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AN ALCOHOL PROBLEM??

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 13:40:20 GMT

"If all the automobiles in the United States were fueled with 100 percent ethanol, a total of about 97 percent of U.S. land area would be needed to grow the corn feedstock. Corn would cover nearly the total land area of the United States."

Ethanol Fuel from Corn Faulted as ‘Unsustainable Subsidized Food Burning’David Pimental, a leading Cornell University agricultural expert, has calculated that powering the average U.S. automobile for one year on ethanol (blended with gasoline) derived from corn would require 11 acres of farmland, the same space needed to grow a year's supply of food for seven people. Adding up the energy costs of corn production and its conversion into ethanol, 131,000 BTUs are needed to make one gallon of ethanol. One gallon of ethanol has an energy value of only 77,000 BTUS. Thus, 70 percent more energy is required to produce ethanol than the energy that actually is in it. Every time you make one gallon of ethanol, there is a net energy loss of 54,000 BTUs.Mr. Pimentel concluded that "abusing our precious croplands to grow corn for an energy-inefficient process that yields low-grade automobile fuels amounts to unsustainable subsidized food burning". Neither increases in government subsidies (to corn-based ethanol fuel), nor hikes in the price of petroleum can overcome what Cornell University agricultural scientist, David Pimentel, calls a fundamental input-yield problem: It takes more energy to make ethanol from grain than the combustion of ethanol produces.At a time when ethanol-gasoline mixtures (gasohol) are touted as the American answer to fossil fuel shortages by corn producers, food processors and some lawmakers, Cornell’s David Pimentel, one of the world’s leading experts in issues relating to energy and agriculture, takes a longer range view."Abusing our precious croplands to grow corn for an energy-inefficient process that yields low-grade automobile fuel amounts to unsustainable, subsidized food burning", says the Cornell professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Pimentel, who chaired a U.S. Department of Energy panel that investigated the energetics, economics and environmental aspects of ethanol production several years ago, subsequently conducted a detailed analysis of the corn-to-car fuel process. His findings are published in the September, 2001 issue of the Encyclopedia of Physical Sciences and Technology.Among his findings are:

An acre of U.S. corn yields about 7,110 pounds of corn for processing into 328 gallons of ethanol. But planting, growing and harvesting that much corn requires about 140 gallons of fossil fuels and costs $347 per acre, according to Pimentel’s analysis. Thus, even before corn is converted to ethanol, the feedstock costs $1.05 per gallon of ethanol.

The energy economics get worse at the processing plants, where the grain is crushed and fermented. As many as three distillation steps are needed to separate the 8 percent ethanol from the 92 percent water. Additional treatment and energy are required to produce the 99.8 percent pure ethanol for mixing with gasoline.
Adding up the energy costs of corn production and its conversion to ethanol, 131,000 BTUs are needed to make 1 gallon of ethanol. One gallon of ethanol has an energy value of only 77,000 BTU. "Put another way", Pimentel says, "about 70 percent more energy is required to produce ethanol than the energy that actually is in ethanol. Every time you make 1 gallon of ethanol, there is a net energy loss of 54,000 BTU".

Ethanol from corn costs about $1.74 per gallon to produce, compared with about 95 cents to produce a gallon of gasoline. "That helps explain why fossil fuels-not ethanol-are used to produce ethanol", Pimentel says. "The growers and processors can’t afford to burn ethanol to make ethanol. U.S. drivers couldn’t afford it, either, if it weren’t for government subsidies to artificially lower the price".

Most economic analyses of corn-to-ethanol production overlook the costs of environmental damages, which Pimentel says should add another 23 cents per gallon. "Corn production in the U.S. erodes soil about 12 times faster than the soil can be reformed, and irrigating corn mines groundwater 25 percent faster than the natural recharge rate of ground water. The environmental system in which corn is being produced is being rapidly degraded. Corn should not be considered a renewable resource for ethanol energy production, especially when human food is being converted into ethanol".

The approximately $1 billion a year in current federal and state subsidies (mainly to large corporations) for ethanol production are not the only costs to consumers, the Cornell scientist observes. Subsidized corn results in higher prices for meat, milk and eggs because about 70 percent of corn grain is fed to livestock and poultry in the United States. Increasing ethanol production would further inflate corn prices, Pimentel says, noting: "In addition to paying tax dollars for ethanol subsidies, consumers would be paying significantly higher food prices in the marketplace".

Nickels and dimes aside, some drivers still would rather see their cars fueled by farms in the Midwest than by oil wells in the Middle East, Pimentel acknowledges, so he calculated the amount of corn needed to power an automobile:

The average U.S. automobile, traveling 10,000 miles a year on pure ethanol (not a gasoline-ethanol mix) would need about 852 gallons of the corn-based fuel. This would take 11 acres to grow, based on net ethanol production. This is the same amount of cropland required to feed seven Americans.

If all the automobiles in the United States were fueled with 100 percent ethanol, a total of about 97 percent of U.S. land area would be needed to grow the corn feedstock. Corn would cover nearly the total land area of the United States.

For further information, contact: Roger Segelken
Phone: 607-255-9736
E-Mail: hrs2@cornell.edu

TODAY'S TIMES

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 13:31:44 GMT

Stonewalled by the C.I.A.

By THOMAS H. KEAN and LEE H. HAMILTON

Washington

MORE than five years ago, Congress and President Bush created the 9/11 commission. The goal was to provide the American people with the fullest possible account of the “facts and circumstances relating to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001” — and to offer recommendations to prevent future attacks. Soon after its creation, the president’s chief of staff directed all executive branch agencies to cooperate with the commission.

The commission’s mandate was sweeping and it explicitly included the intelligence agencies. But the recent revelations that the C.I.A. destroyed videotaped interrogations of Qaeda operatives leads us to conclude that the agency failed to respond to our lawful requests for information about the 9/11 plot. Those who knew about those videotapes — and did not tell us about them — obstructed our investigation.

There could have been absolutely no doubt in the mind of anyone at the C.I.A. — or the White House — of the commission’s interest in any and all information related to Qaeda detainees involved in the 9/11 plot. Yet no one in the administration ever told the commission of the existence of videotapes of detainee interrogations.

When the press reported that, in 2002 and maybe at other times, the C.I.A. had recorded hundreds of hours of interrogations of at least two Qaeda detainees, we went back to check our records. We found that we did ask, repeatedly, for the kind of information that would have been contained in such videotapes.

The commission did not have a mandate to investigate how detainees were treated; our role was to investigate the history and evolution of Al Qaeda and the 9/11 plot. Beginning in June 2003, we requested all reports of intelligence information on these broad topics that had been gleaned from the interrogations of 118 named individuals, including both Abu Zubaydah and Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri, two senior Qaeda operatives, portions of whose interrogations were apparently recorded and then destroyed.

The C.I.A. gave us many reports summarizing information gained in the interrogations. But the reports raised almost as many questions as they answered. Agency officials assured us that, if we posed specific questions, they would do all they could to answer them.

So, in October 2003, we sent another wave of questions to the C.I.A.’s general counsel. One set posed dozens of specific questions about the reports, including those about Abu Zubaydah. A second set, even more important in our view, asked for details about the translation process in the interrogations; the background of the interrogators; the way the interrogators handled inconsistencies in the detainees’ stories; the particular questions that had been asked to elicit reported information; the way interrogators had followed up on certain lines of questioning; the context of the interrogations so we could assess the credibility and demeanor of the detainees when they made the reported statements; and the views or assessments of the interrogators themselves.

The general counsel responded in writing with non-specific replies. The agency did not disclose that any interrogations had ever been recorded or that it had held any further relevant information, in any form. Not satisfied with this response, we decided that we needed to question the detainees directly, including Abu Zubaydah and a few other key captives.

In a lunch meeting on Dec. 23, 2003, George Tenet, the C.I.A. director, told us point blank that we would have no such access. During the meeting, we emphasized to him that the C.I.A. should provide any documents responsive to our requests, even if the commission had not specifically asked for them. Mr. Tenet replied by alluding to several documents he thought would be helpful to us, but neither he, nor anyone else in the meeting, mentioned videotapes.

A meeting on Jan. 21, 2004, with Mr. Tenet, the White House counsel, the secretary of defense and a representative from the Justice Department also resulted in the denial of commission access to the detainees. Once again, videotapes were not mentioned.

As a result of this January meeting, the C.I.A. agreed to pose some of our questions to detainees and report back to us. The commission concluded this was all the administration could give us. But the commission never felt that its earlier questions had been satisfactorily answered. So the public would be aware of our concerns, we highlighted our caveats on page 146 in the commission report.

As a legal matter, it is not up to us to examine the C.I.A.’s failure to disclose the existence of these tapes. That is for others. What we do know is that government officials decided not to inform a lawfully constituted body, created by Congress and the president, to investigate one the greatest tragedies to confront this country. We call that obstruction.

Thomas H. Kean and Lee H. Hamilton served as chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the 9/11 commission.

SUGGEST A NEW A.G.!

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:34:16 GMT

Last week's unfortunate series of events, culminating in the resignation of Attorney General Paul Morrison, was and is a sad time for everyone involved. However, we must remember how far we have come and continue our work to keep our state Attorney General's office focused on enforcing our laws and both protecting and serving the people of Kansas.

While in office, Paul Morrison and his dedicated, professional staff worked tirelessly to rebuild a broken, ineffective Attorney General's office - and we must make sure that their progress continues.

Last year, the Attorney General's office had no means to protect Kansans from the developing threat of internet fraud. Now we have a Cyber Crimes Unit that specifically targets online predators and internet scams. Where none existed before, we now have a Domestic Violence Unit that provides necessary resources to our county law enforcement teams. And we now have an effective Consumer Protection Department and a professional Victims' Rights Department staffed with law enforcement officials who are ready to help Kansans and their families when faced with tragedy.

In the coming weeks, our Governor has a big decision to make. She must find a leader who is prepared to build upon the progress of the last year. She must select someone who will continue to focus the attention of this office on protecting Kansans and their families.

Governor Sebelius has asked that I reach out to all Democrats and gather suggestions for who we feel is best qualified to serve as the next Attorney General of Kansas. Please consider who will work to ensure the safety, well-being and happiness of all Kansans and also be an excellent representative of our Party. Email your ideas to lgates@ksdp.org.

Thank you for your input and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Larry Gates
Chairman
Kansas Democratic Party

WWJB....What Would Jesus Buy?

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 13:31:47 GMT

Just in time for Christmas comes something that Christians worldwide will consider to be an abomination: crucifixes and other religious articles made in deplorable sweatshops in China. They are being sold not only in America’s Christian stores - but even in churches.

A highly-respected workers’ rights group, The National Labor Committee, has documented the brutal sweatshop conditions at the Junxingye factory in Southern China. Here, young women workers - many only teenagers - are forced to toil from 8 am to 11:30 pm, seven days a week, making Christian artifacts.

They’re paid 26 ½ cents an hour - less than half of China’s miserly minimum wage. Out of this meager pay, workers are docked for bad food and bunks in cramped, filthy dorms. This lowers their pay to nine cents an hour - less than $10 a week. They get no sick days, holidays, or maternity leave - and, ironically, they have no religious rights.

The National Labor Committee found crucifixes from this factory being sold at New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral - for $29.95 apiece! The Cathedral has now pulled these products from its gift shops, which is an essential ethical step, but barely a start. The church must use its full moral authority and enormous purchasing power to clean up China’s sweatshop factories engaged in religious commerce.

Far worse than any one gift shop is the Association for Christian Retail - a consortium of some 2,000 religious stores that do nearly $5 billion a year in sales of Christian products. Like Wal-Mart, this profitable economic entity has shifted its manufacturing en masse to China, yet it has not revealed the addresses of its factories, much less the labor conditions in them.

This is one association that should ask itself: What Would Jesus Do? For information, call the National Labor Committee <http://www.nlcnet.org/>: 212-242-3002.

Jim Hightower

WHAT ABOUT REAL WORLD PROBLEMS?

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 21:30:17 GMT

'Compass' movie latest target of conservatives

By Colleen Surridge

Parsons Sun

Every day in America youths are subjected to magazines, books, music, video games and television that portrays or condones all manner of immoral and illegal behavior, yet conservative organizations somehow target only one or two movies or books a year.

In recent years, the Harry Potter series was condemned for the author's supposed attempts to arouse in readers an interest in witchcraft.

Now, the movie "The Golden Compass" and the books it is based on have been boycotted by some because of some people's belief that the author is using it as a venue to steer youths toward atheism, which is a belief that there is no God.

Author Phillip Pullman is a proclaimed atheist, but his trilogy, "His Dark Materials," has been on school and public library shelves for years without a whisper of disapproval.

However, Catholic League president Bill Donohue declares the first book in the series, which has been transferred to the big screen, a stealth campaign by Pullman to lure children to atheism.

"Atheism for kids. That is what Phillip Pullman sells," Donohue said in a statement published by the Catholic News Agency. "The trilogy, 'His Dark Materials,' was written to promote atheism and denigrate Christianity, especially Roman Catholicism. The target audience is children and adolescents. Each book becomes progressively more aggressive in its denigration of Christianity and promotion of atheism."

He cautions the movie is a watered-down version to deceive people into buying the books for their children.

An e-mail campaign is circulating concerns about the movie, to be released next week, warning that it is about killing God.

The Rev. Jason Borkenhagen, pastor at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Parsons, has received some of those e-mails, along with other e-mails that try to answer the accusations of the movie.

The e-mails never deny that the books and movie denote an anti-Catholic, anti-Christian and atheistic sentiments, Borkenhagen said. In fact, he said, the book uses a Catholic term of magisterium, which describes the teaching authority of the church, as something evil, he said.

"It is not a leap of faith to say that is what this person thinks about the church," Borkenhagen said.

The epic fantasy is steeped in religious undertones and does place the "holy church" as controlling any theology that goes against its beliefs.

It also depicts the papacy as having been done away with and "a tangle of courts, colleges and councils collectively known as the magisterium had grown in its place."

Pullman writes, "It is always possible for independent agencies to grow up under the protection magisterium, and the oblation board ... was one of those."

The oblation board is the controlling evil force in Pullman's first book.

Borkenhagen said one priest wrote in response to the controversy that at least it has people talking, but he said people talking is not always a good thing.

Still, Borkenhagen questioned ridiculing the "The Golden Compass" when society is saturated with similar material available to youths.

"I wouldn't single out this movie. There are all sorts of messages out there in movies, music and games that are dangerous. As a society, we are not careful enough about checking things out that our children will be exposed to," Borkenhagen said. "A parent should always review first what kids are going to see, and pick out what needs to be discussed. They can't make the distinctions we as adults can make, so certainly great care should be taken."

Parsons Middle School and high school librarian Robie Martin said she has read the books and bought them for both schools several years ago.

"They have circulated very well, especially the first book, 'The Golden Compass,'" she said.

While she states the other two books in the trilogy might give some parents a cause for concern, "As a librarian, teacher and a parent, I would be more concerned about the music that kids are listening to now than the books. My view is they are a well-crafted fantasy, but as with any type of entertainment, parents need to be vigilant monitoring what their children are reading, watching and listening to. I would be less fearful of the books than music, videos and computer games kids are playing. I didn't find anything that kept me from recommending it to my own children.

"In the later books, a reader can sense more the darker element, but I think its premise there is for children to make good choices and do the right thing. That is still the feeling I took away from it," she said. "If parents have any questions, though, they should first read the books, and if it does not fit their choices for their children, don't let them read it."

While alarms are being sounded by some adults - some of whom admit they have not read the trilogy - youths who have already read the books found the trilogy to be nothing more than an epic fantasy that has had no bearing on their religious beliefs.

Randy Cavender, a junior at Labette County High School, is one.

"It's a good book. I liked the whole trilogy and my mom likes it, too," said Cavender, who first read the trilogy three years ago, and about a year ago bought the trilogy to re-read it.

Cavender explained the plot of the books, including the role of the lead character, Lyra, as unknowingly being chosen by God to stop her father who is an enemy of God.

"This is a book about the battle between good and evil, and Pullman wrote it well," Cavender said. "There is no message that I found that was anti-Christian."

The books are written for older youths, written well, and Cavender said he would recommend them to others.

While he warns readers may become absorbed in them because they are good books, he said there was no hidden messages that made him turn from his belief in God and decide to follow the path of atheism.

"And, when I found out they were making the movie, I said, 'I've got to see that,'" he said. "I am planning on seeing it as soon as it's out."

Parsons KS terrible legacy....

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 16:53:09 GMT

UNFRIENDLY FIRE: CLUSTER BOMBS KEEP KILLING – by Frida Berrigan

Jesus Suarez del Solar died instantly. The Lance Corporal was an early casualty of the U.S. war in Iraq, but he was not killed by enemy fire.

The 20-year-old stepped on our own unexploded ordnance on March 27, 2003. It is likely that the bomblet that killed Jesus was just one of thousands that the United States scattered in the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Air Force dropped cluster bombs where he was patrolling just days before, and these deadly weapons leave behind tens or hundreds of thousands of unexploded bomblets which can be detonated days or even years later.

During 2003, the U.S. dropped or fired nearly 11,000 cluster bombs. These may have accounted for well over 200,000 individual bomblets. Although varied in size and configuration, a cluster munition is essentially a large canister-as long as 13 feet and weighing up to 1,000 pounds-packed with little exlosives. Designed to break open in mid-air, Its bomblets disperse over areas as large as two or three football fields. The bomblets-a single canister holds hundreds- range in size from the equivalent of a soda can down to a flashlight battery, and each is filledwith shrapnel and an explosive charge.

Cluster bombs are intended to explode on impact. But, according to independent and military analyses, failure rates range from 5 to 15 percent. In the field, the rate can climb as high as 40 percent when the submunition is buffeted by wind or rain, falls on uneven or soft terrain or encounters other environmental factors. This means that every cluster bomb attack leaves large numbers of dangerous unexploded bomblets.

A 2006 Handicap International report estimated that nearly 3,000 Iraqis have been victims of cluster bombs since 2003. The report goes on to fault U.S. and Iraqi officials for failing to adequately track unexploded ordnance casualties.

Even without that tracking, one thing is clear-- the number of cluster bomb-related deaths will continue to rise. The United States' use of them in Iraq exposes civilians to decades of danger.

A closer look at Cambodia-where the U.S. dropped cluster bombs extensively between 1969 and 1973-- forecasts a grim future. That war is long over, but the weapons still kill. In 2005, three Cambodian boys were playing with steel balls. The balls were thirty year old BLU-63s, some of tens of thousands dropped on their country long before they were born. The bomblets exploded. One boy died of massive abdominal injuries, and the two other boys were seriously injured. Handicap International asserts that over the last 40 years, in former warzones throughout the world, civilians have accounted for 98% of cluster bomb casualties.

But, civilians are not the only ones in danger. Like Jesus, U.S. service men and women are threatened. A USA Today report estimated at the end of 2003 that at least eight U.S. soldiers had been killed by unexploded bomblets. But, the Pentagon does not track cluster bomb casualties among U.S. soldiers, making it almost impossible to update or confirm these figures.

As one of the world's top manufacturers of cluster weapons, the United States should be leading the efforts to protect its own soldiers and civilians from these deadly little weapons. Eighty-two countries are now working together on an international agreement to ban cluster munitions, and the United States should be at the table.

The Bush Administration has so far refused to join the negotiations; but, there is some good news. The Senate passed a one-year de facto moratorium on the export of cluster bombs in September. This crucial first step must be followed with more concrete action-like the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act which is now gathering co-sponsors.

Passage of this bill would be a fitting tribute to Lance Corporal Jesus Suarez del Solar and other servicemen and women killed by our own bombs, and would help ensure that forty years from now children can safely play where war once raged.

TODAY'S TIMES

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 16:15:17 GMT

Another Very Scary Germ

The bacterial infection that killed a Brooklyn middle school student, panicked many parents and sent school officials in many states into a frenzy of cleaning and disinfecting is only the latest manifestation of a very dangerous problem: the development of bacterial strains that are resistant to many antibiotics. It is a problem that needs to be tackled broadly, not just in a hasty reaction to the recent incidents.

The pathogen now generating fear — known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA — has long been infecting sick patients in hospitals and nursing homes. In the past decade it has developed into a major public health problem, sickening otherwise healthy individuals in the general community.

The vast majority of cases involve only a skin eruption, perhaps a reddish pimple or small boil that is easily treated. In some cases, the pathogen can invade the blood stream and internal organs, causing severe illness and even death. A recent government study concluded that the serious, invasive infections are a lot more widespread than previously thought: striking 94,360 people in this country in 2005 and contributing to the deaths of 18,650 of them, more than succumbed to AIDS that year.

The vast majority of serious infections — some 85 percent — were attributed to exposure in health care institutions, while only 15 percent stemmed from infection in the community, often at schools, gyms or other places where people come into close contact. The community form may be more virulent than the hospital-acquired form, but it is treatable with a wider range of antibiotics and caused only 8 percent of the deaths.

There is no vaccine to prevent the disease. To prevent spread of the pathogen where it is detected, health authorities recommend frequent hand-washing, cleaning and covering of cuts and scrapes; avoiding contact with other people’s wounds or bandages; and not sharing personal items like towels or razors. It makes sense to clean surfaces that come into contact with people’s skin, but most experts dismiss the idea that schools have to be scrubbed top to bottom, or even closed, if a case is found.

The discovery that MRSA is more prevalent than anyone thought reinforces the need for an aggressive, multipronged approach to curb the growing number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Health authorities need to tighten their surveillance systems or perhaps even require mandatory reporting of cases. Hospitals need to improve their infection control procedures and should probably screen high-risk patients or even all patients for dangerous germs, as many now do. In the case of MRSA, American farmers or government officials may also need to test pigs, which have been found to harbor the infection in other countries.

All hospitals should be required to report their rates of hospital-acquired infections. And the pharmaceutical industry, which invests relatively little in developing new antibiotics, needs to pick up the pace of discovery. Most important, the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in both medicine and agriculture needs to be limited so that resistant strains take longer to emerge.

SPECIAL TO TRACY'S BLOG

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:34:54 GMT

A Stem Cell Achievement (thanks for the tip Linda)

Scientists in Oregon have successfully cloned monkey embryos from the skin cells of an adult monkey and then extracted stem cells from them — the first time this feat has been achieved in any animal other than mice. The same method might also work in humans, bringing researchers closer to the goal of creating embryonic stem cells to study diseases and ultimately treat them with new drugs or stem cell therapies.

Scientists had previously cloned embryos of other species, but they had never been able to clone a primate — let alone extract primate stem cells. Now researchers at the Oregon Health and Science University have succeeded. They created embryos that were genetically identical to an adult monkey, extracted stem cells from them and grew the stem cells into heart cells and nerve cells that could, theoretically, be used to replace damaged cells.

The most immediate application will be to study diseases in monkeys that closely mimic human diseases, analyze how they develop in a laboratory dish and find ways to treat them. This research is likely to be welcomed by both sides of the battles over stem cells.

Using this technique to make human stem cells will still face daunting technical hurdles. The researchers used more than 300 monkey eggs to produce just one normal stem cell line. The success rate is bound to improve, but it may be difficult to find enough human egg donors to allow the research to move forward rapidly.

The Oregon achievement ought to galvanize Congress to expand the array of embryonic stem cell research that can receive federal financing. This research should not be hobbled by the opposition of President Bush and his backers among religious conservatives, who have severely limited the availability of federal funds. The potential benefits for human health are far too important.

RETRY

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 22:00:08 GMT

I CALLED IT !!!

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 21:44:57 GMT

FROM THE VOA

Fighters loyal to a radical Islamic cleric have seized more territory in Pakistan's Swat Valley, taking over police stations and checkpoints in several towns. Paramilitary troops and police have surrendered their weapons to militants in the key tourist towns of Kalam, Madian and Bahrain.

ABOUT THAT DRUG PROBLEM....

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 09:47:34 GMT

This Is Your (Father’s) Brain on Drugs

By MIKE MALES

A SPATE of news reports have breathlessly announced that science can explain why adults have such trouble dealing with teenagers: adolescents possess “immature,” “undeveloped” brains that drive them to risky, obnoxious, parent-vexing behaviors. The latest example is a study out of Temple University that found that the “temporal gap between puberty, which impels adolescents toward thrill seeking, and the slow maturation of the cognitive-control system, which regulates these impulses, makes adolescence a time of heightened vulnerability for risky behavior.”

We know the rest of the script: Commentators brand teenagers as stupid, crazy, reckless, immature, irrational and even alien, then advocate tough curbs on youthful freedoms. Jay Giedd, who heads the brain imaging project at the National Institutes of Health, argues that the voting and drinking ages should be raised to 25. Deborah Yurgelun-Todd, a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School, asks whether we should allow teenagers to be lifeguards or to enlist in the military. And state legislators around the country have proposed raising driving ages.

But the handful of experts and officials making these claims are themselves guilty of reckless overstatement. More responsible brain researchers — like Daniel Siegel of the University of California at Los Angeles and Kurt Fischer at Harvard’s Mind, Brain and Education Program — caution that scientists are just beginning to identify how systems in the brain work.

“People naturally want to use brain science to inform policy and practice, but our limited knowledge of the brain places extreme limits on that effort,” Dr. Siegel told me. “There can be no ‘brain-based education’ or ‘brain-based parenting’ at this early point in the history of neuroscience.”

Why, then, do many pundits and policy makers rush to denigrate adolescents as brainless? One troubling possibility: youths are being maligned to draw attention from the reality that it’s actually middle-aged adults — the parents — whose behavior has worsened.

Our most reliable measures show Americans ages 35 to 54 are suffering ballooning crises:

18,249 deaths from overdoses of illicit drugs in 2004, up 550 percent per capita since 1975, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics.

46,925 fatal accidents and suicides in 2004, leaving today’s middle-agers 30 percent more at risk for such deaths than people aged 15 to 19, according to the national center.

More than four million arrests in 2005, including one million for violent crimes, 500,000 for drugs and 650,000 for drinking-related offenses, according to the F.B.I. All told, this represented a 200 percent leap per capita in major index felonies since 1975.

630,000 middle-agers in prison in 2005, up 600 percent since 1977, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

21 million binge drinkers (those downing five or more drinks on one occasion in the previous month), double the number among teenagers and college students combined, according to the government’s National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health.

370,000 people treated in hospital emergency rooms for abusing illegal drugs in 2005, with overdose rates for heroin, cocaine, pharmaceuticals and drugs mixed with alcohol far higher than among teenagers.

More than half of all new H.I.V./AIDS diagnoses in 2005 were given to middle-aged Americans, up from less than one-third a decade ago, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

What experts label “adolescent risk taking” is really baby boomer risk taking. It’s true that 30 years ago, the riskiest age group for violent death was 15 to 24. But those same boomers continue to suffer high rates of addiction and other ills throughout middle age, while later generations of teenagers are better behaved. Today, the age group most at risk for violent death is 40 to 49, including illegal-drug death rates five times higher than for teenagers.

Strangely, the experts never mention even more damning new “discoveries” about the middle-aged brain, like the 2004 study of scans by Harvard researchers revealing declines in key memory and learning genes that become significant by age 40. In reality, human brains are highly adaptive. Both teenagers and adults display a wide variety of attitudes and behaviors derived from individual conditions and choices, not harsh biological determinism. There’s no “typical teenager” any more than there’s a “typical” 45-year-old.

Commentators slandering teenagers, scientists misrepresenting shaky claims about the brain as hard facts, 47-year-olds displaying far riskier behaviors than 17-year-olds, politicians refusing to face growing middle-aged crises ... if grown-ups really have superior brains, why don’t we act as if we do?

WHAT THE (expletive deleted)?

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 09:49:39 GMT

Until a July Florida appeals court ruling, Mark O'Hara, 45, had been in prison for two years of a 25-year mandatory-minimum for trafficking in hydrocodone, based solely on the 58 tablets found in his possession in 2004, even though his supply had been lawfully prescribed by a physician. The state attorney in Tampa had pointed out that Florida law did not mention a "prescription" defense to trafficking, and even though O'Hara had lined up a doctor and a pharmacist to testify, the jury wasn't allowed to consider the issue. After the appeals court called the case "absurd" and ordered a new trial with the prescription evidence allowed, the state attorney still refused to drop the case. [St. Petersburg Times, 8-9-07]

I wonder, won't he still get his hydrocodone while in prison?

THE DEMOCRAT'S RESPONSE

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 17:23:19 GMT

Of course Mr. McMahon and the Democratic party care deeply about me, I'm just sure that's why they send me this stuff (along with the ever present plead for money).

Dear Tracy,

President Bush and the Republicans in Congress have been telling us to wait for the so-called "Petraeus Report" for months before we change the course in Iraq. Now with relentless bloodshed and no political solution in sight, President Bush wants more time for his failed war.

All summer, Republicans have used the so-called "Petraeus Report" to delay dealing with growing anti-war sentiment.

In June, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said:

"I think everybody anticipates that there's going to be a new strategy in the fall. I don't think we'll have the same level of troops, in all likelihood, that we have now. The Iraqis will have to step up, not only on the political side, but on the military side, to a greater extent. We're not there forever. I think they understand that, and the time to properly evaluate that, it strikes me, is in September."

And in July, President Bush said,

"I welcome a good, honest debate about the consequences of failure, the consequences of success in this war. But I believe that it's in this nation's interests to give the commander a chance to fully implement his operations. I believe Congress ought to wait for Gen. Petraeus to come back and give his assessment of the strategy that he's putting in place before they make any decisions."

This week, General Petraeus testified before Congress, asking for more time. He wants to wait until March to make recommendations about bringing our troops home.

According to the Washington Post, many experts have questioned data behind the general's optimistic assessment of the war, accusing the Pentagon of "cherry-picking positive indicators." Even in December 2006, the Iraq Study Group reported "significant under-reporting of violence."

In fact, this has been the bloodiest summer for American soldiers since the war began.

And when it comes to the Iraqi government, there's even less progress. The surge was supposed to help give breathing room in the political process, but the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that two and a half years after the first election, the Iraqi government has met just three of the 18 benchmarks set by Congress.

Kenneth Katzman, author of a report for the non-partisan Congressional Research Service, put it this way:

"My assessment is that because of the number and breadth of parties boycotting the cabinet, the Iraqi government is in essential collapse. That argues against any real prospects for political reconciliation."

President Bush cherry-picked intelligence to make his initial case for war over four years ago.

Since then he has stifled dissent and distorted the truth to sell his failing strategy to the rest of us.

The Republicans accuse Democrats of setting arbitrary dates for withdrawal -- but it's the Republicans who set arbitrary dates for delay.

Sincerely,

Tom McMahon
Executive Director

PATRIOT'S DAY

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 18:13:25 GMT

Patriot Day, 2003
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

Two years ago, more than 3,000 innocent people lost their lives when a calm September morning was shattered by terrorists driven by hatred and destruction.

On that day, and in its aftermath, we saw the greatness of America in the bravery of victims; in the heroism of first responders who laid down their lives to save others; in the compassion of people who stepped forward to help those they had never met; and in the generosity of millions of Americans who enriched our country with acts of service and kindness. Since that day, we have seen the greatness of America further demonstrated in the courage of our brave men and women in uniform who have served and sacrificed in Afghanistan, in Iraq, and around the world to advance freedom and prevent terrorist attacks on America.

As we remember September 11, 2001, we reaffirm the vows made in the earliest hours of our grief and anger. As liberty's home and defender, America will not tire, will not falter, and will not fail in fighting for the safety and security of the American people and a world free from terrorism. We will continue to bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to them. This Patriot Day, we hold steady to this task.

By a joint resolution approved December 18, 2001 (Public Law 107-89), the Congress has designated September 11 of each year as "Patriot Day."

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 11, 2003, as Patriot Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities, including remembrance services and candlelight vigils. I also call upon the Governors of the United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, as well as appropriate officials of all units of government, to direct that the flag be flown at half-staff on Patriot Day. In addition, I call upon all Americans to display the flag at half-staff from their homes on that day and to observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 a.m. eastern daylight time to honor the innocent victims who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-eighth.

GEORGE W. BUSH

IT AIN'T FUNNY !

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 18:38:43 GMT

Prank rattles Asian summit security

Australian TV crew uses fake Canadian motorcade to get past security checkpoints

September 06, 2007

Tonda MacCharles
Ottawa Bureau
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — If the Canadian government was concerned about the country’s image after a TV prank that embarrassed security officials at the APEC summit today, Canada’s foreign minister wasn’t showing it.

Maxime Bernier first shrugged off questions about a stunt where Australian TV comedians - one dressed as Osama bin Laden - drove in a fake motorcade with a Canadian flag on their vehicles through two security checkpoints at the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, before being stopped near the Sydney hotel where U.S. President George W. Bush is staying.

“You have two real ministers here,” quipped Bernier, as he pointed with a grin to his colleague David Emerson, international trade minister.

Then Bernier feigned ignorance of the stunt. “I didn’t hear about this. I was in meetings,” he said, pointing at his watch before exiting a news conference.

Pictures of the stunt and arrest of an Australian Broadcasting Corp. crew had already circulated widely around the globe, and Canadian press officers were aware of the news.

The hoax embarrassed Sydney police, who have imposed the tightest security measures in city history for a summit of leaders from Pacific Rim countries, including Bush and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who arrived today.

Police arrested 11 cast and crew from the TV program The Chaser's War on Everything, and impounded three vehicles, the network said on its website.

Cast members put together a sham motorcade, hiring two motorcycles and three large cars on which they put Canadian flags. Police waved the motorcade through two checkpoints before pulling it over near the Intercontinental Hotel where Bush is staying.

Cast member Chas Licciardello got out of the car dressed in a white tunic and cap and wearing a long fake Osama bin Laden-style beard.

“No particular reason we chose Canada,” cast member Chris Taylor was quoted as saying on The Sydney Morning Herald's website. “We just thought they'd be a country who the cops wouldn't scrutinize too closely, and who feasibly would only have three cars in their motorcade — as opposed to the 20 or so gas guzzlers that Bush has brought with him.”

Bush is a frequent target of The Chaser, as are Australian politicians. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the stunt proved security was working.

“Whatever you think of the humour of The Chaser, the honest truth is they were clearly not going to harm anybody in a physical way,” Downer said. “They presumably were, as is the nature of their show, aiming to humiliate a lot of well-known people.”

WHAT'S GOOD FOR THE GOOSE?

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 09:44:01 GMT

Bush says no gov't bailout for struggling homeowners

August 9, 2007
KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- President Bush faced questions Thursday on the mortgage crisis during a press conference and he took a hard line on the question of bailouts.
The number of foreclosures is on the rise and more people are losing their homes.

As an indication of how bad the market has gotten, earlier this week, American Home Mortgage filed for bankruptcy protection for itself. The company is the nation's tenth largest home lender.

As for homeowners, foreclosures are up 58 percent so far this year. That's nearly half a million American homes.

However, President Bush says low inflation, a strong job market and global economic growth are supporting the U.S. economy.

In short, no government bailout will be available to homeowners struggling to pay their bills.

"Obviously, anyone who loses a home is someone we should show enormous empathy. If you mean direct grants to homeowners as a bailout, the answer would be no, I don't support that," Bush said during a news conference.

Bush went on to say he thinks homeowners struggling with their mortgage payments should be allowed to refinance. That would allow them to get away from those adjustable loans they can't afford.

He also admits the government could do more to teach people how not to make financial mistakes in the first place.

UNBELEIVABLE AFTER YOU READ BELOW!

*****************************************************************

Influence and bailouts a business tradition in Bush family

By ROBERT TRIGAUX

Once upon a time, a rich and powerful father gathered his four young sons and urged them to become rich and powerful, too. Take risks. Push yourselves. Influence others, he ordered in a bold voice.

Then he whispered, "And if you muck things up, a fairy godfather will always appear to make things better."

Those may not have been the precise words spoken, but this is no tall tale. It's the business model adopted long ago by George and Barbara Bush to propel sons George W., Jeb, Marvin and Neil into the high ranks of industry and, at least for two boys, politics.

Sure, by now in the presidential campaign Dubya's dubious business transactions have been poked at repeatedly by the media.

No question, Jeb's numerous and often questionable business dealings have been scoured more than once.

Little has been written about Marvin, an investment adviser. Neil, the youngest, took some serious legal heat in the 1980s for his role in the demise of a Denver savings and loan. But he has since retreated to the Bush home turf of Houston and largely disappeared from the national spotlight.

Altogether, the Bush boys' business deals have received scant attention.

What's intriguing is that, time and again, all four brothers have chosen to use a remarkably similar two-step business model.

STEP 1: Leverage the Bush family name and a small personal investment into really big money, always provided by others.

STEP 2: If any deal goes sour, exit early with personal fortune intact. Or rely on a bailout from one of Dad's fairy godfathers: some of the thousands of wealthy Republican fundraisers and longtime supporters of former President Bush.

Of course, playing off the privileged and famous Bush name is inevitable. To a point.

But to the Bush boys, dubbed the "Shrubs" by detractors, it's become a chronic dependency. A habit of striking consistency.

The Bushes uniformly deny any wrongdoing and insist they haven't profited improperly on their family's political and financial connections. But let's just take a quick peek at some of the more interesting "Bush business model" deals pursued over the years by each of the boys.

George W.

Alaska construction: At age 27 and halfway through two years at Harvard Business School, Dubya spent the summer of 1974 in Alaska working for a small airline-and-construction business. The company, Alaska International Industries, had received a letter from an executive at a Houston construction company asking about a job for Bush. The aviation arm of Alaska International had an unusual list of clients that just happened to include the shah of Iran and the Central Intelligence Agency. Dubya's father would be appointed CIA director the following year.

Oil deals: In Texas, Dubya took his $50,000 trust fund and in 1977 started his first company, Arbusto Energy Inc. He got friends to invest in various drilling ventures that mostly went nowhere (but did generate big tax deductions). Friendly investors arranged a 1984 deal in which struggling Arbusto was acquired by another drilling company called Spectrum 7. When Harken Energy bought Spectrum in 1986, George wound up on the board with a $120,000 consulting gig and $530,380 worth of stock.

In the midst of his father's presidency in 1990, Bush unloaded his Harken shares for $848,560. Less than two months later, Iraqi troops marched into Kuwait, throwing the oil business into turmoil. Harken shares plummeted and the company reported a $20-million quarterly loss. The Securities and Exchange Commission investigated Dubya for improper insider trading but issued no reprimand. At the time, the SEC was headed by Richard Breeden, a former aide to President Bush.

Baseball: Dubya was appointed managing partner of the Texas Rangers baseball team, even though he put up only $600,000 of mostly borrowed money for a 1.8 percent stake in the team. Among the big backers buying the Rangers were William DeWitt (a fellow Yale alum of Dubya's) and Mercer Reynolds. Both were major contributors to President Bush's campaign. Earlier, the two also were in on the rescue of Dubya's oil company.

Dubya later sold out of the Rangers' ownership group. His take: $15-million. That sum made Dubya rich and finally in a comfortable position to pursue a political career.

In 1998, Dubya and his wife reported income of $18,405,524, on which they paid federal taxes of $3,772,252, or 20.5 percent. Most of their 1998 income came from long-term capital gains. And nearly all of that resulted from the original $600,000 investment in the Texas Rangers.

Jeb

Miami real estate: After relocating to Miami from Texas, Jeb quickly teamed up with Cuban-American real estate investor Armando Codina. A prominent fundraiser and staunch supporter of President Bush, Codina took Jeb under his wing and eventually made him a partner in the Codina Bush commercial real estate business. Jeb, with no investment, would get 40 percent of the real estate company's profits plus chances to invest in other ventures. After Jeb entered the race for Florida governor and lost to Lawton Chiles in 1994, Codina welcomed Bush back to the firm. That relationship made Jeb a millionaire, with a net worth of about $2.4-million by 1997.

Water pumps: In 1988, the same year Jeb's father became president, Jeb formed a partnership with David Eller, Broward County's Republican fundraiser, to market irrigation and flood control pumps overseas. Bush went to Nigeria, where he pledged his father would increase aid to developing countries, according to Nigerian press reports. Nigeria received $74-million in loans from the federally backed Export-Import Bank of the United States to buy the pumps, giving Jeb a healthy commission. Twelve years later, Nigeria has yet to repay most of the loans.

Golf community, IBM property: When Bush and Codina needed to unload Deering Bay, an upscale South Florida golf community that had lost millions, they found a buyer in Florida developer and major Republican fundraiser Al Hoffman. Hoffman would become the primary finance chairman of Jeb's successful campaign for governor.

Separately, in what Jeb considers one of his biggest deals as a real estate broker, his firm was hired by IBM Corp. to find a buyer for its massive Boca Raton office park. Jeb handled the sale personally. He eventually sold the property for about $46-million in 1997 to a group that included Mark Guzzetta, a key fundraiser for then-former President Bush. Guzzetta later co-chaired Jeb's campaign for governor.

Jeb said he got a great sales price for IBM. This year, Guzzetta and his partners sold the property for about $140-million, nearly three times what they paid a few years ago.

Marvin

Coral Gables director: As an executive of Winston Partners Group, a northern Virginia investment company, Marvin was named to the board of South Florida-based Fresh Del Monte Produce in 1998. The international fruit and vegetable company, run by the Abu-Ghazaleh family, has a board full of Bush family friends. Among them: Stephen Way, who heads Houston-based HCC Insurance Holdings and is a major fundraiser for Bush family politicians. Way also invited Marvin on to the HCC board last year, a position that pays Bush thousands of dollars and gave him options to purchase 12,500 shares of HCC common stock.

Stratasec: Marvin was recruited to join the board of this secretive Virginia security company that serves international corporations and governments. The company is awash in ex-government security and military personnel. Among them: Barry McDaniel, who served during the Reagan years as deputy director of readiness for the U.S. Army Materiel Command; and retired U.S. Air Force General James A. Abrahamson, who served as director of President Reagan's "Star Wars" Strategic Defense Initiative.

The company touts such major customers as Dulles airport near Washington, as well as Los Alamos National Laboratories (where former scientist Wen Ho Lee pleaded guilty to improperly downloading nuclear weapons design secrets).

KuwAm Corp.: The investment company, with roots in Kuwait (the country "liberated" by President Bush's Gulf War), is a large backer of Stratasec. Stratasec chief executive Wirt Walker also is a managing director of KuwAm. And KuwAm chairman Mishal Yousef Saud Al Sabah also sits on Stratasec's board.

Neil

Silverado failure: In the mid-1980s, Neil served as a director of Denver's Silverado Savings & Loan. The bank loaned more than $100-million to Neil's two partners in JNB Exploration, their unsuccessful oil company. Silverado later failed, in part because Neil's two partners did not repay $132-million in loans. After years of regulatory hand-wringing, Neil was fined $50,000 for ethical lapses. He did not appeal the fine.
Oil deals: Like brother Dubya, Neil went into the oil business with poor results. In 1989, he bailed out of JNB Exploration, the company where he became president with a personal investment of a few hundred dollars. His next company, Apex Energy, was formed with a personal investment of $3,000, plus a $2.3-million loan from the federal government's SBA program. Like JNB, Apex went belly-up with few assets to repay the SBA. Afterward, Bill Daniels, a cable-TV magnate and prominent contributor to President Bush, offered Neil a job.

Interlink: Neil now runs Interlink Management Corp., a Houston business based in the same building as his father's office. Interlink invests in small companies such as Pennsylvania-based Lithium Technology (rechargeable batteries) and represents Universal Display Corp. (flat panel displays) in Asia. Interlink's executives included "Bush Pioneers": fundraisers who have raised at least $100,000 for Dubya's campaign.

Building a political dynasty has been a priority of George and Barb Bush for decades.

Almost 40 years ago, in the height of the Kennedy era, a competitive George Bush was heard to say: "Just wait 'til I turn these Bush boys out."

So far, the former president and wife have done a pretty good job. If you don't look too closely.

WHAT? ME WORRY?

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 18:23:18 GMT

Congradulations to me! I am soooo lucky. Nothing like having a medical implant device that has been RECALLED....

I mean, how do you recall sumpin' like this? It's not like taking your car in for a replacement part. What do I do? Wait for the thing to malfunction and tear up my insides? SHEESH!

FDA Recalls Additional Bard Composix Kugel Hernia Patches

By Yael Waknine
April 3, 2006 (updated April 21, 2006) — The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Davol, Inc (a subsidiary of C.R. Bard, Inc), have notified healthcare professionals regarding the expansion of a class 1 recall for a ventral hernia repair device (Bard Composix Kugel Mesh Patch) to include all lots of the oval "midline" size (product code 0010209), and lots manufactured before 2004 of the large oval (0010202) and large circle (0010204) products. The recall previously affected only the extra-large oval patch.

The recall is due to the potential for breakage of the "memory recoil ring" under the stress of placement into the intraabdominal space, leading to bowel perforation and/or chronic enteric fistulae, according to an alert sent yesterday from MedWatch, the FDA's safety information and adverse event reporting program.

Surgeons and hospitals are advised to cease using the products with codes and lots affected by the recall and to return unused units to the company. Patients who have received one of the recalled devices should seek immediate medical attention if they experience symptoms such as unexplained or persistent abdominal pain, fever, tenderness at the implant site, or other unusual symptoms potentially related to ring breakage.

Further information for customers is available by contacting the company by phone at 1-800-FOR-BARD (1-800-367-2273) or by e-mail to bard.helpline@crbard.com. Physicians may contact the company's medical services and support division by phone at 1-800-227-3357 or e-mail to medical.services@crbard.com. Additional information regarding patient management is also available online at http://www.davol.com/HTMLFiles/hernia/recall.htm.

The device is indicated for the repair of ventral (incisional) hernias caused by thinning or stretching of scar tissue that forms after surgery. The "memory recoil ring" allows it to spring open and lie flat behind the defect after having been folded for insertion through a small incision.

Healthcare professionals are encouraged to report adverse events related to use of the ventral hernia repair patches to the FDA's MedWatch reporting program by phone at 1-800-FDA-1088, by fax at 1-800-FDA-0178, online at http://www.fda.gov/medwatch, or by mail to 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20852-9787.

Reviewed by Gary D. Vogin, MD

ON A HAPPIER NOTE:

So I jump ship in Hong Kong and make my way over to Tibet...and I get on as a looper at a course in the Himalayas. A looper? A looper. You know, a caddy, a looper... ...a jock.

So I tell them I'm a pro jock and who do you think they give me?

The Dalai Lama, himself. The son of the Lama. With flowing robes, grace, bald, striking. I'm on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one. Big hitter, the Lama. Long!

Into a 10,000 foot crevice right at the base of this glacier!

Do you know what the Lama says? "Gunga galunga. Gunga gunga da gunga." So we finish and he's going to stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama! "How about a little something, you know, for the effort?"

And he says, "There won't be any money... "...but when you die, on your deathbed... "...you will receive total consciousness."

So I've got that going for me... which is nice.

CLEAN GREEN ELECTRICITY

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 11:57:12 GMT

World's Largest Solar Project Unveiled

Rosemead, California [RenewableEnergyAccess.com]

For the past few weeks, solar industry insiders have been whispering of a massive multi-MW solar thermal power project slated for the desert Southwest that would be the first commercial application of dish-style solar thermal stirling energy units from Stirling Energy Systems (SES). It's a secret no more. "The contract requires no state subsidy and provides favorable pricing for ratepayers because tests have shown the Stirling dish technology can produce electricity at significantly lower costs than other solar technologies."
-Alan Fohrer, SCE chief executive officer

If all goes according to plan, a partnership between SES and Southern California Edison (SCE), would see the construction of an expansive 4,500-acre solar generating station in Southern California. When completed, the proposed power station would be the world's largest solar facility, capable of producing more electricity than all other U.S. solar projects combined.

The 20-year power purchase agreement signed today, which is subject to California Public Utilities Commission approval, calls for development of a 500-MW solar project 70 miles northeast of Los Angeles using innovative Stirling dish technology. The agreement includes an option to expand the project to 850 MW. Initially, Stirling would build a one-MW test facility using 40 of the company's 37-foot-diameter dish assemblies. Subsequently, a 20,000-dish array would be constructed near Victorville, Calif., during a four-year period.

"At a time of rising fossil-fuel costs and increased concern about greenhouse-gas emissions, the Stirling project would provide enough clean power to serve 278,000 homes for an entire year," said SCE Chairman John Bryson. "Edison is committed to facilitating development of new, environmentally sensitive, renewable energy technologies to meet the growing demand for electricity here and throughout the U.S."

Although Stirling dish technology has been successfully tested for 20 years, the SCE-Stirling project represents its first major application in the commercial electricity generation field. Experimental models of the Stirling dish technology have undergone more than 26,000 hours of successful solar operation. A six-dish model Stirling power project is currently operating at the Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

"We are especially pleased about the financial benefits of this agreement for our customers and the state," said Alan Fohrer, SCE chief executive officer. "The contract requires no state subsidy and provides favorable pricing for ratepayers because tests have shown the Stirling dish technology can produce electricity at significantly lower costs than other solar technologies."

The Stirling dish technology converts thermal energy to electricity by using a mirror array to focus the sun's rays on the receiver end of a Stirling engine. The internal side of the receiver then heats hydrogen gas which expands. The pressure created by the expanding gas drives a piston, crank shaft, and drive shaft assembly much like those found in internal combustion engines but without igniting the gas. The drive shaft turns a small electricity generator. The entire energy conversion process takes place within a canister the size of an oil barrel. The process requires no water and the engine is emission-free.

Tests conducted by SCE and the Sandia National Laboratories have shown that the Stirling dish technology is almost twice as efficient as other solar technologies. These include parabolic troughs which use the sun's heat to create steam that drives turbines similar to those found in conventional power plants, and photovoltaic cells that rely on an expensive and increasingly limited raw material stock.

MISSION POSSIBLE?

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:33:35 GMT

FROM THE V.O.A.

President Bush says he is confident the United States will prevail in the war in Iraq.

During a speech to a veterans group, the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention, in the midwestern city of Kansas City, Missouri, Mr. Bush said the troops on the ground are seeing the progress being made. He said the United States will continue to support the troops and give them everything they need.

The president compared the conflict in Iraq to past U.S. military efforts in Asia. He likened Islamic extremists to Japanese militarists during World War II, and communists in Korea and Vietnam during the Cold War.

Mr. Bush reaffirmed his support for embattled Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, calling him "a good man with a difficult job." He said it is up to the people of Iraq not politicians in Washington to decide whether the prime minister will remain in his position.

On Tuesday, at a summit in Canada, Mr. Bush had acknowledged "frustration" with the Maliki government.

Earlier, a key Congressional leader, Democratic Senator Carl Levin, and the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, criticized Maliki, saying Iraq's progress towards reconciling the country's warring factions has been disappointing.

Mr. Maliki Wednesday, in Syria, rejected the criticism, saying no one has the right to set timetables for progress.

WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 14:08:46 GMT

US Troops in Djibouti Dig Wells, Build Schools

Members of a relatively small U.S. military force based in the Horn of Africa have been called "aid workers with guns." The American troops are drilling wells, vaccinating livestock, building school facilities and performing a variety of other humanitarian missions in Djibouti. They have weapons, but their mission is to defeat terrorism without using force. Local people in the mostly Muslim region welcome the assistance. Malcolm Brown reports for VOA from the tiny east African state.

U.S. troops drive through the arid landscape of southwestern Djibouti. Their mission is to provide clean water for the nomadic people who survive in this super-hot environment.

At the wheel of one of the vehicles is Staff Sergeant William Brown, a member of a squad that specializes in drilling wells. Their destination is an oasis close to the border with Ethiopia. An ancient trail used by humans and animals passes nearby, making this a vital stopping point.

"We are currently looking at this area, to see what we can do to develop this oasis, so that they can better use it," Sergeant Brown says. "Right now, the way they are using it, they are actually contaminating their own water. The water is good for drinking, but because they are allowing their animals all around it, it is getting contaminated with feces. So we're trying to develop a plan so that we can fix that for them."

Sergeant Brown and the troops know very well that they are right next door to Somalia, torn by civil war between Islamist groups and the weak government in Mogadishu. The Americans carry weapons for self-defense, but their mission is peaceful – to improve life for those who exist in this harsh environment, a role that falls under the umbrella of what the U.S. military calls civil affairs.

Rear Admiral Timothy Moon is deputy commander of the U.S. task force in the region.

"If you think about it, it's obvious that someone who is constantly hungry, doesn't have a roof over his head, [is] going to be more susceptible to extremist ideology and easily succumb to recruiting efforts," he says.

Central to the effort to make sure that does not happen are the American troops of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, housed at this former French military base in Djibouti. The original mission was to capture or kill terrorists; action like the U.S. air strikes in Somalia earlier this year, aimed at suspected al-Qaida members.

These days, a typical mission for the task force is very different. In this video shot by the U.S. military, veterinarians care for Kenyans' livestock.

Captain Gwynne Kinley, a military veterinarian, says the response has been very gratifying.

"They are extremely grateful. I have never had any degree of suspicion or any type of unwelcoming attitudes," he says. "Everyone has been very grateful that we have been able to be present and help them to help their animals."

This is the generation the U.S. military really wants to reach. Better prospects stop young people becoming radicals later in life, the thinking goes.

So the U.S. military, in conjunction with America's civilian overseas assistance agency, USAID, is working to improve education and health care in the region.

On this visit to a school in the Djiboutian town of Tadjoura, local officials like Alwan Daoud, who was school principal for almost three decades, had only good things to say.

Daoud, the president of the Regional Council of Tadjoura, says "The American assistance has done many things to improve education and health. But there are many other needs, so we want the help to continue."

American personnel are also encouraged to help out in their free time. There are regular outings to this orphanage close to the base.

Nathaniel Young is a U.S. Navy military chaplain's assistant and his bodyguard. On the basketball court, he's a cultural ambassador.

"Basically, what we did was, we got together and said, 'OK, how can we help the boys' orphanage? What can we do? What's the best way that we can relate to them on a level that crosses cultural boundaries?' Sports does exactly that," Young says.

That sporting outreach has expanded the horizons of 23-year-old Abdul Dakar.

"I [would] like to go [to] America to practice in English and practice some basketball. I like basketball very, very much," he says.

For Americans like these Marines at Camp Lemonier, the modern military requires them to be flexible enough to go from hard combat in places like Iraq to this hearts-and-minds operation on the Horn of Africa.

Kenneth Bacon is a former Pentagon spokesman who now heads the NGO [non-governmental organization] Refugees International. He welcomes the emphasis on what is often called ‘soft power,’ but worries about routinely using military units to perform humanitarian work."In rare and emergency cases it makes sense for the military to do what only it can do very quickly," Bacon says. "On a day-to-day basis, I don't think it makes sense for the military to be out distributing aid, vaccinating kids, [and] drilling wells. These are things that can be done by other groups. They can be done much more cheaply and much more effectively by operations like Oxfam or Save the Children or International Rescue Committee or CARE."

There is also concern that having American troops in this role might blur the line between soldiers and civilian aid workers, and thus endanger conventional NGOs.

While that debate continues, the U.S. military's projects are having a transformative impact on some lives in this region.