Details of a Spirit Warrior Dream I had last night…

I’ve been getting really frustrated with the constant barrage of advertising thrust at me everywhere I turn lately in my waking life.  Yesterday on the way to the hospital to see a relative who has recently been diagnosed with cancer – I really got irritated about the illuminated billboards that are now dotting the interstate system and serving as roadside televisions spewing commercial after commercial at distracted drivers.  I’m sure my irritation was heightened due to the stress of my family member’s illness, but never-the-less, I had a dream last night that goes something like this…

As with most dreams, the details got murky upon waking, so I am only able to elucidate the major themes that presented themselves to me. (the dream is in italics below)

I noticed there were people among us who could hypnotize and render stupid those that dared look into the eyes of the other.  A person caught in the hypnotic gaze would act like a bumbling fool, drooling, clumsily gesturing about, similar to impersonating monkeys or clownish movements.  Innocent people who were merely engaging in polite activity – looking into the eyes as conversation took place – were being laid to waist all around me. I have the sense that souls were being stolen in the exchange.

Immediately I knew what to do.  I avoided direct gazes in the direction of the subjects at hand.  I would only approach them from the peripheral and they could not hurt me.  I did wrestle with one of these beings physically, and she made me a little weak, but I prevailed and left the scene unaffected.

Most others were left drooling idiots in the wake of the offenders.  I warned my partner E.J. about them.  Soon we were fleeing from these offenders.  Driving fast and trying hard to remember to only use the peripheral vision from that point on.

I looked up the Jungian symbolic meaning of eyes in dreams at http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dream/eye
and this is what it shared with me…

“Dreaming that your eyes are injured or closed, suggests your refusal to see the truth about something or the avoidance of intimacy.”  So I turned that meaning onto the other subjects in the dream since I was neither injured nor refusing to see, but took a peripheral perspective instead.  Maintaining my vision at the same time shielding my mind from direct manipulation.

Here is what I came up with.

Consider the logo of CBS,

the all seeing eye on the US dollar,

the use of the Vesica Piscis in so many other corporate logos:

“The Vesica Piscis is is a symbol made from two circles of the same radius, intersecting in such a way that the center of each circle lies on the circumference of the other.”

To name a few:

Chanel

notice the freemason compass reflection

DC shoes

Gucci

I never noticed the downward pointing arrow before.  It’s like it’s demanding a submissive pose from the viewer.
Master Card

Prison bars perhaps?
Kool cigarettes

How very Matrix -esque.

After uploading these images I think there is more message in my dream realting to the need for turning to see these beings through the peripheral and the sideways eye of the Vesica Piscis.  I get the figurative message.  That was obvious, but now I can’t help but think there is something to the actual physical positioning as well.

Anyway, I think the dream was an amplified statement reaffirming the hypnotic usage of symbolism in advertising.  Nothing new being said but definitely a new way of saying it for me.

I love having spirit warrior dreams!

Lily Allen – The Fear

Brilliant!

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LSD to the rescue!

So I’m not a proponent for using LSD or lab engineered drugs of any kind.  This article however, is pretty interesting.  And considering all of Terrence McKenna’s brilliant work with the psilocybin mushroom I can believe the research below…

http://www.noetic.org/publications/iShift_current.htm

Psychedelic Medicine

Dr. Albert Hoffman, the Swiss chemist who synthesized LSD in 1943 and was a steady advocate for its therapeutic and healing properties, may yet have his beliefs confirmed, though he won’t be around to enjoy it (he died last April at the age of 102). The chemical compound lysergic acid diethylamide, which he synthesized from a fungus that grows on rye, is experiencing a renaissance in research interest after decades of stigmatization from the medical and scientific communities.

As reported in the online edition of The McGill Tribune (“The Psychotherapy Movement: Acid’s Long Trip Back to Clinical Research“), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved research using LSD-assisted psychotherapy for end-of-life anxiety in terminally ill patients. Last May the first legal dose of LSD in nearly 40 years was administered by Swiss doctor Peter Glasser in a study funded by MAPS—the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Research—which has been supporting psychedelic and medical marijuana research since 1986. Other studies underway include one at Harvard’s McLean Hospital on the use of psychedelics to treat cluster headaches and funded by ClusterBusters, and research into the affects of LSD on the brain being carried out at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and the California Pacific Medical Center.

Clearing the way for such research remains formidable, though, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle in “LSD’s Long, Strange Trip Back into the Lab.” It still isn’t easy to get an LSD study off the ground,” the article states. “Researchers must get permission from the FDA and the Drug Enforcement Administration plus state regulators, and they need approval from the institution they work for. Then they have to get approval for the source of the actual drug—in the case of UCSF, researchers are using LSD that was manufactured years ago in Switzerland.” Further, only one in 100 applicants meets the conditions established by the UCSF research team. However circuitous the route, such efforts are bound to yield new insights into the deep inner workings of human consciousness and its potential for transformation.

kucinich.us – Kucinich speaks on Afghanistan, Jobs, Generals, Constitution

Words of Constitutional wisdom from Dennis Kucinich.

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A Call to the Warrior Visionaries

Very relevant. For those who have ears, listen closely.

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Disclosure 2009 – Norway Lights Spiral Phenomenon Follow Up

I like this guy’s perspective!

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William Henry’s update to the Norway Spiral

http://williamhenry.net/blog_spiral.html

December 12th, 2009

It really is a wonderful world. One can predict something one week and see it fulfilled the next.

In my December 1, 2009 article, “Warning: The Apotheosis is at Hand,” I discussed the Copenhagen Conference and its ultimate plan to bring world government. If a dictatorial one-world government is coming soon, then, I asked, is the fulfillment of the Christian prophecy of the appearance of the fast-talking Antichrist who runs it (and us) in Christian prophecy also at hand?

Delegate observes a light installation at the exit of the Bella Center

According to Bible prophecy, Two Witnesses will appear during this time who give the AntiChrist a hard time and ‘open the door’ for the Messianic figure. These Two Witnesses fill the shoes of Moses and Elijah who appeared at the Apotheosis or Transfiguration of Jesus. I presented images of the Transfiguration and concluded that what we are talking about is the possible opening of a wormhole sometime during these ‘end times’ (certainly the end of the Mayan calendar).

Jesus appears before a purple light (a gateway?) at the Transfiguration and Ascension. Christianity teaches that Jesus will be coming back in a ‘cloud’ and everyone will see Him coming. Does he come and go through portals or sky doors ala those shown in Transfiguration art?

At the time I had no idea that within mere days a ‘wormhole’ would spin its way into global consciousness. This ‘wormhole’ just happened to appear at the same time as the Copenhagen conference, and in the same part of the world. Hmmm. Timing is everything.

Of course, I’m talking about the Noway spiral, which initial reports labeled it a Star Gate or a wormhole. Sure looked like one. Those perfect spirals were amazing.

On  December 9, 2009 a majestic white spiral and blue light twirled in the morning skies over Norway. Here’s the best video.

Posted on my Facebook page on December 9, 2009

The internet went berserk with a frenzy of speculation. Some said it was a projected hologram, others called it a “bat signal”, or a sign from space aliens welcoming Obama as he arrived in Norway to receive the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to him in October.

If you ask the official military analysts they will tell you it was ‘undoubtedly’, ‘appears to be’ ‘most likely’, uh…um…er…uh was a failed Russian Bulava rocket test. Yeah. Yeah. That’s it. The missile was fired from a sub in the White Sea. It failed. Now Russia is embarrassed. Seems they can’t get the  Bul-av-a to do anything but explode into one hell-uv-a wormhole spectacular for the world to see.

The impressive translucent moving spiral was the tumbling rocket moving eastward, almost a thousand miles away from Norway and moving almost directly away from the area, scientists explained. Observers were seeing – and photographing – it from behind, even as the images gave the impression of something moving toward them. The illusion was the result of the transparency of the exhaust clouds.

The explanations given by scientists are phenomenally entertaining. Here’s one from CBS news that is simply hilarious. For another awesome example of media, see this slickly packaged piece.

The “official” rocket explanation seems lacking. A lot of people aren’t buying it. Like the ‘scientific evidence’ presented about climate change fewer and fewer people believe the rocket story is real. They’re convinced it is supernatural. They still want to believe.

Me? What can I say? A wormhole opened in the human imagination on Wednesday, December 9, 2009.  It was spectacular.

Something tells me there is more to come on my “The Apotheosis is at Hand” story.

Link to this entry

Aren’t you more than a mere CONSUMER?

Why are we statisfied with being called consumers? Who gave us this title?  Why do we continue to belittle our significance by adopting it too?

Below is George Carlin with all of the dirty words edited out.  So no worries about offending anyone in earshot – with four letter words anyway… It is really a great and enlightening four minutes, and you’ll get a good chuckle out of it too.

The Century Of The Self – Part 1 of 4 – By Adam Curtis

This has got to be the greatest documentary every made!

It can be listened to without watching the images and you still get the full effect, so if you like to play your video games while listening to podcasts and whatnot, just open a different browser and go for it. It is marvelous!

If the video doesn’t open below here is the link…

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8953172273825999151&ei=0s8jS9CRAZTiqgKw8a3tCw&q=The+century+of+the+self&hl=en&view=3#

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Warning: The Apotheosis is at Hand

By William Henry

WARNING: ‘THE APOTHEOSIS IS AT HAND’, WORLD GOVERNMENT IS HERE . . . Are the screams of Earth’s children being heard in heaven?

“Now the apotheosis is at hand. They are about to impose a communist world government on the world.”
- Lord Christopher Monckton, October 16, 2009

Is it tomorrow, or just the end of time?
- Jimi Hendrix, Purple Haze

Normally, end-of-the-world-New World Order articles don’t make it here, but this one had to be written. You can blame it on a weekend lecturing with Dr. Steven Greer, Richard C. Hoagland and David Wilcock. All three had shocking things to say about the imminence of Disclosure. None were quite as alarming as what Lord Christopher Monckton had to say in Minnesota recently about global warming as pre-text to the installation of a world government. Lord Monckton is famous for creating the Eternity puzzle in 1999, a board game that he gave 1 million pounds to solve. He moved on to global warming and now is considered an expert on the subject.

To me, Lord Monckton’s chilling warning of the advent of a soul-enslaving world government in mystical terms, saying ‘the apotheosis (of this government) is at hand’, smacks of an apocalyptic warning and a puzzle for those with eyes to hear.

Apotheosis means to deify, to glorify, to raise from a man to a god-man. As I wrote in Freedom’s Gate, in relation to the Apotheosis of George Washington, thepainting in the U.S. Capitol, it is associated with ascension, rapture, transformation, angelization. It’s about overcoming the limitations of earth life. What does the dear Lord mean using this term in relation to a communist world government?

It turns out the apotheosis, world government, President Obama, the Two Witnesses of the Book of Revelation, and maybe even Disclosure of the facts about UFO’s, extraterrestrial intelligence, and classified advanced energy and stargate technology (i.e. CERN), are all in play here. Receive this insight with an open heart. The Apotheosis is at hand. It is time for all good people to rise.

The Lord’s proclamation is in his 4-minute video (about the Copenhagen treaty that went viral with millions of views on YouTube. It is a powerful warning whether or not you believe that global warming is the biggest problem we’ve ever faced or whether or not the UN-backed Copenhagen treaty goes anywhere. The Copenhagen meeting has been hailed as “the most important meeting in human history.” Beginning on December 7, 2009 leaders from 182 countries will gather to solve the world’s “climate crisis”.

Here are the Lord’s remarks about the treaty:

“At [the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in] Copenhagen, this December, weeks away, a treaty will be signed. Your president will sign it. Most of the third world countries will sign it, because they think they’re going to get money out of it. Most of the left-wing regime from the European Union will rubber stamp it. Virtually nobody won’t sign it.

I read that treaty. And what it says is this, that a world government is going to be created (emphasis mine). The word “government” actually appears as the first of three purposes of the new entity. The second purpose is the transfer of wealth from the countries of the West to third world countries, in satisfaction of what is called, coyly, “climate debt” – because we’ve been burning CO2 and they haven’t. We’ve been screwing up the climate and they haven’t. And the third purpose of this new entity, this government, is enforcement.

How many of you think that the word “election” or “democracy” or “vote” or “ballot” occurs anywhere in the 200 pages of that treaty? Quite right, it doesn’t appear once. So, at last, the communists who piled out of the Berlin Wall and into the environmental movement, who took over Greenpeace so that my friends who funded it left within a year, because [the communists] captured it – Now the apotheosis is at hand. They are about to impose a communist world government on the world. You have a president who has very strong sympathies with that point of view. He’s going to sign it. He’ll sign anything. He’s a Nobel Peace Prize [winner]; of course he’ll sign it. The trouble is this. If that treaty is signed your constitution says that it takes precedence over your constitution and you can’t resile from that treaty unless you get agreement from all the state…”

On a side note, the new European Union President Herman van Rompuy said last week, “The climate conference in Copenhagen is another step toward the global management of our planet.” This statement mirrors what Lord Monckton stated in his warning for America in October.

Fortunately, the signing of the binding treaty has been delayed till later in 2010. Seems the conference’s earth chilling plans may have melted on November 23, 2009 when emails released by an anonymous computer hacker revealed that several leading climate scientists hired to provide objective and factual climate data to the Copenhagen conference allegedly manipulated climate data and research. This data was used by the conference’s advisors the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPPC claimed that man-made emissions are causing calamitous global warming. It turns out that the computer models that a lot of the policy the UN advocates positions are based on may be full of, well, I will let you fill in the blank. The scientists knew it and manipulated the data to promote their do or die climate scenario. They got caught. It’s being called “the greatest scientific scandal ever.”

No matter, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) calls for global governmental mandates to regulate and tax all human activities. As the wealthiest government among the signers of the treaty, the United States will have to pay a ‘climate debt’ that we are alleged to ‘owe’ third world countries because of our consumption of world resources.

The logo for the ‘climate change’ conference. Thoughts?

Detractors fear this treaty, and its agenda, has nothing to do with climate.

Instead, it is part of a sinister plot to introduce a potentially soul enslaving global “green fascist dictatorship” that will severely restrict personal liberty in the name of saving the planet. Supporters think this is right out of the twilight zone. They see the Copenhagen treaty as atonement, a way to get right with the Mother. Its hefty taxes are reparations meant to bring the one half of the world’s population without a toilet and a telephone into the 21st century.

I agree that we need to lift our fellow man, stop treating the planet like a sewer and bring some balance into our world. I’m willing to eat a lot less meat, maybe even become a vegetarian, and walk more than drive. I’m willing to more, too. However, I am not prepared to trade my American citizenship, and what precious liberties remain in the post-911 world, for a global communist dictatorship run by some crazy people, green or otherwise. I hope and pray President Obama is unwilling to even think about signing away American sovereignty.

Some say that even if President Obama ever signs the treaty, a treaty is only a treaty once ratified by 2/3 of the Senate. A president signing a treaty is merely a statement that his administration intends to follow the treaty. There is no way 2/3rd’s of our Senate would ever agree on any treaty on “climate change,” especially one based on a damaged data, at this time. Right? Yeah. Right.

Others say this is an international treaty that supersedes any constitution and all laws of the signatory Country. The U.S. constitution actually protects the treaty and guarantees its superior status simply because the constitution is so strong.

WITNESSES TO APOTHEOSIS

The Lord’s warning carries a question. If a dictatorial one world government is coming soon, then is the fulfillment of the Christian prophecy of the appearance of the fast-talking Antichrist who runs it (and us) in Christian prophecy also at hand?

Could be. Several bloggers are chattering about the possible appearance of the Two Witnesses who challenge the AC for 1260 days before the second coming of Jesus. If December 21, 2012 is the assumed End Date, then counting backward, the 1260 day period began on July 11, 2009, a date dripping with apocalyptic meaning (as we will see momentarily).

The Two witnesses described in Revelation 11:3-13 are called the Two Prophets, the Two Olive Trees and the Two Lampstands. They could be known very soon to the world by a miracle, say believers.

According to bible prophecy, at the end of the 1260 day time frame, the beast comes out of the pit and tries to stop them. “When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them.” (Rev. 11:7)

(If I’m right this will take place at the ‘bottomless pit’/particle accelerator/time travel device at CERN. Please see my article Discerning the God Particle: Scientists Build Stargate Device, Open a Black Hole and Fulfill Messianic Prophecy.

Even though the Two Witnesses are killed, God brings them to life. “Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. And theyheard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them.” (Rev. 11:11-12)

The ascension ‘cloud’ is seen as a symbol for a UFO. Is it something else?

There are three primary viewpoints on the identity of the two witnesses in Revelation 11:3-12: (1) Moses and Elijah, (2) Enoch and Elijah, (3) two unknown believers whom God calls to be His witnesses in the end times. Enoch was taken to heaven where he became the archangel Metatron, guide of humanity. I don’t see him coming back to earth. The third possibility is the scariest. The two witnesses to the apotheosis may be us.

I lean toward the fourth possibility that the Two Witnesses are Elijah and one of us. Elijah assumed the role of an angel-like entity who ascends on high and continues to reveal himself at various occasions by descending to this world. He was last seen ascending into the heavens in a whirlwind. However, during Jesus’s life it was thought that Elijah reincarnated as John the Baptist, Christ’s forerunner (advance man). He appeared with Moses and Jesus at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:3-4), in which Jesus transforms into light and then toggles back to flesh again. This event tells us much about the mission of the Two Witnesses. They are here to open the door (or stargate) of the Messiah.

The Transfiguration. Jesus is shown with an open purple gate/cloud behind him. Moses and Elijah appeared beside him. The Transfiguration will be repeated during the End Times or the end of the world when Christian believers will be transformed in the blink of eye into shining beings of light.

During the Transfiguration the voice of God the Holy Spirit was heard from a cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matthew 17:5) Here’s the cloud again. And the Holy Spirit speaks from it. Bono sings that She, the Holy Spirit, moves in “mysterious ways.” Indeed, there is a great mystery about this cloud. What was it? A UFO again? The Two Witnesses assuredly know. They are agents of the ultimate Disclosure.

PURPLE HAZE

I heard about Monckton’s apotheosis clip while in the midst of pondering the dream that inspired Jimi Hendrix to write “Purple Haze – Jesus Saves” (the song’s original title). I am intrigued by how Jimi’s dream seems to prophecy rapture, earth changes and more. It is also informative about the Two Witnesses and the cloud of ascension.

Jimi was walking under the ocean in a dream and there was a purple haze/cloud around him. He looked down upon the world and saw an unborn fetus waiting for its birth. At the same time he saw spirits of the dead leaving the earth. Screams from the children were reaching into the heavens. The earth became engulfed in a great flood, and later in the dream Jimi was walking under the sea. A purple haze surrounded him, engulfed him. He got lost in it. He was terrified (haze comes from hawze “terrify, frighten”), but Jesus saved him. Jesus was in the purple haze.

Here are the lyrics for Purple Haze: Jesus Saves:

Purple haze all in my brain
Lately things just don’t seem the same
Actin’ funny, but I don’t know why
‘Scuse me while I kiss the sky

Purple haze all around
Don’t know if I’m comin’ up or down
Am I happy or in misery?
Whatever it is, that girl put a spell on me

Help me help me
Oh no no… no

Yeah
Purple haze all in my eyes
Don’t know if it’s day or night
You’ve got me blowin, blowin my mind
Is it tomorrow or just the end of time?

No, help me aw yeah! oh no no oh help me…

Jimi’s encounter with Jesus in the terrifying other-dimensional purple cloud reminded me of the purple cloak worn by Jesus and the purple cloud that is painted behind him in Transfiguration scenes.

The purple cloud hazed or terrified the disciples

Jesus in the purple haze

The Transfiguration. Jesus wears the purple robe. The disciples, Peter, James and John are terrified. They’re purple hazed, like Jimi

Jesus descends into Limbo through a purple haze

Jesus wearing the purple robe stands between two lampstands at the gate or portal. “I stand at the door and knock.” From my 2006 book Starwalkers and the Dimension of the Blessed. Artwork by Dana Augustine.

As I discussed in Morph: The Secret of Light Body Activation, the Gnostics described the Purple Mantle or Robe in stories about inter-dimensional travel. In preparation for the journey into the cosmos the soul is given provisions, especially a purple garment or coverings to protect it. The Gnostics said is the gift of the soul. These ‘sheaths’ are ‘cosmic condoms’ the soul wears as it ‘kisses the sky’, or breaks open the door to heaven and travels through the wormholes that permeate the universe.

How do we kiss the sky (i.e. ascend)? In “Mysterious Ways” Bono also says if you want to kiss the sky, you better get on your knees, boy. Faith is certainly part of it. But if Bono, or anyone else, wants to kiss the sky, you really want to get a hold of that purple thingy, too.

Terrence McKenna thinks the purple garment is a magically empowered psychophysical substance generated out of the human body. It’s a time-bending substance that intimates the transfiguration or metamorphosis of the human body/mind into a higher dimensional state. The purple ooze manufactured by the body is space-time itself.

In my book, Freedom’s Gate, I noted the purple blanket (robe?) also appears neatly draped on the lap of the deified or metamorphosed George Washington in the painting The Apotheosis of George Washington. Here, again, the purple thingy is connected with apotheosis. It makes perfect sense that its there. Washington is portrayed on a rainbow as an ascended being traveling through the stars. You need the purple thingy to do so.

In the Apotheosis Washington is encircled by a ring or ‘gate’ of 72 stars, a ‘stargate’. 72 is a code number that refers to the Precession of the Equinoxes, the 26,000 year cosmic cycle that comes to a close on December 21, 2012. The number 72 sends up ‘pay attention, incoming info’ flags to apocalypse code-breakers. They connect statements about it to 2012.

Strangely, President Obama himself made reference to the curious code number 72 at the White House Correspondent’s dinner on May 9, 2009. As reported by the Washington Post:

When President Obama made his debut as the nation’s Stand-Up-in-Chief last night — the star attraction at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner — no one in his administration was safe from his one-liners.

Not Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton: “The minute she got back from Mexico, she pulled me into a hug and said I should go down there myself.” Not Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel: “This is a tough holiday for Rahm. He’s not used to saying the word ‘day’ after ‘mother.’” Not even, it turned out, himself: “During the second 100 days, we will design, build and open a library dedicated to my first 100 days.” And: “My next 100 days will be so successful, I will complete them in 72 days. And on the 73rd day, I will rest.”

The routine brought mostly guffaws from the 2,500 journalists, politicians and celebrities jammed into the Washington Hilton ballroom for the press corps’ annual celebration of itself.

Of course, they laughed because this is supposed to be funny. The funny thing is to conservative prophecy watchers Obama was not just mocking God. He was giving a timetable.

On the 72nd day of his presidency, President Obama and Pope Benedict held private talks for about 40 minutes in the pope’s frescoed study in the Vatican’s apostolic palace. The Vatican said bioethics and life issues were a central part of the discussion.

President Obama promised Pope Benedict that he would do everything possible to reduce the number of abortions in the United States, the Vatican said. In a surprise move, the pontiff gave Obama a booklet explaining Vatican opposition to practices such as abortion and embryonic stem cell research, which Obama supports.

Barack Obama’s 73rd day in office was Saturday, July 11th, that date positively dripping with Christian apocalyptic significance. It comes 1260 days before December 21, 2012 — the day the Mayan calendar ends.

Is the Apotheosis truly at hand? Is World Government here? Are the Two Witnesses presently doing their prophetic work? Are they in Copenhagen perhaps? Are the screams of earth’s children being heard in heaven? Is the ultimate Disclosure imminent? I can’t confidently answer any of the questions. However, I hope I’ve got you thinking about and praying about them.

Check this out! Getting High…

JAMES NESTOR – Get High Now

(without drugs)

http://gethighnow.com

You’ve just found the multimedia appendage of the historic and thrilling book, Get High Now—(Just Released!)—an illustrated, mind-blowing magic carpet ride of more than 175 ways to alter human perception and consciousness (without drugs or alcohol).

Within these pixelated pages you’ll find over 35 audio and visual highs referred to in the great book, as well as other neatness. So grab some headphones and start snooping—a world of aural, sightly, and other mystical crud awaits.

Go ahead, Get High Now!

Federal Authority Over the Internet? The Cybersecurity Act of 2009

This comes from Patrick Timpone’s website.  I love his show.  He’s very informed and often has terrific guests.
http://www.Oneradionetwork.com

Written by Jennifer Granick

// There’s a new bill working its way through Congress that is cause for some alarm: the Cybersecurity Act of 2009 (PDF summary here), introduced by Senators Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME). The bill as it exists now risks giving the federal government unprecedented power over the Internet without necessarily improving security in the ways that matter most. It should be opposed or radically amended.Essentially, the Act would federalize critical infrastructure security. Since many of our critical infrastructure systems (banks, telecommunications, energy) are in the hands of the private sector, the bill would create a major shift of power away from users and companies to the federal government. This is a potentially dangerous approach that favors the dramatic over the sober response. One proposed provision gives the President unfettered authority to shut down Internet traffic in an emergency and disconnect critical infrastructure systems on national security grounds goes too far. Certainly there are times when a network owner must block harmful traffic, but the bill gives no guidance on when or how the President could responsibly pull the kill switch on privately-owned and operated networks. Furthermore, the bill contains a particularly dangerous provision that could cripple privacy and security in one fell swoop: The Secretary of Commerce— shall have access to all relevant data concerning (critical infrastructure) networks without regard to any provision of law, regulation, rule, or policy restricting such access… In other words, the bill would give the Commerce Department absolute, non-emergency access to “all relevant data” without any privacy safeguards like standards or judicial review. The broad scope of this provision could eviscerate statutory protections for private information, such as the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, the Privacy Protection Act, or financial privacy regulations. Even worse, it isn’t clear whether this provision would require systems to be designed to enable access, essentially a back door for the Secretary of Commerce that would also establish a primrose path for any bad guy to merrily skip down as well. If the drafters meant to create a clearinghouse for system vulnerability information along the lines of a US/CERT mailing list, that could be useful, but that’s not what the bill’s current language does. A privacy threat still in the cocoon is the provision mandating a study of the feasibility of an identity management and authentication program with just a nod to “appropriate civil liberties and privacy protections.” There’s reason to fear that this type of study is just a precursor to proposals to limit online anonymity. But anonymity isn’t inherently a security problem. What’s “secure” depends on the goals of the system. Do you need authentication, accountability, confidentiality, data integrity? Each goal suggests a different security architecture, some totally compatible with anonymity, privacy and civil liberties. In other words, no one “identity management and authentication program” is appropriate for all internet uses. Whether the bill is amended or rejected, the question remains what kind of actions would help cybersecurity, and what role the federal government has to play. As security expert Bruce Schneier has pointed out, the true causes of government cyber-insecurity are rather mundane: GAO reports indicate that government problems include insufficient access controls, a lack of encryption where necessary, poor network management, failure to install patches, inadequate audit procedures, and incomplete or ineffective information security programs. The Cybersecurity Act is an example of the kind of dramatic proposal that doesn’t address the real problems of security, and can actually make matters worse by weakening existing privacy safeguards – as opposed to simpler, practical measures that create real security by encouraging better computer hygiene. We’ll be watching this bill carefully to ensure that it doesn’t pass in its present form.

Neil Kramer and The Cleaver

If you haven’t heard of Neil Kramer, you are in for a great ride.  He is a brilliant thinker from Britain who has much to say on the ever changing condition of consciousness in our contemporary western society.  His blog The Cleaver is widely read on the internet and he is a frequent guest on some of my favorite podcasts, and often times I can find him on alternative radio shows, though I have yet to hear him on Coast to Coast AM.  I would love to hear Ian Punnet interview Neil.

I recently read a post from his blog that I felt was so strong and dead on I wanted to direct others to it.  It is so much like conversations and observations I often share with my significant other, who is a community college educator.  We often discuss the sad state of education and the intellect’s losing battle with the media and government approved programs, such as no child left behind, water fluoridation, aspartame, msg, bio-tech food, and on and on.  Consciousness does have it’s men and women holding their own on the front lines, but it’s too easy to spot others who are falling prey to government sanctioned demise.  Anyway in this blog Neil crafts a brilliant road map to our choice; to evolve or devolve.

It is called :

Death To Videodrome: Long Live The New Frequency

http://thecleaver.blogspot.com/2009/08/death-to-videodrome-long-live-new.html

Well worth the read, and while you are at it check out the rest of his blog where you can access links to interviews with Neil Kramer, which is in my opinion, the best way to experience his wisdom.

Enjoy!

Ever dream of this man?

In January 2006 in New York, the patient of a well-known psychiatrist draws the face of a man that has been repeatedly appearing in her dreams. In more than one occasion that man has given her advice on her private life. The woman swears she has never met the man in her life.

That portrait lies forgotten on the psychiatrist’s desk for a few days until one day another patient recognizes that face and says that the man has often visited him in his dreams. He also claims he has never seen that man in his waking life.

The psychiatrist decides to send the portrait to some of his colleagues that have patients with recurrent dreams. Within a few months, four patients recognize the man as a frequent presence in their own dreams. All the patients refer to him as THIS MAN.

From January 2006 until today, at least 2000 people have claimed they have seen this man in their dreams, in many cities all over the world: Los Angeles, Berlin, Sao Paulo, Tehran, Beijing, Rome, Barcelona, Stockholm, Paris, New Dehli, Moskow etc.

www.thisman.org

Modular robot reassembles when kicked apart

There’s still hope that we can escape the terminator after all!

more about "Modular robot reassembles when kicked…", posted with vodpod

2000-year-old computer recreated

This is pretty amazing!

more about "2000-year-old computer recreated", posted with vodpod

Bob Doyle delivers again.

I subscribe to Bob Doyle’s (The Secret) email list because he tends to deliver some really good non-froo-froo information about how to take back your mind.  Here is a link to a really valuable audio with a man named Eldon Taylor on Mind Programming.  Very good listen!

http://www.wealthbeyondreason.com/eldontaylor.html

Reconnective Healing

I recently took a class with Dr. Eric Pearl, the originator of a healing modality known as Reconnective Healing and the Reconnection.  Since then I have witnessed huge shifts in my day to day existence, but these shifts look really subtle from the outside.  From inside, I have witnessed the moving of mountains.  I wish I could explain more about what I am experiencing and what I have experienced at the class and days leading up to it, but I can’t.  I just don’t have the words right now.

I remember when I was a child, I used to observe adults and how some would just speak with no aim or reason.  I used to think to myself, “I will only talk when I have something worth contributing.  Unless I have something really worth my breath, I will just keep quiet.”  So, at many times in my childhood, I withheld from sharing in conversations.  I held my tongue consciously.  I knew the power and the magic of words.  In my memory I went for days without a peep, but  I’m sure that it wasn’t that dramatic, especially with a father like mine who was very strict and demanding of his family.  If he spoke to me, you can bet I had a response for him.  Otherwise he would have punished me for being disrespectful I’m sure.  Still, I was watchful and patient with my words for a good number of my formative years.  So much so that my father once shocked me, by describing me as a shy child to one of his friends, while I stood near and listened.  I remember thinking, “No I’m not! Why would he say that?  Doesn’t he know me?”  I was a natural born leader, a Tom Sawyer among my peers.  I scratched my head over that one for years.

Well, this is where I am once again on my life’s journey.  I have volumes and volumes of things to share about this experience, but for some reason they just haven’t finished coming to fruition for me.

I wanted to put this post up, not to be impertinent, but to share one thing with anyone who might be interested.  That is, I highly recommend this work to anyone who is contemplating it.  Whether it be as a person who is seeking a practitioner for healing, or a person who is considering learning to do the work, I would say go for it.  You will be amazed, and awakened to a new level of awareness.  This awareness will be about yourself, about the world that surrounds you, and about our connectedness to all others who inhabit our space with us.  It is certainly transformational, so be aware that your life will change in one way or another through this work.

I’m planning on doing this work as a practitioner and I live in the Chicago area.  I will travel to the suburbs within a reasonable distance.  If you’re interested in getting a healing session from me, please feel free to contact me.  I will be discussing Reconnective Healing further as I become more deeply acquainted with the new frequencies.

There are several great links out there that can offer a much better explanation that I about Reconnective Healing. Below are a few:

http://www.thereconnection.com/

http://www.sey-yes.com/axiatonal.html

Have you gotten your vaccination exemption yet?

Last year I found out that my mother used to get annual flu vaccination shots.  I was devastated.  With tears streaking down my face I begged her to reconsider doing this in the future.  I emphasized that the fact that flu vaccinations are often offered for free should cause warning bells to go off in her head.  The pharmaceutical company is not in the business of keeping people healthy by offering free stuff!  They are the reason our health care  in the US is unreachable financially for most Americans.  Like all large profit making companies, the goal is always to increase revenue from the years prior.  So if they offer you something for free, it isn’t to ensure your good health!  They would go out of business if we all got healthy and stayed healthy.  Pumping an unsuspecting public full of vial chemicals under the veil of a public service is a means to ensure a wealth of sick people in the population to prey upon.

I recently heard an interview with an American who was staying in England at the time, where she stated that the swine flu was spreading so rapidly in England she hoped she would be able to leave the country unaffected.  Immediately I realized that this would be a likely reason for the US to start offering swine flu vaccines here, and possibly begin forced vaccinations.

Here are two great resources to go to in order to find the correct exemption forms for your state.  I plan to do it next week as soon as possible.

http://www.unhinderedliving.com/statevaccexemp.html

http://www.vaclib.org/exemption.htm

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Take Action on HR 2749 The Food Safety Enhancement Act‏

This from: org2.democracyinaction.org

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5706/t/4412/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=980

One Size Does Not Fit All When Considering Food Safety Bills

Local foods businesses are not the same as animal factories or mega-farms that sell products into industrial-scale national and international markets

H.R. 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, is a well-meaning attempt to address the problems of contamination from food borne pathogens and complications in prevention and intervention caused by large, industrialized food distribution systems.

All of the well-publicized incidents of contamination in recent years – spinach, peppers, peanuts, hamburger – occurred in industrialized food supply chains that span national and even international boundaries.

Food safety is a priority shared by all. It is not compromised by the growing trend toward healthy, fresh, locally sourced vegetables, meats, fruits, and small processing firms reinvigorating local food systems. Local food systems are inherently safer and traceable.

H.R. 2749 needs to draw a clear line between small local processors and direct market growers selling locally on the one side and the industrial, multi-sourced food supply chains where food borne pathogens have appeared and created problems on the other side.

Call or email your Representative today. Ask him or her to contact Representatives Dingell and Waxman and urge them to support language in the Managers Report to the House on H.R. 2749 that

1. Draws a bright line definition around small local food system producers and processors.
   
2. Ensures that fledgling local food producers and processors are not saddled by excessive registration, fees, and recording-keeping requirements.
   

Sample telephone call

I calling to ask Representative _________ to contact Representatives Dingell and Waxman to urge them to support language in the Managers Report to the House on the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, H.R. 7249, that

1. Draws a bright line definition around small local food system producers and processors.
   
2. Ensures that fledgling local food producers and processors are not saddled by excessive registration, fees, and recording-keeping requirements.
   

H.R. 2749 needs to draw a clear line between small local processors and direct market growers selling locally on the one side and the industrial, multi-sourced food supply chains where food borne pathogens have appeared and created problems on the other side.

Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

Click the link below and scroll to the bottom of the page to send an email to your representative…

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Glenn Close interviews Jane Goodall

Q and A with Jane Goodall

found below at

http://www.fetchdog.com/blogs/livelylicks/QandA/q_and_a_with_jane

Posted on Jul 1, 2009
By Glenn Close

Two summers ago, my husband, David, and I hosted Jane Goodall at our house in Maine for four days. It was an unforgettable experience. I suppose charisma is a core characteristic for someone destined to become a global icon, but my first impressions of Jane belied her passion and ferocity. Into our home walked a tallish, unadorned, totally unassuming presence. Her gray, shoulder-length hair was smoothly pulled back into a ponytail. Her clear, open face was devoid of make-up. What first struck me was her voice. Jane spoke softly with a classy, English accent. I observed over the next few days that she was able to calibrate her voice brilliantly to the size of whatever group she was talking to — making it just loud enough so that her listeners were compelled to lean towards her in order to not miss a word. It was mesmerizing. The other thing I noticed was the twinkle of mischief in her eyes. She doesn’t have the gaze of a pessimistic alarmist; she has a gaze full of energy and hope. David and I learned that she loves to laugh and she loves an occasional glass of good Scotch. I have two favorite memories from our time with Jane. The first was when David took her to a dinner engagement on the back of his Harley; Jane laughing with delight, clutching her toy monkey mascot, Mr. H., to her chest, as they roared down the driveway. The second was the night we took her out onto the cliffs not far from our house, where the ocean crashes against massive, slabs of granite, only seen on the coast of Maine. For a moment, we silently sipped our Scotches, lit by a full moon, listening to the sea. As I watched Jane looking up into the night sky, I immediately thought of all the night skies she has witnessed, in all the remote places where she has spent much of her life. And I thought of the rigorous commitment, the ferocity of spirit, the empathy and the sheer energy that has compelled this unassuming, fascinating woman to be one of the world’s greatest advocates for endangered species and the environment. So, it is an understatement to say that I am proud to host Jane on LIVELY LICKS. Please go on from this to inform yourselves about the Jane Goodall Institute, especially their global organization, Roots and Shoots, that teaches us what we all can do, right here in our communities, to make a difference.

Glenn Close: You have had a life-long curiosity about how animals and humans impact each other’s existence. Chimps have obviously played an important role in your life, but what about dogs — a species that coexists with mankind possibly closer than any other? Why do you think humans have been so connected to dogs over the millennia?
Jane Goodall: I find it easy to believe there was a symbiotic relationship between wolves, from whom all dogs are descended, and our earliest ancestors. The humans hunting and the wolves getting some of the food in return for protecting the humans from predators such as bears. (Wolves can see off grizzlies.) There is growing evidence of close bonds that used to exist — maybe still — between wolves and the Native American and first nation people. So the relationship seems to have been handed down.

GC: What is your earliest memory of a dog?
JG: My parents had Peggy, a white bull terrier. I loved her. (The postmen didn’t. They were terrified. She nipped their trousers — probably protecting me and Mum kept having to buy new pairs for them!) In the end it got too much for her. Peggy became the adored and spoiled mascot of a British regiment. I forget which one.

Dog and Wheelbarrow Photo Courtesy of the Jane Goodall Institute

GC: Did you have your own dog as a child?
JG: When I was about 10 years old, I fell in love with a blue roan cocker spaniel pup. He cost 18 guineas (£1 and 1 shilling). We had no money, but I had inherited an antique doll house. Mum allowed me to sell it to get Chase, as I called him. I adored him. A few months later, he was hit by a car and killed. I was devastated for the longest time. The first photo I ever took on an old box brownie was of Chase.

GC: How has your relationship with dogs differed from your relationships with other animals?
JG: Dogs are our companions and friends. They trust us and are loving and loyal. And forgiving. My relationship with chimpanzees is totally different. I respect them and we trust each other. When an acquaintance in Dar es Salaam found me crying about one of my dogs who was very sick he said, in a scathing way, “If you are like this over a dog (read ‘mere dog,’ it was implied) what on earth are you like when it is one of your precious chimps?” It is quite different. I am sorry for a chimpanzee and try to help. It does not expect anything from me. The dog trusts one and, like a child, if sick or frightened expects that you will make everything all right. Thus if you cannot, you feel you have betrayed him.

GC: What do you think dogs like most about you?
JG: I treat them as their own selves. I do not “own” them, in the sense that their spirit is free Discipline is important — they need to know the rules. They want to please. Once they are disciplined they are free within that space. Then they can go everywhere with you (if dogs are allowed, that is). Also I understand them. Their communication. I know if a dog pants (unless after exercise) it is a communication. The dog wants something — usually to go out and pee!

GC: Generally speaking, what is it about dogs that you admire the most?
JG: I admire the fact that they are so loyal, have so much love to give and are so forgiving. They are seldom deceitful. And I admire that they live in the moment, and express utter joy when they anticipate a walk, a game or dinner.

Beach at Sunset in Bournemouth Photo © Michael Neugebauer

JG: Who was the most exceptional dog you’ve ever known?
GC: Without any doubt it was Rusty. He was my childhood companion. We did everything together. He taught me about animal personality, mind and emotions. He was not even mine, strictly. He was a mongrel who belonged to a hotel round the corner, but arrived each morning at about 6.30 a.m. and barked for admittance. He went home for lunch and dinner. And eventually we told him to go home when we went to bed. His “owners” knew all this and did not mind at all! I could never have left for Africa had Rusty still been alive. I could not have lived with such a sense of betrayal. It was bad enough going to school for a day and then for a week or so at a time when I had my jobs in Oxford and London.

Jane and Rusty Photo Courtesy of the Jane Goodall Institute

GC: Have you ever observed a dog having a special relationship with a chimpanzee?
JG: I am absolutely fascinated by this. Every dog I have known that had an opportunity to have a relationship with a (captive) chimpanzee did so. The book I wrote, Rickie and Henri, is a true story. One little five-year-old orphaned rescued chimp would play wild games with a huge Rottweiler. She pulled his ears and poked his eyes and even made him sometimes whimper. He never hurt her, except accidentally, when she whimpered.

GC: If you could suddenly speak the language of dogs, what would be the first thing you’d say to them?
JG: It would depend on the dog. If it was to dogs in general, I would apologize for the cruel behavior they so often suffer from humans.

GC: If you were a dog, what kind would you be?
JG: A street-wise mongrel (You call a mutt!) with a good home. Like the Tramp in Lady and the Tramp, my very favorite Disney film!

GC: Have you ever consciously espoused any of the animal behaviors you’ve observed when you, yourself, have been faced with a difficult or frightening situation?
JG: No.

GC: What do you think is the most common misperception people have about dogs?
JG: That it’s okay to leave them alone all day, day after day.

GC: To what aspects of behavior do you give most attention when introduced to a dog for the first time?
JG: I find out the previous history first and then notice the eyes. Does he/she look directly at you? Or is there quick looking away. What is expression? How are ears? What sort of tail movements are there?

GC: What should new dog owners be most aware of?
JG: Again, the previous history. That the dog needs company and love. That he will want to please. Training should be through reward, not punishment — unless it is the tone of voice. Some dogs are content with a pat, a word of praise. Some do better with the odd treat. The dog will not do well left alone all day. The dog should be allowed out a minimum of three times a day.

Photo © Thomas D. Mangelsen/Mangelsen Stock – All Rights Reserved

GC: Do you think there are naturally vicious dogs, or is it all learned behavior?
JG: I think some dogs certainly tend to be more aggressive than others.

GC: Why are dogs so loyal and forgiving?
JG: They are descended from pack animals. We are their “pack.” It is important they be accepted. Wolves are loyal to their pack leader and appease themselves, wanting forgiveness, if there is aggression. They want to be part of the pack on which they depend.

GC: What is the status of the wild dog populations in Africa, and is JGI involved in conservation efforts?
JG: They are highly endangered, perhaps numbering 3,000 and they are gone from several countries where they once were. JGI is not directly involved in this area. I direct our Roots & Shoots members who are interested to the website (www.painteddog.org) of Greg Rassmussen and his fellow workers who are studying and conserving the wild dog — the Painted Dogs. You can buy exquisite little models made of wire from confiscated snares. They seem not to be advertised on their website right now.

GC: What is the most valuable gift that animals give to mankind?
JG: Humility. They help us to realize that we are part of a wondrous kingdom, that of the animals. They teach us that there are many ways of accomplishing the same thing. Roots & Shoots, all over the world, has members working passionately to help stray dogs in a whole variety of ways. We are doing a LOT in China, for example.

Help the Jane goodall institute when you start shopping here! Making your purchases count for charity is easy. Just start shopping from the list of products has chosen in her Charitable Shop. Or, if you want to shop the entire FetchDog store, just start by clicking here. We’ll track ALL your purchases – whether from their recommendations or not – and will donate a percentage of those proceeds to the Jane Goodall Institute. There is no added cost to you – just do your routine shopping and FetchDog donates a portion of the sale, on behalf of Jane Goodall, to The Jane Goodall Institute. The Jane Goodall Institute, www.janegoodall.org , advances the power of individuals to take informed and compassionate action to improve the environment for all living things. Read more… Click here for more information. The Roots & Shoots program is about making positive change happen — for our communities, for animals and for the environment. With tens of thousands of young people in 110 countries, the Roots & Shoots network connects youth of all ages who share a desire to create a better world. Young people identify problems in their communities and take action. Through service projects, youth-led campaigns and an interactive website, Roots & Shoots members are making a difference across the globe. Click here for more information. Read how one Roots & Shoots group is making a difference for an animal shelter in Maine. Courtesy of the Jane Goodall Institute

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Origami city: model crafted entirely from paper

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/5794258/Origami-city-model-crafted-entirely-from-paper.html

An origami artist from Japan, Wataru Ito, has spent four years crafting an incredible model city from paper – but now plans to burn it down.

Mr Ito, 25, started building his ‘Castle on the Ocean’ when he became bored during his university entrance exams.

Using just a knife and glue, the art student built up an entire cityscape over four years by cutting and folding hundreds of pages of craft paper.

The finished piece is now being displayed for the first time at an exhibition on the artificial island of Umihotaru, near Tokyo.

But incredibly, Wataru, a second year student at Tokyo University of the Arts, plans to set his work on fire when the show is over.

He said: “I’m very happy to display my work at a place where people who don’t have an interest in arts can come and see it.

“Looking back now I sometimes ask myself ‘did I really manage to create this?’

“I am devoted while I am working on my projects but I quickly lose interest when I complete them.

“When the exhibition is over I will burn the castle. I thought I could see it rising up from the ashes if I took a video and played it backwards.”

Wataru, who lives in Tokyo but is originally from Saitama, Japan, started working on the castle while he was studying to become an art student.

After failing a university entrance exam three times he focused on this project, which became so large he had to sleep under a table in his tiny flat.

The city’s centrepiece is a castle which is loosely based upon El Temple de la Sagrada Familia, in Barcelona, Spain, .

The central tower is surrounded by a cathedral, school, theme park, factory and airport and comes complete with electrical lights and a moving train.

Incredibly, the entire piece – which measures 2.4m by 1.8m and is 1m high – has been crafted using only paper, which Wataru stuck together using craft glue, an art knife and holepuncher.

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This is great. See who are the biggest spenders of Corporate Lobbying.

A List of Corporate Lobbying by Jill Richardson

• By Jill Richardson
  La Vida Locavore, June 18, 2009
  Straight to the Source
  http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_18394.cfm

Out of curiosity I decided to see who was spending the most on lobbying in America. And Oh My Goodness – NO WONDER our policy sucks. No wonder it’s nearly impossible to pass health care reform that provides all Americans with affordable care, a global warming bill that doesn’t suck, and the Employee Free Choice Act. No wonder we’re in these two stupid wars. I know everyone’s aware of the problems lobbying poses to our country, but good lord, if people saw the sheer magnitude of it (and the comparatively paltry amounts spent in the people’s interest) they would be outraged. So here goes. Here’s the list of the top 100 (ranked by amount spent on lobbying in Q109). Enjoy.

I pulled up all of the reports for first quarter 2009 but over 20,000 items came up (and the report only shows the first 3000). OK, try again – all reports for over $1 million for first quarter 2009. This time a little over 100 came up (including AIG, who spent $1,250,000 on lobbying during that period).

So here’s how to read this list: These are the amounts spent by the corporations listed. However, many (if not most) of these corporations ALSO contract out to private lobbying firms, so the amounts you see here MIGHT not be the total amount they spent on lobbying in Q109. For example, Monsanto spent $2,094,000 for its in house lobbying but then contracted out to Arent Fox LLP; Lesher, Russell & Barron, Inc. ($60,000); Ogilvy Government Relations ($60,000); Parven Pomper Strategies ($40,000); Sidley Austin LLP; TCH Group, LLC ($50,000); The Nickles Group, LLC ($63,000); The Washington Tax Group, LLC ($40,000); and Troutman Sanders Public Affairs Group ($30,000) – for a total of $2,437,000 in first quarter 2009.

Health Care, Health Insurance, & Pharma
3. Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America: $6,910,000
6. Pfizer, Inc: $6,140,000
12. American Medical Association: $4,240,000
18. American Hospital Association: $3,580,000
19. Eli Lilly and Company: $3,440,000
37. America’s Health Insurance Plans, Inc: $2,030,000
39. CVS Caremark Inc: $2,005,000
47. Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association: $1,800,000
49. GlaxoSmithKline: $1,780,000
63. Merck & Co: $1,500,000
65. United Health Group, Inc: $1,500,000
69. Sanofi-Aventis U.S. Inc: $1,460,000
76. Novartis: $1,347,134
87. Abbott Laboratories: $1,260,000
89. Astrazeneca Pharmaceuticals, LP: $1,250,000
92. Medtronic, Inc: $1,238,000

Oil
2. Exxon Mobil: $9,320,000
4. Chevron U.S.A. Inc: $6,800,000
7. Conoco Phillips: $5,980,935
16. BP America, Inc: $3,610,000
20. Marathon Oil Corporation: $3,380,000
45. American Petroleum Institute: $1,810,000

Defense
5. Lockheed Martin Corporation: $6,380,000
11. General Electric Company: $4,540,000
28. Northrop Grumman Corporation: $2,570,000
30. Boeing Company: $2,410,00
51. Honeywell International: $1,760,000
73. Raytheon Company: $1,360,000

Telecoms
10. AT&T Services, Inc: $5,134,873
14. Verizon (excluding Verizon Wireless): $3,760,000
21. National Cable and Telecommunications Association: $3,370,000
23. Comcast Corporation: $2,760,000
68. Motorola, Inc: $1,470,000

Automotive
22. General Motors: $2,800,000
27. United Services Automobile Association: $2,590,244
52. Ford Motor Company: $1,750,000
84. Toyota Motor North America: $1,290,000
86. Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers: $1,264,400

Financial
32. Financial Services Roundtable: $2,260,000
33. Prudential Financial, Inc: $2,180,000
41. American Bankers Association: $1,890,000
61. Visa, Inc: $1,540,000
74. Investment Company Institute: $1,359,917
75. Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association: $1,350,000
82. J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.: $1,310,000
90. Citigroup Management Corp: $1,250,000
90. Credit Union National Association: $1,250,000

Biotech
36. Monsanto: $2,094,000
40. Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO): $1,920,000
44. Bayer Corporation: $1,843,672

Railroads
24. Association of American Railroads: $2,759,545
54. Union Pacific Corporation: $1,717,108
71. BNSF Railway: $1,400,000

Life Insurance
42. American Council of Life Insurers: $1,867,075
44. New York Life Insurance Company: $1,840,000
64. State Farm Insurance: $1,500,000
93. The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company: $1,237,000

Other
1. Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A.: $9,996,000
8. National Association of Realtors: $5,727,000
9. U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform: $5,480,000
13. AARP: $4,090,000
15. Southern Company: $3,650,000
17. Altria Client Services Inc: $3,580,000
25. Amgen, Inc: $2,750,000
26. National Association of Broadcasters: $2,600,000
29. Edison Electric Institute: $2,550,000
31. Fedex Corporation: $2,370,000
34. Textron, Inc.: $2,140,000
35. General Dynamics Corp: $2,101,945
38. International Business Machines (IBM): $2,030,000
43. United Technologies Corporation: $1,860,000
46. Recording Industry Association of America: $1,810,000
48. CTIA-The Wireless Association: $1,790,000
50. Time Warner Inc. $1,780,000
53. The Dow Chemical Company: $1,735,000
55. American Electric Power Company: $1,716,913
56. Microsoft Corporation: $1,650,000
57. Qualcomm, Incorporated: $1,620,000
58. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc: $1,600,000
59. L-3 Communications: $1,580,000
60. Exelon Business Services, LLC: $1,540,000
62. Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc: $1,530,000
66. Norfolk Southern Corporation: $1,485,026
67. Koch Companies Public Sector LLC: $1,480,000
70. American Airlines: $1,450,000
72. Oracle Corporation: $1,390,000
77. Air Transport Association of America, Inc.: $1,340,000
78. Disney Worldwide Services, Inc.: $1,330,000
79. Sepracor, Inc: $1,324,157
80. National Association of Home Builders: $1,320,000
81. UPS: $1,316,426
83. Siemens Corporation: $1,300,000
85. Duke Energy Corporation: $1,282,770
94. Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S., Inc: $1,230,000
95. Business Roundtable: $1,220,000
96. Wellpoint, Inc: $1,220,000
97. American Wind Energy Association: $1,212,504
98. F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: $1,206,427
99. National Rural Electric Cooperative Association: $1,200,000
99. CBS Corporation: $1,200,000

The irony of the candy industry. Hershey uses child slave labor.

Wow, this story makes giving up cheap chocolate an easy thing for me to do.  I knew about the horrible practices of Nestle and how they give away their infant formulas to hospitals in impoverished countries.  Read here to see how this plays out in Nestle’s favor in a disgusting way. And so I went for Hershey’s instead but that will no longer be a temptation for me.  Read below… Action Alert

Tell Hershey to Go Fair Trade & Organic Stop Abusive Child Labor in Cocoa Production For years, the Organic Consumers Association has been taking action along with the International Labor Rights Fund to stop abusive child labor in the cocoa industry in West Africa.  As a result of the constant pressure, major chocolate companies like M&M/Mars and Cadbury have recently agreed to stronger labor and environmental standards in the production of the cocoa they use. But one iconic US brand is lagging behind – and they need to hear from YOU! Please join thousands of people across the country in calling Hershey to ask them to switch to Fair Trade & Organic certified cocoa and sugar — for all of their products.

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Shattering The Meat Myth: Humans Are Natural Vegetarians

Shattering The Meat Myth: Humans Are Natural Vegetarians

Kathy Freston

Author, Health and Wellness Expert

Posted: June 11, 2009 01:34 PM

Huffington Post

Going through the comments of some of my recent posts, I noticed the frequently stated notion that eating meat was an essential step in human evolution. While this notion may comfort the meat industry, it’s simply not true, scientifically.

Dr. T. Colin Campbell, professor emeritus at Cornell University and author of The China Study, explains that in fact, we only recently (historically speaking) began eating meat, and that the inclusion of meat in our diet came well after we became who we are today. He explains that “the birth of agriculture only started about 10,000 years ago at a time when it became considerably more convenient to herd animals. This is not nearly as long as the time [that] fashioned our basic biochemical functionality (at least tens of millions of years) and which functionality depends on the nutrient composition of plant-based foods.”

That jibes with what Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine President Dr. Neal Barnard says in his book, The Power of Your Plate, in which he explains that “early humans had diets very much like other great apes, which is to say a largely plant-based diet, drawing on foods we can pick with our hands. Research suggests that meat-eating probably began by scavenging–eating the leftovers that carnivores had left behind. However, our bodies have never adapted to it. To this day, meat-eaters have a higher incidence of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other problems.”

There is no more authoritative source on anthropological issues than paleontologist Dr. Richard Leakey, who explains what anyone who has taken an introductory physiology course might have discerned intuitively–that humans are herbivores. Leakey notes that “[y]ou can’t tear flesh by hand, you can’t tear hide by hand…. We wouldn’t have been able to deal with food source that required those large canines” (although we have teeth that are called “canines,” they bear little resemblance to the canines of carnivores).

In fact, our hands are perfect for grabbing and picking fruits and vegetables. Similarly, like the intestines of other herbivores, ours are very long (carnivores have short intestines so they can quickly get rid of all that rotting flesh they eat). We don’t have sharp claws to seize and hold down prey. And most of us (hopefully) lack the instinct that would drive us to chase and then kill animals and devour their raw carcasses. Dr. Milton Mills builds on these points and offers dozens more in his essay, “A Comparative Anatomy of Eating.”

The point is this: Thousands of years ago when we were hunter-gatherers, we may have needed a bit of meat in our diets in times of scarcity, but we don’t need it now. Says Dr. William C. Roberts, editor of the American Journal of Cardiology, “Although we think we are, and we act as if we are, human beings are not natural carnivores. When we kill animals to eat them, they end up killing us, because their flesh, which contains cholesterol and saturated fat, was never intended for human beings, who are natural herbivores.”

Sure, most of us are “behavioral omnivores”–that is, we eat meat, so that defines us as omnivorous. But our evolution and physiology are herbivorous, and ample science proves that when we choose to eat meat, that causes problems, from decreased energy and a need for more sleep up to increased risk for obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Old habits die hard, and it’s convenient for people who like to eat meat to think that there is evidence to support their belief that eating meat is “natural” or the cause of our evolution. For many years, I too, clung to the idea that meat and dairy were good for me; I realize now that I was probably comforted to have justification for my continued attachment to the traditions I grew up with.

But in fact top nutritional and anthropological scientists from the most reputable institutions imaginable say categorically that humans are natural herbivores, and that we will be healthier today if we stick with our herbivorous roots. It may be inconvenient, but it alas, it is the truth.

Click here for great-tasting recipes and meal plans, and here for tips on eating more vegetarian foods.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/shattering-the-meat-myth_b_214390.html

How to Win an Argument With a Meat Eater

How to Win an Argument With a Meat Eater

• The Hunger Argument
• The Environmental Argument
• The Cancer Argument
• The Cholesterol Argument
• The Natural Resources Argument
• The Antibiotic Argument
• The Pesticide Argument
• The Ethical Argument
• The Survival Argument

“Outsmart him. Outrun him. Outlive him.” — Dave Scott

The Hunger Argument

Number of people worldwide who will die as a result of malnutrition this year: 20 million
Number of people who could be adequately fed using land freed if Americans reduced their intake of meat by 10%: 100 million
Percentage of corn grown in the U.S. eaten by people: 20
Percentage of corn grown in the U.S. eaten by livestock: 80
Percentage of oats grown in the U.S. eaten by livestock: 95
Percentage of protein wasted by cycling grain through livestock: 90
How frequently a child dies as a result of malnutrition: every 2.3 seconds
Pounds of potatoes that can be grown on an acre: 40,000
Pounds of beef produced on an acre: 250
Percentage of U.S. farmland devoted to beef production: 56
Pounds of grain and soybeans needed to produce a pound of edible flesh from feedlot beef: 16

The Environmental Argument

Cause of global warming: greenhouse effect
Primary cause of greenhouse effect: carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels
Fossil fuels needed to produce meat-centered diet vs. a meat-free diet: 3 times more
Percentage of U.S. topsoil lost to date: 75
Percentage of U.S. topsoil loss directly related to livestock raising: 85
Number of acres of U.S. forest cleared for cropland to produce meat-centered diet: 260 million
Amount of meat imported to U.S. annually from Central and South America: 300,000,000 pounds
Percentage of Central American children under the age of five who are undernourished: 75
Area of tropical rainforest consumed in every quarter-pound of rainforest beef: 55 square feet
Current rate of species extinction due to destruction of tropical rainforests for meat grazing and other uses: 1,000 per year

The Cancer Argument

Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat meat daily compared to less than once a week: 3.8 times
For women who eat eggs daily compared to once a week: 2.8 times
For women who eat butter and cheese 2-4 times a week: 3.25 times
Increased risk of fatal ovarian cancer for women who eat eggs 3 or more times a week vs. less than once a week: 3 times
Increased risk of fatal prostate cancer for men who consume meat, cheese, eggs and milk daily vs. sparingly or not at all: 3.6 times.

The Cholesterol Argument

Number of U.S. medical schools: 125
Number requiring a course in nutrition: 30
Nutrition training received by average U.S. physician during four years in medical school: 2.5 hours
Most common cause of death in the U.S.: heart attack
How frequently a heart attack kills in the U.S.: every 45 seconds
Average U.S. man’s risk of death from heart attack: 50 percent
Risk of average U.S. man who eats no meat: 15 percent
Risk of average U.S. man who eats no meat, dairy or eggs: 4 percent
Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption of meat, dairy and eggs by 10 percent: 9 percent
Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption by 50 percent: 45 percent
Amount you reduce risk if you eliminate meat, dairy and eggs from your diet: 90 percent
Average cholesterol level of people eating meat-centered-diet: 210 mg/dl
Chance of dying from heart disease if you are male and your blood cholesterol level is 210 mg/dl: greater than 50 percent

Source = “Diet For A New America” by John Robbins
Please Visit EarthSave.

to see the rest click here…

The American Academy Of Environmental Medicine Calls For Immediate Moratorium On Genetically Modified Foods

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_18080.cfm

• Press Release
  American Academy of Environmental Medicine, May 19, 2009
  Straight to the Source

[Editor's Note: Click here to read the AAEM's Position Paper on Genetically Modified Foods.]

Contact Information
Dr. Amy L. Dean, D.O. Public Relations Chair Member, Board of Directors American Academy of Environmental Medicine
734-213-4901
environmentalmed@yahoo.com

Wichita, KS – The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) today released its position paper on Genetically Modified foods stating that “GM foods pose a serious health risk” and calling for a moratorium on GM foods. Citing several animal studies, the AAEM concludes “there is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects” and that “GM foods pose a serious health risk in the areas of toxicology, allergy and immune function, reproductive health, and metabolic, physiologic and genetic health.” The AAEM calls for:

* A moratorium on GM food, implementation of immediate long term safety testing and labeling of GM food.
* Physicians to educate their patients, the medical community and the public to avoid GM foods.
* Physicians to consider the role of GM foods in their patients’ disease processes.
* More independent long term scientific studies to begin gathering data to investigate the role of GM foods on human health.

“Multiple animal studies have shown that GM foods cause damage to various organ systems in the body. With this mounting evidence, it is imperative to have a moratorium on GM foods for the safety of our patients’ and the public’s health,” said Dr. Amy Dean, PR chair and Board Member of AAEM. “Physicians are probably seeing the effects in their patients, but need to know how to ask the right questions,” said Dr. Jennifer Armstrong, President of AAEM. “The most common foods in North America which are consumed that are GMO are corn, soy, canola, and cottonseed oil.” The AAEM’s position paper on Genetically Modified foods can be found at http:aaemonline.org/gmopost.html. AAEM is an international association of physicians and other professionals dedicated to addressing the clinical aspects of environmental health. More information is available at www.aaemonline.org.

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine was founded in 1965, and is an international association of physicians and other professionals interested in the clinical aspects of humans and their environment. The Academy is interested in expanding the knowledge of interactions between human individuals and their environment, as these may be demonstrated to be reflected in their total health. The AAEM provides research and education in the recognition, treatment and prevention of illnesses induced by exposures to biological and chemical agents encountered in air, food and water.

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE EVIDENCE FOR PSYCHIC FUNCTIONING

http://www.stat.ucdavis.edu/~utts/air2.html

Copyright Notice Article References
A table of contents with direct links to article sections can be reached here.

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE EVIDENCE FOR P SYCHIC FUNCTIONING

Professor Jessica Utts
Division of Statistics
University of California, Davis

ABSTRACT

Research on psychic functioning, conducted over a two decade period, is examined to determine whether or not the phenomenon has been scientifically established. A secondary question is whether or not it is useful for government purposes. The primary work examined in this report was government sponsored research conducted at Stanford Research Institute, later known as SRI International, and at Science Applications International Corporation, known as SAIC.

Using the standards applied to any other area of science, it is concluded that psychic functioning has been well established. The statistical results of the studies examined are far beyond what is expected by chance. Arguments that these results could be due to methodological flaws in the experiments are soundly refuted. Effects of similar magnitude to those found in government-sponsored research at SRI and SAIC have been replicated at a number of laboratories across the world. Such consistency cannot be readily explained by claims of flaws or fraud.

The magnitude of psychic functioning exhibited appears to be in the range between what social scientists call a small and medium effect. That means that it is reliable enough to be replicated in properly conducted experiments, with sufficient trials to achieve the long-run statistical results needed for replicability.

A number of other patterns have been found, suggestive of how to conduct more productive experiments and applied psychic functioning. For instance, it doesn’t appear that a sender is needed. Precognition, in which the answer is known to no one until a future time, appears to work quite well. Recent experiments suggest that if there is a psychic sense then it works much like our other five senses, by detecting change. Given that physicists are currently grappling with an understanding of time, it may be that a psychic sense exists that scans the future for major change, much as our eyes scan the environment for visual change or our ears allow us to respond to sudden changes in sound.

It is recommended that future experiments focus on understanding how this phenomenon works, and on how to make it as useful as possible. There is little benefit to continuing experiments designed to offer proof, since there is little more to be offered to anyone who does not accept the current collection of data.  more

How can a mutated virus – of three different species emerge on the scene?

Since I first heard about the Swine flu – which was last Sunday – I found it highly suspicious that it was described as a coctail of human, bird and swine strains of influenza.  Then I got a newsletter from my favorite organization the Organic Consumers Association and they laid out the possibilities of just how probable and likely the rise of such an illness is.  Check out this article from the Huffington Post…

Swine Flu Outbreak — Nature Biting Back at Industrial Animal Production?

David Kirby

Journalist

Posted April 26, 2009 | 05:17 PM (EST)

Officials from the CDC and USDA will likely arrive in Mexico soon to help investigate the deadly new influenza virus that managed to jump from pigs to people in a previously unseen mutated form that can readily spread among humans.

One of the first things they will want to look at are the hundreds of industrial-scale hog facilities that have sprung up around Mexico in recent years, and the thousands of people employed inside the crowded, pathogen-filled confinement buildings and processing plants.

Industry calls these massive compounds “confined animal feeding operations,” or CAFOs (KAY-fohs), though most people know them simply as “factory farms.” You have seen them before while flying: Long white buildings lined up in tightly packed rows of three, four or more. Within each confinement, thousands of pigs are restricted to indoor pens and grain-fed for market, while breeding sows are kept in small metal crates where they spend most of their lives pregnant or nursing piglets.

In the last several years, U.S. hog conglomerates have opened giant swine CAFOs south of the border, including dozens around Mexico City in the neighboring states of Mexico and Puebla. Smithfield Foods also reportedly operates a huge swine facility in the State of Veracruz. Many of these CAFOs raise tens of thousands of pigs at a time. Cheaper labor costs and a desire to enter the Latin American market are drawing more industrialized agriculture to Mexico all the time, wiping out smaller, traditional farms, which now account for only a small portion of swine production in Mexico.

“Classic” swine flu virus (not the novel, mutated form in the news) is considered endemic in southern Mexico, while the region around the capital is classified as an “eradication area” – meaning the disease is present, and efforts are underway to control it. For some reason, vaccination of pigs against swine flu is prohibited in this area, and growers rely instead on depopulation and restriction of animal movement when outbreaks occur.

U.S. and Mexican epidemiologists and veterinarians will surely want to take swine samples from Mexican CAFOs and examine them for the newly discovered influenza strain (No one knows exactly how long it has been in circulation). And though it is too early to know if this new virus mutated and incubated on Mexican hog CAFOs, the industrialized facilities unquestionably belong on the list of suspects.

Pigs are nature’s notorious “mixing bowls” for inter-species infections, and many swine flu viruses have long contained human influenza genetic components. Then, in the late 1990’s – when industrialized swine production really took off in North America – scientists were alarmed to find that avian influenza genetic material was also mixed into the continent’s viral soup (see below). Fortunately, it was not the dreaded and lethal H5N1 strain, which most people know of as “bird flu.”

So where did this new, virulent and highly infectious influenza emerge from? According to Mexico’s Health Minister, Jose Angel Cordova, the virus “mutated from pigs, and then at some point was transmitted to humans.” It sure sounds like something happened on some farm, somewhere.

For years, leading scientists around the world have worried that large-scale, indoor swine “factories” would become breeding grounds for new pathogens that could more easily infect humans and then spread out rapidly in the general population – threatening to become a global pandemic.

We know that hog workers in Europe and North America are far more likely than others to be infected with potentially lethal pathogens such as MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), drug-resistant E. coli and Salmonella, and of course, swine influenza. Many scientists also believe that people who work inside CAFOs are more at risk of contracting and spreading these and other “zoonotic” diseases than those working in smaller-scale operations, with outdoor pens or pasture and far lower animal density.

But until now, hog workers with swine flu have rarely gone on to infect other people, save for close family members. And that is why this new strain of swine influenza virus is so vexing – and alarming. It seems to spread quite easily through casual human contact.

This new strain making headlines and killing people contains genetic components of human flu virus, avian flu virus and – for the first time ever – two types of swine flu virus: American and Eurasian. “Such a combination of components (genes) was not found so far, neither among humans nor among pigs (as far as we know),” CDC spokesman Tom Skinner said in an email.

Nobody yet knows whether the mysterious mixing of two continents’ swine flu genes is what made this outbreak so deadly, and so infectious among people, but you can bet that the world’s best labs are already on the case. Another possibility is that a new and more aggressive strain of avian influenza got into the new mix as well.

How could this happen? There are several plausible explanations.

A New Avian Component?

Avian influenza viral components can easily mix with swine flu virus to create new bugs – and this can happen on both traditional hog farms and inside CAFOs, scientists say.

Last year, the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production issued a lengthy report on factory farming that included research on emerging forms of avian-swine-human influenza viruses. The molecular forensics of rapidly mutating animal pathogens makes epidemiological investigations all the more challenging, it said. “Populations exposed to infectious agents arising in CAFOs are even more difficult to define as some agents – such as a novel avian influenza virus – may be highly transmissible in or well beyond a community setting,” the Pew report stated.

The transmission of avian or swine influenza viruses to humans, the report said, (almost wistfully, in retrospect), “seems a rather infrequent event today.”

But the commission also issued this grave and perhaps all-too prescient warning:

The continual cycling of swine influenza viruses and other animal pathogens in large herds or flocks provides increased opportunity for the generation of novel viruses through mutation or recombinant events that could result in more efficient human-to-human transmission of these viruses. In addition, agricultural workers serve as a bridging population between their communities and the animals in large confinement facilities. This bridging increases the risk of novel virus generation in that human viruses may enter the herds or flocks and adapt to the animals.
Reassortant influenza viruses with human components have ravaged the modern swine industry. Such novel viruses not only put the workers and animals at risk of infections, but also potentially increase zoonotic disease transmission risk to the communities where the workers live. For instance, 64% of 63 persons exposed to humans infected with H7N7 avian influenza virus had serological evidence of H7N7 infection following the 2003 Netherlands avian influenza outbreak in poultry. Similarly, the spouses of swine workers who had no direct contact with pigs had increased odds of antibodies against swine influenza virus. Recent modeling work has shown that among communities where a large number of CAFO workers live, there is great potential for these workers to accelerate pandemic influenza virus transmission.

“We met with a team of researchers from the University of Iowa who are studying avian flu, and their real concern was the very scenario that may have happened in Mexico – that avian flu may get into a swine CAFO and rapidly mutate and then get passed to workers, and then on to other people very quickly,” Bob Martin, who was executive director of the now-disbanded commission and currently a Senior Officer at the Pew Environmental Group, told me.

“Their concern was that new strains of avian flu combining with swine flu could make the swine flu more deadly,” he said. “And because viruses pass so easily between pigs and people, the new avian component could make swine flu more virulent.”

Researchers such as Gregory Gray, MD, a University of Iowa professor of international epidemiology and expert in zoonotic infections, warned that CAFO workers could serve as a “bridging population” to rural communities sharing viruses with the pigs, and vice-versa. Other scientists suggested that CAFO workers could theoretically spread disease quickly to great distances. An outbreak of infectious avian flu on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, for example, could reach the Rocky Mountains within 36 hours.

The Iowa team was also worried that CAFO production could lead to another 1918-style global pandemic. One theory behind that calamity is that waterfowl cross-infected U.S. pigs with a new type of avian-swine super-virus that was quickly transmitted to farm workers, possibly in Iowa, who went off to military training camps for WWI, and then spread the pathogen worldwide

“One very big concern was that swine flu mixed with wild bird flu, or bird flu in a chicken CAFO, tended to be ripe for incubating new types of viral infections, especially since the animals are so densely packed together,” Bob Martin said.

Hog CAFOs are supposed to be completely closed environments, in order to protect the pigs from outside diseases. Visitors are usually required to shower and don special protective clothing (again, for the animals’ benefit) before going inside a confinement.

But these are not hermetically sealed environments, and pathogens can enter and exit a CAFO in a number of ways other than via swine workers (or flies, another proven vector of CAFO diseases).

To begin with, some swine CAFO’s recover water from their waste lagoons and recycle it back into the animal housing, in order to wash out the barns while also cutting down on dwindling groundwater supplies (a particular concern in parts of Mexico, to be sure). But wildfowl routinely land in CAFO lagoons, where they can easily shed influenza virus into the water. This can also happen at facilities that use water from nearby ponds or rivers.

Here in the U.S., the National Pork Board had already urged all producers to take a number of steps to reduce the risk of avian-to-swine influenza transmission (A new advisory has also been posted today).

“It is in the best interest of both human public health and animal health that transmission of influenza viruses from pigs to people, from people to pigs, from birds to pigs and from pigs to birds be minimized,” says the group’s website, Pork.org.

To read the rest of the article click here.

To take action and tell President Obama and Tom Vislack to ban these factory farms click here.

Watch a short video that gives a nutshell version of how this can happen…

Doctors confirm woman’s imaginary 3rd arm!

I found a crazy story in the news today that I just love!  I’ve always been fascinated by phantom limb syndrome and yesterday at dinner with a few friends,  I was told about a medical breakthrough that had recently been reported about a guy who lost the tip of his finger in a model train accident, (already sounds like the setup for a joke) but his brother who worked in a scientific field dealing with limbs and regeneration sent him a powder that was still in the pre-approved stages.  He told his brother to dip his recent injury in the powder.  I don’t know if he was to bandage it with the powder or if it was a daily administered treatment, but it turns out somehow this substance  kept the tissue from healing and instead caused the finger tip to totally regenerate, fingernail and all!  The only difference between his new finger tip and the other fingers is the fingernail grows much faster on the regenerated tip than the others.  Crazy!

Last night on the phone with my parents I was telling my dad about The Secret Life of Plants.  A fascinating read about how plants have a sort of phantom leaf memory of their own, as well as scientific proof of plant consciousness!  Then this morning I saw this amazing story… (the date made me wonder so I checked snopes.com and so far nothing is showing up on it there.) Here’s the link

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/front/Doctors_confirm_woman_s_imaginary_third_arm.html?siteSect=105&sid=10522330

April 1, 2009 – 11:59 AM

Doctors confirm woman’s imaginary third arm

Image caption: The brain of the 64-year-old patient reacts as if she had a third arm (T. Willemsen)

A 64-year-old woman has reported to doctors at Geneva University Hospital the presence of a pale, milky-white and translucent third arm.

After examining the case, the woman’s neurologist, Asaid Khateb of the hospital’s experimental neurophysiology laboratory, called the rare phenomenon credible.

The arm appeared to the woman a few days after suffering a stroke, doctors said.

But this case of what is known as a supernumerary phantom limb (SPL) is a genuine head-scratcher.

The upshot is that the woman can use the apparitional extremity to relieve very real itches on the cheek. It cannot penetrate solid objects.

She does not always perceive the arm but “retrieves” it when needed, doctors told the Swiss news agency.

It is nevertheless the first case known to doctors of a person being able to feel, see and deliberately move a limb that doesn’t exist. The findings are published in the Annals of Neurology.

Pinpointing

Khateb and his colleagues examined the patient’s brain using functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a tool that allows doctors to see whether the brain is truly stimulated, and to pinpoint where. In this case, the investigations revealed that the woman actually experienced what she described.

Researchers instructed the woman to move her right hand. As expected, the motor cortex and visual processing areas in the left side of her brain became mobilised.

The same effects were observed to a lesser extent when the woman simply imagined moving her right hand. Imaginary movements of the woman’s paralysed left hand prompted the same activity in the brain, but on the right side.

But when doctors asked her to move her phantom arm, her brain reacted as though the arm really existed and could be moved. In addition, the patient’s visual cortex was also activated, indicating the she actually saw the imaginary limb.

And when she was instructed to scratch her cheek, regions of the brain relating to touch were activated.

Mystery

Khateb said the exact cause of the imaginary arm remains a mystery. Supernumerary limbs are rare. There are only nine known cases of a patient both feeling and seeing an arm.

“Existing evidence from stroke-elicited SPLs convincingly implicates the mismatch between the subject’s well-established sensorimotor representations and a suddenly aberrant pattern of communication between the brain and the paralysed limb,” the authors wrote.

They said it could represent a missing link between classical phantom limbs and phenomena such as out-of-body experiences.

Phantom limbs are more commonly associated with people who have had an amputation – between 50 and 80 per cent of people who have had body parts removed suffer from it. In most cases it is painful, according to a 1984 article published in a scientific journal called the Clinical Journal of Pain.

“Ultimately however these conditions might offer a unique way to understand how the brain constructs a normal experience of bodily awareness and the self,” they concluded.

swissinfo with agencies