RACE - The Power of an Illusion . Background Readings | PBS:
"Racism exists when one ethnic group or historical collectivity dominates, excludes, or seeks to eliminate another on the basis of differences that it believes are hereditary and unalterable."
Technology Review: Print-on-Demand Power:
"The new capacitors are made by spraying carbon nanotubes onto two pieces of plastic, then sandwiching a gel electrolyte in between them. In the resulting device, one nanotube network acts as the positive electrode while the other functions as the negative electrode. When a voltage is applied to the electrolyte gel, charges collect on the surfaces of the nanotubes, storing energy. 'The performance of the device is comparable to other devices,' says Cui. 'The key is that everything is printable.'"
Ontario's high-tech driver's licences pose privacy risk: watchdog:
"The technology behind Ontario's new enhanced driver's licences will allow people to secretly track other people's activities and movements unless privacy protection is added, warns the province's privacy commissioner."
Happy Belated Penis Day!!! « Laurie Kendrick:
"Modern day Japanese celebrate ‘Penis Day’ as a rite of seasonal passage. It’s Springtime and spring springs to mind newness, birth and rebirth, and of course, fertility. And we all know the penis is one of two ingredients needed to pinpoint the real, grass roots definition of creationism. And celebrate, they do. They have for centuries. This particular Japanese festival in Komaki, celebrates a statue of a penis to which Geisha and her lovely bevy of prostitutes prayed in the 17th Century to protect them from sexually transmitted diseases."
San Diego CityBeat - Hush-hush archaeology:
"‘Number one, it’s a spiritual violation to destroy those sites. And if we waive all of our environmental laws we are setting a precedent for other projects,’ Lucas, a 20-year Marine Corps Veteran, told CityBeat. ‘You can see the systematic destruction of America’s history and prehistory all across this country.’"
Half of your friends lost in seven years:
"Had a good chat with someone recently? Has a good friend just helped you to do up your home? Then you will be lucky if that person still does that in seven years time. Sociologist Gerald Mollenhorst investigated how the context in which we meet people influences our social network. One of his conclusions: you lose about half of your close network members every seven years. "
Publications Search| International Institute for Environment and Development:
"Large-scale acquisitions of farmland in Africa, Latin America, Central Asia and Southeast Asia are making headlines in a flurry of media reports across the world. Lands that only a short time ago seemed of little outside interest are now being sought by international investors by the tune of hundreds of thousands of hectares. And while a failed attempt to lease 1.3 million hectares in Madagascar has attracted much media attention, deals reported in the international press constitute the tip of the iceberg."
RFID 'Powder' - World's Smallest RFID Tag: Science Fiction in the News:
"These devices could also be used to identify and track people. For example, suppose you participated in some sort of protest or other organized activity. If police agencies sprinkled these tags around, every individual could be tracked and later identified at leisure, with powerful enough tag scanners. "
San Francisco - All Shook Down - Green Day to Wal-Mart: Fuck Censorship:
"Looks like everyone who called Green Day sell-outs owes the band an apology. After releasing 21st Century Breakdown, their most ambitious album ever, the band followed up by doing the most punk thing they've ever done: refuse to sell a clean version in Wal-Mart, America's largest retailer, and the #2 retail outlet for music (behind iTunes). "
3 News > World > Story > ADHD treatment causes young boys to develop female sex organs:
"A drug used to treat ADHD children is causing concern in the United States. It is called Risperdal and it is supposed to be used primarily for adults with sever psychological problems. But last year it was prescribed more than 6.5 million times. The side effects include young males developing female sex organs."
Nanoneural Upgrade Creates Something Half Brain, Half Ultra-Tech:
"The work clamps a bunch of hippocampus cells to a fullerene nanotube. Trials have shown that the brain cells grow very effectively on the nanomaterial, indicating that this junction could be a biocompatible link between mind and machine. Even better, the single-walled nanotubes can actually accelerate signaling between neural cells. Electrical signals can be conducted by the tube, and are transmitted faster than by the cells' own axon connections."
"For a labour of love, it was the DIY job of the century. Brick by brick, the gutsy little old lady demolished her precious home, pulling each medieval nail from its ancient oak beam. Dressed in a workman's apron, her greying hair tucked beneath a headscarf, she single-handedly piled high the thousands of hand-made Hertfordshire peg tiles from the roof. Huge timbers were loaded onto a lorry, alongside Tudor fireplaces and Elizabethan diamond leaded glass, for a rebuild that would consume the rest of her life. "
nrc.nl - International - Netherlands to close prisons for lack of criminals:
"The Dutch justice ministry has announced it will close eight prisons and cut 1,200 jobs in the prison system. A decline in crime has left many cells empty."
"‘Cheney,’ said Alexander, ‘fundamentally misunderstands the way America is viewed around the world,’ a reporter who reviewed the video wrote Tuesday. ‘The American principles of freedom and democracy are cherished in the Muslim world and the idea, at least, of America is still a seductive one. But it is the behavior of the Bush administration at Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib and secret prisons around the globe that undercuts that image, allowing Al Qaeda to make the argument that America isn’t what it stands for.’"
Police find feral girl in Siberia - Yahoo! News:
"MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian police have taken into care a 5-year-old girl who has been shut up in a flat in the company of cats and dogs for her entire life, police said on Wednesday."
"Since the spread of his prostate cancer, 53-year-old Randy Stroup of Dexter, Ore., has been in a fight for his life. Uninsured and unable to pay for expensive chemotherapy, he applied to Oregon's state-run health plan for help. Lane Individual Practice Association (LIPA), which administers the Oregon Health Plan in Lane County, responded to Stroup's request with a letter saying the state would not cover Stroup's pricey treatment, but would pay for the cost of physician-assisted suicide."
Badass of the Week: Ching Shih:
"Ching Shih was one of the most badass pirates of all time. In a ten-year span, Ching's 'Red Flag Fleet', a pirate armada consisting of somewhere around four hundred Chinese twenty-gun junks and several thousand men, sailed up and down the coast of Imperial China kicking asses, sacking towns, breaking necks and cashing cheques. Few pirates ever enjoyed such unbridled financial and military success as the Red Flag Fleet, thanks in a large part to the cunning and ruthlessness of Captain Ching Shih and her desire to be the most feared pirate in history. "
Shell on trial - Americas, World - The Independent:
"Royal Dutch Shell will revisit one of the darkest periods of its history tomorrow as a potentially groundbreaking court case opens in New York. The oil giant stands accused of complicity in the 1995 execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa, a Nigerian environmental activist. "
FBI Blows It: Supposed Terror Plot Against NY Synagogues Is Bogus | World | AlterNet:
"Despite the pompous statements from Mayor Bloomberg of New York and other politicians, including Representative Peter King, the whole story is bogus. The four losers may have been inclined to violence, and they may have harbored a virulent strain of anti-Semitism. But it seems that the informant whipped up their violent tendencies and their hatred of Jews, cooked up the plot, incited them, arranged their purchase of weapons, and then had them busted. To ensure that it made headlines, the creepy informant claimed to be representing a Pakistani extremist group, Jaish-e Muhammad, a bona fide terrorist organization. He wasn't, of course."
Pro-Israel forces attempt to silence University of California Santa Barbara professor:
"On January 19 University of California Santa Barbara sociology Professor William Robinson sent an email to students on the roster of his Global Affairs course in which he compared the Israeli occupation of Gaza to the Warsaw Ghetto. He was subsequently brought up on disciplinary charges by the Academic Senate of the university, as well as subjected to harassment and persecution by pro-Israeli elements. The charges against Robinson pose a serious threat to academic freedom. They are an effort to intimidate critics of Israeli policy at a time when that regime’s actions have produced widespread revulsion. Ultimately, the aim of such witch-hunts is to silence those opposed to the policies of one of the US government’s key allies."
Children Who Get Flu Vaccine Have Three Times Risk Of Hospitalization For Flu, Study Suggests:
"ScienceDaily (May 20, 2009) — The inactivated flu vaccine does not appear to be effective in preventing influenza-related hospitalizations in children, especially the ones with asthma. In fact, children who get the flu vaccine are more at risk for hospitalization than their peers who do not get the vaccine, according to new research that will be presented on May 19, at the 105th International Conference of the American Thoracic Society in San Diego."
Stone Age Superglue Found -- Hints at Unknown Smarts?:
"Stone Age humans were adept chemists who whipped up a sophisticated kind of natural glue, a new study says. They knowingly tweaked the chemical and physical properties of an iron-containing pigment known as red ochre with the gum of acacia trees to create adhesives for their shafted tools."
"he new wave of entrepreneurs driving South Florida's explosive growth of pain clinics includes operators escaping unsavory pasts, money troubles and declines in more traditional mom-and-pop businesses."
Stoners Volunteer to Save California by Being Taxed - LAist: Los Angeles News, Food, Arts & Events:
"While Sacramento scrambles to cut hundreds of millions of dollars of funding for public transportation and other programs around the state, a serious group of underground marijuana professionals are offering to pay at least a billion dollars in taxes, if only California would legalize pot. "
Malcolm X Grandson Breaks Silence! | NewsOne:
"To commemorate Malcolm X’s birthday, an icon who many consider to be the greatest Black leader who has ever lived, NewsOne presents this exclusive investigative story, photo gallery and video that, for the first time, speaks to Malcolm X’s first male heir, MALCOLM SHABAZZ."
Profits Before People: 7 of the World’s Most Irresponsible Companies » Eco-Chick:
"This article originally appeared on EarthFirst.com. Money isn’t everything – or is it? To most corporations, making a profit is goal number one – but some of those companies take it way too far, sacrificing the health of the planet and its inhabitants for a bigger bank balance. Far too many corporations turn a blind eye to the consequences of their destructive, exploitative practices. The worst of them are committing atrocities that go beyond the realm of objectionable into criminal, dumping toxic chemicals without regard to public health and employing child labor. What makes these seven companies extra evil is the fact that they’ve committed crimes that are BOTH environmentally and socially irresponsible."
Court Strikes Down GPS Tracking Without Warrant - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com:
"In a 4-to-3 ruling, the New York State Court of Appeals ruled on Tuesday that the State Police violated a criminal suspect’s rights under the State Constitution when it placed a GPS tracking device inside the bumper of his van without obtaining a warrant. "
Wisconsin court upholds GPS tracking by police -- chicagotribune.com:
"MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin police can attach GPS to cars to secretly track anybody's movements without obtaining search warrants, an appeals court ruled Thursday. However, the District 4 Court of Appeals said it was 'more than a little troubled' by that conclusion and asked Wisconsin lawmakers to regulate GPS use to protect against abuse by police and private individuals."
Lake Mead Is Drying Up | GOOD:
"The combination of a changing climate and a strong demand for the lake’s remaining water has resulted in 100 foot drop since 2000. While that’s just 10 percent under the lake’s high water mark in 1983, Lake Mead is like a martini glass—wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. That 10 percent dip represents a loss of half Lake Mead’s water supply in nine years, from 96 percent capacity to 43 percent."
Oprah's KFC Stunt Promotes Swine Flu-Causing Factory Farms : TreeHugger:
"I was dismayed to hear that Oprah was helping to push KFC's free chicken promotion. Wasn't quite sure why, initially—after all, 'free food for everyone' is generally a pretty positive notion. But then I recalled that KFC buys its chicken from Tyson—one of the US's biggest factory farmers and perpetrator of shady health practices. And then I remembered that Oprah herself did an expose on the cruelty of factory farms , essentially condemning them. And then I realized that the ploy couldn't have come at a worse time: US factory farms have been confirmed to have played a role in the origin of swine flu. "
Mexico, Columbia, and Brazil urge the U.S. to legalize Marijuana | Vote Bio:
"Over at TheRawStory, they have covered a story which should be of some interest to every American citizen becuase it concerns their taxes and their government. Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan told Bob Schieffer on Face the Nation that the United States ought to seriously consider legalization of marijuana."
Reuters AlertNet - SNAP ANALYSIS-Flu could boost gov't intervention further:
"LONDON, April 27 (Reuters) - The spread of a possible flu pandemic could see an increase in already heightened levels of government intervention in economies and financial markets as a result of the global financial crisis. In the short term, it might serve to give governments an easy justification to impose protectionist measures that could further stifle slumping trade flows. "
Swine flu confirmed in NYC high school students:
"NEW YORK – New York City was dealing with a growing public health threat Sunday after tests confirmed that eight students at a private Catholic high school had contracted swine flu. Some of the school's students had visited Mexico on a spring break trip two weeks ago. New York officials previously had said they were eight probable cases, but Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that it was swine flu, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said."
Many Contra Costa crooks won't be prosecuted:
"District Attorney Robert Kochly also said that beginning May 4, his office will no longer prosecute felony drug cases involving smaller amounts of narcotics. That means anyone caught with less than a gram of methamphetamine or cocaine, less than 0.5 grams of heroin and fewer than five pills of ecstasy, OxyContin or Vicodin won't be charged. "
Bruce Perens - A Cyber-Attack on an American City:
"Just after midnight on Thursday, April 9, unidentified attackers climbed down four manholes serving the Northern California city of Morgan Hill and cut eight fiber cables in what appears to have been an organized attack on the electronic infrastructure of an American city. Its implications, though startling, have gone almost un-reported. That attack demonstrated a severe fault in American infrastructure: its centralization. The city of Morgan Hill and parts of three counties lost 911 service, cellular mobile telephone communications, land-line telephone, DSL internet and private networks, central station fire and burglar alarms, ATMs, credit card terminals, and monitoring of critical utilities. In addition, resources that should not have failed, like the local hospital's internal computer network, proved to be dependent on external resources, leaving the hospital with a 'paper system' for the day. In technical terms, the area was partitioned from the surrounding internet. What was the attackers goal? Nothing has been revealed. Robbery? With wires cut, silent alarms were useless. Manipulation of the stock market? Companies, brokerages, and investors in the very wealthy community were cut off. Mayhem, murder, terrorism? But nothing like that seems to have happened. Some theorize unhappy communications workers, given the apparent knowledge of the community's infrastructure necessary for this attack. Or did the attackers simply want to teach us a lesson? Al"
"Perchlorate was a contaminant of all commercially available PIFs tested. Bovine milk-based PIFs with lactose had a significantly higher perchlorate concentration perchlorate than soy, lactose-free, and elemental PIFs. The perchlorate RfD may be exceeded when certain bovine milk-based PIFs are ingested and/or when PIFs are reconstituted with perchlorate-contaminated water."
The Raw Story | Cybersecurity Act would give president power to 'shut down' Internet:
"A recently proposed but little-noticed Senate bill would allow the federal government to shut down the Internet in times of declared emergency, and enables unprecedented federal oversight of private network administration. The bill's draft states that 'the president may order a cybersecurity emergency and order the limitation or shutdown of Internet traffic' and would give the government ongoing access to 'all relevant data concerning (critical infrastructure) networks without regard to any provision of law, regulation, rule, or policy restricting such access.'"
U.S. judges admit to jailing children for money | Reuters:
"PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Two judges pleaded guilty on Thursday to accepting more than $2.6 million from a private youth detention center in Pennsylvania in return for giving hundreds of youths and teenagers long sentences. Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan of the Court of Common Pleas in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, entered plea agreements in federal court in Scranton admitting that they took payoffs from PA Childcare and a sister company, Western PA Childcare, between 2003 and 2006."
"Thanks to an obscure tax provision, the United States government stands to pay out as much as $8 billion this year to the ten largest paper companies. And get this: even though the money comes from a transportation bill whose manifest intent was to reduce dependence on fossil fuel, paper mills are adding diesel fuel to a process that requires none in order to qualify for the tax credit. In other words, we are paying the industry--handsomely--to use more fossil fuel. 'Which is,' as a Goldman Sachs report archly noted, the 'opposite of what lawmakers likely had in mind when the tax credit was established.' The massive tax subsidy has barely been reported in the press, but it's caused a stir in the paper industry, which is struggling to stay profitable in the teeth of the recession. 'Everybody's talking about it,' paper industry analyst Brian McClay told me. 'In the US and elsewhere in the world--in Canada and Brazil and Chile and Europe.' "
Drug Decriminalization in Portugal: Lessons for Creating Fair and Successful Drug Policies:
"On July 1, 2001, a nationwide law in Portugal took effect that decriminalized all drugs, including cocaine and heroin. Under the new legal framework, all drugs were 'decriminalized,' not 'legalized.' Thus, drug possession for personal use and drug usage itself are still legally prohibited, but violations of those prohibitions are deemed to be exclusively administrative violations and are removed completely from the criminal realm. Drug trafficking continues to be prosecuted as a criminal offense."
Obama Sides With RIAA, Supports $150,000 Fine per Music Track | Threat Level from Wired.com:
"The Obama administration for the first time is weighing in on a Recording Industry Association of America file sharing lawsuit and is supporting hefty awards of as much as $150,000 per purloined music track. "
All You Need for Fresh Air: 3 Essential Green Plants | greenUPGRADER:
"Seventeen years ago Kamal Meattle found out that the air in his home city of Dehli was killing him. He had grown allergic to the pollutants in the air and his lung capacity started declined to 70%. He began researching and found that these three plants can provide a human with all the fresh air they need indoors to be healthy. The three plants are the Areca Palm, the Mother-in-law’s Tongue , and the Money Plant."
A Medical Madoff: Anesthesiologist Faked Data in 21 Studies: Scientific American:
"Over the past 12 years, anesthesiologist Scott Reuben revolutionized the way physicians provide pain relief to patients undergoing orthopedic surgery for everything from torn ligaments to worn-out hips. Now, the profession is in shambles after an investigation revealed that at least 21 of Reuben's papers were pure fiction, and that the pain drugs he touted in them may have slowed postoperative healing. 'We are talking about millions of patients worldwide, where postoperative pain management has been affected by the research findings of Dr. Reuben,' says Steven Shafer, editor in chief of the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia, which published 10 of Reuben's fraudulent papers. Paul White, another editor at the journal, estimates that Reuben's studies led to the sale of billions of dollars worth of the potentially dangerous drugs known as COX2 inhibitors, Pfizer's Celebrex (celecoxib) and Merck's Vioxx (rofecoxib), for applications whose therapeutic benefits are now in question. Reuben was a member of Pfizer's speaker's bureau and received five independent research grants from the company. The editors do not believe patients were significantly harmed by the short-term use of these COX2 inhibitors for pain management but they say it's possible the therapy may have prolonged recovery periods."
[BOT] New Study Explains How Pot Kills Cancer Cells:
"A new study published in Nature Reviews-Cancer provides an historic and detailed explanation about how THC and natural cannabinoids counteract cancer, but preserve normal cells. The study by Manuel Guzmán of Madrid Spain found that cannabinoids, the active components of marijuana, inhibit tumor growth in laboratory animals. They do so by modulating key cell-signalling pathways, thereby inducing direct growth arrest and death of tumor cells, as well as by inhibiting the growth of blood vessels that supply the tumor. The Guzman study is very important according to Dr. Ethan Russo , a neurologist and world authority on medical cannabis: 'Cancer occurs because cells become immortalized; they fail to heed normal signals to turn off growth. A normal function of remodelling in the body requires that cells die on cue. This is called apoptosis, or programmed cell death. That process fails to work in tumors. THC promotes its reappearance so that gliomas, leukemias, melanomas and other cell types will in fact heed the signals, stop dividing, and die.' 'But, that is not all,' explains Dr. Russo: 'The other way that tumors grow is by ensuring that they are nourished: they send out signals to promote angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels. Cannabinoids turn off these signals as well. It is truly incredible, and elegant.' "
"Scientists at the University of California created a neural implant for a beetle that gives them wireless control over the insect. Electrical signals delivered via the electrodes command the insect to take off, turn left or right, or hover in midflight. Beetles and other flying insects are masters of flight control, integrating sensory feedback from the visual system and other senses to navigate and maintain stable flight, all the while using little energy. Rather than trying to re-create these systems from scratch, Michel Maharbiz and his colleagues aim to fuse the ‘born’ with the ‘made’. "
Singularity Hub - A blog about Longevity, Nanotech, Robotics, Genetics, AI, The Brain..:
"The Fertility Institutes recently stunned the fertility community by being the first company to boldly offer couples the opportunity to screen their embryos not only for diseases and gender, but also for completely benign characteristics such as eye color, hair color, and complexion. The Fertility Institutes proudly claims this is just the tip of the iceberg, and plans to offer almost any conceivable customization as science makes them available. Even as couples from across the globe are flocking in droves to pay the company their life’s savings for a custom baby, opponents are vilifying the company for shattering moral and ethical boundaries. Like it or not, the era of designer babies is officially here and there is no going back."
Researchers store data in bacteria DNA - Innovation- msnbc.com:
"FUJISAWA, Japan - These days, data get stored on disks, computer chips, hard drives and good old-fashioned paper. Scientists in Japan see something far smaller and more durable — bacteria. The four characters that represent the genetic coding in DNA work much like digital data. Character combinations can stand for specific letters and symbols — so codes in genomes can be translated, or read, to produce music, text, video and other content. While ink may fade and computers may crash, bacterial information lasts as long as a species stays alive — possibly a mind-boggling million years — according to Professor Masaru Tomita, who heads the team of researchers at Keio University."
Crop Scientists Say Biotechnology Seed Companies Are Thwarting Research - NYTimes.com:
"Biotechnology companies are keeping university scientists from fully researching the effectiveness and environmental impact of the industry’s genetically modified crops, according to an unusual complaint issued by a group of those scientists. Insect-resistant corn varieties are bred to repel rootworms. Enlarge This Image Craig Lassig for The New York Times Ken Ostlie, an entomologist, said Syngenta had withdrawn its permission and a study about corn and rootworms had to stop. ‘No truly independent research can be legally conducted on many critical questions,’ the scientists wrote in a statement submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency. The E.P.A. is seeking public comments for scientific meetings it will hold next week on biotech crops. The statement will probably give support to critics of biotech crops, like environmental groups, who have long complained that the crops have not been studied thoroughly enough and could have unintended health and environmental consequences."
The Final Hour: 65 Trillion - U.S. Financial Obligations Exceed The Entire World's GDP:
"The total liabilities of the United States government, including future social security and medicare payments that the U.S. government is already committed to pay out, now exceed 65 TRILLION dollars, which is more than the entire GDP of the whole world. According to the 2008 Financial Report of the United States Government, which is an official United States government report, the U.S. actually had a budget deficit of 5.1 trillion dollars in 2008. So why did the Congressional Budget Office report that the federal budget deficit was only 455 billion dollars (which is certainly a total disaster) in 2008?"
YouTube - Texas Border Patrol - Rising Violence In Mexico:
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How to stitch a wound when away from civilization - by Matthew Soo - Helium:
"If you have ever been out somewhere and received a nice cut it is not fun. It is really not fun when you are out in the middle of no where, like on a fishing trip or out camping. Have no fear though here is a quick 4 step guide to helping you stitch that wound right up."
"That the Constitution of the United States, having delegated to Congress a power to punish treason, counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States, piracies, and felonies committed on the high seas, and offences against the law of nations, slavery, and no other crimes whatsoever; and it being true as a general principle, and one of the amendments to the Constitution having also declared, that ‘the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people,’ therefore all acts of Congress which assume to create, define, or punish crimes, other than those so enumerated in the Constitution are altogether void, and of no force"
Report: 'Dirty bomb' parts found in slain man's home - Bangor Daily News:
"BELFAST, Maine — James G. Cummings, who police say was shot to death by his wife two months ago, allegedly had a cache of radioactive materials in his home suitable for building a ‘dirty bomb.’ "
7 charged as evidence sought on Phelps - Local / Metro - The State:
"‘The sheriff’s department is deploying resources they are normally reserving for major drug dealers and major criminals,’ said McCulloch, also a former prosecutor."
Govt called to cancel rules listing herbs as hazardous - Nationmultimedia.com:
" A group of organic farmers and alternative agricultural activists have called on the government to cancel regulations listing 13 herbal plants as hazardous substances, saying they would destroy local initiative in using the plants as alternative pesticides in place of chemicals. The group also asked the government to withdraw this legislation - an Industry Ministerial regulation and a Draft of Agricultural Ministerial regulation - within 30 days. If there was no response from the government they would gather at Government House to submit their petition and pressure Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, said the group's leader, Thai Health Foundation's director, Veerapong Kriangsinyot. The Industry Ministry - aiming to control pesticide production and commercialisation - announced its new regulation on February 3, listing the 13 plants as 'hazardous substances type 1' under the 1992 Hazardous Substances Act. The plants are: neem, citronella grass, tumeric, ginger, Chinese ginger, African marigold, Siam weed or bitter bush, tea seed cake, chilli, Chinese celery, ringworn bush, glory lily and stemona. They are widely used among farmers as alternatives for expensive and toxic farm chemicals, pesticides and herbicides."
Robbie Gennet: On Role Models and their Bongs:
"'Two of my favorite things are sitting on my front porch smoking a pipe of sweet hemp, and playing my Hohner harmonica.' - Abraham Lincoln (from a letter written by Lincoln during his presidency to the head of the Hohner Harmonica Company in Germany)"
Pa. judges accused of jailing kids for cash - Crime & courts- msnbc.com:
"WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - For years, the juvenile court system in Wilkes-Barre operated like a conveyor belt: Youngsters were brought before judges without a lawyer, given hearings that lasted only a minute or two, and then sent off to juvenile prison for months for minor offenses. The explanation, prosecutors say, was corruption on the bench. In one of the most shocking cases of courtroom graft on record, two Pennsylvania judges have been charged with taking millions of dollars in kickbacks to send teenagers to two privately run youth detention centers. "
The Associated Press: NY school officially renamed for President Obama:
"HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) — Students got their wish Wednesday as their school was officially renamed Barack Obama Elementary School. School officials believe it's the first in the nation to be renamed for the 44th president, and they said the idea to change the name of Ludlum Elementary School came from the children themselves. The students wrote essays and held mock debates during the campaign, and paid close attention when Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain met in their final presidential debate at Hofstra University, about a mile from their school on Long Island. 'It really sends a message to children that when they get involved they can make a difference,' said acting school Superintendent Joseph Laria."
Honolulu Exopolitics Examiner: Obama administration to clash with corporations over UFO files:
"President Obama’s January 21 Memoranda to promote Open Government and strengthen the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) are intended to release unnecessarily classified national security files. Among the many millions of classified files to ultimately be released, some will concern UFOs and extraterrestrial life. From these releases, UFO enthusiasts and exopolitical researchers hope to find clues into how government policy has been developed. More importantly, FOIA releases will point to where the bulk of the nation’s UFO files are located. That’s when the Obama administration will run up against corporate control of UFO files and policy."
Honolulu Exopolitics Examiner: Obama’s Chief Technology Officer and the X-Files:
Ben Rich, former Head of Lockheed Skunk Works explained the situation best: "We already have the means to travel among the stars, but these technologies are locked up in black projects and it would take an act of God to ever get them out to benefit humanity... anything you can imagine we already know how to do."
What’s My Pass? » The Top 500 Worst Passwords of All Time:
"From the moment people started using passwords, it didn’t take long to realize how many people picked the very same passwords over and over. Even the way people misspell words is consistent. In fact, people are so predictable that most hackers make use of lists of common passwords just like these. To give you some insight into how predictable humans are, the following is a list of the 500 most common passwords. If you see your password on this list, please change it immediately. Keep in mind that every password listed here has been used by at least hundreds if not thousands of other people."
GM, Chrysler suing taxpayers with taxpayer money - Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money:
"Earlier this week, Obama instructed the EPA to reconsider the case of California’s existing proposal to raise fuel-efficiency standards. The automakers have been fighting California and other states in court for several years. Last week, they pledged to continue that fight - despite the president's instructions and, to a larger extent, his consistent and unequivocal insistence on a ‘green’ auto industry. Except, as it stands now, the automakers are basically using their bailout money -- from taxpayers -- to turn around and sue…the taxpayers themselves. "
Suits Saying Pfizer Experimented on Nigerian Children Are Revived - washingtonpost.com:
"A federal appeals court on Friday revived two lawsuits brought against Pfizer by Nigerian families who say the giant drugmaker used their children in an illegal test of an experimental antibiotic. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York ruled that the suits, dismissed earlier by a lower-court judge who said they should have been brought in Nigeria, can now go forward in the U.S. courts. Lawyers said the ruling could set a precedent affecting other American companies accused of wrongdoing overseas. "
"Three physicists have reexamined the math surrounding the creation of microscopic black holes in the Switzerland-based LHC, the world's largest particle collider, and determined that they won't simply evaporate in a millisecond as had previously been predicted. Rather, Roberto Casadio of the University of Bologna in Italy and Sergio Fabi and Benjamin Harms of the University of Alabama say mini black holes could exist for much longer"
U.N. crime chief says drug money flowed into banks - International Herald Tribune:
"VIENNA: The United Nations' crime and drug watchdog has indications that money made in illicit drug trade has been used to keep banks afloat in the global financial crisis, its head was quoted as saying on Sunday. Vienna-based UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa said in an interview released by Austrian weekly Profil that drug money often became the only available capital when the crisis spiralled out of control last year. 'In many instances, drug money is currently the only liquid investment capital,' Costa was quoted as saying by Profil. 'In the second half of 2008, liquidity was the banking system's main problem and hence liquid capital became an important factor.'"
The Raw Story | Official: UN may prosecute Bush administration, regardless of US action:
" Official: UN may prosecute Bush administration, regardless of US action David Edwards Published: Thursday January 22, 2009 Print This Email This The UN's special torture rapporteur called on the US Tuesday to pursue former president George W. Bush and defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld for torture and bad treatment of Guantanamo prisoners. 'Judicially speaking, the United States has a clear obligation' to bring proceedings against Bush and Rumsfeld, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture Manfred Nowak said, in remarks to be broadcast on Germany's ZDF television Tuesday evening. He noted Washington had ratified the UN convention on torture which required 'all means, particularly penal law' to be used to bring proceedings against those violating it. 'We have all these documents that are now publicly available that prove that these methods of interrogation were intentionally ordered by Rumsfeld,' against detainees at the US prison facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Nowak said."
From A Weekend Musician, To Making $4.2 Million... By Giving Music Away Free | Techdirt:
"Corey's story is quite interesting. He mostly makes money from concerts, and the free music drives more people to those concerts, but there are a few other aspects that are worth exploring. First, even though the music is available for free, plenty of people still buy his music on iTunes. However, as an experiment, they took down the free tracks from Corey's website for a period of time last summer... and sales on iTunes went down. Once again, this proves how ridiculous the claim is that free songs somehow cannibalize sales. "
Ice cream causes positive alcohol test - UPI.com:
"The man claimed the alcohol reading was the result of eating a Bubble O' Bill ice cream treat and Magistrate Rod Crisp ordered a test to be performed to back up the claim. Police recorded the man's blood alcohol content as 0.00 and performed the test a second time after he took a few bites of Bubble O' Bill, yielding a 0.018 reading."
The Raw Story | Whistleblower: NSA spied on everyone, targeted journalists:
"'The National Security Agency had access to all Americans' communications -- faxes, phone calls, and their computer communications,' Tice claimed. 'It didn't matter whether you were in Kansas, in the middle of the country, and you never made foreign communications at all. They monitored all communications.'"
New Law Could Keep Books Out Reach For Children - Jacksonville News Story - WJXT Jacksonville:
"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A federal law that will soon go into effect could have some startling consequences, including the possible banning of children from libraries unless certain books are pulled from the shelves. Library Books Under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act books for children will have to be tested for lead. The law is called the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act and it is designed to protect children all over the country from the dangers of lead. Experts said there could be trace amounts of lead in books because of the ink. That's why the government wants all books, old and new, tested for lead."
Flu in U.S. found resistant to main antiviral drug - International Herald Tribune:
"Virtually all the flu in the United States this season is resistant to the leading antiviral drug Tamiflu, and scientists and health officials are trying to figure out why. The problem is not yet a public health crisis because this has been a below-average flu season so far and the chief strain circulating is still susceptible to other drugs — but infectious disease specialists are worried nonetheless."
"9. David Ben Gurion (the first Israeli Prime Minister): 'If I were an Arab leader, I would never sign an agreement with Israel. It is normal; we have taken their country. It is true God promised it to us, but how could that interest them? Our God is not theirs. There has been Anti - Semitism, the Nazis, Hitler, Auschwitz, but was that their fault ? They see but one thing: we have come and we have stolen their country. Why would they accept that?' Quoted by Nahum Goldmann in Le Paraddoxe Juif (The Jewish Paradox), pp121. "
"Today we have 'Nutra-Sweet', which is widely used in a plethora of consumables, despite a demonstrated neurological reaction in some people. In February 1996, it was decided to also use the product name 'Benevia'. It is estimated that as many as 20,000,000 people cannot metabolize phenylalimine, and this inability is genetically inherited by children. The inability to metabolize phenylalinine can lead to mental retardation in children. This means a risk of retardation for millions of children. A multi-billion dollar enterprise, this substance is said to be 'refined' from 'natural' substances. Like other 'refined' substances, it represents a health threat to the general public. No long term studies have been performed to evaluate the physiological effects of this substance, yet the public is lead to believe it is absolutely safe. Technically, the chemical is called aspartame, and it was once on a Pentagon list of biowarfare chemicals submitted to Congress. [1] Aspartame is in over 4,000 products worldwide and is consumed by over 200 million people in the United States alone. What follows is a skeletal examination of the chronology related to aspartame. A more detailed chronology is given later in this chapter based on information provided to us by the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network. "
"Marine Corps General Reinwald was interviewed on the radio the other day and you have to read his reply to the woman who interviewed him concerning guns and children. Regardless of how you feel about gun laws you should smile."
suddenly.everything.sucks. health. aspartame.:
"Aspartame was not approved until 1981, in dry foods. For over eight years the FDA refused to approve it because of the seizures and brain tumors this drug produced in lab animals. The FDA continued to refuse to approve it until President Reagan took office (a friend of Searle) and fired the FDA Commissioner who wouldn't approve it. Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes was appointed as commissioner. Even then there was so much opposition to approval that a Board of Inquiry was set up. The Board said: 'Do not approve aspartame'. Dr. Hayes overruled his own Board of Inquiry. "
"9. David Ben Gurion (the first Israeli Prime Minister): 'If I were an Arab leader, I would never sign an agreement with Israel. It is normal; we have taken their country. It is true God promised it to us, but how could that interest them? Our God is not theirs. There has been Anti - Semitism, the Nazis, Hitler, Auschwitz, but was that their fault ? They see but one thing: we have come and we have stolen their country. Why would they accept that?' Quoted by Nahum Goldmann in Le Paraddoxe Juif (The Jewish Paradox), pp121. "
The Bailout Needs a Bailout » The Foundry:
"To recap, the Bush Administration’s latest $6 billion bailout of GMAC, bringing the first round of the GM bailout total to $23.4 billion, pushes the total money committed by the Troubled Asset Relief Program past the initial $350 billion authorized by Congress. In other words, TARP now has now made specific promises to spend more money than it actually has the authority to spend. The bailout is now in need of a bailout."
"Religious Jews protest against Israel in New York city; explaining that conflict between Arabs and Jews is political, not religious as Zionist/Israeli propaganda would have you believe. "
BreakthroughAlert.com: Is a volcano big enough to cause an ice age really about to blow its top?:
"
~ Latest Flash (12/31 9:48AM): level of seismic activity still increasing ~ The most potentially destructive volcano on earth, the Yellowstone Caldera in Wyoming (see map), has recently begun experiencing an unusually strong and persistent earthquake swarm that has scientist concerned because it might indicate an impending eruption (see Today's Seismogram Display). Yellowstone is labeled a super volcano, because the pool of magma under the ground is a stunning 34 miles x 45 miles in size. Large enough that an eruption is expected to eject sufficient material to plunge the entire planet into a new ice age. The ridge shown in the photo is the rim of the huge caldera from the last eruption. Ash recovered from sediment over wide areas of North America shows that Yellowstone has had previous super volcanic eruptions 2.1 million, 1.3 million and 640,000 years ago."
GM crops found to affect reproduction in mice: Austrian study - Technology News - SINA English:
"VIENNA – Genetically-modified maize can affect reproduction in mice, an Austrian study has found, although its authors have dismissed warnings by environmental groups that it could also harm humans.
The long-term study, which was commissioned by the Austrian health ministry, found that female mice that had been given a diet consisting of 33 percent genetically-modified (GM) maize had fewer babies and fewer litters than those fed on non-GM food after a few generations."
"I was riding to work yesterday when I observed a female driver cut right in front of a pickup truck, causing him to have to drive onto the shoulder to avoid hitting her.
This evidently angered the driver enough that he hung his arm out his window and 'flipped' the woman off.
'Man, that guy is stupid,' I thought to myself. I ALWAYS smile nicely and wave in a sheepish manner whenever a female does anything to me in traffic, and here's why.......... "
Some Pretty Funny Stuff -- Courtesy of The Freeman Institute...:
"
1. I base most of my fashion taste on what doesn't itch.-Gilda Radner-
2. I've been on so many blind dates, I should get a free dog. -Wendy Liebman-
3. I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb and I also know that I'm not blonde. -Dolly Parton-
4. I'm not going to vacuum 'til Sears makes one you can ride on. -Roseanne Barr-
5. Behind every successful man is a surprised woman. -Maryon Pearson-
6. I want to have children, but my friends scare me. One of my friends told me she was in labor for 36 hours. I don't even want to do anything that feels good for 36 hours. -Rita Rudner-
7. I think -- therefore I'm single. -Lizz Winstead-
8. Never lend your car to anyone to whom you have given birth. -Erma Bombeck-
9. If high heels were so wonderful, men would still be wearing them. -Sue Grafton-
10. You see a lot of smart guys with dumb women, but you hardly ever see a smart woman with a dumb guy. -Erica Jong-"
Retired Black White House Butler Talks About His Experience, Obama « Hello, Negro:
"Eugene Allen, 89, a retired White House butler, tries on his old tuxedo for a photo. Allen, who served eight presidents during a period when America ’s racial history was being rewritten, is marveling at the election of Barack Obama."
New Report: Worldwide Bankruptcy Wave About to Hit:
"Europe and the U.S. are about to experience a significant increase in business failures.
That's the conclusion reached by Paris-based Euler Hermes, the world's largest credit insurer, in a recently released 57-page report on business insolvencies worldwide.
With the exception of Japan, which recently emerged from its own 'Lost Decade,' Euler expects that almost every country in the world will see a rise in insolvencies far greater than previous economic downturns."
"This is the first of two stories about disparities in the way people of different races are treated in the Cuyahoga County courts. "
One-year old boy kept alive by cats! - allvoices.com:
"While the boy was sleeping peacefully around 8 cats were on top on him quite busy licking his body because he was very dirty. She said, ‘When I walked over they became really protective and spat at me. They were keeping the boy warm while he slept.’ The officer also noticed scraps of food near the boy and it was assumed that the boy was probably feeding on those scraps."
CNSNews.com - Democrat Says Fairness Doctrine Should Extend to Cable, Satellite TV:
"‘The so-called ‘Fairness Doctrine’ would restrict free speech on the public airwaves, stifling dissent at a time when an open national dialogue about our country’s future is essential,’ Boehner said in a news release on Tuesday."
"Who can blame Galveston plainclothes police who thought a 12-year-old girl standing outside her house (flipping the switch on the circuit breaker as her mother has asked her to do) was a prostitute? After all, she was wearing 'tight shorts' according to the vigilant officers, and she happened to live only two blocks away from a location where someone had complained that prostitution was taking place.
So the three brave officers did the natural thing: they allegedly jumped the girl and beat her up, according to Courthouse News and the Houston Press.
"
The Raw Story | Bush Administration created executive pay loophole:
"Pressured by constituents who worried that companies would take government aid and continue to pay their executives eye-popping bonuses, Congress inserted a provision that would penalize companies who took taxpayer money and shelled out outsized bonuses.
But at the last minute, Bush officials insisted on a one-sentence provision that stopped the measure in its tracks, according to congressional aides who spoke to the Washington Post.
The change stipulated that the sanction would only apply to firms that sold mortgage backed securities to the government at auction, which the Bush Treasury Department said would be the method they'd use to infuse troubled companies with bailout cash."
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