june 2012

another site to check for health care exchanges:  healthreform.kff.org  (federal subsidies kick in for people who earn between 133% and 400% of poverty level)
berkeley and kaiser  --  i used to compare to pat hubel's rant may 10 at MMAP meeting


to see = Dirty Wars
to read = Harvesting the Biosphere what we have taken from nature by vaclas smil




The Anti-Monsanto Project shared Exposing The Truth's photo.

SHUT THEM DOWN AND TAKE THEIR DOGS WITH THEM!                                                                                                                                                             

public citizen may/june 2013
on keystone XL  ---  " the pipeline would transport tar sands oil (the dirtiest form of oil) from alberta to gulf coast refineries--likely would drive up gas prices and reduce security"
"the very purpose of the keystone pipeline is to take landlocked tar sands oil to the export oriented refineries of the gulf coast refine the low grade oil in specially equipped refineries, and then ship the refined product onto world markets.  although this basic fact runs contrary to much of the rhetoric from keystone proponents, it is not in dispute."


onearth summer 2013
p22   Caveat realtor  --  add mortgage lenders to the list of folks w/doubts about fracking's safety.  some are adding riders to contracts that prohibit home buyers from leasing oil, mineral, or gas rights; others are refusing to lend money for properties whose rights have already been sold or leased.  last july, nationwide mutual ins co was forced to admit that it doesn't cover fracking-related damage claims after an internal memo describing fracking risks as 'too great to ignore' was leaked.  the last ominous sign:  a nat asso of realtors report warns that home buyers are having a harder time getting straight answers about the gas-leasing and mineral rights histories of the houses they're checking out."

onearth.org/13sum/kxl:

land agent for keystone XL working his way in nebraska town.  pd by transcanada.  Myron Stafford may present himself to Nebraska landowners as a community minister (in fact, many in York and Polk Counties have taken to calling him simply “the preacher”), but his business cards bear the logo of TransCanada. Stafford is a professional land agent; his job is to get property owners along the planned route for TransCanada’s Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline to sign easements, allowing the 1,700-mile project to cross their land.

birdcam = onearth.org/13sum/birdcams


Tub Cleaner - vinegar and dish soap, no scrubbing! Heat 1/2C white vinegar in m'wave for 90 sec, pour into spray bottle. Add 1/2 Cup BLUE Dawn dish soap. Shake gently to mix. Spray on surface, let it sit 1-2 hours. Just wipe it away then rinse with water. Should also take soap scum off shower doors!



ruit Salsa and Baked Cinnamon Chips

For the fruit salsa:

2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples – peeled, cored and diced
8 oz raspberries
1 (16 oz) carton of strawberries, diced
2 tbsp white sugar
1 tbsp brown sugar 3 tbsp fruit preserves, any flavor (I used strawberry; would only use 2 tbsp next time)

For the cinnamon chips:
10 (10 inch) flour tortillas melted butter or butter flavored cooking spray

For the cinnamon sugar:
1 cup white sugar 2 tbsp cinnamon

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar, and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes while the oven preheats to 350 degrees.

2. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with melted butter or butter flavored cooking spray. Sprinkle tortillas with desired amount of cinnamon sugar, cut into wedges, and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Spray again with cooking spray (not necessary if using melted butter).

3. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture. This salsa can also be served with cinnamon graham crackers or cinnamon pita chips. Best when made and eaten the same day otherwise the fruit gives off so too much juice and it gets runny.
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ACRES mag june 2013 p11
2 studies confirm that common pesticides are scrambling the circuits of bees' brains.  researchers report that certain neonicotinoids and an organophosphate pesticide particularly in combination interfere w.the  insects' ability to learn, smell or remember all critical capacities for foraging honey bees. reported by Pesticide Action Network in Nature Communications and the Journal of Experimental Biology

also the food safety and inspection service a division of the USDA has agreed to reverse their existing regs that prohibit the use of 3 toxic meat additive-preservation chemicals.  = sodium benzoate, sodium propionate and benzoic acid can now be permissible for use in treating and preserving meat and poultry products despite having been previously canned.

Europe to enforce continent-wide ban on neonicotinoid insecticides thiamethoxam, clothianidin and imidacloprid

p74  --  institute for ag and trade policy and center for food safety recently filed petition to FDA asking for ban on use of antibiotics in ethanol by products.  when ethanol prod process is complete, the left over nutrient rich grains are often sold to livestock producers as animal feed known as distillers grains.  however, many ethanol producers add antibiotics to the grain fermentation vats to prevent bacterial infections, thereby adding yet more antibiotics to the animal feed.

p82  --  book Two cheers for anarchism by james c scott 2012 isbn 978-0-691-15529-6
resisting rules, regs of cities, counties, etc over land usage, water diversion

REAL SIMPLE  july 2013    --    1)use unscented dryer sheets under table runner for outdoors parties.  may keep bees away from food   2) try al fresco all natural spinach and feta chicken sausage supposedly in stores 5$/4 wursts Natural Awakenings p20  JUNE 2013:     recycle electronics:  NAeastMichigan.com     --     Tinyurl.com/EPAeWasteTips    and Tinyurl.com/UNeWasteReport coral reep damage growing around Kauai's northern shore in hawaii lead telluride (semiconductor used in apollo moon landings) can transform heat emitted from car tailpipes and chimneys of power stations into a power source.  also utah state has created a yeast bio diesel fuel that can be made using the watery waste from the mass producton of cheese.  1 million gallons liquid cheese wast = 66,000 gallons fuel FAIR HEALTH CONSUMER     ------     FOR PRICES OF MEDICAL BILLS   might be a useful site AMERICANS UNITED FOR SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE  americansunited@au.org  //   www.au.org Union of Concerned Scientists   summer 2013 issue ---  use a smart power strips to cut power to devices when they go stand by; some have always on outlets for things like a cordless phone or video recorder. video on why science must remain a fundamental piece of american democracy  =  www.ucsusa.org/foundingfathers water level concerns:  rising levels causing problems.  a rise of 2 ft could put more than 1 trillion in us property and structures at flood risk.  half of that would be in florida.  sea level has already risen 30 inches in Virginia beach VA since 1880 -- navy replacing 14 peirs to protect ship repair facilities over next few decades @ 60 million each pier fire safety at nuclear plants like the browns ferry which has been given extensions for meeting regs for 35 yrs.  47 reactors almost half of the us nuclear fleet continue to operate despite being in violation of the fire safety regs --the browns ferry plant inspired the regulations in the first place GOV. ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT  (whistleblower.org)    BP coverup of gulf oil spill deepwater horizon disaster.  "the primary solution chosen by BP to combat the oil was Corexit, a dispersant that supposedly dissipates oil by spreading it out over huge expanses of sea.  BP press releases repeatedly described Corexit as a tool 'to help break down the oil into smaller droplets that could be more easily dispersed through seawater and then degraded by natural processes.'   in attempting to explain the chemical process, bp reps often compared it to DAWN dishwashing soap.  however, this notion was far from the truth.  GAP whistleblowers revealed that the Corexit-oil misture was more toxic than crude oil alone (later proven to be 50 times more toxic). PIMA mine in arizona -- visit? worthwhile? GAP Statement on Edward Snowden & NSA Domestic Surveillance (Washington, DC) – Recently, the American public learned that the National Security Agency (NSA) has conducted, and continues to conduct, wholesale surveillance of U.S. citizens through a secretive data-mining program. The program collects the phone records, email exchanges, and internet histories of tens of millions of Americans who would otherwise have no knowledge of the secret program were it not for the disclosures of recent whistleblowers. The latest of these whistleblowers to come forward is former Booz Allen Hamilton federal contractor employee, Edward Snowden. As the nation’s leading whistleblower protection and advocacy organization, the Government Accountability Project (GAP) would like to be clear about its position on each of the following points that relate to these significant revelations: I. SNOWDEN IS A WHISTLEBLOWER. Snowden disclosed information about a secret program that he reasonably believed to be illegal. Consequently, he meets the legal definition of a whistleblower, despite statements to the contrary made by numerous government officials and security pundits. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky), Sen. Mark Udall (R-Co), Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Ca), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky), and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) have also expressed concern about the potential illegality of the secret program. Moreover, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wi) who is one of the original authors of the Patriot Act – the oft-cited justification for this pervasive surveillance – has expressed similar misgiving. II. SNOWDEN IS THE SUBJECT OF CLASSIC WHISTLEBLOWER RETALIATION. Derogatory characterizations of Snowden‘s personal character by government officials do not negate his whistleblower status. On the contrary, such attacks are classic acts of predatory reprisal used against whistleblowers in the wake of their revelations. Snowden’s personal life, his motives and his whereabouts have all been called into question by government officials and pundits engaged in the reflexive response of institutional apologists. The guilty habitually seek to discredit the whistleblower by shifting the spotlight from the dissent to the dissenter. Historically, this pattern of abuse is clear from behavior towards whistleblowers Daniel Ellsberg, Mark Felt, Frank Serpico, Jeffrey Wigand, Jesselyn Radack, and recent NSA whistleblower Tom Drake. III. THE ISSUE IS THE MESSAGE AND NOT THE MESSENGER. As a matter of course, whistleblowers are discredited, but what truly matters is the disclosure itself. Snowden’s revelations have sparked a public debate about the balance between privacy and security – a debate that President Obama now claims to welcome. Until Snowden’s disclosures, however, the government had suppressed the facts that would make any serious debate possible. IV. PERVASIVE SURVEILLANCE DOES NOT MEET THE STANDARD FOR CLASSIFIED INFORMATION. Many have condemned Snowden for disclosing classified information, but documents are classified if they reveal sources or methods of intelligence-gathering used to protect the United States from its enemies. Domestic surveillance that is pervasive and secret is only a valid method of intelligence gathering if the country’s enemies include most of its own population. Moreover, under the governing Executive Order it is not legal to classify documents in order to cover up possible misconduct. V. THE PUBLIC HAS A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO KNOW. In a democracy, it is simply not acceptable to discover widespread government surveillance only after a whistleblower’s revelations. Because of Snowden’s disclosures we now know that Director of National Intelligence James Clapper deliberately misled the Senate Intelligence Committee when he stated on March 12, 2013 that the NSA did not purposefully collect any type of data from millions of Americans. Regardless of the justification for this policy, the public has a Constitutional right to know about these actions. Unfortunately, the responsibility has fallen on whistleblowers to inform the public about critical policy issues – from warrantless wiretapping to torture. Whistleblowers remain the regulator of last resort. VI. THERE IS A CLEAR HISTORY OF REPRISAL AGAINST NSA WHISTLEBLOWERS. By communicating with the press, Snowden used the safest channel available to him to inform the public of wrongdoing. Nonetheless, government officials have been critical of him for not using internal agency channels – the same channels that have repeatedly failed to protect whistleblowers from reprisal in the past. In many cases, the critics are the exact officials who acted to exclude national security employees and contractors from the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012. Prior to Snowden’s disclosures, NSA whistleblowers Tom Drake, William Binney and J. Kirk Wiebe, all clients of GAP, used internal mechanisms – including the NSA chain of command, Congressional committees, and the Department of Defense Inspector General – to report the massive waste and privacy violations of earlier incarnations of the NSA’s data collection program. Ultimately, the use of these internal channels served only to expose Binney, Drake and Wiebe to years-long criminal investigations and even FBI raids on their homes. As one example, consider that Tom Drake was subjected to a professionally and financially devastating prosecution under the Espionage Act. Despite a case against him that ultimately collapsed, Drake was labeled an “enemy of the state” and his career ruined. VII. WE ARE WITNESSING THE CRIMINALIZATION OF WHISTLEBLOWING. During the last decade, the legal rights for whistleblowers have expanded for many federal workers and contractors, with the one exception of employees within the intelligence community. The rights of these employees have significantly contracted. The Obama administration has conducted an unprecedented campaign against national security whistleblowers, bringing more Espionage Act indictments than all previous administrations combined. Moreover, at the behest of the House Intelligence Committee, strengthened whistleblower protections for national security workers were stripped from major pieces of legislation such as the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (for federal employees) and the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013 (for federal contractors). If those protections existed today, Snowden’s disclosures would have stood a greater chance of being addressed effectively from within the organization. The actions already taken against Snowden are a punitive continuation of what has become a "War on Whistleblowers." Through a series of retaliatory measures, the federal government targets federal employees who speak out against gross waste, illegality, or fraud, rather than prosecuting individuals engaged in high crimes and misdemeanors. So far as we know, not one person from the NSA has yet to suffer any consequences for ordering, justifying or participating in the NSA’s domestic spying operation. It is the opinion of GAP that recent events suggest the full might of the Department of Justice will be leveled at Snowden, including an indictment under the Espionage Act, while those who stretched their interpretation of the Patriot Act to encompass the private lives of millions of Americans will simply continue working. VIII. IN THE SURVEILLANCE STATE, THE ENEMY IS THE WHISTLEBLOWER. If every action has an opposite and equal reaction, the whistleblower is that reaction within the surveillance state. Dragnet electronic surveillance is a high-tech revival of tactics used to attack the civil rights movement and political enemies of the Nixon administration. Whistleblowers famously alerted the public to past government overreach, while helping to defend both national security and civil liberties. In contrast, secrecy, retaliation and intimidation undermine our Constitutional rights and weaken our democratic processes more swiftly, more surely, and more corrosively than the acts of terror from which they purport to protect us PLEASE SHARE!!!! The ultimate stain remover that actually works on a seriously set in stain! Never buy oxy clean again! The mixture is 1 tsp. Dawn dishwashing detergent 3-4 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide couple tablespoons of baking soda. Scrub on with a scrubbing brush :) Share this on your wall to save it and come join my group for healthy recipes, tips and more @