and their ecological services are invaluable http://www.rainforestportal.org/alerts/send.asp?id=uganda
The rainforest destruction crisis in Uganda, which we first informed you of in December, has worsened considerably. The Ugandan President now proposes to degazette over nine additional municipal forest reserves, presumably to spur industrial and agricultural development. This is in addition to two existing proposed large agricultural plantation projects in an important protected rainforest, and another forest that buffers Lake Victoria, to grow palm oil and sugar cane crops. Destruction of Uganda's surviving forests will have grave ecological consequences, changing the country's climate including more frequent droughts and floods, threatening hundreds of rare species, sparking soil erosion, and further reducing the health and water volume of Lake Victoria. Please contact the Ugandan government to insist these projects be abandoned and that existing protected forests maintain their status, informing the government that Uganda needs more not less intact protected and restored rainforests if they are to develop in an ecologically sustainable manner and have any hope of alleviating poverty in the long-term. TAKE ACTION NOW at: http://www.rainforestportal.org/alerts/send.asp?id=uganda
Steorn announces plans for widespread deployment of its free energy technology post-validation http://www.steorn.net/en/news.aspx?p=2&id=981
Dublin, 11th January 2007: Steorn, the Irish technology development company, has today announced that its free energy technology will be made widely available to the development community immediately after the independent scientific validation process that is currently underway. Under the terms of a modified general purpose licence and for a nominal fee, Steorn's intellectual property will be made available concurrently to all interested parties, from individual enthusiasts to larger research organisations. Steorn is taking this bold move to accelerate the deployment and acceptance of its technology for both humanitarian and commercial products.Steorn's technology is based on the interaction of magnetic fields and allows the production of clean, free and constant energy. The technology can be applied to virtually all devices requiring energy, from cellular phones to cars. Steorn placed an advertisement in The Economist in August 2006 to attract the attention of the world's leading scientists working in the field of experimental physics. It has now completed the selection of its jury of scientists who have embarked on the testing of the technology prior to publishing their results worldwide. Sean McCarthy, CEO of Steorn, commented: "We have experienced enormous levels of interest in our free energy technology from the product development community."Experience tells us that opening up access to technology to all interested parties via the internet allows for rapid third party development. We believe that our technology can have a profound impact on people's lives and are confident that the delivery of our intellectual property via this type of online development and engineering support environment will lead to the rapid deployment of all kinds of different products." Check the extensive Press coverage they've got at http://www.steorn.net/en/news.aspx?task=coverage&p=2 and read the Guardian story on the inventors at http://www.steorn.net/en/news.aspx?p=2&id=261
Check also Stephen Kaplan's website at http://www.newconnexion.net/kaplan/home.html?CFID=4704091&CFTOKEN=95988210 for much, much more info about various new energy devices and theories. A visit to Tom Bearden's website at http://www.cheniere.org/ is also a must for anyone interested in this topic. I've often mentioned in previous compilations (see at http://tinyurl.com/y3rylv) his "Motionless Electromagnetic Generator" (MEG) which has still not been mass-produced because of insufficient funding. Here is what he mentions on his site: "Factoid: the MEG's development has been funded entirely by the inventors' savings and a few modest donations. America's civilian nuclear technology cost a total of a trillion federal dollars yet delivers less energy than wood. The Economist says of nuclear power plants that “not one, anywhere in the world, makes commercial sense.” Hot fusion research has received billions of dollars of Government money for over 50 years, AND HAS YET TO PUT A SINGLE WATT OF POWER INTO THE GRID." --- And in a long comment about the Steorn's unique initiative to break through the barrier of skepticism and covert effort to derail any new energy sources that could threaten the suicidal dominance of oil and other fossils fuels in the market, here is (in part) what Tom Bearden wrote:
"Thanks Jean! Let’s fervently hope that:
(1) The “jury of 12 good scientists” selected by Steorn does indeed resoundingly validate the Steorn technology. At that point, Steorn will have vaulted right over the usual fierce scientific rejection and opposition fence, and also will have bypassed all the professional skeptics. The Steorn group will have bluntly faced science with the scientific method itself: If the experiments contradict the theory, then to practice science one must change the theory, not continue to suppress the experiments. (...)
(2) The immediate and wide release of the already-validated Steorn technology occurs, with worldwide production and use for very reasonable fees. In that move, Steorn will also have vaulted right over the usual suppression of funds for the finishing and production of an initially struggling overunity technology – which is very effectively done by the control of any “R&D finishing and production engineering” funds and any wide availability of them. That barrier will also have fallen by the wayside. Steorn will also have triggered enormous interest in the overunity and self-powering area in our universities, in the scientific community, and in the funding community where many huge financial cartels and investors will realize that most of their money is in the wrong place and backing the wrong horse at the horse race. At that point, Steorn will also have triggered a stream of funding support to other independent and struggling inventors worldwide. What it means is that, once this genie is fully out of the bottle, he will never again be put back in that bottle where he has so firmly been imprisoned for more than a century. It appears that Steorn has all the funding it needs, and that the Steorn planners have also done their homework to deliberately overcome how this area is usually suppressed and prevented.
In my opinion, we could be facing a major eruption of the MidEast conflict soon, perhaps as early as the equinox of this March. There is a distinct possibility of nuclear confrontation(s) and sudden nuclear attacks. In that case, there is almost certain to be an abrupt cutoff of most of the MidEast oil to the U.S. and to Western Europe. Oil tankers do not fare well at all in the Gulf, when they are rocketed and exploded! If that eruption in the MidEast does happen, we haven’t seen anything yet as to how the potential price of gas at the pump will skyrocket in the U.S., if there is any gas even available there. And the availability of electric power in the U.S. and Western Europe will also suddenly be highly questionable. So the world needs the Steorn technology desperately. And it needs it as quickly as humanly possible. I don’t care who gets it done or who gets it done first; it just must get done! Otherwise, we could be looking at a coming catastrophic economic collapse of the West that makes the old U.S. depression days look tame by comparison. Indeed, if one considers other international factors as well, we could even be facing something as great as the collapse or near-collapse of Western civilization itself. (...) We need that technology and those power systems desperately!"
David Icke - Was he right? (46 min.) http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6860946590182985661&q=david+icke+was+he+right%3
Channel 5 documentary from 12/26/06 which chronicles David Icke's career to present day, and asks the big question - Was he right? Anyone who is paying attention knows the answer to that. A very impartial and fair documentary. Thank you Channel 5 for this great piece of journalism. Recommended by Antares (Antares@magickriver.com) who wrote: "I find Icke pretty impressive, very sincere, a fantastic communicator. Great that this was actually aired in Britain on Channel Five, 26 Dec 2006." Note from Jean: I watched it all and recommend it. Powerfully eye-opening especially for the newcomers. The first third is about David's unique "career", and in the rest he blasts the whole System to smithereens. It chronicles the increasing breakthrough in the public of David's unique brand of pushing the envelope and dismantling the manipulative shenanigans of the elite. But it gives very little in the way of solutions and do not touch the spiritual underpinnings of "reality". Obviously a 46 min TV program cannot cover what he wrote about in his 12 books.
The Peace Alliance is hosting a wonderful US Dept. of Peace conference from Feb. 3 - 5, 2007 in Washington, D.C. http://www.thepeacealliance.org
Recommended by Kosta Makreas (gmakreas@sanbrunocable.com) who wrote: "Even if you cannot attend this important event, you can support the Peace Alliance in establishing Departments of Peace and Ministries for Peace in many countries around the world. "We the People" - who want universal peace - are organizing ourselves, connecting in new and exciting ways, and raising our voices - as One Voice - to usher in the positive changes we want to see in the world! The Peace Alliance is offering us the opportunity to contribute to this evolutionary process of world healing."
ALSO RECOMMENDED
The Architect of Mr. Bush's Plan http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011107J.shtml
Jason Leopold writes: "By relying on the recommendations of neoconservative scholar Frederick Kagan, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, on what steps the White House should take to address the civil war between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq, President Bush has once again ignored the advice of career military officials and even some Republican lawmakers - many of whom in recent weeks have urged Bush to resist implementing a policy that would result in escalating the war - and instead has chosen to rely on the proposals drafted by hawkish, think-tank intellectuals that could very well backfire and end up embroiling the United States in an even bloodier conflict."
The Real Disaster http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011107K.shtml
"President Bush told Americans last night that failure in Iraq would be a disaster. The disaster is Mr. Bush's war, and he has already failed. Last night was his chance to stop offering more fog and be honest with the nation, and he did not take it," writes the New York Times.
Opposition to Iraq Plan Leaves Bush Isolated http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011407Z.shtml
The bipartisan opposition to President Bush's troop-increase plan has proved more intense than his advisers hoped and has left them scrambling to find support, but the White House is banking on the assumption that it can execute its "new way forward" in Iraq before Congress can derail it.
Ron Kovic: Surging Past the Tipping Point (Jan 9, 2007) http://www.truthdig.com/interview/item/20070109_ron_kovic_tipping_point/
In an interview with Truthdig research editor Joshua Scheer, Ron Kovic, author of “Born on the Fourth of July” argues that Americans this week have a patriotic and generation-defining duty to speak out against Bush’s proposal to escalate the war in Iraq with more U.S. troops. Truthdig: I understand you’re very incensed by Bush’s intention to escalate the Iraq war with a troop surge. Kovic: Absolutely. This week is a very crucial turning point in the war. We’re being led in a very reckless and dangerous direction. I don’t want to see more men and women come home like me—in wheelchairs for the rest of their lives. How many more have to die in a war that makes no sense? I feel like I’m seeing the mirror image of another Vietnam unfolding all over again, and I think we have never needed to break that silence and begin to speak more than we do now. Truthdig: Has this war surpassed the Vietnam War in any way? Kovic: I think President Bush plans to provoke an even wider war in the Middle East in the coming months. That’s my prediction. He is going to escalate the war by sending more troops to Iraq in a war that we cannot win—a war that is only going to cause more violence, make us even bigger targets of terrorist attacks. Like many veterans of the Vietnam War, I’ve been in this wheelchair for almost 40 years. I’ve lived with the wounds of American foreign policy for almost four decades now. I saw American foreign policy firsthand, as did many others of my generation. And we learned the lessons of that war. I have serious doubts whether President Bush or the architects of this particular policy in the Middle East right now learned those lessons. And how many of those who are making the decision this week—how many of those talking heads, those so-called experts, who made the decision to have a troop surge, to escalate this war, to put more young men and women’s lives in harm’s way, to put more Iraqi civilians at risk—how many of them really served in a war, how many really understand the human cost of a war? How many really understand what it means to be wounded—whether you’re American or Iraqi? How many understand what it means to come home wounded? What it means to lose a son or daughter in a war? How many of them have been directly affected by this war? CLIP
Baghdad: Morgue took 16,000 unidentified bodies in 2006 http://www.gulfnews.com/region/Iraq/10096986.html
About 1,350 bodies were received in December, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the Iraqi government has banned officials from releasing data on casualty rates.
You owe us, Bush says http://tinyurl.com/yboq4z
"(The) Iraqi people owe the American people a huge debt of gratitude." !!!!!!!
Iraqis get all-firing foretaste of Bush's final Baghdad gamble http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2546344,00.html
The fighting has seen him trapped with two blind daughters in one room in the city centre since Wednesday morning, without water or electricity and with nothing to eat but beans. Hamed, a 55-year-old retired civil servant, is now growing desperate.
US military strike on Iran seen by April 07 (15th Jan 2007) MUST READ! http://www.arabtimesonline.com/arabtimes/kuwait/Viewdet.asp?ID=9548&cat=a
KUWAIT CITY: Washington will launch a military strike on Iran before April 2007, say sources. The attack will be launched from the sea and Patriot missiles will guard all oil-producing countries in the region, they add. Recent statements emanating from the United States indicate the Bush administration’s new strategy for Iraq doesn’t include any proposal to make a compromise or negotiate with Syria or Iran. A reliable source said President Bush recently held a meeting with Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of State Dr Condoleezza Rice and other assistants in the White House where they discussed the plan to attack Iran in minute detail.According to the source, Vice President Dick Cheney highlighted the threat posed by Iran to not only Saudi Arabia but the whole region. “Tehran is not playing politics. Iranian leaders are using their country’s religious influence to support the aggressive regime’s ambition to expand,” the source quoted Dick Cheney as saying. Indicating participants of the meeting agreed to impose restrictions on the ambitions of Iranian regime before April 2007 without exposing other countries in the region to any danger, the source said “they have chosen April as British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said it will be the last month in office for him. The United States has to take action against Iran and Syria before April 2007.”Claiming the attack will be launched from the sea and not from any country in the region, he said “the US and its allies will target the oil installations and nuclear facilities of Iran ensuring there is no environmental catastrophe or after effects.” “Already the US has started sending its warships to the Gulf and the build-up will continue until Washington has the required number by the end of this month,” the source said. “US forces in Iraq and other countries in the region will be protected against any Iranian missile attack by an advanced Patriot missile system.”He went on to say “although US Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Dr Condoleezza Rice suggested postponing the attack, President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney insisted on attacking Tehran without any negotiations based on the lesson they learnt in Iraq recently.” The Bush administration believes attacking Iran will create a new power balance in the region, calm down the situation in Iraq and pave the way for their democratic project, which had to be suspended due to the interference of Tehran and Damascus in Iraq, he continued. The attack on Iran will weaken the Syrian regime, which will eventually fade away, the source said. --- "This is a flippin' nightmare. This cannot happen ! How is it that Bushco, Dick Vader, Cuntosleeza and this guy Gates-of-hell can decide this awesome and dangerous course on their own????? IMPEACH NOW !!!!!!!" one of the 157 comments on this at http://tinyurl.com/tu6ul Here are 2 more: "Patriot missiles to defend the Arab countries---you've got to be kidding. They are nothing but junk. The American ships at sea are very vulnerable to the Iranian antiship cruise missiles. The Americans will lose their aircraft carriers as well as many other surface ships. The American pilots had better start saying their prayers, because they will need God on their side. The Iranians have the Russian TOR and S300 air defense systems, as well as updated SA2, SA3 and SA6 systems. The S300 fires 2 missiles at each attacking aircraft. Good luck to any pilot who thinks he can evade 2 missiles." -- "Bush and Cheney should not be impeached. They would be out of office by the time the impeachment is followed up. They should be tried as criminals, even after leaving office. Their lies have cost many hundreds of thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars. Those who don't care one way or another about the deaths, ought to care about their patrimony. The billions burnt in those wars of aggression are your taxes at work.Bush and Cheney commandeered your government, capital, and armed forces to benefit their own companies and to further enrich themselves and their cronies."
Russian Admiral Says U.S. Navy Prepares Missile Strike on Iran http://www.mosnews.com/news/2007/01/15/admiral.shtml
U.S. Navy nuclear submarines maintaining vigil off the coast of Iran indicate that the Pentagon's military plans include not only control over navigation in the Persian Gulf but also strikes against Iranian targets, a former commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Eduard Baltin has told the Interfax news agency. “The presence of U.S. nuclear submarines in the Persian Gulf region means that the Pentagon has not abandoned plans for surprise strikes against nuclear targets in Iran. With this aim a group of multi-purpose submarines ready to accomplish the task is located in the area,” Admiral Baltin said.He made the comments after reports that a U.S. submarine collided with a Japanese tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.“American patience is not unlimited,” he said. “The submarine commanders go up to the periscope depth and forget about navigation rules and safety measures,” the admiral said. Currently there is a group of up to four submarines in the Persian Gulf area, he said. So far they only control navigation in the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and in the Arabian Sea, he said. They might receive different orders in future: to block off the Gulf of Oman, that is the Iranian coast, and, if need be, launch missile strikes against ground targets in Iran, he said. AN INTERESTING COMMENT ON THIS TAKEN FROM HERE:
The Russian General may be familiar with the sinking of the Russian submarine "Kursk."That was done by the Extraterrestrials who have intervened into our world, because of nuclear weapons and the plans to use them.It is only speculation what the "ET" may do if a nuclear submarine attempts to launch a nuclear missile.Though for those who are in nuclear submarines, it would be smart to say good bye to your loved ones, because if a nuclear missile lid is lifted with the intent to begin WWIII, the "ET" may send you all to join the members of the crew of the "Kursk."The "ET" appear very restrained in their use of force, yet when they do use force, it is absoluely conclusive who is in charge on this planet.Our nuclear war fighting genocidal cannibal enemy Fiend class has pulled the nuclear trigger on us repeatedly over the last half of a Century.We exist only due to the intervention into our world by the still unknown high level power that we call "ET."We are the "Living Dead." Our nuclear war criminals have already killed us. This is why they don't want to talk about "ET," and why "ET" is still classified "Above Top Secret."We are the "Living Dead."This may also help to explain what Senator John Stennis was talking about when he said: "When the people find out what is really going on; 'it is going to blow the Pentagon right out of the water."
Rice: UN sanctions on Iran 'not enough' http://tinyurl.com/yhh4lo
Talk of a military strike against Iran shows how serious it would be for the Iranians to continue down the path of nuclear development, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in an interview with Channel 10 Sunday evening.
U.S. says it will 'go after' Iran, Syria networks in Iraq http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/813691.html
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday that increased U.S. military activity in the Persian Gulf is meant to counter "very negative" behavior by Iran and undercut its belief that American forces are overcommitted in Iraq.
Iran seeks Saudi help to ease tensions with U.S. http://tinyurl.com/yn8qce
Iran asked Saudi Arabia to help ease tensions between the Islamic Republic and the United States as Washington held out the possibility of "engagement" with Tehran if it changed tack in Iraq.
Rafsanjani calls for vigilance vis-a-vis United States http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-203/0701158741153520.htm
Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said that given the US failure to achieve its goals in the region, it is seeking to embark on a new adventure to cover up its defeat and urged the need for vigilance.
Major investment bank issues warning on strike against Iran http://tinyurl.com/ybnrd9
Warning that investors might be "in for a shock," a major investment bank has told the financial community that a preemptive strike by Israel with American backing could hit Iran's nuclear program
USS Stennis to deploy Tuesday to the Gulf region (January 13, 2007) http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_WA_Stennis_Departs.html
BREMERTON, Wash. -- The Navy's USS John C. Stennis will leave its homeport here at Naval Base Kitsap for a mission in the Gulf region as part of President Bush's order for additional U.S. forces in Iraq. The Nimitz-class carrier and approximately 3,200 sailors are scheduled to leave Tuesday, sailing first to San Diego where it will pick up its air wing. Bush earlier this week ordered 21,500 more soldiers to Iraq in order to boost troop levels in the Middle East. The Stennis and the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, a Stryker brigade at Fort Lewis near Tacoma, were part of the call up. The 4th Brigade is scheduled to leave in April, a month earlier than planned. While in the Gulf region the Stennis will work with the USS Eisenhower Strike Group and conduct maritime security operations. It was previously in line to deploy to the Pacific, where a key concern is North Korea.The nuclear-powered carrier arrived in Bremerton in January 2005, replacing the USS Carl Vinson for an estimated 10-year stay. It is the centerpiece of the John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group, which is commanded by Rear Adm. Kevin Quinn. Note from Jean: To have an idea of the sheer size of the nuclear armed strike force Bush is deploying at Iran's doorstep check http://www.cvn74.navy.mil/ships_and_squadrons.html - And this is in addition to the armada Bush/Cheney have already sent at indicated in my Nov 13 compilation at http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com/Archives2006/BigScoop15.htm in "War on Iran: Unleashing Armageddon in the Middle East" (...) The US and NATO countries had amassed the largest military armada in the Middle East. The US armada consists of Carrier Strike Group 12 led by nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, Eisenhower Strike Group – another nuclear powered aircraft carrier with accompanied military vessels and submarines, Expeditionary Strike Group 5 with multiple attack vessels led by aircraft carrier USS Boxer, the Iowa Jima Expeditionary Strike Group, and the US Coast Guard. Canada has sent its anti-submarine HMCS Ottawa frigate to join the American Armada in the Persian Gulf. On October 1st the USS Enterprise Striking Group had crossed the Suez Canal to Join NATO armada at the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea.The NATO force is composed of troops and naval vessels from several countries and is lead by Germany. It includes Garman command naval forces, Italian navy, 2 Spanish warships, 3 Danish warships, 10 Greek Warships, 2 Netherlands warships, and French, Belgium, Turkish and Bulgarian troops in South Lebanon. This is the largest amass ever of military power in the region, and it is gathering for a reason. CLIP
US sends warplanes to Turkey's Incirlik military base http://www.kuna.net.kw/home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=941583
According to Local Cihan News Agency, at least 16 F-16 jets joined by early warning system AWACS airplane, as well as tanker airplanes landed here at Incirlik coming from an American base in Germany. (...) Incirlik base was used as a northern recon base for American forces during the Iraqi war in 2003 and since then the base served as a logistic backup for the U.S. army. CLIP
US forces turn on Iranians http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/14/wirq114.xml
Mr Bush signed the clandestine directive after he was given new intelligence on the scale of Iranian operations to foment violence in Iraq. (...) Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, revealed in an interview published yesterday that President Bush had signed the order authorising force to break Iranian networks in Iraq. She said: "I don't think there is a government in the world that would sit by and let the Iranians, in particular, run networks inside Iraq that are building explosive devices of a very high quality, that are being used to kill their soldiers." Some Democrats have accused Mr Bush of using events in Iraq as an excuse to plan military action against Iran. His spokesman, Tony Snow, denied that any "war preparations were underway", but said the president was determined to defend US forces. CLIP
Pentagon Intensifies Pressure on Iran http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011307A.shtml
Even as President Bush seeks larger numbers of troops to stabilize Iraq, the Pentagon is intensifying operations there on another front: challenging Iran over its alleged role in destabilizing its Arab neighbor. Yesterday, multinational forces including US troops detained six Iranian officials in Iraqi Kurdistan who were suspected of aiding Shiite Muslim militants in Iraq. It was the second detainment by US-led forces of Iranian officials in Iraq in less than a month.
Bush Must Go: Only Impeachment Can Stop Him http://tinyurl.com/yzsvlh
When are the American people and their representatives in Congress and the military going to wake up and realize that the US has an insane war criminal in the White House who is destroying all chances for peace in the world and establishing a police state in the US?
Kucinich: Bush setting stage for wide war (January 10, 2007) http://kucinich.us/node/1839
WASHINGTON, D.C – Congressman and Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) issued the following statement tonight in response to President Bush's nationally televised address to the American people. "President Bush appears to be setting the stage for a wider war in the region. He has blamed Iran for attacks on America. The President is vowing to disrupt Iran. He is going to add an aircraft carrier to the shores off the coast of Iran. He has promised to give Patriot missiles to 'our friends and allies.' Isn't one war enough for this President? It is time the media and the Congress began to pay attention to this President when he talks aggressively about Iran and Syria. "It is imperative that Congress step up to its constitutional responsibility to restrain this abuse of executive authority by notifying the President that we will no longer agree to fund the war in Iraq. The supplemental budget request of up to $100 billion would enable the president not only to continue the war against Iraq through the end of his term. It would give him the resources to attack Iran, in the name of defending Iraq and the region." "In Iraq, his new plan is a plan for more door-to-door fighting, more civil war, more civilian casualties, more troop deaths, more wasted money, more destabilization in the region and more separation from the world community. The President wants to send more troops to Baghdad, where they will work to quell a civil war. Only a small portion - less than 20 percent - of the new effort will be spent in al Anbar, to fight al-Qaeda. Does anyone in this Administration have any sense left at all? They are sending more US troops into the middle of a civil war! "Congress needs to take a stand against the President and take the necessary steps to bring our troops home. We need to begin talks with Iran and Syria -- and not blame them for our misguided war in Iraq. Diplomacy is the only way to avoid a widening war. If we follow the President's path of war, we will get . . . more war." On Monday, Kucinich announced a 12-point plan to withdraw troops from Iraq, establish an international security and peacekeeping force under the auspices of the United Nations, and take steps to begin the political reconciliation process, shore up Iraq’s economy, re-start reconstruction efforts, and institute reparations for Iraqis.
The Washington War Game http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011307Z.shtml
Newsweek's Eleanor Clift writes: "Early rumblings of an anti-war movement sounded in Washington this week as several progressive groups joined forces to press the Democratic Congress to use its power of the purse to stop the latest escalation of the conflict in Iraq. Unlike their predecessors in the Vietnam era, who were often scruffy and unshaven, these activists are well within the mainstream in their appearance as well as their politics."
VIDEO | Keith Olbermann: Bush's Legacy: The President Who Cried Wolf http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011207A.shtml
Keith Olbermann writes: "Only this president - only in this time, only with this dangerous, even messianic certitude - could answer a country demanding an exit strategy from Iraq, by offering an entrance strategy for Iran. Only this president could look out over a vista of 3,008 dead and 22,834 wounded in Iraq, and finally say, 'Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me' - only to follow that by proposing to repeat the identical mistake ... in Iran."
America's Germ Warfare Capabilities developed in secret in US Corporate Labs (January 7, 2007) http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=ROS20070107&articleId=4360
The costliest, most grandiose research scheme ever attempted having germ warfare capability is going forward under President Bush and in apparent defiance of international treaties such as the Geneva Convention of 1925 that bans biological agents. And this program, involving some of the world's deadliest and most loathsome pathogens, many of which could trigger plagues and epidemics, is being conducted largely in secret without adequate oversight and in flagrant contempt of NIH's own rules. (...) In such labs, scientists can create new strains of disease for which those attacked would have no ready defense. Such weapons, once loosed, are notoriously difficult to control, and could ignite epidemics to sicken and terrify civilian populations.Hammond believes there are about 400 bioweapons agents labs across the U.S., some of which encounter unexpected difficulty when they try to comply with the law. (...) Lack of transparency is cause for concern if only because of the history of secret CIA and Pentagon experiments in germ warfare that used the American people as guinea pigs. In “ Rogue State,” (Common Courage Press) reporter William Blum noted those agencies over two decades “conducted tests in the open air in the United States, exposing millions of Americans to large clouds of possibly dangerous bacteria and chemical particles.”Between 1949 and 1969, the Army tested the spread of dangerous chemical and bacterial organisms over 239 U.S. populated areas including San Francisco , New York and Chicago with no warnings to the public or regard for the health consequences, Blum wrote. The Pentagon even sprayed navy warships to test the impact of germ warfare on U.S. sailors. Even deadlier cocktails were secretly provided to dictator Saddam Hussein for his war of aggression against Iran. (...) Because of their comparative cheapness to manufacture, biological weapons have been dubbed "the poor man's nuclear bomb." Yet their potential may be even deadlier. Jeremy Rifkin, author of "The Biotech Century"(Penguin), noted a government study in 1993 found "the release of just 200 pounds of anthrax spores from a plane over Washington DC could kill as many as three-million people."The secret operations of the labs' would be less ominous if the Bush administration hadn't led the fight to demolish the international inspection system. CLIP
VIDEO | Peace Activists Disrupt Democrats in Washington
By Geoffrey Millard, Arin Williams, and Scott Galindez http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/010907A.shtml
On January 3rd, the day before the opening of the new Congress, a group of peace activists led by Cindy Sheehan walked the halls of Congress. In their journeys they happened upon a press conference being led by Congressman Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) and began chanting "investigate, de-escalate, troops home now!" Emanuel made repeated attempts to continue the press conference but finally retreated to the caucus room, vowing to return later in the day.
Uranium 'killing Italian troops' (Jan 10, 2007) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6247401.stm
Italian soldiers are still dying following exposure to depleted uranium in the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo, their relatives say. Troops who served during the wars in the 1990s believe they have contracted cancer and other serious illnesses from extended exposure to the munitions. The US says it fired around 40,000 depleted uranium rounds during the Bosnian and Kosovo conflicts.A pressure group says 50 veterans have died and another 200 are seriously ill.Depleted uranium is used on the tips of bullets and shells. Because of its density it can pierce the armour plating on tanks. But when it explodes it often leaves a footprint of chemically poisonous and radioactive dust.The Italians who served in Bosnia and Kosovo were involved in the clear-up of battlefields and came into close contact with exploded ammunition. CLIP
Pentagon Sees Move in Somalia as Blueprint http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011307Y.shtml
Military operations in Somalia by American commandos to root out operatives for al Qaeda in the country are a blueprint that Pentagon strategists say they hope to use more frequently in counterterrorism missions around the globe. Some critics of the Pentagon's aggressive use of Special Operations troops have argued that using American forces outside of declared combat zones gives the Pentagon too much authority in sovereign nations and blurs the lines between soldiers and spies.
Instead of "al-Qaeda," U.S. Kills Nomads in Somalia http://kurtnimmo.com/?p=719
As usual, it takes a few days for the truth to emerge, not that the corporate media here in America notices.
Somalia and Ethiopia to be Unified? http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=20070112&articleId=4438
What the mainstream media fails to report about is the U.S.-backed Somali government's attempts at merging Somalia and Ethiopia with unified borders, a single currency, joint management, a single passport, and a joint military force.
UN Child Sex Slave Scandals Continue (January 3, 2007) http://www.infowars.net/articles/january2007/030107UN_Sex.htm
Wave after wave of child abuse reports pour forward from all over the globe - The UN is to investigate itself again after it was revealed by the London Telegraph today that more than twenty different cases of child sex slavery involving UN staff have been reported in southern Sudan. The Telegraph reports that it has learned of dozens of victims’ accounts claiming that some peacekeeping and civilian staff based in the town are regularly picking up young children in their UN vehicles and forcing them to have sex. The Telegraph states that it is thought that hundreds of children may have been abused. The UN has up to 10,000 military personnel in the region, of all nationalities and the allegations involve peacekeepers, military police and civilian staff. The Telegraph also states that the Sudanese government, which is deeply opposed to the deployment of UN troops to Darfur, has evidence of child sex slavery, including video footage of Bangladeshi UN workers allegedly having sex with three young girls. Stating that such events are ultimately the work of "a few bad apples", a UN spokesperson promised that they will be thoroughly investigated.Over the past few years, however, there seems to have been a hell of a lot of rotting fruit in the UN barrel. CLIP
Study: 744,000 Are Homeless in US http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011107P.shtml
There were 744,000 homeless people in the United States in 2005, according to the first national estimate in a decade. A little more than half were living in shelters, and nearly a quarter were chronically homeless, according to the report Wednesday by the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
Bush Administration "Aggressively" Expanding Domestic Spying http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011407A.shtml
The Pentagon has been using a little-known power to obtain banking and credit records of hundreds of Americans and others suspected of terrorism or espionage inside the United States, part of an aggressive expansion by the military into domestic intelligence gathering. The CIA has also been issuing what are known as national security letters to gain access to financial records from American companies, though it has done so only rarely, intelligence officials say.
ARMY ESTABLISHES PSYOPS BRANCH
Effective 16 October 2006, Psychological Operations was established as a basic branch of the Army, pursuant to the authority of Section 3063(a)(13), Title 10, United States Code."That is the substance of General Order 30 issued by Secretary of the Army Francis J. Harvey on January 12, 2007. See at http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/go30.pdf - According to the Department of Defense Dictionary (JP 1-02), psychological operations are defined as "planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals. The purpose of psychological operations is to induce or reinforce foreign attitudes and behavior favorable to the originator's objectives. Also called PSYOP."* Welcome to 21st Century "PSI-WAR"! Forwarded by "Irene Haughey" (reenie@sti.net)
Bush The Empire Slayer (01/15/07) http://tinyurl.com/28jml8
(...) In January of 2001, George W. Bush took˜er, grabbed˜the reins of an American Empire at its zenith. He will soon hand back a smoldering wreckage of broken lives, enduring hatred, and vanished influence. Michael Ignatieff has called Pax Americana Empire Lite. (2) A better phrase would be Empire Short-Lived, or, if you're William F. Buckley Jr and the vernacular ruffles your literary feathers, Imperium Brevissimum. At a recent ceremony for his son Jeb, George H. W. Bush was caught on national television sobbing uncontrollably. Pity the man who stands one short letter away from the worst president in US history. The letter is H, as in H for hubris. (...) The words Abu Ghraib, Guantánamo, detainee bill, and extraordinary rendition are seared in the world's consciousness as the badges of shame of a democracy gone mad. According to Pew's most recent „Global Opinion‰ survey, „anti-Americanism is deeper and broader now than at any time in modern history.‰ (7) The war effort's claim on the US treasury will soon exceed $600 billion: more than Vietnam; (4) more than all the money ever spent on cancer research; (8) more than enough to "race for the cure" all the way to Alpha Centauri. We're wosing big, Mr President. Historians will ponder how one gangly caveman and nineteen scrawny associates turned America into the land of the kind-of-free (53rd freest press in the world, tied with Botswana (9)) and the home of the petrified. The sons and daughters of the nation that stood up to Hitler and Tojo now file through airport security barefoot, much as they would walk, shoeless, into a mosque˜a mosque, they pray, empty of Muslims. CLIP
Nazis rode to war on GM wheels (January 7, 2007) http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/07/INGPHNCLHH1.DTL
In the late spring of 1933, concentration camps such as Dachau were generating headlines reporting great brutality. Nonetheless, GM and Germany began a strategic business relationship. General Motors World, the company house organ, covered [a 1934] May Day event glowingly in a several-page cover story, stressing Hitler's boundless affinity for children. The next day, May 2, 1934, after practicing his sieg heil in front of a mirror, [President of GM Overseas Corp. James] Mooney ... went to meet Hitler. As Mooney traversed the long approach to Hitler's desk, he began to pump his arm in a stern-faced sieg heil. This was ... one of many contacts between the Nazis and GM officials that are spotlighted in thousands of pages of little-known and restricted Nazi-era and New Deal-era documents. The biggest automotive manufacturer in Germany -- indeed in all of Europe -- was General Motors, which since 1929 had owned! and operated the longtime German company Opel. A few weeks after the [Hitler meeting], General Motors World effusively recounted ... "Hitler is a strong man, well fitted to lead the German people. He is leading them, not by force or fear, but by intelligent planning." In 1937, almost 17 percent of Opel's Blitz trucks were sold directly to the Nazi military. That military sales figure was increased to 29 percent in 1938. In 1938, just months after the Nazi annexation of Austria, Mooney, head of GM's overseas operations, received the German Eagle with Cross, the highest medal Hitler awarded to foreign commercial collaborators and supporters.
White House pact cloaked visits amid scandal (January 5, 2007) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16491370
The White House and the Secret Service quietly signed an agreement last spring in the midst of the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal declaring that records identifying visitors to the White House are not open to the public. The Bush administration didn't reveal the existence of the memorandum of understanding until last fall. The White House is using it to deal with ... a ruling by a federal judge ordering the production of Secret Service logs identifying visitors to the office of Vice President Dick Cheney. The five-page document dated May 17 declares that all entry and exit data on White House visitors belongs to the White House as presidential records rather than to the Secret Service as agency records. Therefore, the agreement states, the material is not subject to public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. In the past, Secret Service logs have revealed the comings and goings of various White House visitors, including Monica Lewinsky and Clinton campaign donor Denise Rich, the wife of fugitive financier Marc Rich. The memo last spring was signed by the White House and Secret Service the day after a Washington-based group asked a federal judge to impose sanctions on the Secret Service in a dispute over White House visitor logs for Abramoff. "It appears the White House is actually manufacturing evidence to further its own agenda," Anne Weismann, a Justice Department lawyer for 19 years. Secret Service records played a significant role in the Whitewater scandal in the 1990s, supplying congressional Republicans with leads to follow in their investigations of the Clintons.
Montessori, Now 100, Goes Mainstream (January 2, 2007) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/01/AR2007010100742.html
More than 5,000 Montessori schools are spread across the United States. Once considered a maverick experiment that appealed only to middle-class white families in the States, Montessori schools have become popular with some black professionals and are getting results in low-income public schools. The stubborn Italian physician and her contemporary, U.S. philosopher and psychologist John Dewey -- who believed that learning should be active -- are considered perhaps the most influential progressive thinkers in the modern history of education. Maria Montessori ... was a pioneering doctor in Italy. She gained international notice when the severely learning-disabled students she worked with passed educational tests designed for non-disabled children. The private Henson Valley Montessori School in Temple Hills has grown 50 percent over the past decade. On a recent day at Henson Valley, children were putting together map puzzles, blowing seeds in the air to demonstrate plant dispersion and planning the construction of a space station. "They are learning how to learn," said Stephanie Carr, a federal government manager who has three children at the school. Despite the free-form nature of lessons, "they get very good test scores," Carr said. "My children are testing above grade level." The psychologist Lillard was at first skeptical of Montessori's ideas when she started her research 20 years ago. But she found that a strong body of evidence in developmental psychology supports Montessori's major conclusions -- among them ... that the best learning is active. "If schooling were evidence-based," Lillard wrote, "I think all schools would look a lot more like Montessori schools." Taken from Fred Burks News summaries at http://www.WantToKnow.info/070112newsarticles
Record Temperatures Across Himalayans Spark Climate Change Fears http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Record_Temperatures_Across_Himalayans_Spark_Climate_Change_Fears_999.html
Beijing (AFP) Jan 07, 2007 - Temperatures in rugged Tibet have hit record highs in recent days, China's state press said Sunday, as a scientific survey warned of the impact of global warming in the Himalayan region. Friday's temperature in the Qamdo area of eastern Tibet was 21.8 degrees Celsius (71 degrees Fahrenheit), 1.7 degrees higher than the previous record set for the same day in 1996, Xinhua news agency reported.In Dengqen county, also in eastern Tibet, the mercury reached 16.6 degrees Celsius on Thursday, 2.5 degrees higher than the previous record for the same day set in 2001, it said. Eight other places across the region also recorded record-breaking daily temperatures over the past few days, it added. Meteorological data in the Himalayan region began to be collected in 1970. China's Tibet plateau, seen as a barometer of world climate conditions, is experiencing accelerating glacial melt and other ecological change, the leading People's Daily reported Friday. The mountainous region's glaciers have been melting at an average rate of 131.4 square kilometers (50 square miles) per year over the past 30 years, the paper said, citing a recent geological study. CLIP
How Richest Fuel Global Warming - but Poorest Suffer Most from It (Jan 9, 2007) http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0109-05.htm
By the end of tomorrow the average Briton will have caused as much global warning as the typical Kenyan will over the whole of this year, according to a report. The findings highlight the glaring imbalance between the rich countries that produce most of the pollution and the poor countries that suffer the consequences in the forms of drought, floods, starvation and disease.The World Development Movement (WDM), a poverty campaign group, has drawn up a "climate calendar" showing the dates when the UK will have emitted as much CO2 gas as other countries will in a year.Unsurprisingly, the poorest counties such as Chad, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo produce virtually no carbon emissions. Even populous countries such as India will be overtaken in its emissions by the UK in a month's time. In fact, 164 countries in the world have a smaller carbon footprint than the UK, while just 20, mainly including the major oil producers as well as the US, have a larger one. By the end of tomorrow the average Briton will have produced 0.26 tonnes of CO2 emissions. "The poorest countries in the world, with 738 million people, make no contribution to climate change, but it is those same people who face the worst consequences," Benedict Southworth, WDM's director, said. " One hundred and sixty thousand people are already dying every year due to climate change- related diseases and billions will face drought, floods, starvation and disease." CLIP
Beneath the waves, a crisis is building (Jan 7, 2007) http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Enviro/envHEAD01010707.htm
When marine scientist John Reed began exploring the ocean floor off Cape Canaveral in 1975, he found towers of coral thousands of years old, teeming with grouper and black sea bass. Returning to the spot 25 years later, the treasures that once amazed Reed were gone. In their place? Fields of rubble. Today, though parts of the Oculina coral reefs between Daytona Beach and Fort Pierce have been protected for 20 years, much has been obliterated. And the destructive bottom trawling for shrimp and fish that's blamed for the damage still may happen on some areas of the reef. "There's basically no federal restriction, even in this day and age, prohibiting a bottom trawler from rolling over a healthy reef and it's just ludicrous," said Reed, a senior scientist at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution in Fort Pierce. "It's like saying, 'Oh, you can go clearcut a redwood forest.' " In one pass, a heavy trawl may destroy delicate corals hundreds of years old, leaving thousands of tiny animals like shrimp and worms homeless and ruining the chance of successful fishing there anytime soon. Such trawling may be trashing coral reefs worldwide, just one example of a host of ailments plaguing the world's oceans. Gleaming beauty and salty breezes still lure those who would swim, sail and fish, but the ocean's ancient image as an everlasting resource is an illusion. "The oceans are not the pristine place people think they are," said Peter Anderson, director of Whitney Lab at Marineland. "It's staggering what we've done. For generations now we thought the oceans were a bottomless pit and they're not." CLIP
From: "Kathleen Beatty" (akavibe@hotmail.com)
Subject: Feedback--Positive!
Date: 14 Jan 2007
Dear Jean,
This is my delayed response to your request for feedback on your 2006 compilations. I agree with other readers that you, yourself, are the most inspiring and influential aspect of the compilations. Your vision and connection to the Light and Love infuse each compilation, and especially each Meditation Focus. You are a gift to all of us.
As you have probably gathered from my emails to you, my personal struggle between despair, and my knowledge and many experiences of the Light and Love has been a difficult one, and centered on my connection to our Earth and our animal brothers and sisters. Around Halloween of last year (2006), I very nearly succumbed to the despair. I intuit, in retrospect, that the dark side pulled out all stops at that time--time is running out for them, and they are getting desperate, and that time of year I believe is a key one for their cruel and nefarious rituals.
In your Meditation Focus 161 you included an article, "The Global Awakening to Our Kinship with Animals," which was like food for a starving person to me. This Meditation Focus was in November. In early December there was such a powerful wave/outpouring of the energies of Light and Love to/through our Earth that I finally broke through to the Truth that underpins so much of your compilations: that what we focus on, we create; and I understood that by being a sort of tuning fork, quivering with the pain of the animals, who are treated so cruelly by so many humans, and the pain of our Earth herself, who is being raped and mutilated--that by attuning to these energies, I was strengthening them, and spiritually destroying myself.
Somehow I had felt that if I stopped sharing the suffering of the animals, I would be turning my back on them. But I see now that the most loving way of life to help all the other beings who are forced to share our Earth with our ignorant and often cruel species is to choose to live in the Light and Love, to strengthen those energies, and thus to help the Ascension, Transition, Shift to occur for all those so attuned--all the animals will make it, for sure! And forgiveness of my own species is a part of this also.
There is a saying that the truth of a spiritual awakening is determined by whether it endures, and this one is enduring. My experience has been that, as many of the channeled messages you include say, there is much spiritual help ready for us when we ask for it. I especially respond to the messages from The Tree of Golden Light, and Matthew's.
I am intending this to be a thank-you email to you, Jean. I have been praying for the healing of your (large and giving) heart.
Peace, Kathleen
God is a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere.
"There is no anti-depressant that will cure a depression that's spiritually based, for the malaise doesn't originate from brain dysfunction, but from an accurate response to the desecration of life."
— David R. Hawkins, Power Vs. Force
There is ALWAYS hope.
— Aragorn
All shall be well
And all shall be well
And all manner of things shall be well.
— Julian of Norwich
---
AND MY REPLY WAS:
Dear Kathleen
Thank you VERY much for writing up this wonderful, profound and inspiring letter now included in my next compilation.
I was especially happy to read that you've succeeded in breaking through despair into personal empowerment as to what is the BEST way to help heal planet Earth and rise to BE all that You Are as a Divine soul. This will be an inspiration to MANY!
By accessing to your inner spiritual Strength and infinite Power for Good, you already are influencing thousands to surge ahead in their own Self-discovery as are all those following a similar Path of Awakening to the Radiant Being of Love and Light they truly are.
With Love and gratitude
Jean
2.
Recommended by "Stephanie Sutton" (ssutton@flantech.com)
There is a decent chance that within the next month or two the New Mexico State Legislature will ask the U.S. House of Representatives to begin impeachment proceedings against President Bush and Vice President Cheney. And there is the definite possibility that a Congress Member from New Mexico will take up the matter when it gets to Washington. The Jefferson Manual, rules used by the U.S. House, allows for impeachment to be begun in this manner. It only takes one state legislature. No governor is needed. One Congress Member, from the same state or any other, is needed to essentially acknowledge receipt of the state's petition. Then impeachment begins.
Last year the state legislatures of California, Minnesota, Illinois, and Vermont introduced but did not pass resolutions to send impeachment to the U.S. House. The State Senator who introduced the bill in Minnesota is now a member of Congress, Keith Ellison. He is one of many Congress Members waiting for the right moment to impeach Bush and Cheney. The state of New Jersey has a strong activist movement working to introduce and pass impeachment this year. There's a race now to see which state can do it first, which state can redeem these United States in the eyes of the world. New Mexico is jumping into the contest in a big way, with a terrific leading sponsor of the bill, strong Democatic majorities in both houses, and a citizens' movement ready to hold its government to account.
Of course, it is cities, not states, that have really taken the lead on impeachment, as on ending the war. Dozens of cities have already passed resolutions for impeachment. Dozens more have introduced them, and they are pending. [http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/resourcecenter] A handful have introduced them and voted them down. On March 6th about 100 towns in Vermont will vote at public meetings for impeachment. But by March 6th, impeachment may already be underway.
There is a conflict brewing between Congress and the White House over the war and over the division of powers created by the U.S. Constitution and eliminated by this administration. If Bush attacks Iran and/or Syria without approval from Congress, or escalates the war in Iraq without approval from Congress, we may finally see Congress fight back. This President has rendered Congress almost meaningless. He reverses laws with "signing statements." He disregards laws at his whim, openly bragging about doing so. And he makes many operations secret, hidden even from Congress, refusing requests for information, including those filed under the Freedom of Information Act. When this President does communicate with Congress, he often provides false or misleading information, most notably in making the case for the current war.
Vice President Cheney has already said that he will likely refuse to appear before Congress if subpoenaed. The White House will likely refuse subpoenas of any sort, and openly professes to believe the President is a "unitary executive." White House spokesperson Tony Snow said on January 8th:
"The President has the ability to exercise his own authority if he thinks Congress has voted the wrong way."
Americans voted in November for Congress to stand up to this assault on our democracy. We voted against the war, but we even voted out Republicans who were opposing the war. We threw out candidates who allowed Bush to campaign for them, and left in office those who refused.
While it is public knowledge that Bush launched the opening stages of the Iraq War in secret, without Congress's approval or awareness, illegally using funds appropriated for Afghanistan and elsewhere, it has not always been as clear as it is at this moment that Bush will not end the war even if required by Congress to do so. Growing awareness of this fact is leading the peace movement to join the impeachment movement.
Daniel Ellsberg, who released the Pentagon Papers so many years ago, recently argued that it was only the pressure of the peace movement that allowed the impeachment of President Nixon to proceed, and that it was only the exposures and threat of impeachment that persuaded Nixon not to veto the bill that finally cut off the funding for the Vietnam War. As Congress exposes the crimes of Bush and Cheney to public view, it will move us closer to impeachment. As Congress Members begin to object to their powerless role of court jesters, they will move us closer to impeachment and also to bringing our troops home.
We should be encouraging our Congress Members to proceed immediately with key investigations [http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/investigations] and to not be afraid to use subpoenas. We should also be encouraging state legislators in our own and other states who take up the cause of democracy. We need them to do so from their positions as elected officials closer to the people and further from the big dollars.
In New Mexico, a leading light of that state's politics, State Senator Gerald Ortiz y Pino of Albuquerque, will be leading the way on impeachment. He deserves the support of all the world, and you can thank him at jortizyp@aol.com or 505-986-4380. Let's help him make New Mexico the land of enchantment and impeachment.
Barry Lando: Nobody's got it right on the number already there...
What is striking about the current debate in Washington - whether to "surge" troops to Iraq and increase the size of the U.S. Army - is that roughly 100,000 bodies are missing from the equation: The number of American forces in Iraq is not 140,000, but more like 240,000.
What makes up the difference is the huge army of mercenaries - known these days as "private contractors." After the U.S. Army itself, they are easily the second-largest military force in the country. Yet no one seems sure of how many there are since they answer to no single authority. Indeed, the U.S. Central Command has only recently started taking a census of these battlefield civilians in an attempt to get a handle on the issue...
The private contractors are Americans, South Africans, Brits, Iraqis and a hodgepodge of other nationalities. Many of them are veterans of the U.S. or other armed forces and intelligence services, who are now deployed in Iraq (and Afghanistan and other countries) to perform duties normally carried out by the U.S. Army, but at salaries two or three times greater than those of American soldiers.
They work as interrogators and interpreters in American prisons; body guards for top U.S. and Iraqi officials; trainers for the Iraqi army and police; and engineers constructing huge new U.S. bases. They are often on the front lines. In fact, 650 of them have been killed in Iraq since the 2003 invasion
Their salaries, are, in the end, paid directly by the U.S. government - or tacked on as huge additional "security charges" to the bills of private American or other contractors. Yet the Central Command still doesn't have a complete list of who they are or what they are up to. The final figure could be much higher than 100,000. The U.S. Congress, under Republican control until now, knows even less.
Yet these private contractors man their own helicopters and Humvees and look and act just like American troops.
"It takes a great deal of vigilance on the part of the military commander to en-sure contractor compliance," William L. Nash, a retired general, told the Washington Post. "If you're trying to win hearts and minds and the contractor is driving 90 miles per hour through the streets and running over kids, that's not helping the image of the American army. The Iraqis aren't going to distinguish between a contractor and a soldier."
But who, in the end, do these contractors answer to? The U.S. Central Command? Their company boss? Or the official they've been assigned to protect?
A recent case in point: The former Iraqi minister of electricity, who had been imprisoned on corruption charges, managed to escape in broad daylight in the heavily fortified Green Zone. Iraqi officials claim he was spirited away by con-tractors from a private security detail that had been hired when he was minister.
Which raises another question. Who has jurisdiction over these private contractors if they run afoul of the law in Iraq? Also, are they supposed to follow the Geneva Conventions? Or George W. Bush's conventions?
For instance, according to The New York Times, although 20 civilian contractors working in U.S. prisons in Afghanistan and Iraq - including Abu Ghraib - have been charged with mistreating prisoners, none has ever been successfully prosecuted.
Another point, which brings us back to the discussion about increasing American troop levels in Iraq: It would seem that the Pentagon could outsource a "surge" by a simple accounting sleight of hand, quietly contracting for another 10,000 or 20,000 mercenaries to do the job, and the Congress and press would be none the wiser.
Barry Lando, a former 60 Minutes producer, is the author of "Web of Deceit: The History of Western Complicity in Iraq from Churchill to Kennedy to George W. Bush." He also blogs at Barrylando.com
FALLUJAH, Jan. 8 (IPS) - Ten-year-old Yassir aimed a plastic gun at a passing U.S. armoured patrol in Fallujah, and shouted "Bang! Bang!"
Yassir did not know what was coming. "I yelled for everyone to run, because the Americans were turning back," 12-year-old Ahmed who was with Yassir told IPS.
The soldiers followed Yassir to his house and smashed almost everything in it. "They did this after beating Yassir and his uncle hard, and they spoke the nastiest words," Ahmed said.
It is not just the children, or the people of Fallujah who are frightened.
"Those soldiers are terrified here," Dr. Salim al-Dyni, a psychotherapist visiting Fallujah told IPS. Dr Dyni said he had seen professional reports of psychologically disturbed soldiers "while serving in hot areas, and Fallujah is the hottest and most terrifying for them."
Dr. Dyni said disturbed soldiers were behind the worst atrocities. "Most murders committed by U.S. soldiers resulted from the soldiers' fears."
Local Iraqi police estimate that at least five attacks are being carried out against U.S. troops in Fallujah each day, and about as many against Iraqi government security forces. The city in the restive al-Anabar province to the west of Baghdad has been under some form of siege since April 2004.
That has meant punishment for the people. "American officers asked me a hundred times how the fighters obtain weapons," a 35-year-old resident who was detained together with dozens of others during a U.S. military raid at their houses in the Muallimin Quarter last month told IPS.
"They (American soldiers) called me the worst of names that I could understand, and many that I could not. I heard younger detainees screaming under torture repeating 'I do not know, I do not know', apparently replying to the same question I was asked."
U.S. soldiers have been reacting wildly to attacks on them.
Several areas of Fallujah recently went without electricity for two weeks after U.S. soldiers attacked the power station following a sniper attack.
Thubbat, Muhandiseen, Muallimeen, Jughaifi and most western parts of the city were affected. "They are punishing civilians for their failure to protect themselves," a resident of Thubbat quarter told IPS. "I defy them to capture a single sniper who kills their soldiers."
Many of those killed in the ongoing violence are civilians. The biggest local complaint is that U.S. forces attack civilians at random in revenge for colleagues killed in attacks by the resistance.
More than 5,000 civilians killed by U.S. soldiers have been buried in Fallujah cemeteries and mass graves dug on the outskirts of the city, according to the Study Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, a non-governmental organisation based in Fallujah.
"At least half the deceased are women, children and elderly people," group co-director Mohamad Tareq al-Deraji told IPS.
Overstretched U.S. soldiers appear to be punishing civilians while suffering from some form of post-traumatic stress disorder. IPS reported Jan. 3 that new guidelines released by the Pentagon last month allow commanders now to re-deploy soldiers suffering from such disorders.
According to the U.S. military newspaper Stars and Stripes, service members with "a psychiatric disorder in remission, or whose residual symptoms do not impair duty performance" may be considered for duty downrange. It lists post-traumatic stress disorder as a "treatable" problem.
Steve Robinson, director of Veterans Affairs for Veterans for America told IPS correspondent Aaron Glantz that "as a layman and a former soldier I think that's ridiculous."
"If I've got a soldier who's on Ambien to go to sleep and Seroquel and Qanapin and all kinds of other psychotropic meds, I don't want them to have a weapon in their hand and to be part of my team because they're a risk to themselves and to others," he said. "But apparently, the military has its own view of how well a soldier can function under those conditions, and is gambling that they can be successful."
(Ali al-Fadhily is our Baghdad correspondent. Dahr Jamail is our specialist writer who has spent eight months reporting from inside Iraq and has been covering the Middle East for several years.)
Submitted by Peace Activist on January 11, 2007 (One of the numerous comments posted there)
The stated goals of this Administration are never-ending war; their desire is world domination, eventually via the militarization of space. Iran, Syria -- the Administration has for six years declared them our enemies. And now we are bombing Somalia, a geographically strategic spot to set up another U.S. military base and to control the oil reserves there (guerrilla warfare is promised by Somali's when the U.S. invades on the ground).
This administration is beholden only to (a)corporations who profit from U.S. military adventures and (b)"Project for a New American Century"-type ideologues. How many U.S. troops and non-Christian "collateral" are killed is irrelevant to them.
Bush and Cheney have committed numerous treasonous acts--committing tax dollars and our military for corporate gain and secret imperialistic goals, while leaving the homeland vulnerable to terrorist attacks and hurricanes and inducing through various measures a widening economic disparity, environmental degradation, incredible fiscal deficit, and hatred by the international community. Bush and Cheney (and Rice and Rumsfeld, etc.) have committed high crimes--preemptive war, targeted assassinations, and torture, resulting in the deaths of surely over a million innocent civilians.
The only correction for these black years in our history (and the world's!) is investigation of impeachable offenses to (a.)reveal to the American public truths that have been covered over with a web of lies, (b.)to remove Bush and Cheney from power--even if for only six months, having Senator Byrd (or Representative Pelosi?) presiding over this country would make welcome history for America AND the rest of the world, (c.)to finally set precedent for any future administration that dictatorial acts will be prosecuted, and (d.)to begin demonstrating to the world that our democracy is intact and that the people of the USA vehemently disapprove of what has been done in their name by Bush/Cheney/et al.
THIS (impeachment) is the ethical action! Ever more important than the current strategy of the Democratic Party--to retain power through symbolic favors to sections of the voting public. Dennis, if you were to lead the way for impeachment, I believe that investigations in the Senate could reveal so much that Americans would consider you their rightful hero, come November 2008.
Do not believe a word of President Bush's speech. Our military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan and the world's largest "embassy" are in Iraq to stay, along with thousands of Americans manning them. Thirty-year contracts for oil drilling are in the process of being awarded to U.S. and British companies. And all the talk about Iran's nuclear whatever are a smoke-screen for the U.S.' lust for Iranian oil; there is currently an economic game being played on Iran, with the U.S. coercing international banks and oil companies to pull out of Iran.
And on and on it will go--the Bush administration's imperialistic wars / meddling and favoring of U.S. corporations over human rights and true U.S. interests are widespread (Haiti, Cuba, Latin America, Israel/Lebanon/Palestine). Dennis, we cannot withstand TWO MORE YEARS of this evil and destruction. Bush and Cheney are traitors to America; please initiate articles of impeachment regardless of how the media initially portrays it. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the reception of the majority of Americans!!!
FOR Peace, more than anti-war, trying to BE the change that I want to see in the world.
6.
Forwarded by Curtis Lang (curtis.lang@verizon.net)
Emma Clancy - Green Left Weekly - New South Wales, Australia
January 15, 2007
Loyal supporters of the secular Fatah movement hold up the yellow party flag and their national flag as they rally to mark the 42nd anniversary of the founding of the movement on Jan. 10. (Photo: Jaafar Ashtiyeh / AFP-Getty Images)
More than 30 Palestinians have been killed in the past month in violence between Fatah and Hamas that flared up after Fatah-aligned President Mahmoud Abbas called on Dec. 17 for new presidential and legislative elections. Hundreds more have been wounded in the violence, which intensified in the Gaza Strip late last year and has now spread to the West Bank.
The bitter factional struggle is a result of the ongoing international aid embargo on the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority, which has been cynically exploited by Fatah in an attempt to reassert its traditional dominance. Hamas won 75 seats in the 132-seat Palestinian Legislative Council in elections in January last year, with Fatah winning only 47. Hamas described Abbas's decision to call new elections as illegal, and as a coup attempt against the elected representatives of the Palestinian people.
At a Jan. 8 press conference, Hamas spokesperson Fouzi Barhoum reported that in the past month there had been 70 cases of attacks against Hamas leaders, buildings and establishments, including the parliament building and Prime Minister Ismail Haniya's office.
Hamas militants assassinated senior Palestinian Preventive Security Service officer Muhammed Gharib at his home in Gaza on Jan. 4, killing two other gunmen in the same raid. Israeli news service Ynet News reported on Jan. 4 that Hamas said it raided Gharib's house "after he and the other gunmen who had taken refuge in the house and opened fire at Hamas security forces earlier in the day, killing one."
In the West Bank, Fatah released the Hamas-aligned deputy mayor of Nablus, Mahdi Hamdali, on Jan. 8, having kidnapped him and held him for two days. Fatah militants targeted the shops of Hamas supporters with firebombs overnight on Jan. 7, deliberately attacking civilian targets for the first time.
Abbas Bans the Executive Force
On Jan. 7, tens of thousands of Palestinians attended a rally in Gaza City marking the 42nd anniversary of the formation of Fatah, in the largest pro-Fatah demonstration seen in Gaza since 1994. Speaking at the rally, Abbas said he intended to proceed with early elections and declared Hamas's Executive Force, established by Palestinian Authority Interior Minister Said Siam, to be an illegal organization.
Senior Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan — reviled by Hamas and other Palestinian groups for his role of collaborating with Israel security forces and the C.I.A. in attempting to crush the armed resistance to the occupation throughout the 1990's as head of the Preventive Security Service — labeled Hamas "murderers and thieves" at the rally, and warned that Hamas leaders would not be safe from attack.
On Jan. 8, Abbas passed a decree that the Executive Force be disbanded. As president, Abbas is in command of most of the 45,000-strong security apparatus in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and he views the Executive Force, which comprises 5,000-6,000 well-trained fighters, as a serious threat as it is outside of his control.
For months, the United States has been negotiating with Abbas to strengthen his own elite paramilitary force of 3,700, the Presidential Guard, and the Bush administration is asking Congress for $86 million in aid that would be specifically earmarked for the force. The New York Times reported on Jan. 5: "The aid, mostly training and supplies, according to an American document obtained by Reuters, is intended to 'dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism and establish law and order in the West Bank and Gaza.' "
In response, Hamas issued a statement from Gaza saying this is part of "a campaign of incitement that began in the U.S. State Department," and the Interior Ministry announced it would be doubling the Executive Force to 12,000 fighters, and that any attempt to physically disband the group would be met with force.
U.S.-Backed Coup
In a Dec. 19 Electronic Intifada article, Jonathan Cook wrote, "Palestine is in ferment because ordinary Palestinians are torn between their democratic wish to see Israeli occupation resisted — in free elections they showed they believed Hamas the best party to realize that goal — and the basic need to put food on the table for their families. The combined Israeli and international economic siege of the Hamas government, and the Palestinian population, has made a bitter internal struggle for control of resources inevitable."
By imposing a brutal siege on the Palestinian Authority, which has brought Gaza's 1.4 million residents to the brink of starvation, Israel and the Western imperialist countries have created a humanitarian catastrophe — and strengthened Fatah financially and politically by only dealing with the presidential office in place of the Palestinian Authority. In a period of dire food crisis, money can buy political loyalty, and Hamas's inability to pay the salaries of the Palestinian Authority's 175,000 civil servants was a major point for Fatah to exploit in order to gain support.
The latest escalation in the conflict by Fatah, in calling for new elections and banning the Executive Force, comes as the Palestinian population are becoming increasingly desperate — and, significantly, as Haniya was making some important gains in overcoming the Western embargo and procuring funds for the Palestinian Authority. Haniya's tour of Middle Eastern countries in December resulted in promises of hundreds of millions of dollars from Qatar and Iran. Qatar pledged to pay the salaries of 40,000 Palestinian teachers for the next six months, while Iran pledged to pay tens of thousands of public servants.
However, Haniya was held up by Israeli forces — with the support of Egyptian officials and European Union border monitors — as he tried to re-enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Dec. 14, carrying $30 million in cash. Abbas's Presidential Guard then opened fire on Hamas members who attempted to cross the border. Later that evening, Fatah gunmen fired on Haniya in an assassination attempt that Hamas claims was orchestrated by Dahlan.
Any success for the Hamas government in overcoming the blockade, or in securing the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, would be met with overwhelming support in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, something that Fatah would apparently do anything to prevent — even if it means allying itself with the Israeli occupation and the international siege. However, Israel National News reported on Jan. 4 that Fatah was not united behind this approach: "President Mahmoud Abbas has rejected calls by members of the Fatah central committee to dismiss Muhammad Dahlan, whom they accused of incitement against Hamas."
'What Binds Us Together Is Greater'
Israel has used the opportunity presented by the factional fighting to launch a series of deadly raids in the West Bank, largely targeting Hamas activists. On Jan. 4, Israeli forces killed four Palestinians in a raid in Ramallah targeted at Rabiah Hamad, a senior member of the Fatah-aligned Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Hamad escaped the operation, which included Israeli armored vehicles, bulldozers, and helicopter support.
The Palestinian Information Center reported on Jan. 10 that Israeli forces "rounded up 60 Palestinians within the past couple of days in various West Bank cities, villages, and refugee camps."
Writing from the West Bank on Jan. 10 for the Palestinian Information Center, Khaled Amayreh reported an Israeli incursion into Dura, near Hebron: "Eyewitnesses said as many as 20 army vehicles carrying dozens of crack soldiers raided the town in the quiet hours before dawn Wednesday amid sounds of shooting and blasts."
However, in nearby Hebron, Hamas and Fatah lawmakers held a joint demonstration on Jan. 8, declaring unity in the face of the occupation. Speakers from both factions declared their "determination to prevent factional strife from spreading to the Hebron district."
The Palestinian Information Center reports that Hatem Qafisha of Hamas said, "We must stand united against the ominous specter of violence and civil war with all our strength. … We must be vigilant and not allow our enemies to make us kill ourselves with our own hands." Fatah activist Akram Haymoni told the townspeople, "What binds us together is far greater than that which would keep us apart."
EU: Climate Change Will Transform the Face of the Continent
By Michael McCarthy and Stephen Castle The Independent UK
10 January 2007
Europe, the richest and most fertile continent and the model for the modern world, will be devastated by climate change, the European Union predicts today.
The ecosystems that have underpinned all European societies from Ancient Greece and Rome to present-day Britain and France, and which helped European civilisation gain global pre-eminence, will be disabled by remorselessly rising temperatures, EU scientists forecast in a remarkable report which is as ominous as it is detailed.
Much of the continent's age-old fertility, which gave the world the vine and the olive and now produces mountains of grain and dairy products, will not survive the climate change forecast for the coming century, the scientists say, and its wildlife will be devastated.
Europe's modern lifestyles, from summer package tours to winter skiing trips, will go the same way, they say, as the Mediterranean becomes too hot for holidays and snow and ice disappear from mountain ranges such as the Alps - with enormous economic consequences. The social consequences will also be felt as heat-related deaths rise and extreme weather events, such as storms and floods, become more violent.
The report, stark and uncompromising, marks a step change in Europe's own role in pushing for international action to combat climate change, as it will be used in a bid to commit the EU to ambitious new targets for cutting emissions of greenhouse gases.
The European Commission wants to hold back the rise in global temperatures to 2C above the pre-industrial level (at present, the level is 0.6C). To do that, it wants member states to commit to cutting back emissions of carbon dioxide, the principal greenhouse gas, to 30 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020, as long as other developed countries agree to do the same.
Failing that, the EU would observe a unilateral target of a 20 per cent cut.
The Commission president, José Manuel Barroso, gave US President George Bush a preview of the new policy during a visit to the White House this week.
The force of today's report lies in its setting out of the scale of the continent-wide threat to Europe's "ecosystem services".
That is a relatively new but powerful concept, which recognises essential elements of civilised life - such as food, water, wood and fuel - which may generally be taken for granted, are all ultimately dependent on the proper functioning of ecosystems in the natural world. Historians have recognised that Europe was particularly lucky in this respect from the start, compared to Africa or pre-Columbian America - and this was a major reason for Europe's rise to global pre-eminence.
"Climate change will alter the supply of European ecosystem services over the next century," the report says. "While it will result in enhancement of some ecosystem services, a large portion will be adversely impacted because of drought, reduced soil fertility, fire, and other climate change-driven factors.
"Europe can expect a decline in arable land, a decline in Mediterranean forest areas, a decline in the terrestrial carbon sink and soil fertility, and an increase in the number of basins with water scarcity. It will increase the loss of biodiversity."
The report predicts there will be some European "winners" from climate change, at least initially. In the north of the continent, agricultural yields will increase with a lengthened growing season and a longer frost-free period. Tourism may become more popular on the beaches of the North Sea and the Baltic as the Mediterranean becomes too hot, and deaths and diseases related to winter cold will fall.
But the negative effects will far outweigh the advantages. Take tourism. The report says "the zone with excellent weather conditions, currently located around the Mediterranean (in particular for beach tourism) will shift towards the north". And it spells out the consequences.
"The annual migration of northern Europeans to the countries of the Mediterranean in search of the traditional summer 'sun, sand and sea' holiday is the single largest flow of tourists across the globe, accounting for one-sixth of all tourist trips in 2000. This large group of tourists, totalling about 100 million per annum, spends an estimated ¤100bn (£67bn) per year. Any climate-induced change in these flows of tourists and money would have very large implications for the destinations involved."
While they are losing their tourists, the countries of the Med may also be losing their agriculture. Crop yields may drop sharply as drought conditions, exacerbated by more frequent forest fires, make farming ever more difficult. And that is not the only threat to Europe's food supplies. Some stocks of coldwater fish in areas such as the North Sea will move northwards as the water warms.
There are many more direct threats, the report says. The cost of taking action to cope with sea-level rise will run into billions of euros. Furthermore, "for the coming decades, it is predicted the magnitude and frequency of extreme weather events will increase, and floods will likely be more frequent and severe in many areas across Europe."
The number of people affected by severe flooding in the Upper Danube area is projected to increase by 242,000 in a more extreme 3C temperature rise scenario, and by 135,000 in the case of a 2.2C rise. The total cost of damage would rise from ¤47.5bn to ¤66bn in the event of a 3C increase.
Although fewer people would die of cold in the north, that would be more than offset by increased mortality in the south. Under the more extreme scenario of a 3C increase in 2071-2100 relative to 1961-1990, there would be 86,000 additional deaths.
8.
ONE OF THE MOST FLIPPING NEWS I'VE READ IN A LONG TIME. COULD THIS REALLY HAPPEN!... DON'T FORGET IT IS STILL A FLEDGING HYPOTHESIS...
Over 4.5 Billion people could die from Global Warming-related causes by 2012
A recent scientific theory called the “hydrate hypothesis” says that historical global warming cycles have been caused by a feedback loop, where melting permafrost methane clathrates (also known as “hydrates”) spur local global warming, leading to further melting of clathrates and bacterial growth.
In other words, like western Siberia, the 400 billion tons of methane in permafrost hydrate will gradually melt, and the released methane will speed the melting. The effect of even a couple of billion tons of methane being emitted into the atmosphere each year would be catastrophic.
The “hydrate hypothesis” (if validated) spells the rapid onset of runaway catastrophic global warming. In fact, you should remember this moment when you learned about this feedback loop-it is an existencial turning point in your life. By the way, the “hydrate hypothesis” is a weeks old scientific theory, and is only now being discussed by global warming scientists. I suggest you Google the term.
Now that most scientists agree human activity is causing the Earth to warm, the central debate has shifted to when we will pass the tipping point and be helpless to stop the runaway Global Warming.
There are enormous quantities of methane trapped in permafrost and under the oceans in ice-like structures called clathrates. The methane in Arctic permafrost clathrates is estimated at 400 billion tons.
Methane is more than 20 times as strong a greenhouse gas as CO2, and the atmosphere currently contains about 3.5 billion tons of the gas.
The highest temperature increase from global warming is occurring in the arctic regions-an area rich in these unstable clathrates. Simulations from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) show that over half the permafrost will thaw by 2050, and as much as 90 percent by 2100.
Peat deposits may be a comparable methane source to melting permafrost. When peat that has been frozen for thousands of years thaws, it still contains viable populations of bacteria that begin to convert the peat into methane and CO2.
Western Siberia is heating up faster than anywhere else in the world, having experienced a rise of some 3C in the past 40 years. The west Siberian peat bog could hold some 70 billion tons of methane. Local atmospheric levels of methane on the Siberian shelf are now 25 times higher than global concentrations.
By the way, warmer temperatures and longer growing seasons have caused microbial activity to increase dramatically in the soil around the world. This, in turn, means that much of the carbon long stored in the soil is now being released into the atmosphere.
Releases of methane from melting oceanic clathrates have caused severe environmental impacts in the past. The methane in oceanic clathrates has been estimated at 10,000 billion tons.
55 million years ago a global warming chain reaction (probably started by volcanic activity) melted oceanic clathrates. It was one of the most rapid and extreme global warming events in geologic history.
Humans appear to be capable of emitting CO2 in quantities comparable to the volcanic activity that started these chain reactions. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, burning fossil fuels releases more than 150 times the amount of CO2 emitted by volcanoes.
Methane in the atmosphere does not remain long, persisting for about 10 years before being oxidized to CO2 (a greenhouse gas that lasts for hundreds of thousands of years). Chronic methane releases oxidizing into CO2 contribute as much to warming as does the transient methane concentrations.
To summarize, human activity is causing the Earth to warm. Bacteria converts carbon in the soil into greenhouse gasses, and enormous quantities are trapped in unstable clathrates. As the earth continues to warm, permafrost clathrates will thaw; peat and soil microbial activity will dramatically increase; and, finally, vast oceanic clathrates will melt. This global warming chain reaction has happened in the past.
Atmospheric concentrations of CO2 rose by a record amount over the past year. It is the third successive year in which they have increased sharply. Scientists are at a loss to explain why the rapid rise has taken place, but fear the trend could be the first sign of runaway global warming.
Runaway Global Warming promises to literally burn-up agricultural areas into dust worldwide by 2012, causing global famine, anarchy, diseases, and war on a global scale as military powers including the U.S., Russia, and China, fight for control of the Earth’s remaining resources.
Over 4.5 billion people could die from Global Warming related causes by 2012, as planet Earth accelerates into a greed-driven horrific catastrophe.
Bibliographic reference courtesy of Brad Arnold who has an extensive research background on Global Warming.
Compiled by John Stokes
This entry was posted on Monday, January 8th, 2007 at 12:57 pm and is filed under Environment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
33 Responses to “Over 4.5 Billion people could die from Global Warming-related causes by 2012”
Juan Santos Says: January 8th, 2007
This is by no means a new theory; it has long been posited that the Great Dying 250 million years ago when 90% of life on Earth was wiped out - was caused by the melting of frozen methane. Nonetheless, the figures from the National Center for Atmospheric Research on permafrost thaw are stunning. James Lovelock has said that by 2100 the Earth will only be able to support 500 million people; I have to wonder if that is not optimistic. I would very much like to know where you got the figures for 4.5 billion deaths by 2012. Please reply, giving your source for that figure, and some info on the causes of such a death rate occurring so quickly.
Duderman Says: January 8th, 2007
2012!!! 2012!!! That’s five years from now. Get Real. By the way, the Clathrate Gun hypothesis is relatively new, but not weeks old (try 2003), and is built on evidence from the Santa Barbara basin that linked probably marine methane release (probably hydrates, what else?) with the Paleocene-Eocene maxima. However, more recent evidence from ice cores in Antartica shows little support for Kennett’s hypothesis, and most in the community now doubt much of this link (as suggestive and enabling of hyperbole as it is)….
Bill Says: January 8th, 2007
Catastrophic Runaway global warming has happened before a number of times in Earth’s history.james Lovelock,who is not a misanthrope but has children and grandchildren of his own,believes the Positive feedback amplification has already begun and our climate is heading for serious overheating and resulting biosphere die off,including us ! Except that the time scale is out more to the end of the century,or at least decades. I saw a BBC program about climate change titled “The Siberian time bomb” about methane release there. Melting is happening such that building foundations are collapsing and being saved by concreting them! Permafrost is melting so fast mammoth bones, 10’s of thousands years old, are being found routinely. methane is escaping from expanding lakes as melting continues. (...) Only Lovelock has the courage to say the game may be up for us humans, though we will survive but on a very different planet. The other scientists who understand that this not unlikely worst case scenario(?) are afraid of being shot as messengers of bad news,or storm crows!Positive feedback is already happening ie amplification, As the north pole ice will, it's being predicted totally vanish in summer by 2040 but will return in the Winter. That is a tipping point in anyone’s book! CLIP
Jose Says: January 9th, 2007
This is not new, feedback mechanisms will make warming a lot faster than any prediction I’ve seen. What I DO NOT UNDERSTAND is why nobody mentions that there is always a period of warming before a long lasting ice age. Warming will be short, it’s the ice age coming after what we have to worry about. Warming will cause droughts in areas that depend on water that comes from glaciers (rain will run off as it falls, it will not accumulate as snow and later released little by little as the ice in mountains melts). Warming will make permafrost and cold regions available for agriculture, so famine might not be as bad as predicted (of course there will be a period of adaptation until we devise new ways of distribution/delivery of agricultural products). People leaving in cold areas will be affected, animals will go extinct (but nobody really cares about animals, we certainly don’t care now). But after that brief period of warming the Gulf Stream will stop and probably similar currents on the South hemisphere will stop too, then the Ice age will settle. Check http://www.iceagenow.com for list glaciers that are actually growing and cities that are actually getting cooler.
RELATED RESOURCES
Blizzard In Southeast May Have Been One Of Worst In History (Jan 7, 2007) http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/10690113/detail.html
LA JUNTA, Colo. -- People in the Lower Arkansas Valley said the blizzard that devastated much of Southeastern Colorado will go down as one of the worst snowstorms in the history of the region. (...) By the time the storm passed, it dropped 30 plus feet of snow throughout the valley. There have been no reported human deaths but officials are estimating that about 3,500 cattle may have been killed. (...) Several herds of cattle were caught in the rangeland, unable to walk across the snow-covered pasture.By the time the storm passed, it dropped 30 plus feet of snow throughout the valley. There have been no reported human deaths but officials are estimating that about 3,500 cattle may have been killed.There are an estimated 340,000 head of cattle in the region.On Dec. 31, widespread rescue efforts began.Searchers using helicopters and single-engine planes crisscrossed the frozen plains looking for people stranded by the blizzard that closed highways and brought life to a standstill.Gov. Bill Owens, who flew over the area that morning, described the scene as a white wasteland, with little sign of life outside scattered towns. Owens declared an emergency in the region. CLIP
Winter chill kills 80 in northern India (7 Jan 07) http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/news/07012007news.shtml
Cold weather across northern and eastern India has killed at least 80 people in the past week, forcing authorities to close schools and colleges and deliver firewood to the homeless.
Michael J Says: January 9th, 2007
Never mind methane @ 20 times worse for global warming, there is a fluoride gas that is over 20,000 times worse than co2. Not much is said about that is it? Fluoride / fluorine is used in many industrial processes including nuclear. Until human activity can face the truth, and not be ruled by money and clout, I as a pretty powerless consumer, sees little hope for the future.
RELATED RESOURCES
Potent New Greenhouse Gas Discovered http://www.fluoridealert.org/pollution/1331.html
MAINZ, Germany, July 31, 2000 (ENS) - Researchers from seven institutions in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States have detected a previously unreported compound of industrial origin in the atmosphere - trifluoromethyl sulphur pentafluoride (SF5CF3). It is considered the most potent greenhouse gas measured to date.There is no doubt that the new gas SF5CF3 is made by industry, or is produced during certain processes involving industrial gases, but its exact source remains a mystery. (...) SF6 is a strong greenhouse gas and the molecule is very resistant against attack in the atmosphere. The natural self cleansing property of the atmosphere is insufficient to deal with such super molecules. It has a long lifetime, and being a strong greenhouse gas, its production is now restricted under the Kyoto Protocol. The new molecule SF5CF3 is even a stronger greenhouse gas. Measurements ofits infrared absorption cross section revealed the largest radiative forcing, on a per molecule basis, of any gas found in the atmosphere to date, the discoverers report. It has a long lifetime - somewhere between several hundred and a few thousand years.The researchers found this new gas while conducting expeditions in Antarctica to extract air samples from the thick firm layers of snow.These layers, up to 100 meters thick, contain old air, sometimes from the beginning of the last century, according to Carl Brenninkmeijer of the Max Planck Institute."This air has been extensively analyzed in our institute and in Norwich, England. The new gas was discovered at extremely low concentrations," he said."Without even knowing it, we have been releasing a very potent greenhouse gas for almost 50 years. We have to find the source of this gas and to try to stop its increase," Brenninkmeijer said.
Hydrogen Fluoride Gas in the Atmosphere http://uk.encarta.msn.com/media_121634781_761555692_-1_1/Hydrogen_Fluoride_Gas_in_the_Atmosphere.html
The various concentrations of hydrogen fluoride (HF) gas in the upper atmosphere of the Earth are shown here. The weakest concentrations are in the lower latitudes around the equator and tropics; concentrations increase towards the poles where they are densest. As HF gas contains no chlorine atoms it has no ozone depleting effect. However, it is a powerful greenhouse gas and greatly contributes to global warming. From this image, a processing of data collected by NASA satellites, it is clear that the largest quantities of HF gas are to be found around Antarctica, where the levels of ozone are at their lowest (the white circle at the pole indicates no satellite data).
The Optimist Says: January 10th, 2007
I went by the dates I found in most references to the Mayan calendar, to wit;“The date December 21st, 2012 A.D. (13.0.0.0.0 in the Long Count), represents an extremely close conjunction of the Winter Solstice Sun with the crossing point of the Galactic Equator (Equator of the Milky Way) and the Ecliptic(path of the Sun), what that ancient Maya recognized as the Sacred Tree. This is an event that has been coming to resonance very slowly over thousands and thousands of years. It will come to resolution at exactly 11:11 am GMT.”
J. Nayer Hardin Says: January 10th, 2007
Thank you for this wake up article. I can’t believe the traditional media is stuck on what the president is going to say tonight, rather than what’s happening with the environment right now. Hemp bio fuel burns clean and can within two years get the world off of fossil fuel. The hemp plant also cleans the air as it grows. For more information go to the USA Hemp Museum http://www.hempmusuem.org and click on their bio fuels room. It’s time to stop being stupid about our environment. Past time.A world environmental emergency needs to be declared by the United Nations. The international priority, greater than any single nation, is to reverse the effects of global warming and create only environmentally supportive actions in the future. It is not o.k. to pollute.
Editor's Note: Dr. Glen Barry is responsible for an extremely valuable news source on global warming at climateark.org. The news about Earth's climate is changing rapidly day by day. While we do our best at Truthout to inform you of the top climate stories, we would like you to know that http://www.climateark.org is a good place to learn more. - kw/TO
"Wacky Weather" Is Deadly Global Heating
By Glen Barry
t r u t h o u t | Guest Contributor
11 January 2007
As of 2007, the Earth System has already undergone profound global change, of which global heating is the most immediately evident profound impact. It is getting hot, and it is happening fast. Many leading scientists tell us we have 10 years at most given current trends before climate change becomes irreversible and dangerous, beyond the generally accepted rise of 2 degrees Celsius considered adaptable (we are about 1/3 the way there).
Yet the chortling television weather people tell us the unprecedented wave of global mild weather - really a lack of winter in many parts - is not climate change. We are encouraged to take advantage of our good fortune and get out there and play golf. At what point will abrupt climate change and deterioration of the Earth System's life giving biosphere be recognized as a global ecological emergency, and responded to as such? And will it then be too late to limit damages, or even to survive?
Global warming is not a slow, gentle, pleasant rise in temperatures to be savored. It is an abrupt fundamental breakdown in the Earth System's climate sub-system that threatens the Earth's, humanity's and your family's ability to live. It is not enough to blame the weather on El Ninño, which itself can be and is exacerbated by climate change. As climate change continues, unabated by systematic policy responses, and "wacky weather" becomes more prevalent, we can expect immediately budding trees to die from later frosts, agriculture to struggle to define growing seasons, pest insects to multiply, and ecosystems to deteriorate and die.
The ability of individuals, communities and nations to deny the obvious is amazing. People do not like hearing that their consumptive, wasteful lifestyle is destroying God's creation. For most, our addiction to lethargic comfort is so great, our ignorance of ecology and our total dependence upon a healthy biosphere so complete - and our psychological inability to grasp that humanity has overrun the biosphere, becoming the dominant force in nature so absolute - that we do nothing, as the greatest avertable disaster to ever face civilizations looms, increasingly recognized but not nearly sufficiently addressed.
Humanity is deeply within the Anthropocene Era, whereby our presence is the greatest force shaping the biosphere. We are witnessing the jarring collapse of the Earth's most recent climate equilibrium, and depending upon how much climate forcing occurs from continued emissions, there are no guarantees what the next climate will look like or if it will even be regularized within a decent time period. And the longer-term results will be calamitous - extreme weather including super storms, floods and droughts, massive crop failures, vegetation die-back over whole regions, a proliferation of tropical diseases, rising seas destroying cities, a massive refugee crisis, and a general breakdown of anything resembling dependable climatic patterns.
Don't believe me? Walk outside right now - see or feel anything different? Are the trees blooming in the middle of winter as they are in Washington, DC, and New York? Is there a lack of snow as in Minnesota and Europe, while other areas like Colorado get dumped upon? Are the rains failing as with Australia's "Big Dry?" So much of the global ecological system's processes and patterns that provide the life-giving context for human civilization have been lost and changed, and it continues to intensify. Essentially, no natural processes are assured as a very different Planet emerges: climate patterns, water supplies, ocean fisheries, soil fertility, terrestrial ecosystem energy and nutrient cycling are all in doubt.
Many rightly do what they can individually, but are discouraged by the fact that many necessary changes like widespread public transportation, caps on emissions, and universal adoption of a low-carbon energy economy require societal changes beyond an individual's immediate grasp. Goddamn it, snap out of it! I want to shake every climate denier and ambivalent Earth slayer, slapping them in the face to awake them from their slumberous death march. We are witnessing a human-caused disintegration of ancient climatic cycles, with anthropogenic emissions forcing the global climate beyond what has always been a high level of variability.
We must get past the ingrained illusion that humanity has not become a planetary ecological force. And that the changes we are witnessing in a single lifetime are good. As the ecologically ignorant chortle, pleased to be outside in winter in short sleeves, perhaps they should consider how global heating will impact their water, food and shelter requirements for life - to say nothing of the economy and their prospects for employment.
How deeply and sadly we are in denial regarding the consequences of the abrupt climate changes we are witnessing. The life-giving biosphere is in tatters and near collapse because of you and me and everyone. We are witnessing the logical conclusion of deforesting 80 percent of the world's natural ecosystems while working on the rest, breeding and increasing in numbers recklessly, using fossil fuel energy wastefully, and believing our lifestyles and consumption are independent of the Earth.
Massively reducing emissions must become this next greatest-generation's central call to duty. Dramatically and rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions must become the central organizing principle of governments, business and individuals. Contracting rich nations' carbon emissions, while allowing materially poor nations to converge with the rich's level of emissions, is the only way forward that is both equitable and likely to be successful. We need contests, and publicity for best practices, and technology sharing, and a rejection of coal, and emission caps, and global carbon trading, population control, huge renewable energy subsidies and so much more.
Only massive public and political pressure - now - can save the Earth and all her species. The recent vote in the US was a repudiation of oil industry governance. Now it is up to Democrats to stop pandering on gas prices and propose a progressive, workable carbon tax; ratify Kyoto and meaningfully rejoin international climate talks; launch an "Apollo project" supporting renewable energy; and generally, for the US to get on the ball and rejoin the league of civilized nations that are working on climate solutions.
I exhort all who read this to break the denial that the current "wacky weather" is natural; it is more, much more; the start of a systematic collapse of being as we know it. And I ask that you help other non-ecologically attuned people grasp what their way of life is doing to creation - risking ridicule as an acolyte of ecological truth. Take responsibility personally, and become involved in the great climate change/ecological sustainability movements that are set to rock this world - bringing forth the necessary societal changes. Time is short, but solutions exist. Save the climate, save the Earth, save yourself and your posterity. Get active, organize, agitate, protest and above all else reduce your carbon!
On a cloudless afternoon early last fall, Honda CEO Takeo Fukui stood by his company's test track outside Tokyo and watched a group of journalists take the company's environmental future for a spin. After test-driving Honda's multimillion-dollar hydrogen-fuel-cell concept car--very, very carefully--I sat down with Fukui to talk about his company's big bet on clean automobiles. As a young engineer in 1972, Fukui designed the first engine capable of meeting the 1970 Clean Air Act's emission standards without a costly catalytic converter, making Honda one of the first car companies to turn environmentalism into a competitive advantage. Today, with gas prices nearing 1970s levels and customers turning to fuel-efficient cars, it pays to be green once again. But Fukui was thinking beyond this year's balance sheets. If business continued with business as usual, he warned, "society will not let us exist."
Fukui is not alone. From Bentonville, Ark., where Wal-Mart has embarked on ambitious pro-environment policies, to Silicon Valley, where high-tech venture capitalists are pouring hundreds of millions into renewable energy, 2006 was the year corporations began acting as if their existence--like the rest of the planet's--was tied to the environment. While Washington dithers, Wall Street is acting, driven by rising fuel prices that punish inefficiency and by the growing realization that climate change could ruin corporate leaders who continue to deny it.
As Gordon Gekko might say today, green is good, and behemoths like GE and DuPont are carving profits out of a worldwide green-business market worth more than $600 billion. "This is a watershed moment in the business community," says Daniel Esty, director of the Center for Environmental Law and Policy at Yale University and co-author of the book Green to Gold. "The environment has become a strategic issue. It's something every company must do to stay competitive."
The best companies can use the environment to do more than just stay competitive: they can use it to crush the competition. Here in Japan, where I'm based, Toyota is poised to become the world's leading automobile manufacturer, thanks in part to its wildly popular Prius hybrid. But what matters more than one car model is the efficiency Toyota brings to all aspects of its business, the result of a corporate philosophy that strives to exterminate waste. Today Toyota can use a single production line to make multiple vehicle types, which has helped it reduce energy use in manufacturing 30% since 2000. CO2 emissions per car are down as well, and the company has set a goal of reducing emissions worldwide in 2010 by 20% from 2001 levels. Although no one would mistake Toyota's buttoned-up leaders for Ben and Jerry, the company's green policies make its flailing American competitors look like dinosaurs. "Toyota is just killing Detroit," says Andrew Winston, Esty's Yale colleague and co-author. "They have taken on the mantle of innovation, so they sell more of every car."
When an industry leader like Toyota succeeds by going green, its rivals take notice--as Ford's and General Motors' frenzied game of catch-up demonstrates. But the impact reaches beyond the fight for market share. The mega-retailer Wal-Mart has pushed a slew of high-profile environmental initiatives over the past year, including the construction of experimental green stores in Texas and Colorado and the launch of a campaign to sell ultraefficient compact fluorescent bulbs to 100 million homes. The real power of Wal-Mart to drive environmental change, however, rests in its sheer size, by which it can influence the behavior of the more than 60,000 companies, large and small, that stock its stores. The "Wal-Mart price"--the corporation's drive for the lowest possible cost, at all costs--ensured that only the leanest companies would survive to do business with it. By demanding energy efficiency and environmentally friendly practices from its partners--such as reducing packaging waste or selling only sustainable seafood--Wal-Mart could help start a green wave across the U.S. economy, especially among smaller companies that might be less eager or able to change on their own. "When Wal-Mart talks, everyone listens," says Andrew Savitz, an environmental business consultant and the author of The Triple Bottom Line.
What makes the transformation of companies like Wal-Mart so remarkable is that it has occurred despite the general passivity of the White House toward green issues. "I'd say 90% of the business community wants more action on the environment than the Bush Administration does," says Esty. So while the Federal Government dragged its feet on alternative energy, business moved into the vacuum, lured primarily by potential profits. In 2005 Goldman Sachs pledged to invest $1 billion in renewable energy, while Cleantech Venture Network estimates that $10 billion in venture capital will be directed to green technology from 2005 to 2009. Under CEO Jeff Immelt's Ecomagination initiative, GE has committed to spending $1.5 billion a year on renewable energy and other green research by 2010. That's already translating to sales today; the company reported revenues of $10.1 billion from environmental products in 2005, up from $6.2 billion in 2004. "What GE is doing is a bellwether," says Joseph Romm, founder of the Center for Energy and Climate Solutions. "There is some style here, but it also has a lot of substance."
Still, given the severity of climate change--and with rising consumerism in China and India set to complicate the crisis--it's hard not to wonder whether these initiatives are more than greenwashing. GE will sell wind turbines, but it will probably sell even more jet engines, contributing to the rising carbon emissions caused by air travel. Wal-Mart pledges to double the efficiency of its vehicle fleet over the next 10 years, but it's also eager to introduce hundreds of millions of Chinese to middle-class consumption, American-style. "I find it hard to look at a Wal-Mart and see anything like a truly sustainable company," says John Elkington, a co-founder of the green-business consultancy SustainAbility.
Even Toyota has seen the average fuel economy of its vehicles decline as it pursued the U.S. market with the fuel-hungry trucks and SUVs that Americans demand. Although public concern over climate change seemed to crystallize this past year, it hasn't been fully reflected in our buying decisions. We're green hypocrites, according to Joel Makower, executive editor of GreenBiz.com "Consumers remain depressingly ignorant about the environmental impact of what they do," he says. "They find no irony in getting into their SUVs to drive a few miles and buy recycled toilet paper." In other words, American consumers haven't really begun to change their habits. To avert the worst that global warming has in store for us, we may have to make decisions even more radical than the ones business leaders are making now.
THE SINISTER SACKING OF THE WORLD'S LEADING GM EXPERT - AND THE TRAIL THAT LEADS TO TONY BLAIR AND THE WHITE HOUSE
by Andrew Rowell
The Daily Mail, July 7 2003
EARLY one fine summer morning, a taxi pulled up outside a neat suburban terrace house in Aberdeen and took a 68-year-old scientist to a TV studio.
Shortly afterwards Dr Arpad Pustzai found himself propelled from a life of grateful obscurity into the centre of an astonishing political maelstrom that would cost him his job, his reputation and his health.
His crime was to question the safety of genetically modified food. His interview on ITV's World In Action lasted just 150 seconds, but that was long enough to reveal his ground-breaking research suggesting rats fed genetically modified potatoes suffered stunted growth and damage to their immune systems.
It triggered a controversy that put him on a collision course with the Government, the biotech industry and the scientific establishment. The diminutive Hungarian-born scientist, who had escaped the terrors of Stalinism to enjoy a brilliant 35-year academic career, became a reviled figure: ostracised by colleagues, villified, and gagged.
Now, five years on, there are disturbing claims that this distinguished scientist was the victim of behind-the-scenes manoeuvring at the highest political level.
Some of the allegations are truly explosive. They raise profound questions about the extraordinary network of relationships between senior Labour figures and the biotech companies. They also throw new light on why the multi-billion-pound GM industry continues to press ahead in the face of huge public opposition.
The World In Action documentary was broadcast on Monday, August 10, 1998. It was a little over a year since Tony Blair had swept into Downing Street. His government was in thrall to the biotech industry, convinced it could become a driving force of the British economy. What Dr Pusztai was saying threatened to derail those ambitions.
He was based at the Rowett Institute in Aberdeen, which conducts research into animal nutrition. He had published more than 270 scientific studies and three books on lectins, plant proteins that are central to the GM controversy. He was the world's leading expert on the subject.
In the TV interview, he said he believed GM food could be made safe, but added: 'If I had the choice I would certainly not eat it.
He demanded tighter rules over GM foods, and warned: 'I find it's very unfair to use our fellow citizens as guinea pigs. We have to find guinea pigs in the laboratory.'
On the evening the programme went out, the Rowett Institute's director Professor Philip James congratulated Dr Pusztai on his appearance, commenting how well he had handled the questions.
The following morning a press release from the Institute gave him further support, stressing that a 'range of carefully controlled studies underlie the basis of Dr Pusztai's concerns'.
Yet within 48 hours, everything had changed. Dr Pusztai had been suspended by the Institute and ordered to hand over all his data.
His research team was dispersed and he was threatened with legal action if he spoke to anyone. His phone calls and e-mails were diverted; his personal assistant was banned from speaking to him. He read in a press release issued by the Institute that his contract would not be renewed.
What triggered such an extraordinary about-face? How did a respected scientist become a pariah overnight?
The results he claimed to have found were certainly worrying. Dr Pusztai maintained that when rats were fed a certain kind of GM potato - adapted to produce natural insecticide - their livers, hearts and other organs got smaller.
He also found that the size of their brains was affected, but did not dare publicise this fact because he was thought to be alarmist.
Clearly, such findings were deeply threatening for the GM industry. In Orwellian fashion, the Rowett Institute gave a number of conflicting reasons for suddenly disowning them.
First, it claimed Dr Pusztai had simply got confused, muddling up the results for two different batches of potatoes. According to this explanation, the worrying results came from a 'control' sample of potatoes containing a substance known to be poisonous.
This was an utterly astonishing claim - a basic error worthy of a bumbling schoolboy. Newspapers rightly described it as one of the most embarrassing blunders ever admitted by a major scientific institution.
The trouble was, it wasn't true. Whatever the merits of his results, Dr Pusztai hadn't mixed them up, as a subsequent audit of his work confirmed. One of his colleagues, leading pathologist Stanley Ewen said: 'Arpad has always had a clear vision. He is certainly never muddled. He was on top of the whole business.'
When it became clear the claim was baseless, the Institute shifted its ground. First, it said that Dr Pusztai had not carried out the long-term tests needed to prove his findings. Then it said he had carried out the tests but the results weren't ready.
Again, this simply wasn't so.
Later, when his reputation was in tatters and his research thoroughly discredited, the Institute accepted that Dr Pusztai had acted in good faith and described him as 'an intense investigative scientist with an international reputation'.
But by then he was a ruined man who had suffered two heart attacks. His wife, who was sacked with him, was on permanent medication for high blood pressure. Dr Pusztai has come to believe there is only one plausible explanation for his downfall - political pressure from a government in fear of his findings.
Breaking his long silence over the affair, he now claims that he was fired as a direct consequence of Tony Blair's intervention. The day after his World In Action broadcast, he believes that two phone calls were put through to his boss, Philip James, from the Prime Minister's office in Downing Street.
The following day he was fired. He says he was informed of the calls by two different employees at the Rowett. Dr Putsztai and his wife were also told by a senior manager at the institute that Blair's intervention followed a phone call to Downing Street from President Bill Clinton, whose administration was spending billions backing the GM food industry.
To skeptical ears, this sounds scarcely credible. Would the Prime Minister really have had any influence over the position of a respected scientist?
And yet the story is supported by two other eminent researchers. Stanley Ewen, says another senior figure at the institute told him the same story at a dinner on September 24, 1999.
'That conversation is sealed in my mind,' Ewen says. 'My jaw dropped to the floor. I suddenly saw it all - it was the missing link.
'Until then, I couldn't understand how on Monday Arpad had made the most wonderful breakthrough, and on Tuesday it was the most dreadful piece of work and immediately rejected out of hand.'
The second source to confirm the story is Professor Robert Orskov OBE, who worked at the Rowett for 33 years and is one of Britain's leading nutrition experts. He was told that phone calls went from Monsanto, the American firm which produces 90% of the world's GM food, to Clinton and then to Blair.
'Clinton rang Blair and Blair rang James,' says Professor Orskov.
'There is no doubt he was pushed by Blair to do something. It was damaging the relationship between the USA and the UK, because it was going to be a huge blow for Monsanto.'
It is no secret that Blair was first persuaded to support GM by Clinton, and that the President exerted great pressure on his European allies to promote the new technology.
But would Professor James, who had run the Rowett Institute since 1982 and was one of the world's most respected nutritionists, have sacrificed his own man?
At the time, he undoubtedly enjoyed good relations with Tony Blair. While Labour was in opposition, he had been chosen to set up the blueprint for a new Food Standards Agency.
The storm over Dr Pusztai's findings was to cost him a job as the agency's first head. 'You destroyed me,' he later told Dr Pusztai.
Professor James vehemently denies acting on orders from the Premier, saying: 'There's no way I talked to anybody in any circumstances. It's a pack of lies. I have never talked to Blair since the opening of Parliament in 1997.'
Downing Street is equally dismissive of the claims. "This is total rubbish," said a spoesman. Dr Pusztai, however, remains convinced he was punished for following his conscience. 'I obviously spoke out at a very sensitive time. Things were coming to a head with the GM debate and I just lit the fuse.
'I grew up under the Nazis and the Communists and I understand that people are frightened and not willing to jeopardise their future, but they just sold me down the river.'
Among the most instructive aspects of the affair is the way ministers leapt on criticism of his work and sought to undermine his reputation.
In May 1999, by what seems an impossibly neat coincidence, reports attacking him were published on the very same day by the Royal Society - the voice of the scientific establishment - and the science and technology select committee of the House of Commons.
Jack Cunningham, the Government's so-called Cabinet Enforcer, then poured scorn on Dr Pusztai's 'wholly misleading results' and to promise that all GM food on sale in Britain was safe to eat.
It smacked of a co-ordinated counter-attack, and that is precisely what it was. A Government memo reveals that Cunningham and other senior ministers had set up a 'Biotechnology Presentation Group'
Then, as now, relationships between senior Labour figures and the GM food companies bordered on the incestuous. In Labour's first two years in office, GM companies met government officials and ministers 81 times.
The Blair government sees the biotech industry as a new scientific frontier, an industry worth GBP75 billion in Europe alone by 2005. Science minister Lord Sainsbury is a dedicated GM supporter, though he does not officially deal with GM food matters. On being appointed to his post, Lord Sainsbury held large share holdings in two biotech companies, Diatech and Innotech; subsequently they were put in a blind trust. He is also New Labour's largest single donor, having given the party more than GBP8 million since it first came into power.
The irony of Sainsbury being in charge of a pro-GM science policy was highlighted when it emerged he had made a GBP20m paper profit in just four years through his investment in Innotech.
There are links too between Labour and the biotech industry's spin-doctors. Monsanto's PR company in the UK is Good Relations, whose director David Hill ran Labour's media operations for the 1997 and 2001 general elections.
In such an environment, it is scarcely surprising if dissidents like Dr Pusztai find themselves pushed to the fringes and turned into scapegoats.
The oddest twist of all came in May 1999, when Dr Pusztai and his wife went abroad for a few days to escape the controversy surrounding them.
On their return they discovered there had been a break-in at their house in Aberdeen. The only things taken were some bottles of malt whisky, a bit of foreign currency - and the bags containing all their research data.
This was followed by another break-in at the Rowett Institute at the end of the year. Only Dr Pusztai's old lab that was broken into.
He remains baffled about who was behind the raids, and why he was targeted.
But he continues to defend his controversial findings.
'They picked the wrong guy,' he says simply. 'I will kick the bucket before I give up.'
---
Also recommended by Nelly
Les OGM sont ils dangereux pour la santé? L'étude qui accuse http://video.google.fr/videoplay?docid=-8996055986353195886
Les experts l'affirment : manger des OGM est sans danger pour la santé. Et tous les ans de nouveaux OGM arrivent dans notre assiette. Pourtant, aujourd'hui deux nouvelles études scientifiques révèlent un risque toxique.
Say no to genetic engineering http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/genetic-engineering
While scientific progress on molecular biology has a great potential to increase our understanding of nature and provide new medical tools, it should not be used as justification to turn the environment into a giant genetic experiment by commercial interests. The biodiversity and environmental integrity of the world's food supply is too important to our survival to be put at risk. Genetic engineering enables scientists to create plants, animals and micro-organisms by manipulating genes in a way that does not occur naturally. These genetically modified organisms (GMO) can spread through nature and interbreed with natural organisms, thereby contaminating non 'GE' environments and future generations in an unforeseeable and uncontrollable way. Their release is 'genetic pollution' and is a major threat because GMOs cannot be recalled once released into the environment. Because of commercial interests, the public is being denied the right to know about GE ingredients in the food chain, and therefore losing the right to avoid them despite the presence of labelling laws in certain countries. Biological diversity must be protected and respected as the global heritage of humankind, and one of our world's fundamental keys to survival. Governments are attempting to address the threat of GE with international regulations such as the Biosafety Protocol. CLIP
Crop Circles Appear on Three Continents (3 October 2006) http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/three-crop-circles-031006
Huge crop circles in maize fields in Mexico, Spain and Philippines have appeared as we launch a global campaign to protect the home of maize from genetic contamination.
Monsanto's Men Control Gates Foundation's Millions (Jan 5, 2007) http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_3733.cfm
He was recruited for the position by Rob Horsch, a former Monsanto executive who left for the foundation last fall. Both will be working to fund projects aimed at small farmers in the developing world. [The Monsanto-funded Danforth Center's president, Roger Beachy] said it won't hurt to have two people familiar with St. Louis researchers holding the strings to the Gates Foundation's large purse. CLIP
Survey: Americans Fuzzy on Biotech Foods (12/11/2006 ) http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_3554.cfm
Ten years after genetically engineered crops were first planted commercially in the United States, Americans remain ill-informed about and uncomfortable with biotech food, according to the fifth annual survey on the topic, released Wednesday (view survey results here)People vastly underestimate how much gene-altered food they are already consuming; lean toward wanting greater regulation of such crops; and have less faith than ever that the Food and Drug Administration will provide accurate information, the survey found. (...) In the five years since Pew began plumbing American attitudes toward genetically engineered food, U.S. acreage in such crops has grown substantially. Today, 89% of soybeans, 83% of cotton and 61% of corn is genetically engineered to resist weed-killing chemicals or to help the plants make their own insecticides.Because most processed foods contain at least small amounts of soy lecithin, corn syrup or related ingredients, almost everyone in the United States has consumed some amount of gene-altered food. CLIP
GE Crops Slow to Gain Global Acceptance (January 13, 2007) http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0110-06.htm
Widespread use of genetically engineered (GE) crops remains limited worldwide, even as growing weed and pest issues are forcing farmers to use ever greater amounts of pesticides.More than 70 percent of large-scale GE planting is still limited to the U.S. and Argentina, according to a new report released Tuesday by Friends of the Earth International (FOEI). "No GM (GE) crop on the market today offers benefits to the consumer in terms of quality or price, and to date these crops have done nothing to alleviate hunger or poverty in Africa or elsewhere," said Nnimmo Bassey of Friends of the Earth Africa in Nigeria. "The great majority of GM (GE) crops cultivated today are used as high-priced animal feed to supply rich nations with meat," Bassey said in a statement. The new report, "Who Benefits From GM Crops?", is an analysis of the global performance of GE crops from 1996-2006. It also notes that the "second generation" of GE farm crops with attractive traits long promised by the industry has failed to appear. Supporters of biotechnology have long claimed that the technology is the solution to world hunger, but the only GE crops widely planted are herbicide-tolerant soy, maize, cotton and canola (oil seed rape) and Bt maize and cotton. Herbicide tolerance allows these crops to be sprayed with glyphosate (RoundUp), a potent weed killer, without affecting the crop. Bt maize and cotton contain an insecticide that kills insect pests. Studies have shown that GE crops do not increase yields or improve food quality -- the only benefit is reduced labour for farmers because it easier to control weeds by constantly spraying glyphosate over their crops, said Adrian Bebb of Friends of the Earth Europe. "That's only an advantage for big, industrial-scale farmers and is inappropriate for the majority of farmers," Bebb told IPS. Studies by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and University of Arkansas show that large farms continue to get larger because the combination of the high GE seed costs and the low cost of glyphosate works better the bigger farms are. However, repeated use of glyphosate is creating weeds that are resistant to the chemical that is widely considered the world's best herbicide. Late last year, U.S. scientists discovered that giant ragweeds in Indiana and Ohio have become immune to glyphosate. This is the seventh weed species to do so in the U.S. In the southern U.S. where GE cotton is widely grown, 39 percent of farmers who grow GE crops reported problems with glyphosate-resistant weeds. Only a few years ago there was no such thing. "The only surprise here is the speed with which weeds evolved resistance," says Bebb. CLIP
12.
From: "David" (crystall@telkomsa.net)
Subject: BIG MONEY OVER PUBLIC HEALTH (What a Surprise!)
Date: 8 Dec 2006
Hello Jean
Here is an email from Dr George Carlo who tells us about the latest moves by the cell phone industry to cover-up the health risks of using a cell phone and just how deep that deception goes.
You may remember that Dr George Carlo was employed by the cell phone industry and given a 28 million dollar budget to prove that cell phones were safe after a woman by the name of Susan Reynolds in 1993 tried to sue them over a brain tumor (which she eventually died from), that she claimed was caused by her cell phone. The research took some years and the results were a total surprise to Dr Carlo who initially believed that cell phones posed no health risk. It was found that the radiation from these devices cause irreparable breaks in DNA and leakage in the blood/brain barrier. With their spin-doctors hard at work the industry rubbished the findings, refused him further funding and set about to discredit Carlo.
Dr Carlo later wrote a book called 'CELL PHONES: INVISIBLE HAZARDS IN A WIRELESS AGE', where he tells in great detail about the research that was conducted by his team and the politics surrounding the whole issue. The book made quite an impact most notably with the insurers LLoyds of London who after reading the book refused to cover the manufacturers and service providers for insurance claims related to any injury or death caused by using a cell phone. After all, the industry paid for the research and then refused to act on the findings.
!!ALARM BELLS!! If Insurance companies wont cover someone its because the risk to them is too high. They would lose too much money. The multi-billion dollar cell phone industry is now SELF-INSURED!
There were Seven class action lawsuits and Two workers compensation claims in 2006 and the US courts have cleared the way for more to follow in 2007. Dr George Carlo heads the largest non-profit making organization in the world dedicated to educating the public about the dangers of Electro-pollution called 'The Safe Wireless Initiative'. If you want to find out more about this and related issues visit his website www.safewireless.org and keep informed.
There is much independent research (not industry funded) and epidemiological studies indicating that illnesses such as brain tumors, early-onset Alzheimer's, ADD/ADHD and many other serious health problems that have increased sharply in recent years and are related to cell phone use, cell phone towers and electro-pollution in general. With an estimated 1.8 to 2 billion cell phone users worldwide, we are looking at the greatest epidemic the world has ever seen unfolding all around us with young people at the greatest risk. Dr Carlo is currently producing a film set for release in June 2007 called 'The Boiling Frog Principle' which is going to blow the lid off of the whole issue. You should also be aware that the SWI and Dr Carlo have made an strategic alliance with a company called Biopro Technology which has the only scientifically proven solution with regard to this problem. For more information on this visit www.mybiopro.com/chicasa because if your not going to throw you phone away you should protect yourself.
Cell Phones: Invisible Hazards in the Wireless Age: An Insider's Alarming Discoveries About Cancer and Genetic Damage
Book Reviews
Amazon.com
George Carlo and Martin Schram are aiming to become information-age Ralph Naders. They ask a question that ought to concern America's 103 million mobile phone users, as well as those who merely come within earshot of these popular devices: Is the wireless future a threat to public health? "Visit any public building, college classroom, courthouse, or commuter train, and look around: You'll see people using not just wireless phones but also wireless laptop computers and miniature palm tops," write Carlo and Schram. "What you won't see are the microwaves that are criss-crossing a confined space where a number of people who are not even using these instruments are bombarded by these waves." It sounds creepy. And Carlo, an epidemiologist who once oversaw a multimillion-dollar research project on health for the cellular industry, believes the news is not good: there may be a link between cell phone use and brain tumors. The research is not conclusive, but Carlo and Schram think it's disturbing enough to warrant government action. Needless to say, the industry that once backed Carlo's work now considers him persona non grata.
Due largely to Carlo's coauthorship, Cell Phones is unavoidably a one-sided story. Key business figures didn't agree to interviews. In fact, this might have been a better book if it were written by Schram, with Carlo as one of several major characters rather than a collaborator. Then again, it would lack the passionate advocacy that will draw many readers to it. And even the most skeptical may want to take a few of the simple safety precautions the authors recommend in a concluding chapter, such as wearing a headset or earpiece when using a cell phone, in order to keep a distance from the radiation-emitting antennae. One look at the x-ray photos reproduced in the book, which show how radiation easily penetrates skulls, will give even the most impervious observer second thoughts. One thing is probably certain: This book is a harbinger of litigation. If Carlo and Schram are correct about their concerns, the cellular industry--as unbelievable as it sounds--may go the way of Big Tobacco. --John J. Miller
From Publishers Weekly
In 1993, when the cell phone industry's chief lobbyist hired epidemiologist and pathologist Carlo to refute claims that cell phones, which had never been subjected to premarket testing, cause cancer, no one thought he would discover otherwise. But after six years of exhaustive analysis and scrupulous peer review, the results proved, according to this report, that radiation from a cell phone's antenna can cause the formation of micronuclei red flags for cancer in the brain. Children in particular are more susceptible to the radiation than adults. Carlo reported his findings to the industry and the FDA and advocated for continued research, but both parties still maintain that cell phones are safe. Here, Carlo and syndicated columnist Schram retrace Carlo's scientific undertaking and what they cast as a sinister web of corporate greed and masterful PR "spin" that choked his efforts. Schram provides the primary narrative, with Carlo's insights and recollections scattered throughout, a format that grows repetitive. Despite the captivating story, many consumers won't want to slog through the detailed scientific explanations to get to the bottom-line safety recommendations. Journalists, policymakers and consumer advocacy groups, however, will find this no-holds-barred book extraordinarily informative as they continue investigations of the industry.
Can you hear me now?, April 21, 2002
Reviewer: Adam F. Jewell (Pittsburgh, PA USA)
Cell phones have become an integral part of American (and increasingly the world) society. They are ubiquitous in the business world and day-to-day life activities. The authors discuss in detail the risks associated with cell phones, particularly those of the digital variety. They tell the all to common tale of industry PR "spin" vs. public safety and common sense. While it may not be correct to state that cell phones cause brain cancer, the preliminary indications and not heart warming.
Thus far clinical studies have shown:
1) Cell phone radiation penetrates deep into the developing brains of children.
2) Cell phone radiation results in chromosomal damage to blood exposed to wireless phone radio waves. There is a link between chromosome damage and brain cancer.
3) Cell phone radiation breaks down the blood brain barrier. Think of the blood brain barrier as an immune system for the brain. As it breaks down, other environmental toxins more easily enter the brain and cause damage.
4) A number of studies showed a statistically significant correlation between brain cancer deaths and cell phone use.
5) Cell phone radiation can cause pacemakers to malfunction is they (pacemakers) are not properly insulated from cell phones that are within 6 inches of the pacemaker.
The above are based on elaborate human, animal, and laboratory experiments that examine the effects of cell phone radiation. The experiments in the book focus primarily on cell phone use - when the phone is near the head. If cell phone radiation is able to penetrate the human skull, the effects may be even more dramatic on soft tissue such as reproductive organs that may be continuously exposed to radiation by a phone carried in a pants pocket.
Based on the scientific evidence in the book you should avoid using a cell phone or being around one to be perfectly safe. Since that is not likely, the following precautions can be taken:
1) Despite the aggressive marketing practices of the industry towards children, keep cell phones out of the hands of your kids, they are particularly susceptible to the radiation generated by cell phones.
2) Use a hands free model and keep the phone away from your body.
3) If you put the phone up to your ear, point the antenna away from you.
4) If you have one of those cool little phones with a built in antenna, the whole phone is an antenna and you are getting a heavier dose of radiation. GET A HEADSET OR A DIFFERENT PHONE.
5) A cell phone has to pump out more radiation when the signal strength is low, try not to use the phone unless the signal strength is near 100%.
Initial studies show a clear link between cell phone radiation (especially associated with digital phones) and adverse health effects. In the next 10 to 20 years the effects will become apparent with the general public serving as the test subjects. Tread carefully on those wireless stocks over the long term, and take precautions today so you don't become a statistic. Many thanks to Dr. Carlo and Martin Schram for timely well written book packed with critical info for all wireless customers.
Listen for a moment to the beautiful and dignified voices of Africa's mothers. Despite their burdens of poverty and hunger, they will tell you not of their endless toil but of their hopes for their children. But softly, ever so softly, they will also recount the children they have lost, claimed by a sudden fever, children who died in their arms as they were carried in a desperate half-day's journey by foot from the village to the nearest clinic.
This is the ineffable sadness of malaria. Another African child has died of malaria since you started reading this article. Perhaps 2 million children in all will succumb this year.
The long-term consequences are insidious as well as tragic and even relate to the ability of the U.S. to prevail against the jihadists. Not only does malaria sap worker productivity and scare away business investment, but it also, paradoxically, increases the rate of population growth. Instead of having two or three children, couples in a malarial region often choose to have six or seven--unsure how many will survive.
Malaria also helps create a poverty trap with special ferocity in Africa. By a quirk of ecological fate, Africa has the world's heaviest toll of this disease, the result of its tropical climate, its specific types of mosquitoes and its limitless mosquito-breeding sites. Children are struck down in unmatched numbers. And Africa's disease toll from malaria may be even higher than previously recognized. Recent research has found that malaria infection increases the likelihood that an HIV-infected individual will transmit the AIDS virus to others. Many millions are also infected simultaneously with malaria and worm infections, multiplying the disease burden.
Osama bin Laden has called for jihad in Africa, trying to capitalize on its extreme poverty. Here's how we can respond. While malaria has shaped Africa's poverty trap, it is a trap that can finally be unlocked. Spectacular technological advances, some stunningly simple, offer practical and low-cost solutions. The most obvious one is insecticide-treated bed nets, now cleverly engineered to last up to five years. The cost to manufacture, ship and distribute each net is $10. A new generation of medicines based on artemisinin, an extract from a traditional Chinese herbal remedy, is remarkably effective in treating cases of the disease, at a cost of about a dollar per treatment.
Yet these solutions still aren't reaching the vast proportion of Africans in need. Hard as it is for us to imagine, Africa's households simply can't afford even $10 for a net, or a dollar for medicines when a child falls sick. Nor can African governments carry these costs on meager budgets or take extra vital steps to train local health workers and ensure that every village has reliable access to effective medicines.
Here is where you and I come in. Considering the costs of the nets, medicines and other components of malaria control, a comprehensive program would cost about $4.50 per African at risk, or about $3 billion a year for the whole continent. This is an amount that is too large for Africa but truly tiny for the rich world.
Let me put the $3 billion in perspective: there are a billion of us in the high-income world--that amounts to $3 a person, or one Starbucks coffee a year. It's around 12.5% of the estimated $24 billion in Wall Street's Christmas bonuses.
We should bring forth armies of Red Cross volunteers to distribute bed nets and to offer village-based training for tens of thousands of villages across Africa. In a brilliant demonstration of people power and modern logistics, Red Cross volunteers distributed nets to more than half the households of Togo in 2004 and Niger in 2005 in a matter of a few days in each country. That successful delivery model should be replicated across Africa, by 2010 if not earlier, but this will depend on mobilizing the needed resources.
New citizens' movements, including Malaria No More http://malarianomore.org and Nothing but Nets (http://nothingbutnets.net) have been established to achieve the needed breakthrough. We can each contribute $10 for a bed net. We can each learn more about the disease and become antimalaria leaders in our communities, schools, churches and businesses. We can urge our governments to work with the private sector and citizens' groups to win the fight against malaria during this decade. President Bush recently took a good step in scaling up the U.S. government's malaria-control efforts, but much more needs to be done to ensure that aid reaches the hundreds of millions of Africans at risk.
Together we can choose peace over jihad and life over violence. Through our common resolve, we can prove the power we each have to save a life.
Sachs, author of The End of Poverty, directs the Earth Institute at Columbia University
14..
Recommended by "Claudette FALATAKIS" (claudette.falatakis@trbchemedica.com)
Historian and best-selling author Laurence Gardner discusses the powers of white powder gold, the Ark of the Covenant, the Knights Templar and his new sci-fi screenplay centred around the Shroud of Turin.
Extracted from Nexus Magazine, Volume 11, Number 4 (June-July 2004)
editor@nexusmagazine.com
From our web page at: http://www.nexusmagazine.com
Laurence Gardner interview conducted 6 November 2003 by Atasha McMillan
Email: atasha@starlink2.freeserve.co.uk
THE WHITE POWDER GOLD OF THE ANCIENTS
Since his latest book, Lost Secrets of the Sacred Ark, was published in February 2003, best-selling author Sir Laurence Gardner has been giving worldwide lectures about the rediscovery of arcane knowledge—in particular, the extraordinary powers of white powder gold.
When gold and platinum-group metals are transformed into the monatomic state, a fine white powder is produced. This substance was used by pharaohs and kings of the ancient world. It was also part of the secret knowledge of mediaeval alchemy and the Knights Templar. Research on this has been forging ahead, and some amazing properties of high-spin monatomic elements have now been scientifically confirmed.
This has huge and potentially revolutionary implications. Humanity now has within its reach a potential cure for cancer without drugs or surgery, an environment-friendly alternative to fossil fuels, a means to transform human consciousness, the possibility of low or zero-gravity flight, space travel by manipulation of space-time, and access to other dimensions (which scientists have now proved to be real).
In this interview conducted at Growing Needs Bookshop in Glastonbury, England, Laurence talked about some of the latest developments in this field. We began by discussing how news of its use as a cure for cancer has begun to spread to the mainstream environment.
— Atasha McMillan
MONATOMIC ELEMENTS, HEALING AND ANTIGRAVITY
Laurence Gardner (LG): I've been talking about gold as an effective catalyst in cancer treatment for a long time—and it is now happening. The World Gold Council is confirming this in its literature, and the Securities & Exchange Commission, Washington, DC, is now publishing it in its bullion prospectus. The S&EC also reports on other aspects that I have written about in the past. Future applications for gold, it says [reads from S&EC prospectus], "are in pollution control, clean energy generation and fuel cell technology. In addition, work is under way on the use of gold in cancer treatment".
Atasha McMillan (AM): Are the research tests for this being done mostly in America?
LG: They're being done all over. Scientific journals from Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Singapore, Israel, Britain and America are all commenting in this regard, with headlines such as "The Amazing Properties of Monatomic Gold". There are no limitations on this now. Singapore University is making great progress with gold in cancer treatment, and Rice University, Texas, has reported amazing success in recent remedial trials with nano-gold.
AM: You've said that monatomic elements can be used in connection with space travel. Can you explain a bit more about that, and about how research in that area is progressing?
LG: Monatomic transition-group elements were classified some time ago as "exotic matter" because they have a negative energy density and the ability to manipulate space-time. Physicists now say that exotic matter is the key to travelling enormous distances—seemingly faster than the speed of light, but with an acceleration rate of zero. They are looking at the concept of moving the space instead of the spacecraft—that is to say, contracting space-time in front of the ship, with a commensurate expansion of the space-time behind it. NASA's Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Project is leading the research in this regard. We also have the aircraft industry investigating the concept of antigravity flight. Monatomic elements are operative high-temperature superconductors, and superconductors will levitate. They have a null magnetic field and will repel external magnetic fields. The Center for Advanced Study in Illinois has classified superconductivity as "the most remarkable physical property in the universe".
So, as the UK Ministry of Defence has stated, "Anti-gravity propulsion is now coming out of the closet". In this arena, Boeing is working on Project Grasp at its top-secret Phantom Works in Seattle, and British Aerospace has its parallel Project Greenglow. There is also a new UK–US joint venture called Project Falcon. Back in August [2003], British Aerospace and Boeing met at the Pentagon to talk about their plan for a 6,000-miles-per-hour aircraft—that's around five times the speed of the now redundant Concorde.
AM: You have also mentioned the prospect of teleporting matter from one place to another.
LG: Yes; nanophysics and monatomic sciences are now leading us into some astonishing new realms. NASA and the Ohio Aerospace Institute are talking about teleportation as if it's just around the corner. By the use of coupled quantum systems, they'll soon be able to teleport matter instead of moving it physically. "By this means," they say, "even people could be transported by sending enough classical information."
So, by the time we get round to the kind of high-speed antigravity aircraft they think they can produce, we might not even need aircraft! In fact, they say that a digital cloning process is also possible—meaning that we could actually be in more than one place at the same time!
AM: And yet the ancient people knew about these things?
LG: They certainly knew about monatomic elements and superconductors, even if they didn't understand the science behind them. There were various names and terms for these phenomena in different cultures. As for the scientific aspects, maybe they didn't know specifically that these magical powders resonated with DNA or that they were immune system enhancers but they undoubtedly knew of their healing and anti-ageing properties. They also told of levitation, movement into parallel dimensions, communication with gods, and the like. In so many instances, their descriptions were commensurate with modern scientific discoveries; they just used different terminology. They might not have known precisely what they were dealing with, but they clearly knew about the substances in action.
AM: You said at a recent lecture that monatomics could improve memory and learning abilities.
LG: Absolutely. In fact, some remarkable tests were conducted last year by the Alphalearning Institute at the World Trade Center in Lugano. They are specialists in behavioural sciences and learning deficiencies such as dyslexia and ADHD. Over a number of weeks, they gave measured doses of monatomic supplements to ten volunteers—males and females of varying ages. The results were quite staggering. Their EEG brain scans showed a significant enhancement of alpha waves, leading to perfect hemispheric left and right brain synchronisation. This facilitates heightened learning ability, memory and creative skills, and a substantial lowering of the stress factor. Their report stated that the results were both immediate and cumulative, while being a significant aid in exam-type situations, whether mental or physical.
NOTE from Jean: I had made a comment to Suzy Ward concerning the claim made by Matthew about the health benefits of monoatomic gold, expressing some doubts at to the validity of it in light of the little I had read on the subject through a quick google search, and suggesting Matthew should perhaps avoid topics that are so difficult to validate. I believe her reply on this will be of interest to many as it exemplifies the great faith, based on years on experience, she places into Matthew's recommendations and the fact that on most topics Matthew discusses, she has very little prior knowledge, if any at all, and thus could not possibly make up any of what she receives from Matthew.
"As for Matthew's comments about monoatomic gold, he may be my son, but I'm not so presumptuous that I'd tell him I don't think he should include anything in his messages that possibly could be debunked in Internet articles. I certainly trust what he knows more than anything I'd find there -- assuming I had time to try to look for confirming information on everything he says that I don't know myself (which is everything he's ever told me unless he was repeating it in a message). I don't think he's on thin ice with gold any more than he is with all the things he's said that are in total conflict with other channeled information, and there's been a ton of that (the latest, of course, is what Hatonn said "hogwash" about). As an example of the Net's DISinformation (not to mention fear-filled predictions such as the comet that would hit Earth and wipe out millions of lives), the Hoaxbusters site's posting on aspartame says all claims about it being a health risk are urban legends -- since I believed those claims were true, I tracked down the site operator -- it took some doing but I found it: US Gov't Public Affairs Office. And Snopes, another big site for checking hoaxes, has the identical disclaimer about aspartame. The same kind of "attack" on gold is not only possible, considering what Matthew said about it, it's likely. People are going to believe what they want to believe, and it's not my responsibility to convince anyone to believe what Matthew says."
15.
Message left in the ERN guestbook by Suzanna Sjogren (sjogren@mwt.net)
Date: 2007-01-11
Dear Jean...
Welcome to 2007! I feel as many others have expressed that this year good things will happen bringing about the start of changes we hope for. Your compilations are the reward I look for when I am able to take some time for myself. I savor being able to sit at my computer and go over the information you send.
One comment I feel compelled to make stems from my deep feelings about the U.S. and the conflicts arising from our aggression in Iraq. I am appalled that this government overlooks the cries of its citizens and that our children are no more than fodder used to feed the mill of targeted enemies around the world. Others of us at home are nothing more than worker ants following a system of supposed work and reward that sustains the ever increasing burden of those who wield their sword of wealth.
The times I spent in school learning about the workings of our government in the form of a democracy do not reflect the representation of what structure our government is today. How can the ideals that brought a country up to the standards the U.S. had a generation ago be brought down so fast? It has had to have been planned long before now. That means that even the bones that lay in the ground from our parents generation fought a losing battle for freedom. I know that the ideals of freedom rang true in their hearts and they fought and died to support that for themselves and all of us. I also know that many young people put their lives on the line today for the same reason, but how can it be that we haven't learned what we truly are supporting?
The people of our country should not have to stand culpable for these aggressions, but our government should because the government has abused its power of democratic leadership when it does not reflect the will of its citizens.
Just knowing that so many innocent people have been killed and will be killed over the conflicts that exist on this earth is heart wrenching. How can we hope to help another country reach a higher standard of governing when our own standard has fallen? How can the citizens of another country look to us as benefactors when so many are left empty handed? Where are the arms that were there to hug their children and where are the children to fill the empty arms outstretched with nothing to fill them? Where are the houses that sheltered the families, business, worship, education? Where are the places people called home, the cities, towns, villages and countryside?
The face of war does far more than destroy an enemy. What anguish do we feel over the faces of our own country men and women who silently cross our television screens or news articles when they have laid down their lives thousands of miles from their homes? Our hearts should be crying in anguish over war of any kind and we should not let our sons and daughters inherit a legacy of war.
The thought of leaving this life and planet when my days are done and knowing that my existence may have been filled with heartfelt goodness in my small arena, but yet had no real effect in changing the big picture is discouraging. Unless we can all join in support of a peaceful existence, we all face the same and leave the same... a planet where nothing has changed. God, whoever He/She is...forgive us.
People in Cali, Colombia, are shocked to see the bond between a large African lion and a woman who saved it from abuse, involving long, affectionate kisses and hugs between the pair.
Ana Julia Torres, who runs the Villa Lorena animal shelter in Cali, fed and nursed Jupiter the African lion back to health years ago after it was found abused and emaciated in a traveling circus.
"It is amazing to see an animal like that be so sweet and affectionate," said Torres. "This hug is the most sincere one that I have received in my life."
Torres, 47, said her work rehabilitating animals began more than a decade ago when a friend gave her an owl that had been kept as a pet.
Later, when she asked her students to bring their pets to school, she realized many families illegally kept wild fauna from Colombia's biologically diverse jungles in their homes.
The number of animals under her care grew, and now Jupiter is among 800 recovering creatures at Villa Lorena, where Torres looks after, among others, burned peacocks, limbless flamengos, blind monkeys and mutilated elephants.
Most of the animals are caged, though some, like iguanas, roam freely around the grounds of the shelter, which are enclosed by a 13-foot wall.
Torres said she relies on donations and her modest teacher's salary to run the shelter.
"We dedicate our lives to the care of these animals without one single peso from the state," Torres said.
Torres said many of the animals were rejected as infants by their parents in the wild or found abandoned on the streets of Cali.
Torres said because she opposes exhibiting animals in circuses, she decided to keep her shelter closed from the public.
Scientists find Extraterrestrial genes in Human DNA
Do civilizations of advanced human beings exist scattered in the Galaxy?
by John Stokes
A group of researchers working at the Human Genome Project indicate that they made an astonishing scientific discovery: They believe so-called 97% non-coding sequences in human DNA is no less than genetic code of extraterrestrial life forms.
The non-coding sequences are common to all living organisms on Earth, from moulds to fish to humans. In human DNA, they constitute larger part of the total genome, says Prof. Sam Chang, the group leader. Non-coding sequences, originally known as "junk DNA", were discovered years ago, and their function remained a mystery. The overwhelming majority of Human DNA is “Off-world” in origin. The apparent “extraterrestrial junk genes” merely “enjoy the ride” with hard working active genes, passed from generation to generation.
After comprehensive analysis with the assistance of other scientists, computer programmers, mathematicians, and other learned scholars, Professor Chang had wondered if the apparently “junk Human DNA” was created by some kind of “extraterrestrial programmer”. The alien chunks within Human DNA, Professor Chang further observes, “have its own veins, arteries, and its own immune system that vigorously resists all our anti-cancer drugs.”
Professor Chang further stipulates that "Our hypothesis is that a higher extraterrestrial life form was engaged in creating new life and planting it on various planets. Earth is just one of them. Perhaps, after programming, our creators grow us the same way we grow bacteria in Petri dishes. We can’t know their motives - whether it was a scientific experiment, or a way of preparing new planets for colonization, or is it long time ongoing business of seedling life in the universe.”
Professor Chang further indicates that “If we think about it in our human terms, the apparent “extraterrestrial programmers” were most probably working on “one big code” consisting of several projects, and the projects should have produced various life forms for various planets. They have been also trying various solutions. They wrote “the big code“, executed it, did not like some function, changed them or added new one, executed again, made more improvements, tried again and again.”
Professor Chang’s team of researchers furthermore concludes that, “The apparent “extraterrestrial programmers” may have been ordered to cut all their idealistic plans for the future when they concentrated on the “Earth project” to meet the pressing deadline. Very likely in an apparent rush, the “extraterrestrial programmers” may have cut down drastically on big code and delivered basic program intended for Earth.“
Professor Chang is only one of many scientists and other researchers who have discovered extraterrestrial origins to Humanity.
Human Genome Project Coordinators find absolute proof of Extraterrestrial contact with 'Earth humans' via DNA evidence.
Professor Chang and his research colleagues show that apparent “extraterrestrial programming” gaps in DNA sequencing precipitated by a hypothesized rush to create human life on Earth presented humankind with illogical growth of mass of cells we know as cancer."
Professor Chang further indicates that “What we see in our DNA is a program consisting of two versions, a big code and basic code.” Mr. Chang then affirms that the “First fact is, the complete ‘program’ was positively not written on Earth; that is now a verified fact. The second fact is, that genes by themselves are not enough to explain evolution; there must be something more in ‘the game‘.”
“Soon or later”, Professor Chang says “we have to come to grips with the unbelievable notion that every life on Earth carries genetic code for his extraterrestrial cousin and that evolution is not what we think it is.”
Human Genome Project Discovery Implications associated with “Human-looking Extraterrestrials”
The implications of these scientific finds would reinforce claims by other scientists and observers of having contact with ‘off-world' human looking extraterrestrials.
The ‘off-world' human looking extraterrestrial have been claimed to have provided some of the genetic material for human evolution, and that many of these extraterrestrials have allowed some of their personnel to incarnate as ‘star seeds' on Earth in human families. These “star seeds“, “star children” or “star people” are described by Brad and Francie Steiger as individuals whose ‘souls' were formally incarnated on the worlds of other star systems and then traveled to Earth and decided to incarnate here in order to “boost” the spiritual evolutionary development of humanity. Most of humanity would consider this group of extraterrestrials to be ‘benevolent' as described by ‘contactees' such as George Adamski, Orfeo Angelucci, George Van Tassell, Howard Menger, Paul Villa, Billy Meier and Alex Collier who each explain the nature of their voluntary interactions with these human looking extraterrestrials. These “contactees” often provide physical evidence in the form of photographs, film and/or witnesses of their contacts with extraterrestrial races. The most extensively documented and researched contactee is Eduard ‘Billy' Meier who provided much physical evidence for investigators.
Representations concerning ‘Ancient astronauts’
Indeed, ‘ancient astronaut’ writers believe that a race of intelligent extraterrestrial beings visited and/or colonised Earth in the remote past, whereupon they upgraded the primitive hominid Homo erectus by means of genetic engineering to create the human race as we know it: Homo sapiens.
Evidence for this idea is found (a) in the improbability of Homo sapiens emerging so suddenly, according to the principles of orthodox Darwinism; and (b) in the myths of ancient civilisations which describe human-like gods coming down from the heavens and creating mankind ‘in their own image’. Homo sapiens is thus regarded as a hybrid being, incorporating a mix of terrestrial genes from Homo erectus and extraterrestrial genes from an ascribed “race of the gods“.
Prior to the modern age of space travel and genetics, this theory for the origins of humankind could not have been conceived. And even now, in the 21st century, there are many people who would regard it as science fiction. However, in the light of the problems with the orthodox theory of human evolution, the idea of a genetic intervention by an intelligent human-like species (who themselves evolved on another planet over a more credible time frame) does require to be taken seriously as a potential solution to the mystery.
The most famous exponents of the ancient astronaut intervention are the Swiss writer Erich von Daniken and the American writer Zecharia Sitchin. The latter, in particular, has argued the case in great detail.
Representation by academics from “Exopolitics” groups
Dr. Micheal E. Salla is one of the founders of an Exopolitics movement which seeks an open and informed dialogue on, and with, Extraterrestrials, toward the affirmation of “global democracy” and the quality-of-living of humankind as socially responsible beings in the Universe. Dr. Salla indicates that “There are an extensive number of extraterrestrial races known [by various research institutions and agencies] to be currently interacting with Earth and the human population.
Dr. Salla, is also the author of Exopolitics: Political Implications of the Extraterrestrial Presence (Dandelion Books, 2004). He has held full time academic appointments at the Australian National University, and American University, Washington DC. He has a Ph.D. in Government from the University of Queensland, Australia. During his professional academic career, he was best known for organizing a series of citizen diplomacy initiatives for the East Timor conflict funded by U.S. Institute of Peace and the Ford Foundation. He is also the Founder of the Exopolitics Institute ; and Chief Editor of the ‘Exopolitics Journal’ and Convener of the “Extraterrestrial Civilizations and World Peace Conference.”
In a 1998 interview, Clifford Stone, a retired U.S. army Sergeant who served in the U.S. Army for 22 years and allegedly participated in operations to retrieve crashed extraterrestrial ships and extraterrestrial biological entities (EBE’s), revealed there were a variety of extraterrestrial races known [by various institutions and agencies]”. Dr. Salla further elaborates that “The most compelling testimonies on the different extraterrestrial races comes from ‘whistleblowers’ such as Sergeant Stone; and also ‘contactees’ who have had direct physical contact with extraterrestrials and communicated with them.”
Dr. Salla further notes that Master Sergeant Bob Dean had a twenty seven year distinguished career in very senior areas of the military indicates that among the know extraterrestrials one group “looked so much like us they could sit next to you on a plane or in a restaurant and you'd never know the difference."
Apparently “Human extraterrestrial races can easily integrate with human society in the manner described by Dean and others where they can be indistinguishable from the rest of humanity.” Dr. Salla corroborates.
According to Alex Collier who claims to be a “contactee“, “a variety of extraterrestrial races have provided genetic material for the ‘human experiment‘. “Alex Collier indicates that “Earth humans” are “a product of extraterrestrial genetic manipulation, and are possessors of a vast gene pool consisting of many different racial memory banks, also consisting of at least 22 different races.”
Alleged Human ET efforts to promote the unity of humanity through religious spirituality
Alex Collier further claims that constituents of “Human ETs” seek to “ensure that global humanity evolves in a responsible way without endangering both itself and the greater galactic community of which it is part. “ Exopolitics groups and independent contactees also indicate that constituents of “Human ETs” seek to “uplift human consciousness and to promote the unity of religion.”
Alex Colliers alleged contact with ETs suggest that fundamentalist messages in from Christianity to Judaism to Islam, and other institutionalized religions, as well as outright apparent ‘cult’ groups, have been specifically placed by “hostile elements” to manipulate and control humankind.
Jesus, who many groups allege was a “Human ET” sought to inspire the social consciousness of humankind toward unity, and not to create a “Christian religion”, with its sexually repressive as well as homophobic undertones, which also have been used for the execution of racism, and to legitimate atrocities like the ‘slave trade‘.
ETs who allegedly contacted Alex Collier, also further allegedly stipulate that Jesus did in fact live; and lived out the rest of his life in Massada; and that Jesus was only crucified through the religious doctrine, and myth-making associated with ‘the palms‘.
As far as the “saviour scenario” is concerned, for example, Alex Collier was allegedly told by ETs that it has been put into our belief systems to “disempower us.” The saviour scenario within the dogma of institutionalized religions legitimate the creation of an elite-driven oppressive power structure who appoint themselves as “judgers of morality“. These religious elites have historically used their self-appointed roles to execute a comprehensive system of social controls that complement their joint pursuit of greed-oriented self-aggrandizement with other elites from government to business enterprises.
The alleged efforts of socially progressive Human ETs to inspire the affirmation of the quality-of-living of ‘Earth Humans’ through spiritual and other “emissaries”, have been undermined by the efforts of “capitalists” to exploit such alleged initiatives in the pursuit of an oppressive agenda of greed and fascistic power.
Constituents of Human ETs allegedly seek to “help humanity find freedom from oppressive structures through education and consciousness raising.”
Allegations of “Human ET” encounters on Earth
In Dr. Salla’s article “Extraterrestrials Among Us” published in October 2006, he alleges that, “There is startling evidence from a number of independent sources that ‘human looking’ extraterrestrial visitors have integrated with and lived in major population centres up until recently, and this is known by a select number of institutions.
Aside from whistleblower testimonies, like Sergeant Major Robert Dean, a number of private individuals claim to have encountered extraterrestrials posing as ordinary citizens in major cities around the planet.
George Adamski was the first to write about extraterrestrials secretly living among the human population. In his second non-fiction book describing his extraterrestrial contact experiences, “Inside the Flying Saucers“, Adamski discussed how human looking extraterrestrials had established a presence among the human population. “They apparently looked so much like us”, Dr. Salla notes “that they could get jobs, lived in neighbourhoods, drove cars, and could blend in easily with the human population.”
Dr. Salla further notes that “Adamski wrote about how they contacted him to set up meetings that led to his famous flights aboard extraterrestrial vehicles.” But as Dr. Salla explains “While controversy over Adamski’s contact experiences and his credibility continues, Adamski’s UFO sightings and contacts with extraterrestrials were supported by an impressive collection of witnesses, photographs and films that a number of independent investigators concluded were not hoaxes.”
Dr. Salla additionally stipulates that “Adamski’s testimony offers important insights into how extraterrestrials may be living incognito among the human population. After discussing the Adamski case and the strongest evidence supporting it, Dr. Salla in that article further discusses other contactees similarly claiming to have encountered extraterrestrials acting like ordinary citizens. Finally, Dr. Salla in “Extraterrestrials Among Us” examines the official testimony of a number of whistleblowers concerning knowledge that extraterrestrials live among ordinary Earth-bound individuals.
Contact Testimonies of ‘Extraterrestrials Among Us’
Adamski’s famous “Desert Center” meeting with an extraterrestrial emerging from a ‘scout ship’ on November 20, 1952 was apparently seen by six witnesses who signed affidavits confirming Adamski’s version of events in his subsequent book, The Flying Saucers have Landed (1953). In fact, four of the witnesses immediately reported what had happened to a nearby newspaper, the Phoenix Gazette, that published a story on November 24 featuring photos and sketches. The Desert Center encounter was among those of Adamski’s claims regarding extraterrestrial contact that, according to UFO researcher Timothy Good, were “accurately reported,” and “sensible and verifiable”, as footnotes by Dr. Salla. Given the clear supporting evidence supporting Adamski’s first meeting with an extraterrestrial traveling in a scout craft, it is worth examining closely his alleged subsequent meetings with extraterrestrials living on Earth.
In the first chapter of Inside the Flying Saucers, Dr. Salla re-visits Adamski’s testimony of his meeting with two extraterrestrials while he was sitting in the lobby of a Los Angeles Hotel on February 18, 1953.
“I looked at my wrist watch and saw that it said ten-thirty. The lateness of the hour, with still nothing of extraordinary significance having taken place, sent a wave of disappointment through me. And just at this moment of depression, two men approached, one of whom addressed me by name. Both were complete strangers, but there was no hesitancy in their manner as they came forward, and nothing in their appearance to indicate that they were other than average young businessmen… I noted that both men were well proportioned. One was slightly over six feet and looked to be in his early thirties. His complexion was ruddy, his eyes dark brown, with the kind of sparkle that suggests great enjoyment of life. His gaze was extraordinarily penetrating. His black hair waved and was cut according to our style. He wore a dark brown business suit but no hat. The shorter man looked younger and I judged his height to be about five feet, nine inches. He had a round boyish face, a fair complexion and eyes of grayish blue. His hair, also wavy and worn in our style, was sandy in color. He was dressed in a gray suit and was also hatless. He smiled as he addressed me by name. As I acknowledged the greeting, the speaker extended his hand and when it touched mine a great joy filled me. The signal was the same as had been given by the man I had met on the desert on that memorable November 20, 1952. (Described in the book Flying Saucers Have Landed).”
Significant in Adamski’s description is how the two extraterrestrials could pass off as businessmen. Aside from a penetrating stare, nothing struck him as unusual in their appearance. Adamski goes on to explain how he went with them in their car to travel to a remote desert location:
“Together we left the lobby, I walking between them. About a block north of the hotel, they turned into a parking lot where they had a car waiting. They had not spoken during this short time, yet inwardly I knew that these men were true friends. I felt no urge to ask where they proposed to take me, nor did it seem odd that they had volunteered no information. An attendant brought the car around, and the younger man slid into the driver’s seat, motioning me to get in beside him. Our other companion also sat with us on the front seat. The car was a four-door black Pontiac sedan. The man who had taken the wheel seemed to know exactly where he was going and drove skillfully. I am not familiar with all the new highways leading out of Los Angeles, so I had no idea in which direction we were headed. We rode in silence and I remained entirely content to wait for my companions to identify themselves and explain the reason for our meeting.”
“What’s significant here is that the two extraterrestrials possessed a car and knew how to navigate on the newly completed Los Angeles highway system. This is no mean feat and suggests that the extraterrestrials had taken the time to learn the road traffic rules and how to navigate through Los Angeles.”
Dr. Salla indicates in “Extraterrestrials Among Us”, that Adamski further reveals:
“Lights and dwellings thinned as we left the outskirts of the city. The taller man spoke for the first time… His voice was soft and pleasant and his English perfect. I had noticed that the younger man also spoke softly, although his voice was pitched higher. I found myself wondering how and where they had learned to speak our language so well.”
“…We are what you on Earth might call ‘Contact men.’ We live and work here, because, as you know, it is necessary on Earth to earn money with which to buy clothing, food, and the many things that people must have. We have lived on your planet now for several years. At first we did have a slight accent. But that has been overcome and, as you can see, we are unrecognized as other than Earth men. “At our work and in our leisure time we mingle with people here on Earth, never betraying the secret that we are inhabitants of other worlds. That would be dangerous, as you well know. We understand you people better than most of you know yourselves and can plainly see the reasons for many of the unhappy conditions that surround you.”
Dr. Salla indicates also that, “This passage [previous] is significant since it describes how the extraterrestrials have spent years living on Earth, learning the language, getting jobs and mixing with the human population. Furthermore, it appears as though extraterrestrials living among the human population may work in pairs, a kind of buddy system that would make sense in terms of ensuring safety and communications with the home world if an emergency ever occurred. If Adamski is accurate in his recollections and the extraterrestrials are telling the truth, then it would appear that there could be a significant number of extraterrestrials who are living incognito among the normal population in many if not most major cities on the planet. Upon examining other contactee cases and the testimonies of whistleblowers, it does appear as though this is indeed the case.”
Exopolitics groups furthermore provide additional representation that Adamski was not the only one of the contactees making representation that extraterrestrials were blending in with the human population. Howard Menger, for example, also claimed to have been contacted by extraterrestrials posing as ordinary human citizens. In one case, the extraterrestrial was posing as a real estate salesperson and asked Menger to accompany him in one of the extraterrestrial’s vehicle.
In addition to seeking to learn about human values and civilization, it appears that “Human ET” visitors were conducting a low key education effort to promote awareness of their presence to a limited number of individual ‘contactees’.
These “Human extraterrestrial visitors” have been represented has often having as very attractive physical characteristics, with “Human extraterrestrial females” being described as among the most beautiful women that male observers have witnessed.
The “Human extraterrestrials visitors” furthermore have been represented as going to great trouble in learning the indigenous language of the culture they are immersed in, learning how to drive and navigate on highways systems, and taking innocuous jobs over several years.
Extraterrestrials living among us appear to be operating in a manner similar to a “celestial peace corps” where they try to blend in. They presumably wish to learn about Earth culture and behaviour; and to, perhaps, assist in passing on information to selected individuals.
Representation on Earth Humans relative to “non-Earthbound” humans:
Advanced Human ETs as viewing Earth Humans as barbarians and savages which are a threat to themselves.
Alex Collier alleges that ETs revealed to his that there are over 135 other billion human beings in the 8 galaxies closest to ours.
Alex Collier alleges that “The first time I walked on to one of their ships [Human ETs], a bunch of their children started to run away from me. They knew that I was from Earth.”
“We have a very bad reputation,” Alex Collier indicates, “because we are the only human race in the galaxy that kills itself, that turns on itself. We are the only race [human] that allows itself to live in poverty. We are the only ones who allow members of our race to starve. We are the only ones that allow members of the race to be homeless. We are the only race that would sell itself into slavery. I don’t like the reflection they give me of us. It’s not that they are judging. They just don’t understand why we do it. If anyone’s got an answer for it, I’m open. Yes, we’ve been manipulated by belief systems, but why do we believe these belief systems?”
According to testimony by Alex Collier in associated with alleged ET contacts, Earth Humans “are the only race of human beings which oppresses and kills itself.”
If Human ETs do exist, as scholarly and other representation suggests, the saving of Humanity from its current apparent course of self-destruction, including on-going catastrophic Global Warming, may very well vitally rely on human governance systems placing its greed-driven bigotries aside, toward a constructive dialogue.
Make comments about this article in The Canadian Blog.
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THIS IS FOR REAL ...
"Some of those to whom I sent the article on Extra Terrestrial DNA have expressed inability to trace Sam Cheng to the Human Genome Project. Here are some facts in support. the articles quoted make, to me, rather interesting reading. Draw your own conclusions. Found a connection in under one minute verifying Prof. Sam Cheng as a group leader in the Genome Project. Type, without the quotes "Sam Cheng and Human Genome Project" into a Google Search. Here is the URL to the first on the list, a very interesting article explaining how they came to discover it and the fact that several cancers are a result of the programming: http://paranormal.about.com/library/weekly/aa011402a.htm
Here is another, again Prof. Sam Cheng described as group leader: http://www.enigmaticearth.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=108 -- I would suggest that the article is very real."
— John T.Linnell" (integrity1@simantha.com)
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Partly Related Resources:
Extraterrestrials and UFO'S - MUCH TO DISCOVER THERE!! http://www.crystalinks.com/extra.html
2007 - Credible UFO sights are on the increase around the world. The majority of incidents happen at night. They are reported by one or more witnesses, and generally do not involve physical contact. Nondescript photos are often offered as proof of a sighting. Contact information from aliens is generally channeled and speaks about the nature of humanity and its evolution. Description of ships are the same as those recorded throughout history, in recent years centering on triangular formations, one of which I witnessed in November 2003. Without physical contact and information shared, our connection remains an mystery. There are those who believe humanity was seeded by a non-human race who will return one day to help us evolve beyond this reality. This is based on alleged alien contact, religious dogma, ancient prophecies, symbols and archetypes, our inner guidance, meditation, dreams, among other internal and external influences. All are metaphors in the hologram of our reality. CLIP
AVIARY GOODBYE, HELLO ACCLIMATION PROGRAM - BY Richard Boylan Ph.D. http://www.abovetopsecret.com/pages/aviary.html
(...) Is the struggle over UFO disclosure a theological war? Not the way that question suggests, but Dr. Steven Greer, Director of the Center for the Study of Extraterrestrial Intelligence, has talked with high officials in government. He has learned that a number of right-wing extremists in the Cabal are also fundamentalist religious extremists, who demonize the extraterrestrial visitors, and may view their private war as a "crusade".Star Wars (SDI/BMDO) weapons systems have ironically been derived from extraterrestrial technology. They are "made in America" and elsewhere in the Group of Seven countries. These weapons systems include: killer lasers, neutral particle-beam weapons, kinetic-kill missiles, electromagnetic-pulse weapons, tactical nuclear weapons, and plasmoid pulsed laser-maser weapons.The ruthless attacks by the Cabal certainly serve to undermine the trust and cooperation that the extraterrestrials wish to develop with us. Since the extraterrestrial cultures in contact are more developed, they do not resort to violent massive retaliation against these attacks. Thus, the Cabal's private war is not physically suicidal, but certainly self-defeating for the best interests of Earth. Top world leaders, such as found in the Bilderberg Group and the Council on Foreign Relations, have been quietly meeting with and entering into negotiations with the representatives of the interstellar Federation of ET cultures in contact. The ETs seek peace, human attention to reversing global pollution, and the sharing of theological, historical, metaphysical, scientific, cultural and technological information. They also wish to be of assistance during upcoming and foreseen geophysical cataclysms and societal turmoil. But only if we want their assistance.
Vatican Monsignor Corrado Balducci: Many saints believed in alien lifeforms http://www.soultravel.nu/2006/0510-Balducci/balducci-vatican-ufos.shtml
The reality of the UFO phenomenon and its theological implications: using reason, extraterrestrials are here. A glimpse of their nature and a mention of the Third Secret of Fatima.
About 2012 and what it actually means http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/DrRichBoylanReports/message/1575
I have seen a Mayan Elder write, with some annoyance, that the Dec. 21, 2012 date has been seriously misunderstood by (mostly White) writers. That calendar date is not the end of the world. It is only the end of the current Mayan calendar cycle. There will be a new cycle after that one ends. For a while I interpreted that date as the point when Fifth World would be more in ascendancy, and Fourth World would be more heading into decline. But a Star Visitor, (I think it was Councillor For the Watchers), clarified that 2012 was only an approximate date given by Star Visitors to Mayan Elders centuries ago, as the approximate year when Fifth World would be visibly starting to emerge. But the Councillor clarified that events are fluid, and if we lightworkers work hard and bring in Fifth World transformed society earlier, that is great! There is no need to "wait" for 2012. So, this reaffirms what has been a general truth: that the future is in our hands; and if we don't like the way things are, we need to work harder to bring in the kind of world we want to live in. And hand over to our children, and their children.
The Dropa Stones: In 1938, Chinese archaeologists discover strange stone disks in a remote mountain cave, and they may contain an incredible message. http://paranormal.about.com/library/weekly/aa060198.htm
(...) Chi Pu Tei, a professor of archaeology at Beijing University, was leading some his students on an expedition to survey a series of interlinking caves in the Himalayan mountains. According to one account, the caves may have been artificially carved, and were more like a complex system of tunnels and underground storerooms. The walls were squared and glazed, as if cut into the mountain with a source of extreme heat. Inside the caves were several ancient, but neatly arranged burial sites, and in them the skeletal remains of a strange people. The skeletons, measuring a little more than four feet tall, were frail and spindly with disproportionately large skulls. At first. it was suggested by a member of the team that these might be the remains of an unknown species of mountain gorilla. Professor Chi Pu Tei is reputed to have responded, "Who ever heard of apes burying one another?" Yet, what kind of human was this? More discoveries made further in the caves all but ruled out the idea that these were apes. On the walls were carved pictograms of the heavens: the sun, the moon, the stars, and the Earth with lines of dots connecting them. Then the team made the most incredible discovery of all. Half-buried in the dirt floor of the cave was an odd stone disk, obviously fashioned by the hand of an intelligent creature. The disk was approximately nine inches in diameter and three-quarters of an inch thick. In the exact center was a perfectly round, 3/4" hole, and etched in its face was a fine groove spiraling out from the center to the rim, making the disk look for all the world like some kind of primitive phonograph record. This one plate, dated to be between 10,000 and 12,000 years old - older by far than the great pyramids of Egypt - was fantastic enough, but the wonder was multiplied manyfold. In all, 716 such plates were found. And each held an incredible secret. The groove, upon further inspection, was not a groove at all, but a continuous line of strange carved hieroglyphics - writing! The tiny, almost microscopic characters were in a language never encountered before. It wasn't until 1962 that another Chinese scientist was able to decode the message of the stone plates - a message so incredible and earth-shattering that the Prehistory Department of the Beijing Academy prohibited its translation to be published. Eventually, the message was published, and what is says will astound you. CLIP
Recommended by "P. Dalton" (pdalton@uneedspeed.net)
Thoughts
1. If you're too open-minded, your brain will fall out.
2. Don't worry about what people think; they don't do it very often.
3. Going to a church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.
4. It isn't the jeans that make your butt look fat.
5. Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
6. My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.
7. Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.
8. It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
9. For every action, there is an equal & opposite government program.
10. If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.
11. Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.
12. A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel good.
13. Eat well, stay fit, die anyway. (Just remember how lucky you were to get a free trip around the sun.)
14. Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it.
15. No man has ever been shot while doing the dishes.
16. A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.
17. Middle age is when broadness of the mind & narrowness of the waist change places.
18. Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.
19. Junk is something you've kept for years & throw away three weeks before you need it.
20. There is always one more imbecile than you counted on.
21. Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
22. By the time you can make the ends meet, they move the ends.
23. Thou shall not weigh more than thy refrigerator.
24. Someone who thinks logically provides a nice contrast to the real world.
25. If you must choose between two evils, chose the one that you've never tried before.
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