Less meat in diet = Less Global Warming

Makes sense; all the energy that goes into raising crops for animals meant for your plate and the costs of transporting them, etc., etc.

clipped from news.bbc.co.uk The FAO figure of 18% includes greenhouse gases released in every part of the meat production cycle - clearing forested land, making and transporting fertiliser, burning fossil fuels in farm vehicles, and the front and rear end emissions of cattle and sheep. Dr Pachauri has chaired the Nobel Prize-winning body since 2002 The contributions of the three main greenhouse gases - carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide - are roughly equivalent, the FAO calculates. Transport, by contrast, accounts for just 13% of humankind's greenhouse gas footprint, according to the IPCC.

Death Penalty on "trial" in Texas

It's not just people in Texas or USA watching these cases - the whole world watches us for justice and democracy - so how are we doing?

clipped from www.thetimes.co.za A Texas prosecutor plans to review some 40 pending death penalty cases, after several recent instances in which capital convictions were overturned, by DNA testing. Dallas prosecutor Craig Watkins said his goal in reviewing the cases is "to make sure that an innocent person won’t be executed" in Texas, which carries out the most executions in the United States a year.

Justice is not easy but 14 years is truly hard time

clipped from timesofindia.indiatimes.com TEXAS: A man on death row in Texas for 14 years for the murder of a young girl has been exonerated after DNA tests, the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) reported on Friday. Michael Blair who was sentenced to death for the 1993 killing of seven-year-old Ashley Estell, had his capital murder charges dismissed in late August by the Collin County court after hair used as evidence to convict him, was shown to belong to somebody else.

Being Greener will Produce More Green ($) for All?

Good news - "Early global efforts to avert dangerous climate change are already generating new jobs, and could produce millions of new employment opportunities..."

clipped from www.ilo.org Study by ILO, UNEP and workers and employers says tackling climate change could create millions of new jobs Early global efforts to avert dangerous climate change are already generating new jobs, and could produce millions of new employment opportunities, according to a new study to be launched globally by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the International Organisation of Employers (IOE).

Green(er) Electronics Nokia making progress

Good to hear - Readall about it

clipped from www.greenpeace.org Company scores plummeted in the previous edition of Greenpeace's Guide to Greener Electronics, when new criteria on climate change were introduced. However, leading brands like Nokia and Samsung are now making significant progress in greening their electronics products, with improved environmental policies responding not only to these new energy criteria, but also to the more stringent chemical and e-waste criteria.

Bird Flu in Togo - Deja vue!

Understandable need to make a living but not understanding this or finding new ways to deal with global and local threats means the next pandemic is closer than ever.

clipped from www.irinnews.org “We only started business 15 years ago. Now, because of this [H5N1] virus, my sales have plummeted by more than 70 percent. I cannot even afford to order new birds now.” The businessman says he fears the flu will not kill only birds, but also his business.

Governor Palin - Supports "Killing wolves" from the air for a bounty!$

Disgusting how greed helps destroy natural balances of nature.

clipped from secure.defenders.org

How much do you trust Federal regulation of food these days?

Deregulation, budget gutting, and over politicized Presidential appointments has led to Bush League safety and regulation of anything that has to do with our common interests and security as citizens and consumer. GM animal products are just another scheme to get bigger profit for already obese CEOs and should be opposed until we have real leadership in Congress and the White House.

clipped from www.commondreams.org Guidelines On Genetically Modified Animals To Be Released By FDA by Vittorio Hernandez Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is slated to release on Thursday guidelines for genetic engineering of animals for food, drugs or medical purposes. The guidelines, long overdue and the result of years of discussion, could open the door for the commercial production and sale of rapid-growing fish, environment-friendly swine, cattle resistant to mad cow disease and animals with meat that have healthier contents.

New Jersey school registration violates civil rights law

Federal laws and regulations govern immigration rules. When city's, county's, and other local governments pass laws or regulations about immigrants they are governing, or rather reinforcing fear.

clipped from www.southbergenite.com The ACLU-NJ sent a letter to the commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) after finding that at least 20 percent of New Jersey school districts ask for immigration status for incoming pupils, which is banned under state enrollment regulations. The ACLU-NJ surveyed 635 districts statewide and acquired information from 516 in which 139 were found to have requested either social security numbers of pupils or information directly correlated to their immigration status. Another 48 districts, according to the survey, suggested immigration information would help in the registration process. According to state law, both acts are prohibited, yet many of the schools warned not to do it in the ACLU’s last survey in 2006 were found once again practicing the illegal enrollment process again this year. Carlstadt was not named as an offender of the law in the 2006 survey.

Bird Flu - Some Good News Perhaps

All now for something completely different - grin - Someone who died from last great pandemic may provide good research material when exhumed because he was buried in a lead coffin. Sorry for the pun but there is some irony in fact that pollutant - lead - may help us save us from ourselves.

clipped from www.ukmedix.com Permission has finally been granted by the family of Sir Mark Sykes Bt. of Sledmere House in Yorkshire to exhume his body and allow samples to be taken from it to be used in medical research, which could open new avenues of research to finding a cure for the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus. Sir Mark died almost 90 years ago from the Spanish flu which killed an estimated 50 million people before it died out. Like the present outbreaks of flu which have killed humans in Asia, the Spanish flu was also firstly found in birds and therefore any information about it could be useful to dealing with the present situation.

A Responsible Plan to End Our War in Iraq

clipped from www.responsibleplan.com What follows is a series of objectives that, taken together, refocus our current military involvement in the region while repairing damage to the U.S. to prevent a repeat of our mistakes. We have included some sample legislation currently in Congress to show that these objectives have been identified and can be addressed given sufficient political will. We have also included recommendations that the Baker-Hamilton Commission published in the Iraq Study Group Report. In some cases, no existing legislation or clear recommendations exist and new authorizing legislation plus careful planning would be required.

Texicans in Farmers Branch Don't Want Mexicans in Town!

The Federal Government made up of representatives from all the states - including Texas - who are responsible or (grin) irresponsible for immigration policy, and not the headline hunting local politicos of a Texas suburb!

clipped from www.dallasnews.com A second set of opponents has filed a federal lawsuit over Farmers Branch's latest attempt to deny rental houses or apartments to illegal immigrants.

Next Pandemic: Tick, tick, tick goes the clock

People have to make a living - yes. But trying to profit from the ever growing international poultry market without taking proper cautions is helping this virus to mutate into a worldwide human pandemic.

clipped from ap.google.com LOME, Togo (AP) — Tests performed after the first ever outbreak of bird flu in the West African nation of Togo have confirmed the presence of the virulent H5N1 strain of the virus, state media said Monday. The virus was detected at a poultry farm housing more than 4,500 birds in the village of Agbata outside the capital, Lome, according to the government.

Million Doors for Peace

Walk your talk for peace.

clipped from www.marketwatch.com The nation's largest anti-war coalition will hold a press conference Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 1 p.m. in the Lisagor Room of the National Press Club to announce a historic day of organizing to end the war in Iraq.

British lawyers fight to halt ‘obscene’ US execution

clipped from business.timesonline.co.uk British lawyers fight to halt ‘obscene’ US execution of Jack Alderman ‘Innocent’ man has been on death row since 1975

Judge rules in favor of constitution - Right on!

Enforcing rules regarding immigration is the responsibility of the Federal government, not local politicians trying to look "tough."

clipped from ap.google.com DALLAS (AP) — A federal judge on Friday stopped a Dallas suburb's latest attempt to drive away illegal immigrants, ruling that Farmers Branch cannot enforce a ban on apartment rentals to those who can't prove they live legally in the country.

Texas Judge Sexually Involved with Prosecutor During Death Penalty Trial

Normally, you would say unbelievable but in Texas you might say - "So what's so unusual about laughable and inhumane justice in Texas!"

Makes you wonder what they were doing over lunch breaks when a man was being tried for murder with a death penalty specification.

clipped from www.timesonline.co.uk Lawyers are demanding a new trial for Charles Hood, a convicted double murderer and death row inmate whose execution has been scheduled and postponed six times, most recently last Tuesday. US legal scholars have been appalled by reports that Verla Sue Holland, the judge who presided over Hood’s 1990 trial, was at the time conducting a clandestine affair with Thomas O’Connell, the state attorney who was prosecuting the case. Several law professors agreed that however compelling the evidence in the case, it was unthinkable for a murder trial to proceed if the judge and prosecutor were romantically involved.

State Anti-Immigrant Laws Working?

Experts say no - just following the money and moving to where jobs are more plentiful. When the economy goes sour it makes nomads or migrants out of lots of people wandering across America looking for a future and work?

clipped from www.newsok.com The cold Oklahoma air was a jolt to the 26-year-old artilleryman's system, but it paled in comparison to the shocking scene he found on the city's southeast side — a virtual vacuum. Everybody was gone, it seemed.

Got Fish? Get Your Newest Hemorrhagic Delight from the Global Marketplace!

Welcome to the Global Marketplace from which many benefits and negaitves flow freely since the short term dollar is what really counts and not long term human or planetary health.

Cornell researchers have found that a deadly fish virus detected in the northeastern United States for the first time in June in two species has probably spread to at least two more. But they have yet to determine whether the virus is responsible for the death of hundreds of fish in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River in recent weeks.

Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) was detected and confirmed for the first time in the Northeast.

VHSV causes fatal anemia and hemorrhaging in many fish species but poses no threat to humans or other animals.


Source: Cornell University
Date: July 20, 2006

News not found at Captain D's or Red Lobster - grin - VHS is viral hemorrhagic septicemia, a viral fish disease that has. caused large scale mortalities in rainbow trout and turbot aquaculture operations ...
www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/Viral-Hemorrhagic-Septicemia-Fact-Sheet-11-9-2006_178081_7.pdf

But what about? "Hemorrhagic septicemia is a highly fatal disease of cattle and water buffalo."
www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Factsheets/pdfs/hemorrhagic_septicemia.pdf

And then there is:

Hemorrhagic Fevers

Also called: VHFs

Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) are a group of illnesses caused by four families of viruses. These include the Ebola and Marburg viruses and Lassa fever virus. VHFs have common features: they affect many organs, they damage the blood vessels and they affect the body's ability to regulate itself. Some VHFs cause mild disease, but some, like Ebola or Marburg, cause severe disease and death.

When taken with...

Hanta virus are parasitic to rodents all over the world, but most of the Hanta virus are not causing disease to human being.

After infection, two kinds of acute syndromes may occur to human. One of them is Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, HPS, and the other is hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, HFRS.



Infection is caused by contacting urine, excrement or saliva of virus borne mouse. The major transmission manner is human inhaled particles in the air generated from the excrement or secretion of Hanta virus-borne mice. Normally, people would not have contact with Hanta virus directly from mice, as Hanta virus is existed in the saliva, urine and other excrement of mice. The most common path is inhaling the particle bearing Hanta virus and acquired Hanta Virus Pulmonary Syndrome.

Hanta Virus Pulmonary Syndrome is a contagion transmitted through air. Virus is transmitted through inhaling of contaminated, dried particles floating in the air (especially in sweeping or over turning carpet. When people inhales these particles, it is likely for them to be infected.

Other possible ways of Hanta Virus Pulmonary Syndrome infection include: (1) Bitten by Hanta Virus carrying mouse, (2) ingest food or drink having been in contact with person carrying Hanta Virus, (3) nose, eye or mouth in contact with particle carrying Hanta Virus (such as slicking hand).

Moth, flea or other insect that may bite people have not been found of able to transmit Hanta Virus Pulmonary Syndrome from mouse to human. In fact, no other animal has been found of relating with the transmission of Hanta Virus Pulmonary Syndrome from mouse to human. However, it is still possible to be infected through dog or cat having in contact with mouse.

http://www.cdc.gov.tw/WebSite_En/Health%20topics/Communicable%20Diseases%20&%20Prevention/Hantavirus%20Syndrome/General%20information1.htm

Hemorrhagic with Renal Syndrome will cause hemorrhage and serious kidney failure, but Hanta Virus Pulmonary Syndrome will not.

but from Hanta Virus Pulmonary Syndrome...
The main cause of death is excessive protein containing fluid in lungs.

Global markets can be the source for good or ill for people, profit, and the planet - which end we get will depend on our collective and individual intent and daily actions.

I hope you and I choose well.

How Many Dollars to Turn on a Light in Bagdad?

$56 billion - That's how much! Or at least that's how much the US alone has spent on Iraq "reconstruction" between 2004 and 2006.

There is no electricity, clean water, sewers, fuel, or safety 24/7 in Iraq but the FOB - Friends of Bush - companies have pocketed $56 billion and more than 3,000 brave men and women of our military have died.

How many died because the reconstruction did not show the Iraqi people that the US was bringing them peace, freedon, and prosperity.

$56 Billion and no light, no water, sewers, safety! $56 billion to enrich the Bush League businesses.

Smells like corruption, high crimes and misdemeanors to me - how about you?

How many Americans can't afford healthcare or insurance but we can give Bush Leaguers $56 billion?

I am not sure how much more saddened I can feel about the waste, the lies, and the smiling faces in Washington that don't seems to have the courage or horno to do anything about saving American lives, Iraqi lives or our collective future.

I am mad as can be and will not take it any more! Every day until we have fixed this mess, I am writing to our Senators and Representatives and asking them what does it cost to get you to do something about saving our nation and sending the Bush League to the showers!

Walk Away from Global Warming

We Will Fail Trying to Stop Global Warming at a Dead Run -- But...
We Can Walk Away from Global Warming Step by Step

People - all of us - will not and our governments will not make really big changes to alter the dismal future that Global Warming will bring. Why? Because we and our governments will not make really big changes in how we live unless the reason is as obvious as nightly bombing raids over London. So forget about really big changes - they will not happen until it is too late and we are gasping for air.

But we will individually and collectively can build small changes into our lives that visibly impact our local environment -- and collectively our global environment.

Most people know that they have collectively messed up their local environment - fouled the air,lakes, coastline, earth. Everyone knows it is hotter in the city because it is mostly paved over and is made up of thousands of heat sources not so present in the countryside. So making small changes that are easily fitted into daily life is possible. And if these small changes also benefit the individual in some way, all the better.

Walking away from Global Warming Step by Step
1. Find a place to park your car a half mile farther from where you usually park to go to work each day.

You burn less fuel and increase your energy output. One mile additional a day, five additional miles a week, 20 miles a month will not only reduce carbon in the atmosphere, it will help you lose about 10 pounds in a month or so without even thinking about it.

2. If you can find a place to park and walk a half mile to a bus or train that will take you to work - even better scores for the environment and you still lose weight, save money and clean the air.

3. After six months or so, you might increase the distance to one mile -- that adds 15 minutes to your travel time one way. Not a big deal and double the benefit to the environment and your health or fitness.

4. Find a square yard or two around where you live that is currently paved over with concrete or asphalt. Break it up, use it to make a small enclosure and plant something or create a grass walkway. Get a little exercise, find pleasure in growing something and add your very own two square yard oxygen cleaner and generator.

5. Convince, cajole, browbeat, invite at least one additional person to take the same four steps with you.

Start adding up the numbers and benefits if millions of people do this. Not a bad start, eh and no additional taxes, speeches, government inaction, etc. Just people making small changes to save their world.

Letter to Iraq - Is That Enki Laughing?

Letter to Iraq

This morning, I dreamed that I was an Iraqi grandfather sipping my morning coffee and puzzling over the two dreams that came to me before the morning traffic awoke me.

In the first dream, I saw myself floating over the ancient land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers - Sumer and Akkad. In the time before Judaism, Islam, Christianity. The times of Gilgamesh, Sargon, when writing was developed, when the beginning stories were begun and before they were woven into the dreams of the sons and daughters of Abraham. Then floating over the court of Hammurabi, I saw mathematics being developed, records of trade, treaties being written down and the world's first laws based on the beliefs of Ur people that justice, mercy and humility held people together in peace.

I dreamed that all of Iraq's children dreamed that same dream with me and understood how great they had been and how great had their gifts been to humanity.

Then, I dreamed that the old trickster - Enki - is whispering in the shadows to two who claim to be friends of Iraq: Tell each one of these silly people that the other is a trap or a snare and that to escape, he must chew off his leg to be free and able to destroy the trap. Then when they have devoured each other and just one is left standing, you may easily divide their land among you and make their children and women your slaves.

Then I cried into my coffee, my tears made it even more bitter. I looked to heaven and wondered which dream would be Iraq's future - It's honorable and seed planting past, or a trickster's lies and plots?

Then I woke up - back in the USA - listening to American morning news experts claiming like Enki, they knew what was best for Iraq, The USA and the world.

And I hoped that my dream of Sumner, Ur, Akkad, and Hammurabi was dreaming itself again in the hearts of those who really hold the future of Iraq in their hands - the Iraqi's.

Bush League Anti-Terror Failures

Is Jeb Bush just like the other Bush League leaders -- Georges 2 and Britain's Blair -- who regularly use the 3-D approach (deceit, dishonor, and deny) to gain and maintain their power?

Wait - what do you mean 3-D?

Deceive or lie about why a nation should go to war, lead fellow travelers and trusting followers, or employees to believe that it's OK to truss up and "torture" suspected terrorists and thus dishonor themselves, then deny that you knew or supported them.

Deceive supporters about what you will do once in office to end all abortions, stop gay agenda, protect children, and get prayer back in schools. Cover-up or bury information about your insiders who daily dishonor their public moral beliefs and then deny that they ever knew them or what they were doing. And deny they have the power or influence to make good on their promises.

That's 3-D Leadership.

After 9-11, Jeb's brother said he would do everything to make the nation safe. Five years have gone by and if you wanted to hire 100 terrorists and give them fake CDL ID to drive 16 wheels of death, disease and destruction all over the nation and into any port or truck stop today, it would not be a problem because the programs designed to prevent such a leaky security system are still in disarray.

Transportation experts and officials all over the nation will agree with that assessment but now a former Florida Highway Patrol Officer turned consultant is trying to lay the groundwork for saying that a system in Florida under Jeb Bush, has been a success.

TSA public relations officials point to successful tests of the biometric ID elements of the TWIC card in at least one location -- the state of Florida -- where Billy Dickson, a retired lieutenant colonel with the Florida State Highway Police, says his department conducted a “short-term test on the TWIC card a year ago at the Port of Canaveral and Port of Pensacola.” Dickson is now a senior management analyst with the Florida Department of Highway Safety.
“We proved to ourselves that the biometric piece worked,” said Dickson, explaining they set up enrollment centers at the ports using a General Electric-designed chip based on driver's fingerprints. Acknowledging initial bugs – not to mention the fact that two to four percent of the population (including truckers) didn’t have what he calls “usable fingerprints” – Dickson says the cards are about to go “operational” in Panama City and Fernandina Beach, Fla., north of Jacksonville.
Dickson has no numbers on truckers involved, but believes there are “a significant amount because Fernandina has big truck movement.” At Panama City, the 400 people issued TWIC cards with the GE technology for biometric IDs included seaport workers and truckers, with no breakout on truckers, says Dickson. They’re also looking at facial recognition and iris scans as “suitable alternatives” to fingerprints for any one coming and going from Florida ports.

A national standard for the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) scanning equipment exists, but not for biometric technologies that relate to trucking industry security, says Dominique Harrington, deputy director of testing services for the National Biometric Security Project.

This may seem too obscure to be a plus for wannabee president Jeb Bush but I believe he has learned from his brother that when you are going to deceive the public, you need to have lots of sources that look good at first glance. Remember that the bricks supporting Iraq's weapons of mass destruction turned out to be nothing but spray-painted bundles of straw-bricks.

Just tuck this away in your memory when you see claims that Jeb Bush is a real anti-terror leader - not!

What's Going On?

Afghanistan blowing up again?

Iraqi's war with themselves and US keeps growing when it was supposed to be won and over?

Iran and US doing the you first, no you first two-step.

North Korea shoot spitwads and wannabe missles at the world?
Israel using any excuse to go to war against everyone, or so it seems?

Marvin, Marvin, we could use you now...

What's Going On (excerpt)



Mother, mother, there's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother, there's far too many of you dying
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today, hey

Father, father, we don't need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today, oh
(M. Gaye/A. Cleveland/R. Benson) 1971

The Illegals Debate: Divide and Conquer, 2006

I don't really need all that much space for this note.

Am I the only one who is not amused by so many who seem to find it so easy to blame economic hard times on people who risk their life and liberty to sneak into USA for work?

When did Jose and Maria get all this power to decide who hire for very low pay and no benefits in the USA? Was that on Fox News and I missed it?

Maybe they got that power around the same time that US manufacturers were forced by Chinese factory workers to move US jobs to China, or when Mumbai IT graduates forced US and UK service firms to outsource thousands of IT and customer service jobs to India. Yeah that must have been it.

After all US CEOs are just too busy to make important decisions like that while they are figuring out how to hollow out Enron, default on vested retirement plans -- things like that.

Divide and conquer? Set the declining class against the one below it, so you can pick everyone's pockets? Now who would do that?

What's Needed in Illegal Alien Debate?

What's Needed in Illegal Alien Debate?

Justice, Mercy, and Humility (Common Sense) for the Excluded Ones in Our Society

We Need a Humane and Just Way that Enables Illegal Immigrants to Work for Their Legal Status...and

We Need a Humane and Just Way that Enables American "Exiles" to Work their Way "Home."

Who are the American Exiles?
The millions of American men and women "exiled" from a full life in America because of past convictions, jail time, and probation for non-violent and minor drug (marijuana) crimes.

If we apply common sense, justice and mercy to "What do you do with 11 million people who don't "belong" here?" then we have ask and answer questions like these:
Can you imagine the lines on our side of the border?
Who's going to guard, feed and care for them until they cross over?
Who's going to pay for that?
How are you going to be sure the "right" people are being forced out? Will you want to make an exception for your neighbor's grandmother, who survived the Soviet Gulag or Nazi Camps and then entered the US illegally in 1956?

If we are being just and merciful, then what about the millions of Americans who cannot get decent jobs or feel they are a part of the community because they got "caught" up in the "war" on drugs for possession or small time dealing or non-violent theft to pay for their drug.

There is also a large number of American exiles whose "crime" was being a "dumb" and "wild" kid. Can we find a way that they can work their way back to being a full citizen?

I think we can devise humane, practical, and just ways for perhaps 20 million people in America to prove and pay their way into the American Dream.

What do you think?

Don't Let George Do It -- Anymore!

End Pre-emptive War Petition

Don't let George do it anymore -- advocate or wage pre-emptive war.

Pre-emptive war is new speak for sneak attack - AKA: Do to others what the Japanese did to us at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

We are better than that -- aren't we? I think so. Join with me or make your own petition - grin - or do both! Ned

President Bush Pushes Pre-emptive War Again!

President Bush the First fought in the Second World War - in the Pacific Theater. He must be wondering why his son George - now President himself - seems to be saying that General Tojo and Admiral Yamamoto were early adopters of the pre-emptive war strategy that our current President and Vice President seem to think is the proper stance for America to save itself from the commies - opps, sorry - the terrorists.

Remember Pearl Harbor! and Remember the Arizona! used to mean, remember how the Japanese were so sneaky and low down that they attacked us without warning!

So how far does this "Let's use the tactics of those who hate, fear, and attack us to attack and defeat them!" go?

We have let our standards of humanity slip in the "war prisons" we support, and waved good bye to standards of justice and law when we began assassinating opponents instead of capturing them.

Maybe our President is thinking about that old party standby "how low can you go?" from the Limbo. I bet he could get lower than any of his old drinking buddies. End of rant - sorry.

Secret Agreement Between US and Iranian Presidents Revealed!

There must be a secret agreement beween President's Bush and Ahmadinejad to help each other out.

Otherwise it makes little sense that President Bush would try to rerun his "We-gotta-be-scared-of-Saddam-and-get-rid-of-him" as "We-gotta-be-scared-of-Iran-and-get-rid-of-that-Ahmadinejad" and think we'd believe him. And at the same time President Ahmadinejad is rerunning "The US is the great satan that threatens to kill Iran daily!" rant used to consolidate support for the Mullahs running Iran into the ground.

OK. I'll make it simpler. George says: "I'll say things that will scare the !#%@*!! out your people so they will support you, if you will do the same for me - OK?"

If there is another rational explanation for us to believe this "new" axis of evil spin other than to get us to ignore Iraq Falling Apart, I'd like ot hear it.

President's Bush and Ahmadinejad - Darryl & Darryl Redux?

President Bush is trying to build up support for the US involvement in Iraq by blaming part of the problems and deaths of Americans on Iran. So, let me get this straight. We are supposed to back our President's policies out of fear of a "going-nuclear" Iran and because Iran is supposed to be supplying Iraqi insurgents with parts of its IEDs. President Bush's support is reported to even be slipping some among Christian fundamentalists.

At the same time, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been trying to drum up support for continued sacrifice and support from Iranians for the super-conservative and fundamentalist mullahs. He is doing this by telling everyone that the US is going to attack them soon and they can't back down to US bullying on nuclear power.

Is it possible that these two Presidents are actually coordinating their almost simultaneous "tall tale" and "cry wolf" strategies to retain support for their respective policies?

Or is this just their way of sending a message to Hollywood and Bollywood, that they would both like to do a remake of Wag the Dog when they retire?

I can't be the only one who is saying: "How can people in either country believe these loonies anymore?"

Keyword Nation Big Trouble - No Mind No Where

(I have walked 30,000 miles over the past 6 years as of 1 January 2006 and am now heading toward 50.)

Sunday, 22, January, 2006

Another 6,000 miles down and what do I know?

Keyword reading, thinking,talking, and writing is not helping matters at all!

Some laughed and some cried when they realized that politics and public discussion was reduced to sound bites. Those, now, were the good old days when even if thoughts were reduced to kernels, at least they were complete thoughts or sentences.

Now, after 30 years of inane teaching methods and two President Bush's who only keyword speak, we find people are just as disconnected from each other and reality as are keywords designed to mean: whatever, Boomers. Xers, entropy, take responsibility, word, stay course, honor, no way, money sings.

The object of keyword marketers and politicos is to have you fill in spaces between the keywords with your own context or meaning, so their product or candidate will not be all that it, he, or she can be but whatever you want them to be -- as long as you buy what they are selling.

Beware of unintended consequences! Working to the test score for funding in education led to 20 or more years of students looking at the test or assignment, see what it wants and then look for keywords in what was to have been read for learning and comprehension -- read only, consume only what you needed to fill in the blank, then empty your mind and regurgitate it on paper or in digital speak.

What did I just say?

Twenty years of teaching and learning to the test and score only has produced people and leaders who cannot think in complete thoughts, let alone sound bites.

Now do you understand why Uncle Johnny cannot read, talk, or vote in complete thoughts.

Now do you understand why we seem to be going in circles on a descending slope?

Our best hope is that today's or tomorrow's rebellious youth discover that complete thoughts, speech, sentences, and writing is beyond their parent's comprehension and upsets them to the maximum and therefore creates the space these young people need to find their feet and chart a new sane course backed by sound thinking.

Mac Maya - Some Good News

Mac Maya

The following describes how a friend of mine, with a little help from me, Got 300 plus Macintosh computers to a rural area of Guatemala (homeland of the Maya). After that bit of history, there is a letter and funding proposal to make the project even better and give many Mayan students access to computers and the internet to further their educaiton.

The History of the Mac Maya Project to Date...

Well, thanks to each one of you, the 370 computers have arrived in San Martin Jilotepeque, Guatemala, as of Monday the 4th of November. Unfortunately I was not here when they arrived, but they are safely stored in the house of the mayor. When I think of miracles and such, this whole operation fits into my definition. Some of you don´t know the whole story, so lets document it.

First Ned, you sent me a note written by Will asking if any ONG wanted 400 used Mac computers for the cost of warehousing and shipping. I went directly to the Mayor here and asked if he was interested. He was, and wanted to find out what it would cost, so he contacted Rudy Navas, who works with the Municipality of San Martin as a contractor, who got a ballpark figure. That came out to under $20 per computer, so we went with it.

I called Will to get more information and he explained the situation. The material came from a ¨well-to-do school district¨ (cover for Steve
Silvius of the Montogomery County School District in Maryland and Camita
who works with him) and was originally to go to New Vision for Africa (and somehow World Computer Exchange was involved.). There was a glitch and frankly, Will was trying to get rid of them because they were costing rental money for storage.

I called the Director of the Peace Corps in Guatemala, Cindy Threlkeld, and she referred me to Carlos Vasquez who handles such shipments. Carlos was very helpful. The material could come into the country tax free if sent to the Peace Corps in care of the American Embassy. So that hurdle was overcome. We wouldn´t have to pay taxes. (And then the director of SOSEP--the President´s wife´s social project fund--promised help getting them through if we had any problems.) But we needed an inventory to get
through customs. (In the end because of the state of emergency that was
declared after the effects of the hurricane, they could come in under that
umbrella too.)

Now the fun part. We didn´t know what was on the pallets, nor did we have anyone to count what was on them. All we knew was that we had roughly twenty pallets and probably near 400 computers but nothing more. After a number of false starts, Scott Gutowski and his wife offered to go to the warehouse and count them. By the way, he was contacted through some web site and is an expert on Macs, plus he and his wife speak Spanish. They did go and they developed a list. We had 316 computers and lots of other good stuff.

Will noticed that there are several pallets of peripherals, which could be put on top of other pallets and other machines added. But who could get them? Scott offered, and Steve agreed to supply them from the Montgomery County schools. But then Steve got caught up in the opening of schools an was absolutely overwhelmed. I frankly felt bad when I finally did get through to him in his rush time. We in San Martin decided to pay an extra month´s rental of $200 if it meant 40 to 50 other machines. So we waited for Steve´s work to calm down. Then Scott´s company lost an employee and he was absolutely overwhelmed with 60 hours of work a week. Now what
could we do. We could have the computers but there was no way to get them
to the warehouse.

Will called Reese, our contact at Overflo Warehouse, and he agreed to go
get them for $150. Whew. He did and rearranged the pallets, shrink
wrapped them, and got them into a container. He has been so very patient
and helpful as we struggled through the process. And now that part is
history.

Our fun now is how to handle the container when it comes. There is doubt
that it can enter San Martin due to the sharp curves on the road in, but
it made it. So we were playing around with alternatives including
warehousing them in Guatemala City and transporting them to San Martin a
truckload at a time. The mayor was positive they would get in, and he was
right. The mayor is letting us use his old house which has offices, etc.,
because they could be under lock and key. We have to make sure they work,
etc., and put Spanish software on them. Again, this will be a lot of work. One of the volunteers here in San Martin works with a Healthy Schools program, so she is willing to help out during the next two months of school vacations.

That´s the story so far. I´ll keep you all updated about what happens next. But the real reason for this note, apart from documenting it so that you can all see what happened, was that I wanted to let each of you know how important your role was in the whole thing. Each of you has had a really pivotal influence on helping the students of San Martin get these new computers. Each one of you has been an important part of this miracle. From the bottom of my heart I say thank you to each and every one of you. I also know that the mayor and city council are very, very
grateful. City council members are awestruck as I update them on the progress. I think they thought it would all fade away. One asked me today if they were really coming. And two stopped me on the street yesterday after moving them in and they had great big grins on their faces.

I assure you, if anyone wants to visit us (especially if you want to take
your vacation helping to set up some Mac computers!), you will be most
warmly welcomed here. I have an extra bedroom in my house, and we would
work out whatever else was necessary. (Sorry, we can´t pay your way down!)
The mayor told me he would be delighted to have you here and he lives in a
gorgeous house with all the amenities you are used to.

Let me tell you who you helped. San Martin Jilotepeque is a typical
Guatemalan town in many ways. It´s 60,000 inhabitants are 90% indigenous
and very poor. The economy is based on agriculture. There is no possibility of any industry other than small shops due to the hilliness of the countryside and lack of available space in the urban area. The
community was badly hurt in the earthquake that hit Guatemala in the 70´s,
and was one of the most affected by the 30 year armed conflict that ended
in 1996. The current mayor and his city council are focused on
development of the community and have accomplished a lot. They see that
development as concrete—new roads, new schools, a new hospital, etc. The
city council has backed small ways of increasing the budget, like making
sure every store pays its Q10 license ($1.40) every month, etc. The goal
is to find more ways of steadying the income of the municipality rather
than relying on national income or project grants. With this money, they
can afford such projects as paying for the transport of the computers.

I have just worked up some figures on children in school. Although it is
the law that children attend school, there is no enforcement of this. It
is especially sad that the prevailing view is that many young girls are
not sent to school, and that many girls and boys drop out before the end
of primary school (6th grade.) Over half the population is under 18 years
of age. There are 13,950 students in 116 primary schools which amounts to 80% of the population eligible. I was shocked and surprised and delighted by this figure, because it means that there has been some success in getting kids in school and keeping them there. If you count those who leave in fifth or sixth grade (which happens to a good number) after learning to read and write, it seems from the figures that most students go to school for some time. That´s something, not great, but better than not going to school at all.

The municipality, especially with the help of national funds and foundations, is building schools as fast as it can. I just worked on the proposal for a secondary school using video tapes (and thus less work intensive for teachers) for one of the communities centrally located in the countryside. This will be the 9th of its kind for the 251 square kilometre municipality. (Altogether there are 33 secondary schools and 1,815 students.)

The schools have no room for the computers, so one of the things we are thinking about is building small new buildings for the computers. Simple structures with bars for security and a good door. If you want to see that proposal, let me know.

Another fact—schools are badly overcrowded. A friend of mine has a class of 48 students. That is typical. Also typical is having a teacher teach two, three or four grades all at once.

Well, again thank you so much from everyone here. When you are down, think you can´t do anything right, or are just plain sad, picture the people who look at me with incredulous faces when I tell them what´s coming to town. You helped them believe. You helped them be acknowledged by a great big world out there. And you will help their children become part of that world.

Grateful in this great dance of life,

Margaret

Margaret Molinari

Peace Corps Volunteer

San Martin Jilotepeque

Chimaltenango

Guatemala, Central America

Tel 502-5527--5213

The Mac Maya Proposal Letter

Dear Sir,

San Martin Jilotepeque has a vision and needs help in implementing it. As
a third year Peace Corps Volunteer in San Martin, I am writing on their behalf. The mayor and city council don´t speak English. I would like to offer you the opportunity of adopting this community and aiding in their
economic and technological development.

We have acquired 350 computers and have a desire to put them in 15 simple
and secure computer centers in the city´s natural microregions where
community development councils exist and are functioning well. Through
their learning to use them, these centers will allow the rural, indigenous
adults and children of San Martin to grow, learn and become part of the
global network.

San Martin needs $40,000 to do this. San Martin has shown its commitment to its vision. The leadership is very aggressive at seeking support and funds for the many projects it sponsors. The mayor and city council have stretched their budget as far as they can but they cannot do this project a one. They have already paid over $20 per computer to have them shipped to Guatemala. The people of each community will provide the labor and local resources to construct the buildings.

Quite frankly, as a Peace Corps Volunteer, I have been very careful to not become a money raiser for the community. I will only ask for help when I know that the project is special and will have a long term effect. This project will open new doors to both the adults and children of a poor, rural indigenous community. It will answer San Martin´s basic needs and help it to improve its economy. This is different. These structures will house communications to the outside world that will link an old, traditional Mayan culture to the world at large.

I have enclosed a proposal, a list of some facts about San Martin Jilotepeque and some personal anecdotes. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. If you speak Spanish, give the mayor a call to get further information, but be persistent because he is always running around. If you get frustrated trying to reach him, try Otto Vielman from the Office of Municipal Planning where I work.

Thank you for your consideration of this project.

Margaret Molinari

Peace Corps Volunteer

San Martin Jilotepeque, Chimaltenango

Guatemala, Central America

520-319-5689 (In the US until 13 Jan. 06)

502-5527-5213 (My Cell Phone in Guatemala)

502-7883-0365 (Office of Municipal Planning, SMJ—They do not speak English)

502-7844-8053 (Phone and Fax of the municipal building and number for the
mayor)

Mac Maya Funding Proposal

San Martin Jilotepeque

Chimaltenango, Guatemala

Proposal

Municipal Vision--To make of San Martin Jilotepeque a municipality that is
more just, equitable, sustainable and human in an environment of peace and
respect for the cultural and biological diversity as well as providing integrated development for all of its people.

Municipal Mission—To organize and educate the community by providing and
promoting the conscious use of natural resources, facilitating technical, financial and human assistance, providing the basic and necessary infrastructure for each person to have the same opportunities for achievement.

San Martin Jilotepeque has a vision to become a model community in Guatemala by incorporating technology into its rural indigenous life. In fighting the many years of poverty and war that have affected the residents here, the mayor and city council have searched aggressively for new ways to answer old problems.

For example, based on a new national law, they have actively implemented a system of community development concils that identify community needs and prioritize them. They bought
an ecologically friendly incinerator to deal with the massive problems of garbage. They have lobbied and pushed the national government to build the first municipal hospital and birthing center. They have supported a municipality wide effort to use organic farming techniques to improve their traditional corn and bean as well as market crops.

And they have responded to an offer of 350 computers that were available from the Montgomery County Maryland school system paying only for their shipment to Guatemala. As a town of 60,000 people within 251 square kilometres, and with 116 primary schools, the security, distribution, and maintenance of these computers is daunting.

The first problem is finding secure space for the 15 centers of computation that are envisioned. This corresponds to the 15 regional community development councils that have been functioning productively for the past two years. (There are 141 village councils as well.) One solution might be the schools, but they are full because the people of San Martin value education. Just recently a community council leader expressed his gratitude for 4 new classrooms by saying that even though he never could attend school because he was a war orphan, his children all were there. (This school has 1500 students with 8 teachers. Next year they will get 5 more teachers!) Schools rarely have any extra space.

Rarely do any of the communities have any civic building either because their priorities lie in building roads to get their crops to market, clean water systems, schools andr health centers.

Fifteen simple but secure buildings are needed to fulfil the dream of bringing this technology to the people. They do not need to be fancy, just block buildings with secure metal lamina roofs. But they need security bars on the windows, strong metal doors and electric power. Roughly each would cost 20,000 Quetzales ($2666) with a total of 300,000 Quetzales ($40,000). The community would help by providing labor and locally available resources like wood and sand. The municipality would
help with supervision and architecture as well as furnishings.

Who will use these computer centers?

First are the students of the schools.

--They need to learn how to use the computer first, and then use it as a learning tool. Already a number of schools use a national program of video presentations as their basic form of instruction.

-- As soon as the children are competent to use the computers, they can begin to use didactic programming.

-- With the availability of the appropriate software such as encyclopaedias and atlases, students can do research on various topics. There is one library in town now with perhaps 3,000 books. In town there is also a store where you pay to use their unconnected computers that have encyclopaedias and atlases on them.

Adult programs will be highly encouraged to use the computers. Clearly many of the older and more traditional people will reject it, but others, younger and more comfortable with information can attend courses such as the following.

-- Use of the computer.

-- Coming to a central location, they will have the opportunity to learn how to use the internet to understand their agricultural and artisan markets. MAGA, the national department of agriculture has agreed to develop this course. This is especially needed with the coming of CAFTA.

-- Women who make fabric art can discover new marketing techniques.

-- There is a search on right now to see if simple literacy programs exist to help adults improve their reading and writing abilities.

-- There are Kaqchiquel programs available.

And lest we forget, the teachers will benefit

-- They will learn how to use a computer.

-- They will have available access to the Internet in the municipal center for research.

-- They will learn how to use the didactic programs to help their students learn.

-- They can use the computer for developing their own didactic materials.

How will the centers be maintained?

-- Current thoughts are that each regional community development committee will take responsibility for running the center, including asking parents and users to contribute to the costs. It is normal for local development groups to raise money for schools and other social needs.

-- One idea circulating is to “charge” students, especially those who are poor, with some article, like a glass jar or tin can that can be recycled. These can then be sold to provide income to maintain the centers. (It will also help the environment.)

The future has many possibilities including the following—

-- When the technology is available, it will be beneficial to hook up each of the 15 centers to the internet. Given the mountainous nature of San Martin, this means using technology that is not cost effective today.

-- Farmers can have direct relations with their international markets.

-- Artisans can establish new markets.

-- When there are enough students familiar with the use of the computer, the community can begin searching for work that can be done within San Martin. This to me is very important that there is concern for future work possibilities. The municipality of San Martin was helped greatly by USAID to update its systems and has digitalized its births and death records, its finances and the office of the Municipal Secretary. The national identification certificate, the cedula, will be digitalized next.

FACTS ABOUT SAN MARTIN JILOTEPEQUE
Chimaltenango, Guatemala

Municipality

-- Mayor Don Nery Ruano Galve (second 4 year term of office)

-- City council of 2 trustees and 7 council persons

-- Community mayors in villages

-- 12 aldeas or micro regions plus the urban area.

Inhabitants

-- 59,578 (as of the year 2000)

-- Rural Area 49,796, Urban Area 8,782

-- Growth rate between 3 and 4% a year (190 births and 30 deaths per month)

-- 40% very poor (live on less that $1 a day) and 20% poor

-- 89% Indigenous Kaqchiquel Maya. Kaqchiquel is still spoken by many inhabitants

-- Over 10,000 people are working in the United States

-- A large percentage of men work in Chimaltenango or Guatemala City
-- Over 50% of the population is under 18 years of age

Economy

1. Agriculture—corn, beans, coffee, fruits and vegetables

2. Livestock—cows, horses, pigs

3. Craft and Artisan Work—weaving, woodworking

4. Communication/Transportation—buses to the capital and local transportation

Other

-- Money sent from relatives working in the US comprises a large percentage of the income of the town, especially the rural area.

-- There are two cooperatives exporting to the US—One agricultural and one making wooden objects.

-- Market days are Sunday, Thursday and to a lesser extent Tuesday

Location

-- 18.5 kilometers from Chimaltenango, the department capital

-- 72 kilometers from Guatemala City, the national capital

-- 251 square kilometres in the northeast corner of the department of Chimaltenango

-- 1755.55 meters above sea level

Transportation

-- The rural roads are paved with stones

-- The urban roads are paved with stone, concrete, cobblestone and paving blocks.

-- The topography is irregular with flat sections, rugged areas and foothills with ravines and hills

Schools

-- 56 pre-primary programs with 1,517 students

-- 116 primary schools with 13,950 students

-- 33 Basico or middle schools with 1,815 students

-- 4 Diversificado or secondary schools with 528 students.

-- Best Guess is that 1% of the population is at the University = 600

-- More and more schools are bilingual—Kaqchiquel and Spanish and some schools graduate bilingual Spanish/English secretaries.

Utilities

-- 90% of houses have electricity

-- Cell phone service exists in town and in much of the countryside

Religion

-- Predominantly Catholic with a strong Evangelical community as well

-- Churches and festivals are a large part of social life of the community

Health

-- One Health Center in the urban area

-- 8 Health Posts in the aldeas

-- 50 Convergence Centers in villages

-- Being built—1 hospital and 1 birthing center

-- Most frequent illnesses—Respiratory infections, diarrhea, measles,

whooping cough, mumps, tonsillitis, smallpox, urinary infections, skin diseases, parasites and rheumatism

-- Dentists are in the urban area only

Anecdotes

Don Nery, the mayor, looked at me with faraway eyes, and said that he wants to be the first municipality where all students, no matter their background, have access to computer technology. There are no communities in Guatemala where this exists. The city council continued to ask me during the long drawn out process of getting the computers shipped if it was really happening. And the day they arrived two of them stopped me on the street and were almost giggling in their excitement.

Don Flaviano came to me one day to ask how he could get email messages. He is one of the directors of Stancia, a cooperative that raises green beans and exports them to the US. They have been having to pay someone outside the community to receive email messages concerning their shipments from one of their suppliers. He wanted to avoid that. What could he do?

A young man approached me on the bus—actually, he offered me his middle seat which is almost unheard of on the crowded chicken buses of Guatemala. He works at the school supervisory office and has been studying on weekends for his degree in computers, with an eventual goal of becoming a graphic artist. He wanted to know what ideas I had for how he could stay in San Martin and use his skills.

Guatecompras is a new program of the Guatemalan government requiring that all improvement projects done by a municipality over 30,000 Quetzales must be advertised on the internet for open bidding from any company that would like to bid. San Martin has two internet cafes operational and no access in the municipal building.

I was circulating some information about scholarships when a father and son came to visit me about them. Both are teachers and very excited about the computers with dreams of a computer academy in the urban area. They told me of a young man who travels to Guatemala City every day for his job inputting data for a computer company. He makes very good money by local standards. He earns 4,000 Quetzales or $533 per month. (By the way, that´s a lot more than I live on!)

An indigenous woman who is a university graduate in Social Work was telling me the other day that when she purchased her computer she had no idea how to operate it. She asked a friend to just show her how to turn it on and off. From that little training she has become very adept at its use. We co-trained the city council and the municipal development council together using many documents she produced from our municipal computers. And she wrote her thesis on one.

Stand Up 4 Cincinnati

Rosa Parks made her mark in life by sitting down and refusing to move.

People in Cincinnati, OH have been witnessing a most blatant race-baiting campaign for Mayor in Cincinnati between two Democrats: Mark Mallory and David Pepper.

Pepper is the one using the race-baiting tactics -- demanding that Mallory repudiate the public support of a small radical Black-American group.

David Pepper's demands are pretty much cut and paste changes from old and worn out tactics used by politicians who tried to defeat their opponent by accusations that they were, "soft" on crime or commies/Reds, or would not repudiate support of radical blacks or Jews.

It's time now for Cincinnati to make their Mark - Mayor by supporting and voting for Mallory on November 8th.