Earth 3.0
For National Security, Get Off Oil
Former CIA director R. James Woolsey says America's oil dependence is a grave threat ` .

 [...]

The peril to national security arises from a variety of concerns, such as the vulnerability of the oil infrastructure and the consequences of funneling enormous sums of money to regimes unfriendly to the U.S. Although some experts focus on increasing the supply of domestic oil to lessen dependence on foreign sources, Woolsey believes that slashing demand for oil in transportation is the more promising approach.

[...]

In the interview, Woolsey made clear that merely lessening America’s dependence on foreign oil would not solve the national security problem.

[...]

Woolsey sees the threat to national security coming from many directions.
“It’s the possibility of an oil cutoff such as the Saudis did in 1973. ...

[...]

Woolsey worries about how vulnerable the nation’s energy infrastructure is to attack by terrorists.
“I think it’s mainly the electricity grid and the fact that it’s so balkanized. Its management structure means that it’s very difficult to take the steps needed to improve security. It was put together by essentially 50 separate sets of engineers and regulators without a single thought being given to intentional interference. The substations are well designed to keep some crazy person from wandering in and electrocuting himself but not well designed at all to deal with a terrorist or [other] intentional interference.

WASHINGTON— As evidence mounts that last week’s attacks in Mumbai may
have originated on Pakistani soil, American officials’ aggressive
campaign to strike at militants in Pakistan may complicate efforts to
prevent an Indian military response, which could lead to a conflict
between the bitter enemies.

http://www.kandamangalam.com/new/Portals/0/Image/BG%20Krishna%20instructs%20Arjuna.jpg

The discourse on the Bhagavad Gita begins before the start of the climactic battle at Kurukshetra. It begins with the Pandava prince Arjuna, as he becomes filled with doubt on the battlefield. Realising that his enemies are his own relatives, beloved friends, and revered teachers, he turns to his charioteer and guide, Sri Krishna (an avatar of Sri Vishnu), for advice.

Krishna counsels Arjuna, beginning with the tenet that the soul is both eternal and immortal. Any 'death' on the battlefield would involve only the shedding of the body, but the inner soul is permanent. Krishna goes on to expound on the yogic paths of devotion, action, meditation and knowledge. Fundamentally, the Bhagavad Gita proposes that true enlightenment comes from growing beyond identification with the Ego, the 'False Self', and that one must identify with the Truth of the immortal Self, (the soul or Atman). Through detachment from the material sense of Ego, the Yogi, or follower of a particular path of Yoga, is able to transcend his illusory mortality and attachment to the material world and enter the realm of the Supreme.

To demonstrate his divine nature, Krishna grants Arjuna the boon of cosmic vision (albeit temporary) and allows the prince to see his 'Universal Form'. He reveals that he is fundamentally both the ultimate essence of Being in the universe, and also its material body. This is called the Vishvarupa/Viratrupa.

In the Bhagavad-Gita Krishna refers to the war taking place as 'Dharma Yuddha', meaning a righteous war for the purpose of justice. Chapter 4, verse 7, clearly states that God takes incarnation to establish righteousness in the world.

Modern India's Strategic Advantage to the United States: Her Twin ...

• First, she is a buffer against domination of Asia by a single regime, and a resource against terrorism, both of which are detrimental to American sea and land security interests in the subcontinental commons of Southeast and the Middle East.
• Second, as the largest democracy in the world, she shares the ideals, visions and values from the Founding Fathers to current policies from the United States.⁶⁵
• Third, India is a multiethnic nation, like the United States. Indian policies, like American policies, attempt to equalize the playing field, particularly in relation to the prejudices associated with the caste system, that prevent minorities from enjoying the full benefits of the state.
• Fourth, India also has a common official language, English, which she shares with the United States. This mutual instrument of communication is helpful to the U.S. in the surrounding region where communication is often difficult and hard to interpret.
• Fifth , India is a nation devoted to peace, believing, as does the United States, that it is only through peace and beneficence that prosperity can be brought to disadvantaged people. As a partner who seeks peaceful negotiations first, under the powerful ahimsa philosophy ingrained in her national psyche, India mirrors the lofty ideals of just peace and democracy for all people embraced in the United States.
• Sixth, as a powerful technology innovator, with her sons and daughters in America at the forefront of scientific advances, and her gifted scientists at home, India is an able associate in the use of deterrence leading to just peace. Her temperate and moral attitudes toward just war as depicted in her earliest writings make her a reliable force, but also a humanitarian partner in conflict.
• Seventh, India's intellectual capital is high. As an influential contributor to the bodies of knowledge in all fields of endeavor, as evidenced by the numbers of Americans of Indian origin in academia, professional fields, and the arts, India is possibly the most valuable intellectual ally to the United States.
• Eighth, India's future is bright as a growing economic power. For this reason alone, she is a nation to be taken even seriously when the United States formulates strategies for peace in the India-Middle East and India-Asia region.
• Ninth , India is dedicated to keeping the global environment safe through development of cleaner energy sources and through strategies for climate control.
• Tenth, both India and the United States face similar reliance on Middle East oil supplies—in the case of India, 75% of its crude supply is from this source, thus both can benefit from technology development in areas other than oil for their civilian energy purposes.

India's greatest political and military challenge for the immediate future will be balancing her strategic interests with Iran, even as she moves closer to the United States,⁶⁶ and her economic challenge will be to proactively shape her domestic and regional environment⁶⁷ in terms of eliminating poverty and health problems.

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PHOTO: Sarah Osuna, 79, of Madera began having tremors and other Parkinson's symptoms about 15 to 20 years ago. She was "handed a hoe" at 14 and became a farmworker. She wonders whether years of exposure to pesticides triggered her disease. Osuna's daughter, Kathy Mendonca, 43, of Madera also wants to know.

Study bolsters link between Parkinson's, pesticide

Fungicide widely used in Valley found as a common factor in patients with disease.

For years, researchers have suspected commercial pesticides put people at risk for Parkinson's disease. Now evidence in the San Joaquin Valley suggests it's true.

Researchers have found a strong connection between the debilitating neurological disease and long-term exposure to pesticides, particularly to a fungicide that is sprayed on thousands of acres of almonds, tree fruit and grapes in the Valley.

The fungicide ziram -- the 20th most-used agricultural toxin in California in 2006 -- emerged as a common factor in a UCLA study of 400 people with Parkinson's in the Valley.

"People exposed over a 25-year period to ziram have about a threefold increased risk of developing Parkinson's," said Jeff Bronstein, professor of neurology and head of the Movement Disorder Center at the University of California at Los Angeles.

More than 660,000 pounds of ziram were used on crops in Fresno, Kings, Madera, Merced, Tulare and Kern counties in 2006, the most recent year for which figures are available. About 1.3 million pounds of the fungicide were used statewide, according to the California Department of Pesticide Control.

The research showed the fungicide kills certain brain cells, and their death has been associated with Parkinson's, Bronstein said. Now that researchers have a better understanding of what happens when exposure occurs, the information could lead to treatments to prevent or slow the progression of Parkinson's disease, he said.

But it's too early to talk about restrictions or a possible ban, because state regulators have just become aware of the latest ziram research. The California Department of Pesticide Regulation has placed a high priority on assessing the risk of ziram, said Lea Brooks, assistant director of communications.

The association between a fungicide and Parkinson's could help explain why the disease appears to be more common among people in the agriculture-rich Valley than elsewhere in California. Researchers have long thought that's so, but no one knows how many people have Parkinson's disease. [...]

And please stop childishly censoring posts at this blog.  It's very rude, immoral and unethical.  This blog post is not even promoted to the blog's front page.  We do live in a America.  And free speech is still in our Bill of Rights.

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Austim is a HUGE problem in my area of the country. And these brave parents are almost entirely ignored. 

FAMILIES FOR EFFECTIVE AUTISM TREATMENT FRESNO/MADERA COUNTY

Autism group goes it alone to get things done

They had nowhere to turn, so they turned to themselves and in three years they've helped get better services for autistic children.

The Fresno and Madera chapter of Families for Effective Autism Treatment was formed out of frustration with school districts, doctors and social-service agencies -- and a belief that the central San Joaquin Valley was needlessly tardy in using proven therapies.

Modeling itself after the original chapter started in the early 1990s in Sacramento, the group has lobbied for earlier diagnosis of the mysterious disorder and use of one-on-one behavior modification...

This has been a whirlwind year for Parents and Children with Autism. This is the second year for the California Blue Ribbon Commission on Autism and an exciting year it was. The Blue Ribbon Commission sponsored 8 specific Bills that went on to be passed overwhelmingly in both the Senate and Assembly with bi-partisan support from the Democrats and Republicans. While four of the Bills were consequently signed into law by the Governor three were vetoed due to associated costs at a time of critical budget shortcomings. One, the insurance Bill, was vetoed due to an earlier mental health parity bill the Governor pointed out if used as it was intended it would hold insurance carriers accountable for autism services. This was exciting in that the Governor gave Children with Autism a road map to challenge the insurance industry's mantra of "not medically necessary". We will be teaching the insurance industry a new word "Parity".