SOPA protest swells as Google, Scribd and WordPress join

SOPA protest swells as Google, Scribd, and WordPress join – Arstechnica

“Like many businesses, entrepreneurs and web users, we oppose these bills because there are smart, targeted ways to shut down foreign rogue websites without asking American companies to censor the Internet,” a Google spokesman told Ars. “So tomorrow we will be joining many other tech companies to highlight this issue on our US home page.”

List of those big sites that are protesting: sopastrike.com

More information at http://americancensorship.org/

AN ILL WIND – The Secret Threat of Coal Ash

First, I would like to thank those who got our grid power back on here in Virginia after Hurricane Irene knocked it out about 24 hrs before Irene made landfall in the Outerbanks of NC.

One thing that being out of power for more than a couple days does do is make you realize how dependent we all have become on ‘the grid’ and how we really need to change that at some point, don’t you think? Between dangers of outages like this, and potential threats from terrorists on our infrastructure, it just seems to make sense that we figure out a way to get the power we need but by decentralizing from The Grid.

Over the last month, since August 4th, we have intermittently had to deal with the smoke and ill air quality of the wildfire in the dismal swamp. There were times when here in our little town there was smoke hanging in the air, and in our very homes when we woke up in the morning and were having trouble breathing. It was particularly bad for my Jim who is on an oxygen concentrator. Thankfully, Hurricane Irene, actually did one thing that was good, it almost (but not quite) put out that wildfire. I hope they can get the 30 or so hot spots put out before it dries out again.

Because I have a problem with the whole issue of dangerous coal ash, and huge coal plants close to people’s homes and spewing dangerous arsenic, and so much more into our air, does not mean I don’t appreciate The Grid or those who work to provide and maintain, and restore that power after natural disasters like this. My only complaint is the dangerous ways in which they often do that; meaning coal – from the cradle to the grave and the health and environmental dangers it poses.

Coal from Mountain Top Removal to this ILL WIND of coal ash that sends ‘sandstorms’ of coal ash directly over the reservation when the winds blow wrong, and other coal plant travesties around the country and around the world, to ODEC trying to get a 1500 MW coal fired power plant in Dendron, VA and Surry County rolling over to get the money they are promised and the empty purse of promised jobs (yeah, how many and for how long, and what of those who live here?) To the whole of a region like Hampton Roads that will be adversely affected by a 1500 MW coal plant with a prevailing wind that will draw that smoke/vapor over other areas in Hampton Roads.

From the text at Youtube:

See the whole project at http://www.earthjustice.org/illwind

The Moapa River Indian Reservation, tribal home of the Moapa Band of Paiutes, sits about 30 miles north of Las Vegas and about 300 yards from the coal ash ponds and landfills of the Reid Gardner Power Station. Coal ash is the toxic ash and sludge left at the end of the coal burning process. It’s laced with arsenic, mercury, lead and other heavy metals. It’s the second largest waste stream in America and it’s currently unregulated.

If the conditions are just wrong, coal ash picks up from Reid Gardner and moves across the desert like a toxic sandstorm sending the local residents running for their homes. The reservation has lung, heart and thyroid disease rates that are abnormally high and the power plant is currently seeking to expand its coal ash storage capability.

The film An Ill Wind tells the Paiute Indians’ story.

View and interactive presentation of the story at:

http://www.earthjustice.org/illwind

Watch the complete film at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL49Ibc0L88

And learn more about coal ash at:

http://www.earthjustice.org/coalash

Many thanks to the Moapa Band of Paiutes for allowing us to tell this story and to Vinny Spotleson of the Sierra Club and Dan Galpern of the Western Environmental Law Center for helping with the project.

I guess we as individuals and families really do need to start thinking about how we can get ourselves off the grid … if more homes are off the grid, these big coal plants wouldn’t even be considered necessary…

Support Lyme Groups’ Decision to Withdraw from IOM Lyme Workshop

Support Lyme Groups’ Decision to Withdraw from IOM Lyme Workshop

Please let Congress know you support the move by LDA, TFL and CALDA to withdraw from the NIH/IOM State-of-the-Science Lyme Disease and Other Tick Borne Diseases Workshop by reading the statement below and completing the response form. LDA will send your reply directly to Congressman Christopher H. Smith (NJ). It will not be used for any purpose other than this project. Thank you!

Lyme Groups Withdraw from Scientific Meeting

I support the move by the national Lyme Disease Association (LDA), the California Lyme Disease Association (CALDA), and Time For Lyme (TFL) to withdraw from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) sponsored workshop. I agree that the above groups should not participate in nor submit the Institutes of Medicine’s (IOM) commissioned scientific paper to the Panel in protest of the IOM’s workshop about the state of the science regarding Lyme and tick-borne diseases. Despite the 3 groups’ repeated requests for transparency and a balance of scientific viewpoints, as delineated in Congressional Appropriations language, neither the hearing panel nor the speakers selected by the IOM satisfy the Congressional intent or objectives.

The IOM’s mission was to provide an “independent, objective and non-partisan” program and there are no scheduled speakers with opposing viewpoints of similar scientific weight to balance Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) presentations about the research gaps in Lyme disease. Many state-of-the-art scientific researchers, experienced clinicians and patient advocates have been relegated by the IOM and NIH to spectator positions. I believe that this amount of bias undermines the integrity of the scientific workshop and that its final report will reflect this lack of objectivity.

Support Lyme Groups’ Decision to Withdraw from IOM Lyme Workshop

As most who read my blog know, my hubby has been suffering with Lyme Disease for several years now including a paralyzed right side diaphragm. This particular problem (only one of many my hubby experiences), is well known to be a ‘side affect’ of Lyme Disease and documented in various places. Here’s one article about it “Diaphragmatic paralysis due to Lyme disease“.

Just for the record, confirmation articles were discovered AFTER the diagnosis. And although the doctor didn’t confirm the source of the problem (likely afraid to do so), he did confirm the paralysis during one of the two a hospital stays of 8 days on two IV antibiotics for diverticulitis, also from the Lyme Disease. NEITHER OF THESE PROBLEMS, or the high blood pressure and other issues were ever a problem until after the tick bite and the bullseye rash and subsequent ‘typical’ antibiotic treatment (doxycycline) and allergic reaction, or more likely a ‘die off’ reaction, to the massive death of the Lyme bug that nearly killed him with dangerously high blood pressure (which he never suffered with before this incident).

Am I getting through to you Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and Dr. Gary Wormser of Westchester Medical Center ?! My hubby was a healthy person who was active and vibrant until Lyme Disease struck him down. It was a night and day difference. Now tell me one thing has nothing to do with the other. Anybody?….

VA DEQ, EPA, and USACE … last hope to block largest coal plant in Virginia?

Well, after February 1st Dendron Town Council (DTC) Meeting where they approved everything that ODEC Old Dominion Electric Cooperative) wanted, and February 4th Surry Board of Supervisor (BoS) Meeting where they approved everything ODEC wanted, and the Sussex Meeting the same night where they approved everything ODEC wanted … see a trend here? … It looks like the VA DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality), the EPA, and the USACE (US Army Corp of Engineers) may be the last best hope for the folks who are concerned about ODEC’s plans to build Virginia’s largest coal fired baseload 24/7 power plant in the tiny town of Dendron in Surry County, Virginia.

I sometimes wonder at any kind of logic being used in rural counties that are experiencing revenue challenges in the economic turn down we have been experiencing.

I see totally unbelievable decisions being made by our local governments with no thought to how it will affect the Hampton Roads area, the Chesapeake Bay and James River, or the farms that naively think that they will be able to continue farming safely after this plant is operational, or even our little town. Or their thinking that somehow the blood money they have taken and will continue to take from ODEC will protect them against the economic bad times and keep the county going forward, or give them any kind of good sleep at night. Yeah, maybe in the short term, but what about the long term?

What about the downwind and downline affects to people, including children at the Surry County School system? What about the affects upon those who are ill from the particulate matter, mercury, sulfur dioxide, ozone, and more that will be spewed by such a huge plant that makes our town look like it’s a dwarf by comparison? There are so many issues that are not addressed, and all I heard from the proponents of the Cypress Creek Power Plant is that they trust our government and ODEC to do the right thing?!?!

Well, the floodgates are open now. All that stands in their way now is the VA DEQ, the EPA and the USACE.

I have always believed that even in the face of terrible things — because life is full of all kinds of things; good, bad and indifferent — that God is able to take the worst lemons that are dealt to us, and somehow make the best lemonade out of them. I pray that somehow, in some way, that will happen with this situation. I can’t see it now, but I sure hope so.

But I did learn something important about this situation. You can’t fight dollar signs. Logic and facts mean nothing when huge amounts of money are thrown at local governments, churches and people who are suffering from economic turn down.

I will be hoping and praying for that lemonade … because these are the bitterest and most rotten lemons I have every seen.

First of its Kind Onion Juice-Methane-Fuel Cell Project Underway

First of its Kind Onion Juice-Methane-Fuel Cell Project Underway:

Gills Onions has come up with a clever way to dispose of its daily 300,000-pound load of onion waste – turn it into methane, and use the gas to power fuel cells that can cover the plant’s baseload electrical needs.

That’s the gist of the $9.5 million project unveiled Friday at the Oxnard, Calif.-based onion processing plant.

The savings of $400,000 a year from deferred waste hauling, plus about $700,000 a year in deferred electricity costs – not to mention a $2.7 million self-generation incentive check from Southern California Gas Co. – should pay back the investment in less than five years, said Steve Gill, co-owner of the business.

This type of wonderful ‘thinking out of the box’ project is why I am so frustrated with the supposed ‘headway’ in pulling away from coal when it really means continuing to grow coal plants.

There should be no reason why smaller plants, maybe even community power plants made with waste or renewable energy can’t be done.

If we continue to think only in terms of ‘easy’ or ‘cheap today’ but ‘dirty’ solutions that damage our environment and the health of our sick, our young and our elderly, we will never get out of this mess we have created for ourselves. We need to get away from continuing to expand dirty coal and in the process prevent funds from moving into a more smart and/or renewable ways to create the electrical power needed.

I think that if all states, the governments, and countries did what SC (SCsaysNO) is doing, the companies that want to provide the power would have to think out of the box or they wouldn’t expand and others would take their place and build the more renewable/waste product plants that were safer, if they were foolish enough not to do what was needed.

But Mountain Top Removal and building more clean coal plants is not the answer. Clean Coal is an oxy moron:

Clean coal: Never was there an oxymoron more insidious, or more dangerous to our public health. Invoked as often by the Democratic presidential candidates as by the Republicans and by liberals and conservatives alike, this slogan has blindsided any meaningful progress toward a sustainable energy policy.

Chart showing Coal plants in the US, the states they are in as the data shows at Gapminder.org. We need to see where our state fits in the picture and see if we can stop progressing the move to more coal powered plants. We need to not allow more to be built. And we certainly don’t need Virginia to move further into the right side of this graph. We need to be doing what we can to move to the left on this graph.

Children At Risk PDF — must read.

The Quiet Coup — How Bankers Seized America

The Quiet Coup — How Bankers Seized America (Mercola.com):

The economic crash has made many unpleasant truths about the United States apparent. One of the most alarming, according to a former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund, is that the financial industry has effectively captured the U.S. government.

If the IMF’s staff could speak freely to the U.S. government, it would say what it says to every country in such a situation: Recovery will fail unless the financial oligarchy blocking essential reform is broken. And if the U.S. is to avoid a true depression, time is running out.

The article from The Atlantic linked below details how the U.S. financial crisis is shockingly similar to problems more commonly associated with the third world — and the harsh and necessary steps needed to get out of it.

Very interesting video with Bill Moyers and William K. Black linked on the article page and some great commentary by Dr. Mercola as well on this and an article from The Atlantic.

H.R.1207 84 Sponsors now!!

H.R.1207

Title: To amend title 31, United States Code, to reform the manner in which the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System is audited by the Comptroller General of the United States and the manner in which such audits are reported, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Rep Paul, Ron [TX-14] (introduced 2/26/2009)

As of today at 5PM:

COSPONSORS (84), ALPHABETICAL

Rep Abercrombie, Neil [HI-1] – 2/26/2009
Rep Akin, W. Todd [MO-2] – 3/19/2009
Rep Alexander, Rodney [LA-5] – 3/10/2009
Rep Bachmann, Michele [MN-6] – 2/26/2009
Rep Baldwin, Tammy [WI-2] – 4/21/2009
Rep Bartlett, Roscoe G. [MD-6] – 2/26/2009
Rep Bilbray, Brian P. [CA-50] – 4/21/2009
Rep Bishop, Rob [UT-1] – 4/21/2009
Rep Blackburn, Marsha [TN-7] – 3/16/2009
Rep Blunt, Roy [MO-7] – 3/24/2009
Rep Brady, Kevin [TX-8] – 4/22/2009
Rep Broun, Paul C. [GA-10] – 2/26/2009
Rep Buchanan, Vern [FL-13] – 3/17/2009
Rep Burgess, Michael C. [TX-26] – 3/19/2009
Rep Burton, Dan [IN-5] – 2/26/2009
Rep Capito, Shelley Moore [WV-2] – 4/1/2009
Rep Carter, John R. [TX-31] – 3/31/2009
Rep Castle, Michael N. [DE] – 3/17/2009
Rep Chaffetz, Jason [UT-3] – 3/6/2009
Rep Cole, Tom [OK-4] – 4/21/2009
Rep Culberson, John Abney [TX-7] – 3/26/2009
Rep Deal, Nathan [GA-9] – 3/23/2009
Rep DeFazio, Peter A. [OR-4] – 3/9/2009
Rep Doggett, Lloyd [TX-25] – 4/21/2009
Rep Duncan, John J., Jr. [TN-2] – 3/6/2009
Rep Ehlers, Vernon J. [MI-3] – 4/21/2009
Rep Fallin, Mary [OK-5] – 4/2/2009
Rep Fleming, John [LA-4] – 3/18/2009
Rep Foxx, Virginia [NC-5] – 3/10/2009
Rep Franks, Trent [AZ-2] – 3/23/2009
Rep Garrett, Scott [NJ-5] – 3/5/2009
Rep Gingrey, Phil [GA-11] – 3/30/2009
Rep Gohmert, Louie [TX-1] – 4/23/2009
Rep Graves, Sam [MO-6] – 4/22/2009
Rep Grayson, Alan [FL-8] – 3/11/2009
Rep Heller, Dean [NV-2] – 3/6/2009
Rep Herger, Wally [CA-2] – 4/21/2009
Rep Inglis, Bob [SC-4] – 4/23/2009
Rep Jenkins, Lynn [KS-2] – 4/23/2009
Rep Johnson, Sam [TX-3] – 4/22/2009
Rep Johnson, Timothy V. [IL-15] – 4/23/2009
Rep Jones, Walter B., Jr. [NC-3] – 2/26/2009
Rep Kagen, Steve [WI-8] – 2/26/2009
Rep Kaptur, Marcy [OH-9] – 4/23/2009
Rep Kingston, Jack [GA-1] – 3/6/2009
Rep Lamborn, Doug [CO-5] – 4/21/2009
Rep Latham, Tom [IA-4] – 4/21/2009
Rep Lucas, Frank D. [OK-3] – 4/21/2009
Rep Luetkemeyer, Blaine [MO-9] – 4/21/2009
Rep Lummis, Cynthia M. [WY] – 3/19/2009
Rep Manzullo, Donald A. [IL-16] – 4/21/2009
Rep Marchant, Kenny [TX-24] – 3/11/2009
Rep Massa, Eric J. J. [NY-29] – 4/22/2009
Rep McCaul, Michael T. [TX-10] – 4/21/2009
Rep McClintock, Tom [CA-4] – 3/6/2009
Rep McCotter, Thaddeus G. [MI-11] – 3/19/2009
Rep Miller, Jeff [FL-1] – 3/24/2009
Rep Olson, Pete [TX-22] – 4/21/2009
Rep Paulsen, Erik [MN-3] – 3/30/2009
Rep Pence, Mike [IN-6] – 4/21/2009
Rep Peterson, Collin C. [MN-7] – 3/19/2009
Rep Petri, Thomas E. [WI-6] – 3/10/2009
Rep Platts, Todd Russell [PA-19] – 3/19/2009
Rep Poe, Ted [TX-2] – 2/26/2009
Rep Posey, Bill [FL-15] – 2/26/2009
Rep Price, Tom [GA-6] – 3/10/2009
Rep Rehberg, Denny [MT] – 2/26/2009
Rep Roe, David P. [TN-1] – 4/21/2009
Rep Rohrabacher, Dana [CA-46] – 3/6/2009
Rep Rooney, Thomas J. [FL-16] – 4/22/2009
Rep Sessions, Pete [TX-32] – 3/23/2009
Rep Shimkus, John [IL-19] – 4/22/2009
Rep Smith, Adam [WA-9] – 4/22/2009
Rep Smith, Lamar [TX-21] – 4/2/2009
Rep Stark, Fortney Pete [CA-13] – 3/26/2009
Rep Stearns, Cliff [FL-6] – 3/6/2009
Rep Taylor, Gene [MS-4] – 3/6/2009
Rep Terry, Lee [NE-2] – 3/30/2009
Rep Thompson, Glenn [PA-5] – 4/22/2009
Rep Wamp, Zach [TN-3] – 3/16/2009
Rep Westmoreland, Lynn A. [GA-3] – 4/2/2009
Rep Wittman, Robert J. [VA-1] – 4/1/2009
Rep Woolsey, Lynn C. [CA-6] – 2/26/2009
Rep Young, Don [AK] – 3/6/2009

Where is Rep Bobby Scott (D-VA) ??

Related Bills: S.604

Title: A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to reform the manner in which the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System is audited by the Comptroller General of the United States and the manner in which such audits are reported, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Sen Sanders, Bernard [VT] (introduced 3/16/2009)

Sen. Sanders needs some sponsors!

Keith Olbermann on Obama and Wiretapping

Keith Olbermann on Obama and Wiretapping (at EFF.org with videos from MSNBC.com):

Olbermann’s second guest, GWU Law Professor Jonathan Turley, aptly summarizes why the new ruling is so disappointing:

“I think right now, the Bush people are bringing out their mission-accomplished sign, because they’ve not only gotten Obama to protect Bush and Cheney and others from any criminal investigation on torture, but he’s now gone even further than they did in the protection of unlawful surveillance. This is the ultimate victory for the Bush officials. They have Barack Obama adopting the same extremist arguments, and in fact exceeding the extremist arguments made by President Bush…

“You cannot any longer suggest that President Obama is advancing the civil liberties and the privacy interests that he promised to advance. This is a terrible roll-back. It’s a terrible decision.

These are must watch videos on this topic.

Victory for Pet Owners! San Marcos, TX, Overturns Microchip Mandate

Victory for Pet Owners! San Marcos, TX, Overturns Microchip Mandate (KatherineAlbreicht.com)

Local animal owners no longer required to chip their pets:

The City Council of San Marcos, Texas, unanimously voted this week to rescind a mandatory pet microchipping ordinance that would have required all pets within city limits to receive an injected implant. The 7 to 0 vote was made at the City Council meeting on Tuesday night. All members were present and voted, including Mayor Susan Clifford-Narvaiz, according to San Marcos Communications Director Melissa Millecam.

The chipping ordinance was originally adopted last December and was slated to take effect on April 1st.

Way to go San Marcos!

It was great to see that once they understood the entire issue, the vote was 7-0. That’s impressive!

Katherine also has research studies on the link between microchip implants and cancer here:
www.antichips.com

The Martial Law Mind-Set

The Martial Law Mind-Set by William Norman Grigg (LewRockwell.com)

While Archimedes is rightly revered for his many imperishable contributions to science, he could also be considered the first recorded victim of lethal police brutality.

A native of Syracuse, Archimedes did his considerable best in the doomed but worthy effort to repel Roman invaders. Following the conquest, Roman soldiers were dispatched to “pacify” the restive streets of the newly conquered city.

One afternoon, so the story goes, Archimedes was sitting inoffensively at the side of a street drawing geometric equations in the sand when some mouth-breather in Roman military garb trod heedlessly on the improvised tablet, ruining the elderly scientist’s calculations.

By this time, the venerable physicist was in his ninth decade, and he saw no point in enduring this act of thoughtless vandalism by an armored imbecile to pass without protest.

“Please don’t disturb my circles,” Archimedes insisted in what was probably a direct but polite tone of voice.

Like law enforcement officers who would follow in his footsteps – albeit in jackboots rather than sandals – the Roman soldier took offense that a mere civilian, and an elderly one at that, would demand deference from someone wearing the uniform and insignia of authority.

If the technology had been available, the Roman quite likely would have given Archimedes a “ride on the Taser.” Instead, the thug withdrew his sword and summarily killed him.

Much more in the must read article.

I have talked about my experiences with the Security at the Ferry system here in Virginia on this blog previously. I am sure some might have thought I was being silly for my concerns about this, until they read this article that is. Thanks Will Grigg for sharing in a great article the same real concerns I have had about all of this and couldn’t put it into words properly. You sure did!