Chomsky on the Plutocracy

Noam Chomsky: We’re no longer a functioning democracy, we’re really a plutocracy (via Raw Story )

The world faces two potentially existential threats, according to the linguist and political philosopher Noam Chomsky. “There are two major dark shadows that hover over everything, and they’re getting more and more serious,” Chomsky said. “The…

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Half a million honey bees take flight at Seattle airport

A new buzz at Sea-Tac: The bees have landed:  In partnership with a Seattle non-profit, the airport has installed six hives on vacant land. Like most airports, Sea-Tac has a big buffer zone of undeveloped, open space (for safety and to mitigate the noise of plane take-offs and landings) that makes a perfect home for bees.

With honey bee populations in drastic decline in the U.S., using the airport vacant land made sense, said airport officials.  They partnered with the Seattle group The Common Acre which promotes healthy agriculture through small-scale, practical  programs. Bees are crucial to pollinating U.S.  crops and flowering plants.

Five terrrifying things about the Monsanto Protection Act

Read the original article HERE.

There's a lot being said about it, but here are five
terrifying facts about the Farmer Assurance Provision
 -- Section 735 of the spending bill -- to get you acquainted
 with the reasons behind the ongoing uproar:

1) The "Monsanto Protection Act" effectively bars
federal courts from being able to halt the sale or
planting of controversial genetically modified (aka GMO)
 or genetically engineered (GE) seeds, no matter what
health issues may arise concerning GMOs in the future.
The advent of genetically modified seeds -- which has
been driven by the massive Monsanto Company --
and their exploding use in farms across America
came on fast and has proved a huge boon for Monsanto's
profits.

But many anti-GMO folks argue there have not been
 enough studies into the potential health risks of this
new class of crop. Well, now it appears that even if those
 studies are completed and they end up revealing severe
 adverse health effects related to the consumption of
genetically modified foods, the courts will have no ability
to stop the spread of the seeds and the crops they bear.

2.) The provision's language was apparently written
in collusion with Monsanto. Lawmakers and companies
working together to craft legislation is by no means a
rare occurrence in this day and age. But the fact that
Sen. Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri,
actually worked with Monsanto on a provision that in
effect allows them to keep selling seeds, which can then
go on to be planted, even if it is found to be harmful to
consumers, is stunning. It's just another example of
orporations bending Congress to their will, and it's one
that could have dire risks for public health in America.

3.) Many members of Congress were apparently unaware
that the "Monsanto Protection Act" even existed within the
bill they were voting on. HR 933 was a spending bill aimed
 at averting a government shutdown and ensuring that the
federal government would continue to be able to pay its bills.
But the Center for Food Safety maintains that many
Democrats in Congress were not even aware that the provision
was in the legislation:

“In this hidden backroom deal, Sen. [Barbara] Mikulski turned
 her back on consumer, environmental and farmer protection
in favor of corporate welfare for biotech companies such as
Monsanto,” Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of
the Center for Food Safety, said in a statement. “This abuse
of power is not the kind of leadership the public has come to
expect from Sen. Mikulski or the Democrat Majority in the Senate.”

4.) The President did nothing to stop it, either. On Tuesday,
Obama signed HR 933 while the rest of the nation was fixated
 on gay marriage, as the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral
argument concerning California's Proposition 8. But just
because most of the nation and the media were paying attention
to gay marriage doesn't mean that others were not doing
their best to express their opposition to the "Monsanto Protection Act."
 In fact, more than 250,000 voters signed a petition opposing
the provision. And Food Democracy Nowprotesters even
 took their fight straight to Obama, protesting in front of
the White House against Section 735 of the bill. He signed
 it anyway.

5.) It sets a terrible precedent. Though it will only remain
in effect for six months until the government finds another
way to fund its operations, the message it sends is that
corporations can get around consumer safety protections
if they get Congress on their side. Furthermore, it sets a
precedent that suggests that court challenges are a privilege,
not a right.

“I think any time you tweak with the ability of the public to
seek redress from the courts, you create a huge risk,” Seattle
 attorney Bill Marler -- who has represented victims of
foodborne illness in successful lawsuits against corporations --
told the New York Daily News.

Federal: Lawmakers to Vote on Industrial Hemp Amendment to Farm Bill

Senator Ron Wyden has introduced an amendment to Senate Bill 3240, the Senate version of this year's federal farm bill, that requires the federal government to respect state laws allowing the cultivation of industrial hemp.

Hemp is a distinct variety of the plant species cannabis sativa that contains only trace (less than one percent) amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis. The amendment language mimics the "Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013," which remains pending as stand-alone legislation in both the House and Senate but has yet to receive a legislative hearing. Senator Wyden’s provision to the Senate's Farm Bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marijuana.

The measure grants state legislatures the authority to license and regulate the commercial production of hemp as an industrial and agricultural commodity. "For me, what's important is that people see, particularly in our state, there's someone buying it at Costco in Oregon," Senator Wyden previously stated in support of this Act, "I adopted what I think is a modest position, which is if you can buy it at a store in Oregon, our farmers ought to be able to make some money growing it."

 Eight states – Colorado, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia – have enacted statutory changes defining industrial hemp as distinct agricultural product and allowing for its regulated commercial production. Passage of this amendment would remove existing federal barriers and allow these states and others the authority to do so without running afoul of federal anti-drug laws. Senator Wyden's amendment is co-sponsored by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has also expressed his support for this proposal. According to a Congressional Research Service report, "The United States is the only developed nation in which industrial hemp is not an established crop."

How GMOs Unleashed a Pesticide Gusher

For years, proponents of genetically modified crops have hailed them as a critical tool for weaning farmers from reliance on toxic pesticides. On its website, the GMO-seed-and-agrichemical giant Monsanto makes the green case for its Roundup Ready crops, engineered to withstand the company's own blockbuster herbicide, Roundup:

Roundup agricultural herbicides and other products are used to sustainably an [sic] effectively control weeds on the farm. Their use on Roundup Ready crops has allowed farmers to conserve fuel, reduce tillage and decrease the overall use of herbicides. [Emphasis added.]

But in a just-released paper published in the peer-reviewed Environmental Sciences Europe, Chuck Benbrook, research professor at Washington State University's Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, shreds that claim. He found that Monsanto's Roundup Ready technology, which dominates corn, soy, and cotton farming, has called forth a veritable monsoon of herbicides, both in terms of higher application rates for Roundup, and, in recent years, growing use of other, more-toxic herbicides.

 READ the rest of the story HERE

Rogue Monsanto Wheat Sprouts in Oregon

One of the four major US crops—corn, soybeans, hay (alfalfa), and wheat—is not like the others.

For one, wheat is mainly consumed directly by people, while the others are mostly used as animal feed. Its status as people food—the stuff of bread, the staff of life—probably explains why wheat is different from the other three in another way: It's also the only one that genetically modified Monsanto seed giant hasn't turned into a cash cow. The company has made massive profits churning out corn, soy, and (most recently) alfalfa seeds genetically altered to withstand doses of its own herbicide, Roundup. But the company has never commercialized a GM wheat variety—and stopped trying back in 2004, largely because of consumer pushback against directly consuming a GM crop. And thank goodness, too, because Roundup Ready technology is now failing, giving rise to a plague of herbicide resistant weeds and a gusher of toxic herbicides.

READ the rest of the story HERE

Marijuana Cuts Lung Cancer Tumor Growth In Half, Study Shows

This is from an older study done in 2007.

Marijuana Cuts Lung Cancer Tumor Growth In Half, Study Shows

Mysterious, Massive Disappearance/Death of US Honey Bees – Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) : Target Health Global

Many people would be surprised to know that 90% of the feral (wild) bee population in the United States has died out. Recent studies in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands have shown that bee diversity is down 80 percent in the sites researched, and that “bee species are declining or have become extinct in Britain.” The studies also revealed that the numbers of wildflowers that depend on pollination have dropped by 70 percent. Which came first, the decline in wildflowers or the decline in pollinators, has yet to be determined. If bees continue to die off so would the crops they support and with that would ensue major economic disruption and possibly famine.

READ the rest of the story

Monsanto’s Dirty Dozen

In 1979, the United States Congress recognized PCBs as a significant environmental toxin and persistent organic pollutant, and banned its production in the U.S. By then Monsanto already had manufacturing plants abroad, so they weren’t entirely stopped until the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants banned PCBs globally in 2001. And that’s when Monsanto’s duplicity was uncovered: internal company memos from 1956 surfaced, proving that Monsanto had known about dangers of PCBs from early on. 

 Read the rest of the story HERE.

Russia Warns Obama: Global War Over “Bee Apocalypse” Coming Soon

The shocking minutes relating to President Putin’s meeting this past week with US Secretary of State John Kerry reveal the Russian leaders “extreme outrage” over the Obama regimes continued protection of global seed and plant bio-genetic giants Syngenta and Monsanto in the face of a growing “bee apocalypse” that the Kremlin warns “will most certainly” lead to world war.  Wow, just wow.   Read the rest of the story HERE

Give bees a chance

Open letter to the Corrections Corporation of America

On an average day, CCA locks 81,384 people in their prisons and jails. In statements for their shareholders, CCA refers to these human beings as a "revenue stream" or a "unique investment opportunity."

Many of these people are immigrants detained by the federal government – nearly half of whom are detained in for-profit prisons. While CCA may be profiting off of this, they are failing to adequately manage these prisons. Just this month, two immigration detainees committed suicide within days of each other at Eloy Detention Center, which CCA runs. Before that, according to public records the ACLU obtained in 2009, Eloy had nine known fatalities — more than any other immigration jail under contract to the federal government.

Read the story of the biggest for-profit prison system in the United States HERE

America is Ignoring Homeless Families

“In 2000, we as a nation — and the Department of Housing and Urban Development — made the terrible decision to abandon homeless children and their families,” said Volk, speaking at a Congressional briefing on The American Almanac of Family Homelessness, authored by the Institute for Children, Poverty and Homelessness. “Families for a decade have been ignored.”

America is Ignoring Homeless Families | News & Notes, What Matters Today | BillMoyers.com

They honey bees have arrived

I've been watering out in the back yard today. and have found honeybees galore.  It was 100 degrees yesterday, and the bees were out in force.  The white sage was indeed a "blooming, buzzing chaos," as William James says.  The bumble bees, sweat bees, and honey bees were stumbling over one another to get to the multitude of flowers in our back yard.  Currently in bloom: roses, grapefruit, lemon, pear, persimmon, two varieties of pomegranate, and white sage.  Soon the rosemary and mint will be blooming as well as all the annuals.

I feel much relieved, but my concerns about the bee population are not entirely assuaged.   As you can see from my previous post HERE colony collapse disorder is rampant in both Europe and North America for sure, and some scientists are very concerned about the future of bees.  That means the future of humans.  Bees pollinate many crops that would be prohibitively expensive, or even impossible, to pollinate by hand on a large scale.   This means our food sources would be greatly diminished without bees to pollinate them for us.

I suggest you read up on colony collapse disorder.  If you can find a place in your yard for flowers in the spring and summer, grow them.  But most importantly, do not use pesticides that can harm bees.  That would be most pesticides, but especially the neonicotinoids that have been implicated in colony collapse disorder.  This is one small thing that you can do which would make a difference in your local neighborhood, and maybe a lot more than that.

Bee deaths: EU to ban neonicotinoid pesticides

See entire article HERE.

The bee situation, an update

It has been very warm this spring.  It has been in the 90s more days than not in the past week, with hot winds drying out everything.  I am still on the lookout for an increase in the honey bee population.  I've  only spotted a few honey bees this spring, but there are a lot of sweat bees, which are a variety of different small species of bee which nest in wood, dirt, etc.  They are very useful pollinators   I've only seen one bumble bee at a time on several different occasions.  I've spotted both all black bumble bees as well as the striped ones.

Overall, I am still quite concerned about this year's bee population.

Update on bee situation

Well as of today, 04/12/13, I have spotted two honeybees and one bumblebee.  Many hummingbirds, but not many bees.  We have lots of flowers blooming, including citrus trees, walnuts, and pomegranate trees.  As the season progresses, I'll give an update now and then on whether they become more numerous.

Where are the bees this year?

My backyard is a little piece of pollinator heaven.  I have tons of flowers, fruit and herb flowers of many types, not to mention the annual and perennials growing everywhere.   And every year I am blessed with an abundance of bees: bumblebees, honey bees, sweat bees, you name it, I had it.  But not this year.  This year, I have not seen one bee.  Not one--of any kind.  The hummingbirds are back, but not the bees.

I know that bees are becoming more and more endangered every day, but I was shocked at how still the air around all the flowers is this year.  Normally, it is "a blooming, buzzing, chaos," as William James says.  I am heavy hearted at this metamorphosis, and hope it begins to change as spring proceeds into summer.  So being the concerned citizen that I am, I called my local Department of Agriculture Conservation Service.

I explained the situation to the woman on the phone.  "I though, perhaps, this was something you keep track of." said I.  But I was wrong.  Apparently, no one is keeping track of the insect populations in individuals back yards.  Which I guess is okay, especially if your one of the folks who think government has no business prying  beyond your fence-line.  But I'm sort of concerned about the fact that nobody is taking account that these huge populations of bees have just disappeared.  It means the colony collapse disorder is spreading beyond professionally handled hives to wild hives, such as those of the bumble bees.  Or at least that's what I'm worried it means.

Maybe as spring flows into summer, the bees will come with the warmer weather.  However, we've had several very warm spells this past late winter and early spring.  Maybe just not enough yet.  If the bees happen to show up, I'll write about it.

Survey: Half of Americans Favor Federal Recognition of Same-sex Marriage

Survey: Half of Americans Favor Federal Recognition of Same-sex Marriage

Nerve damage may underlie widespread, unexplained chronic pain in children

Nerve damage may underlie widespread, unexplained chronic pain in children

Some researchers think this may be a new disease.  Go to the link for the entire article.

Small-fiber polyneuropathy (SFPN) involves widespread damage to the type of nerve fibers that carry pain signals from the skin and also control autonomic functions such as heart rate, blood pressure and sweating. Most commonly associated with diabetes, SFPN can be caused by other disorders in older adults or by exposure to toxic substances. Typical symptoms include chronic pain in several parts of the body, often beginning in the feet or lower legs, along with symptoms of autonomic dysfunction such as gastrointestinal problems, dizziness or fainting when standing, rapid heart rate, and changes in the appearance of skin. Specific diagnostic criteria have been established for SFPN, and accurate diagnosis can guide app

Constitutional Amendment to overturn Citizen's United introduced

March 12, 2013

WASHINGTON, March 12 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today introduced a constitutional amendment to overturn a Supreme Court ruling that allowed unrestricted, secret campaign spending by corporations and billionaires. Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) filed the “Democracy is for People” amendment in the House.

The 2010 Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission undermined democracy by opening the campaign spending floodgates. Already 11 states including Vermont and more than 300 cities and towns have passed resolutions calling for the ruling to be overturned.

Link to original article HERE

Moments of spirituality can induce liberal attitudes, researchers find

Moments of spirituality can induce liberal attitudes, researchers find

Top Pope Candidate Defends Uganda’s ‘Kill The Gays’ Bill

So one of the potential candidates for pope has a record of being openly and blatantly anti-gay.  He supports the "Kill the Gays" bill that is on the verge of being implemented in Uganda.  I am horrified at the thought of this man becoming the religious leader of so many people.

However, I don't think Turkson is really that much farther to the right of most Catholic clergy.  I know there are a few progressive priests who have reached out to the gay community.  But their motives are not always pure.  In other words, the hope of converting gay and lesbian individuals to being straight, or at least living a celibate life without a partner, is usually lurking around the corner in these situations.

I just wanted to bring this up, because it shows how much hatred is still out there for the gay community.  And it is a hatred so savage as to want to reinstate the death penalty for gays and lesbians.   

“Turkson is so anti-gay that he actually defended draconian laws that criminalize homosexuality and gay sex, including Uganda’s notorious ”Kill the Gays” bill,” writes John M. Becker at Bilerico. “Speaking last year to the National Catholic Register, Turkson opined that while the penalties imposed by such laws are ‘exaggerated,’ the desire of many Africans and African leaders to incarcerate or even execute their gay citizens is actually perfectly understandable, and that the ‘intensity of the reaction [to homosexuality] is probably commensurate with tradition.’”

Read the entire story HERE

Cymbalta withdrawal

My missing cat came back, so I am thrilled about that.  I love them all, and would hate to lose one.

On another subject, I have been taking Cymbalta for chronic pain for a few years now.  Due to a problem with the pharmacy's communication with me, I am in the middle of horrible withdrawal symptoms.  I ran out of my Cymbalta about a week before the pharmacy will end up mailing me the refill.  I had no idea that the withdrawal symptoms from the drug are so intense and wretched.

I have constant uncomfortable tactile sensations, a profound rebound issue with my pain level, and projectile vomiting to mention just a fraction of the symptoms.  Most disturbing is I can feel what seem to be electrical pulses shooting up and down my cervical spine and in my head.

I can guarantee you I will try very hard not to run out of this med again.  It's been a week already and the symptoms show no sign at all of decreasing in intensity.  I can only imagine what sort of haywire my brain chemistry is going through.

Just thought it would be important for people to know this in case they are taking or thinking of taking Cymbalta.

BPA and Obesity: Is This Connection Real?

BPA and Obesity: Is This Connection Real?
Medscape Family Medicine, 2013-01-14

Sebelius Urges Docs to Adopt New Pay Models

Original story here

By David Pittman, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today

Published: February 04, 2013

WASHINGTON -- Healthcare providers have an obligation to try new payment models that can help lower the growth rate of health spending, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Monday.

"Far too many healthcare providers are still content to sit back and let others blaze the trail to a 21st century healthcare system," Sebelius said at the AcademyHealth National Health Policy Conference here. "My plea to all of you today ... is to help us speed up the rate of change."

In the last few years, healthcare spending has grown at historically slow rates, she pointed out. Meanwhile, efforts to reduce healthcare-acquired infections, hospital readmissions, and elective early deliveries have shown success.

But the change in care delivery and payment models isn't happening fast enough, Sebelius said.

"If you are already a vanguard of transforming care, now is the time to take the next step forward. If you've been considering participating in a new care model, now is the time to take the plunge," Sebelius said. "If you've been waiting on the sidelines to see actually how this is going to shake out, now is the time to get in the game."

A key aspect of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was the new payment models, which are changing the way care is delivered, Sebelius said. For example, the law accelerates use of patient-centered medical homes and accountable care organizations (ACOs).

"Some of our early results have been promising," Sebelius said, but she did not go into detail.

The healthcare system needs to move away from a fee-for-service model and begin to reward quality and outcomes, as do the pay models -- such as ACOs -- now being studied and implemented in the Medicare program.

The U.S. still spends 1.5 times more on healthcare than any other country. Medicare and Medicaid grow at rates much slower than the private sector, but they can still lead reform efforts, Sebelius said.

"History shows that innovations in how we pay for care often can begin with Medicare and then spread to the private insurance industry," she added.

Today, more than 250 ACOs exist, with more than 4 million Medicare beneficiaries getting their care from a provider whose bottom line is to keep them healthy. "These new models are spreading rapidly in states and the private sector," Sebelius said.

She also called for wider expansion of health coverage, particularly through Medicaid. Many states currently are debating if they should expand their programs to cover all those with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level. Under the ACA, the federal government will pay 100% of those newly eligible for the first 3 years, starting in 2014.

However, the Supreme Court in June effectively made the expansion optional. Sebelius -- as did Democratic senators last week -- called on governors to opt for expanded coverage.

An expanded Medicaid can provide coverage for working families, reduce the burden of uncompensated care, increase productivity, and save lives, she said.

"They don't have to weigh the costs of going to the emergency room when their 5-year-old wakes up with a fever and there's no risk of losing everything you have when someone gets seriously ill and runs up a big hospital bill," Sebelius said.

However, states would be on the hook to pay for those currently eligible yet not enrolled in Medicaid, as well as for increased administrative costs and the remaining 10% of newly covered individuals when federal support wanes to 90% in 2020.

"There has never been a federal-state partnership that has looked anything like this," Sebelius said. "I'd say it's as good a deal as you're going to get."

Also, Sebelius mentioned the need to reach out to young people currently uninsured who may not know they can gain federal assistance to buy coverage through a health insurance exchange or marketplace. Young people are particularly tough to reach, she noted.

"If we're going to fulfill the full promise of the Affordable Care Act and insure millions of Americans, we need to reach these people," Sebelius said.

I think I'm dying again

The past few weeks have been horrid.  My doctor is on my case to lose weight because of my diabetes.  So, I am basically hungry all day every day.  I have no energy and each day I feel like I'm dying a little bit more.  I hate when I get like this, but it happens at least twice a year.  I've been in constant pain from both my fibromyalgia and spinal injuries, but since I had been doing so well my doctor cut my pain pills in half.  Now I have to ration them, because I don't have enough to last through the day.

Having multiple hidden disabilities can be almost overwhelming at times.  I'd like to hear from some of you about your daily struggles.  Please comment on this, and let me know how you deal with things when they get overwhelming.

Gulf War Illness

A large new study seems to confirm that the illness plaguing so many veterans of the 1990-1991 Gulf War is due to cholinergic dysfunction. Follow the link for the entire article.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/775087?src=emailthis