Monday, July 29, 2013

The man is incredible. He is such a relief to the suffering in North Carolina it cannot be measured.

I love the guy. I don't know what North Carolina would do without him at this time in the State's history. He is exactly where he is suppose to be.

He is a great man and will be written into history. He hasn't realized the height of his importance yet.

All he needs to say is, "I love you back." He knows the person that inspired those words.

The North Carolina Republicans are power players. They use every leverage point available to them to win elections and impose psychological stress on the electorate. The current legislation is an obvious paradigm to control the BEHAVIOR of the electorate.

If I may?

The Voting Rights Law is obvious. It is oppression of the electorate. It is to maintain control. It is obvious and can't be denied.

Now, the changes to abortion isn't about saving babies or ending abortion in North Carolina. The same is true in Texas. It is a psychological tool. It is a leverage point on the Bible Belt voter.

The GOP in the South know fully well the 'faith filled conscience' of the electorate of their citizens. There will be points made by Holy Men and Women imposed not in direct political dialogue, but, words from the bully pulpit. There is a voting record now that will become a point of ads during political campaigns to put pressure on the electorate. It is nearly subconscious pressure. That psychological pressure will help persons justify a vote for a candidate they otherwise disagree and ACTS AGAINST THEIR OWN BEST INTERESTS.

The way I see it, the laws the North Carolina and Texas Legislation are unconstitutional. It is fact. What the legislatures are doing is breaking the law. I don't see any Bible Belt legislator doing anything, but, to pass legislation that are lawful at all levels of the government. That means the federal government as well. We are a nation TOGETHER and not apart. There is existing federal law and that is the law of the land. We are a people of laws and not of men.

Abortion is a socio-economic problem and as long as voters continue to vote AGAINST THEIR BEST INTERESTS they will continue to be oppressed, be unable to purchase birth control OR afford to have a child or even many children. The decision about abortion is personal. It impacts no one but the woman making that decision. If that woman and her spouse or partner could afford a child or afford more children would abortion be necessary? Of course not.  

You will never convince me there are women, other than teens, seeking an abortion because it was her best option. Abortion usually is her only choice. 

We are a country that demands citizens be schooled, learn and be employed to earn a living. When that social fabric falls apart or becomes frayed the decisions a person makes may not be the decision that same person would make otherwise. That is a fact. 

So, at some point, the electorate of these states have to make a conscience decision to vote for their best interests, lift the oppression and reach for a higher quality of life, expectations and rewards. We all know God provides rewards that cannot be measured by men or women and are his alone to provide, however, he does not condone suffering in the face of the ability to change one's circumstances. Voting is a very valid method to change one's circumstances.

The people of these states have to harness their true self and stand up for themselves to find freedom and a better life. They can do this, I know they can.

It is "McDonald's Monopoly Game" time. It rolls around once a year.


McDonald’s (click here) new suggested financial plan for its minimum wage employees not only leaves out necessary expenditures like food, child care, clothes and gas—it also suggests people go out and get a second job.
“McDonald’s is essentially conceding that in order for a minimum wage worker at its fast food stores to make ends meat, they have to rely on publicly funded subsidies like food stamps,” said advocate Tsedeye Gebreselassie to MSNBC’s Alex Witt Sunday.
“People are not humans, they’re just machines that are working. At $7.25 an hour that’s $15,000 a year, assuming one full time job. That’s nearly not enough to support yourself, let alone a family,” said Gebreselassie, a staff attorney at the National Employment Law Project.
McDonald’s, Walmart, and other big corporations posted record breaking profits over the past year—in some cases improving on their performances from before the recession.

Forbes Agrees. 

7/22/2013 @ 3:08PM 
...As Forbes contributor (click here) Laura Shin pointed out, the fast food firm’s sample budget assumed staffers were working two jobs, and surmised that health insurance costs $20 a month instead of the national average of $215 for an individual. 
It also neglected to include child care, groceries, clothing or gas for the worker’s car. An early version of the controversial budget proposed that heating would cost $0 a month, leaving McDonald’s employees fresh out of luck from autumn onwards. 
The fallout from McDonald’s blunder drew renewed attention to the ways fast food chains deposit their workers’ wages — often via high-fee payroll cards by budget co-sponsor Visa....
McDonald's has just come out with new menu items when purchased exceed $6.00. I don't want to hear about their business model. I can go to a restaurant not far from the McDonald's; get better quality, more variety and pay about $7.50 for exactly what I can purchase at Mickey D's except I have to get out of the car to pick it up. I can even call in my order before I arrive. No waiting. 
Don't tell me the business model at McDonald's is welfare income. That is a lie. As a matter of fact the drive through allows much higher and faster income per minute and hour compared to lunch counters that compete with them. 
The profit margin for McDonald's has increased to incredible heights since 2000. The GREAT RECESSION didn't even touch McDonald's profit margin. As a matter of fact it increased. The decline was due to old menu items that were unattractive and weren't on the dollar menu. 
Don't even try it.

Former Representative Weiner should pay attention to good advise.

   
He probably needs to do some interviews about what his plans are as mayor. Col. Davis points out that Congressman are in office that actually had sex and didn't text about it.

“The Young Turks” host Cenk Uygur (click here) talks with law professor and former Guantanamo Bay chief prosecutor Col. Morris Davis about the ongoing sexting scandal surrounding New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner. “He’s a victim of religious discrimination here,” Davis says, pointing to Christian politicians like David Vitter and Mark Sanford, who emphasized the impact of their religion in their campaigns to return to public office after embarrassing sex scandals. “They actually had sex, they didn’t just text about it,” Davis says. “But they happened to belong to some New Testament religions where all they had to do was say ‘the good Lord forgave me and the voters should too’ and they’re back in office. You don’t hear their names mentioned during this debate.”

Imagine that, a real world answer for the Climate Crisis that excludes genetic engineered foods. I'll be darn.

There are many heritage seed banks in the world. The most prominent is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. These seed banks were planned for just these scenarios. They are there to bring back needed species when called upon.

The managers of these seed banks, including the one at the Smithsonian Institute, and their researchers are well versed on handling the seeds, their propagation to elicit more seeds. I am quite confident the seeds are well cataloged. I would think by now there would be a network of inventory among those that participate in these specialties.

Plan to crossbreed crops with their wild cousins to help boost resistance to climate change (click here)

July 28, 2013

...More than half the 455 known crop wild relatives of the world’s 29 most-consumed food plants have either not been collected at all, or are badly under-represented, making it essential to build stocks as soon as possible, warns Jonas Mueller, of the Kew Millennium Seed Bank....

Additionally, there are herbariums at nearly every teaching institution in the world. Within those herbariums are vast stores of dormant seeks well preserved. I hardly believe the search and research in obtaining species of hardy plants is over to resort to GMOs.

What appeared to be a benign feeding enhancement in a cow diet turned into a fatal gene. Don't start about what science doesn't know about GMOs.

What are prions?

Originally thought to be viral mediators of disease that were described as transmissible encephalopathies, spongiform encephalopathies and slow virus disease, prions (proteinaceous infectious particles) have been determined to be misfolded, protease resistant proteins which can mediate transmission disease. 

I do not want GMOs in my diet or the diets of the people of the USA. This is hideous. An entire gereration can be effected and/or die before the devastation of such genetic manipulation can occur.

Whereas the majority of cases of CJD (click here) (about 85%) occur as sporadic disease, a smaller proportion of patients (5-15%) develop CJD because of inherited mutations of the prion protein gene. These inherited forms include Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker syndrome and fatal familial insomnia.

I don't want to hear the argument, "But there is a small population of tragedy that occurs in nature anyway." That is not an argument to allow genetic manipulation as if it is a natural outcome. Those are statistical realities and FURTHER problems and dangers I do not have to accept in my life!

If the USA takes a 'wait and see' attitude about legitimizing GMOs, they are playing statistical awareness with the public. The government will be allowing the people and children of the USA to be guinea pigs.

Vitamin D fortified milk and iodized salt are not genetically modified. They are a food enhancement provided when it was realized the American diet lacked primary sources for the nutrient. The nutrient was NECESSARY to PREVENT disease.

Don't come near me or my family with GMO anything! 

GMOs are not emotional issues. This is not 'icky' rejection. Hybrids are not genetically turned off and on.

Rejection of GMO technology puts the science under a microscope. This is sound, not emotional. 

Do not treat me like an idiot woman out of control with her Mother Earth demands. There is a problem with GENETIC ENGINEERING. Hybrids are not genetically engineered. Statement of same is a lie. This bullshit never stops. Propaganda. This is nothing more than Wall Street looking for patents based in genes again. 

GMOs are UNKNOWN in their capacity to cause cancer. Will that get your attention? Metabolism is ORDERLY, it is laid down by nature. There is little to no plasticity to metabolism. They tried it with cattle and we got Mad Cow Disease.

It is COMPLETELY imprudent, dangerous and disasterous to realize an entire generation could be consuming that in 20 years will either kill them or make them sterile. I don't want to hear it. Prove to me there is absolutely NO SIDE EFFECTS to turn genes off and on. Prove that, then MAYBE I'll believe half of what I hear.

The bad news is that Earth is not pliable to the point of patentable. Human metabolism is set UNLESS of course one is going to genetically modify that to fit the Wall Street directive. GMOs are bad science to accommodate past abuses by capitalism.  I don't know of any genetically modified foods that have passed the NO HARM test. None. 

I will not compromise my metabolic stability to accommodate human abuses of my environment. I won't do it. 

Physicians can claim eating is necessary for survival, therefore, eat and this is what is available. No. That is surrendering best practices for Third World values. I won't do it. 

I’m a vegetarian yoga instructor, and even I can tell the case against genetically modified food is overblown. (click here)

July 25, 2013

Let me get a few things out of the way.

I'm a crazy hippie. I go to Burning Man every year. I teach yoga. I live in a co-op. For the past two years, I've been delivering organic vegetables for a local delivery service. I've been eating vegetarian for years, and vegan for the past four months.

I'm also fascinated by genetics. I read every book that comes my way on evolutionary theory, population genetics, and mapping the genome. I took several classes on the subject at the University of Pennsylvania. All told, I have a pretty solid understanding of how genes work.

And ultimately, I'm just not that scared of GMOs....
             

Non-negotiable

Earth is the ultimate ABSOLUTE. There is no place else to live.

Earth + Physics = Government Standard 

Nothing new.

Boring.

Nothing to change.

No Wall Street Derivatives can be written based on our paradigm.

Scientists are tired of being toyed with to benefit political cronies. We have other things to do besides spend decades of time pandering to politics. We want our quality of life back along with better use of the resources required for these legal issues. We know we are going to win. We know the crony politics are corrupt. We do no admire our government for manipulating the truth.

It is called governmental corruption to favor political cronies. These standards not negotiable. Clean Air Stardards, including Greenhouse Gases, have been known for decades. This is corruption, plain and simple.

When Clean Air and Clean Water Standards are breached the media needs to ask, "Why are you corrupting well established standards that are scientifically based and required for quality of life in the USA?" Simple. Straight forward. To the point. There is no reason for this disaster of a government policy.

These are not pendulums that swing between Republican or Democrat. This is quality of life. Rachel Carson died of cancer when she was exposed to toxins as a US Forest Ranger.  These are not negotiable.

Enforcement is as important as the law itself. Enforcement requires funding. Government has to function for quality of life in the USA. 

July 28, 2013
ECO WATCH/NEWS REPORT

The decision (click here) is the result of a suit brought by Earthjustice on behalf of the American Lung Association, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Natural Resources Defense Council, National Parks Conservation Association, and Appalachian Mountain Club. Also challenging the standards as too weak were the states of  New York, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, as well as Washington D.C. and New York City.
Health and environmental groups initially filed suit against the Bush Administration following the final EPA decision in May 2008.  Shortly after taking office, the Obama Administration asked the court to put the case on hold while EPA reconsidered the evidence that the standards were too weak to protect public health and welfare. The two-year reconsideration included three public hearings showing overwhelming public comment urging stronger protections, as well as a restatement by the EPA’s independent science advisors of their support for a tighter standard....

"Good Night, Moon"

The waning gibbous 

(The Waning Quarter Moon / Half Moon)

21.6 day old moon

56.3% lit

This is the a painting by Millet of the waning moon throws a mysterious light.

Most of the time the moon is a thought of nighttime and sleep. However, there are those that find the moon a friend and welcome source of light. 

There is no notable constellation notes in the news this week. I suppose everything is anti-climax from the Supermoon.