An Illustration of the Electromagnetic Radiation Emitted by Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL)

This is why I won't get CFL lights in my home. If one's body is surrounded by high levels of electromagnetic radiation, harmful effect will likely occur. Shouts to David Dees for the picture.

Medicinal Genomics Sequences Entire Cannabis Sativa & Indica Genetic Code

The entire DNA sequence of the marijuana plant is now in the books. The above picture is a model of the tetrahydrocannabinol molecule, the active ingredient in marijuana, produced by the cannabis plant as a defense mechanism. I guess even the marijuana industry is going hi-tech. With Obama pushing for patent reform, bio-tech corporations will now be able to change certain genetic sequences in the marijuana DNA and then patent these changes.

Once the companies have patent protection, a marijuana plant goes from being simply a "weed" to being valuable patents and other intellectual property. Therefore, I would not be surprised to see the following two (2) things occur in the coming years:

1. Marijuana being legalized for personal use.
2. Big Agra (the corporate farming companies) begins producing GMO marijuana & makes a huge profit.

The press release is below.

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August 18, 2011 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Medicinal Genomics Sequences the Cannabis Genome to Assemble the Largest Known Gene Collection of this Therapeutic Plant

The data, representing a 65,000 fold increase in what is publicly known about the genome, is being made readily available to researchers and scientists

MARBLEHEAD, Mass. and AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Medicinal Genomics, a pioneer in the genomics of medicinal plants, today announced that the company has sequenced the entire genome of Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica, assembling the largest known gene collection of this therapeutic plant. The DNA purification was performed at the company’s research facility in Amsterdam, and the sequencing was conducted by several service providers, including the latest long read technology from Roche’s 454 sequencing center.

Previously, only two million bases of Cannabis sequence have been deposited in GenBank, a sequence database provided by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). To date, Medicinal Genomics has privately sequenced over 131 billion bases of sequence, which represents a 65,000 fold increase in what has been publicly shared about the Cannabis genome. Concurrently, Medicinal Genomics has published the raw reads from Cannabis sativa on Amazon’s EC2, a public cloud computing service, giving the scientific community access to conduct further research. The Cannabis indica genome sequence will be made available on the EC2 in a few weeks as well. The genome annotations will be made accessible via an iPad application that the company expects to launch in the fall.

“Despite compelling evidence of the therapeutic benefits of Cannabis, very little genomics research has been performed in this area,” said Kevin McKernan, founder and head of scientific operations of Medicinal Genomics. “Cannabis was one of the most difficult genomes that I ever sequenced, and even though only a draft assembly has been constructed, it is important to provide the scientific community with the raw data as quickly as possible. Ongoing scientific research suggests that some of the non-toxic compounds in this plant may ultimately prove to be powerful therapeutics that can treat a wide range of health conditions, including cancer and inflammatory diseases.”

More than 40 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved clinical trials evaluating Cannabis as a therapy have been completed or are underway, according to information obtained from www.clinicaltrials.gov.

“This is a significant accomplishment,” said Richard Gibbs, Ph.D., director of the human genome sequencing center at the Baylor College of Medicine. “It is excellent to see rapid data release policies being upheld by public and private organizations, particularly when it comes to such challenging genomes.”

With the complete genome in hand, researchers can begin to identify non-psychoactive compounds or enzyme pathways to better elucidate the therapeutic benefits of Cannabis, including the plant’s anti-cancer properties. These pathways can be optimized in the plant or cloned into other hosts for more efficient biologic production. In addition, it may be possible through genome directed breeding to attenuate the psychoactive effects of Cannabis, while enhancing the medicinal aspects.

Medicinal Benefits of Cannabis

Ongoing scientific research suggests that the Cannabis plant harbors beneficial compounds as it pertains to cancer apoptosis, antiemesis for HIV and chemotherapy patients, reduction of muscle spasms for multiple sclerosis patients, as well as the treatment of glaucoma, inflammatory diseases, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, among other health conditions. Of the 85 identified Cannabinoids in the plant, only one is independently psychoactive. The other 84 appear to be non-psychoactive and are still powerful therapeutics. Many Cannabinoids have been bred to low expression levels over the years but are excellent small molecule therapeutic drug candidates for cancer and inflammatory diseases. The genome sequence can be utilized to design breeding strategies to resurrect these nearly extinct pathways. In addition, Cannabinoids have also been shown to have a very favorable therapeutic index making them a unique class of anti-cancer compounds because the lethal dose is much higher than the effective dose. Furthermore, Cannabinoids are less addictive analgesics than opiates, and target different pain pathways in the body.

Another benefit of Cannabis as a source for a therapeutic drug is that its toxicity is low and well-known. This is unique in drug discovery where every drug candidate must go through expensive and lengthy clinical trials to establish its safety. With Cannabis, side effects have previously been established and might be mitigated with genome directed breeding, whereas many drug candidates are not easily modified and end up failing in clinical trials because of adverse effects on a small percentage of the population.

The American Medical Association, as well as the American College of Physicians each have independently issued reports on the medicinal benefits of Cannabis to justify a reclassification of the plant so it can be more easily researched. By digitizing the genome of Cannabis, researchers from around the world can now study this plant without having to handle it. Assembling the complete Cannabis genome was a logical first step to enable more comprehensive scientific research to begin.

About Medicinal Genomics

Medicinal Genomics is the first known organization to sequence the complete genomes of Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica. Aside from being a useful tool to discover small molecule therapeutic drug candidates, there are many other commercial applications of these sequences, including the design of genomic assays that measure genes predictive of Cannabinoid levels in the plants at seedling stages. Use of this information will enhance breeding strategies to develop high CBD or other medicinal traits into strains. These genomic assays can also be utilized to help regulate the medicinal Cannabis market through better oversight and labeling. The non psycho-active plant known as hemp is also a productive plant for fiber production and may benefit from genome sequencing in its pursuit to improve breeding programs.

The company was founded by Kevin McKernan, a recognized thought leader and innovator in DNA sequencing. Kevin co-invented a magnetic bead-based chemistry, called SPRI, which enabled fully automated nucleic acid purification for the Human Genome Project. Based on the SPRI technology, Kevin, along with his two brothers, founded Agencourt Bioscience, an efficient, low cost sequencing laboratory. Agencourt was the only commercial laboratory selected to participate in the Human, Rat, and Puffer Fish Genome Projects, in addition to serving as the lone sequencing facility for the Mammalian Gene Collection. Agencourt was sold to Beckman Coulter in 2005. Prior to the sale to Beckman, Agencourt spun off its subsidiary, Agencourt Personal Genomics, to its shareholders. Agencourt Personal Genomics was a next generation sequencing (NGS) project that Kevin had also co-invented, which subsequently became known as SOLiD. Agencourt Personal Genomics created an instrument that advanced the accuracy and throughput of NGS, lowering the cost of sequencing by a factor of 100,000. Nine months after the spin out, Agencourt Personal Genomics was purchased by Applied Biosystems, the then leader in DNA sequencers. Kevin remained with Applied Biosystems for 5 years, even after Applied Biosystems was acquired by Life Technologies, to complete the family of NGS products. He most recently served as vice president of advanced research and head of research and development for the Ion Torrent division of Life Technologies.

Medicinal Genomics maintains its corporate headquarters in Marblehead, Mass. All scientific operations are conducted at the company’s research facility in Amsterdam, Netherlands. For further information, please visit www.medicinalgenomics.com.

Contacts

Schwartz Communications
Benjamin Navon/Rachel Gross
781-684-0770
medgen@schwartzcomm.com

Department of Defense Inspector General to Audit DARPA over $4.3 Billion in Contracts and Grants

I doubt this Inspector General audit of DARPA will truly be an independent audit considering DARPA is a part of the Defense Department. Nevertheless, the Defense Department is going through the whole song and dance of showing it is serious about accountability. I will wait until I see the audit results before making a final determination.

The Department of Defense Inspector General (IG) is auditing the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and looking into financial ties of DARPA Director Regina Dugan after POGO called for an investigation into potential conflicts of interest at the agency. The Pentagon IG explained the audits in a letter to POGO sent on Friday.

Regular readers of this blog know that I frequently blog about DARPA being the "mad scientist wing" of the Pentagon. The DARPA agency is always coming up with new technologies that seem to be straight out of a comic book. Apparently, it was not spending its monies appropriately.

Source: Project on Government Oversight (POGO)

Saudi Prince Mohammad al-Faisal Engages Engineer to Tow Icebergs from Arctic Region to Middle East for Fresh Water

If this idea becomes a reality, then this idea to tow icebergs from the Arctic to the Middle East could be a boon for parched regions. I remember learning in my elementary science classes that most of the fresh water on Earth is frozen. It would help increase the world's fresh water supply if this frozen water could be tapped. I wonder if there would be any affect on global weather patterns if this frozen water is suddenly removed. While this appears to be a novel idea, any fans of the 1985 movie Brewster's Millons will know that it is not novel at all.

So did French engineer Georges Mougin. And that's why he's invented a system for towing icebergs across the ocean and straight to the world's thirsty. Using 3-D technology, recently declassified satellite data, and the new science of oceanic forecasting, Mougin has created an elaborate method for hauling ginormous icebergs using a "skirt" and a tugboat.

Source: Fast Company

Dr. Sue Rabbitt Roff Says Governments Should Consider Paying Kidney Donors

I thought I saw a Wabbitt! Unlike a cartoon though, this is some serious business.

Dr Sue Rabbitt Roff, of Dundee University, called on the health service to offer financial rewards to individuals willing to give up a kidney as a means of speeding up the rate of transplants and reducing the cost of treatments and dialysis to the NHS.

If governments legalize the sale of organs, let me guess which economic segment of the population will be affected the most by the law? Hmmm, it shouldn't take long to see that lower economic classes will be impacted the most by any future legislation, because many folks will see their organs as potential monetary assets and use them accordingly.

A kid sitting on a trust fund isn't going to sell his kidney for an iPod, but some poor sap in China will. A rich diva isn't going to sell her kidney to go to USC, but an inner city kid might consider it.

Source: British Medical Journal; The Herald Scotland

Minnesota Court of Appeals Rules Chemical Pesticides Drifting from Conventional Farm to Organic Farm May Constitute Trespass!

Johnson vs. Paynesville Farmers Union Cooperative Oil Company (Case No. A10-1596 A10-2135)

The ruling of the court in this case (Johnson vs. Paynesville Farmers Union Cooperative Oil Company) is that chemical pesticide drifting from one farm to another because of errant overspray may constitute trespass. Under a similar analysis, I can imagine that an organic farmer will be able to sue (and potentially prevail against) a conventional farmer whose GMO seeds contaminate an organic farmer's land. This intrusion onto the organic farmer's land would be a trespass by GMO seeds under the analysis used by this Minnesota court.

The Court of Appeals overturned the lower court ruling which had denied relief to the Johnsons. The facts of the case at hand involves an alleged trespass by chemical pesticides from one farm to another:

In the 1990s, Oluf and Debra Johnson began the three-year process of converting their conventional family farm to a certified-organic farm to realize the higher market prices for organic produce and seeds. Oluf Johnson posted signs at the farm’s perimeter indicating that it was chemical free, maintained a buffer zone between his organic fields and his chemical-using neighbors’ farms, and implemented a detailed crop-rotation plan. He also notified commercial pesticide sprayer Paynseville Farmers Union Cooperative Oil Company of the transition. He specifically asked the cooperative to take precautions to avoid overspraying pesticide onto his fields when treating adjacent fields.

Despite the Johnsons’ requests, in 1998, 2002, 2005, 2007, and 2008, the cooperative sprayed pesticide and herbicide on fields adjacent to theirs in a manner that violated Minnesota law, causing chemicals to land on the Johnsons’ farm. Oluf Johnson complained to the cooperative after the 1998 incident, and it apologized, promising to “make it right.” But when the Johnsons gave the cooperative an invoice documenting their losses from the overspray, the cooperative refused to pay.

Oluf Johnson complained to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) after the 2002 overspray. The MDA investigated and determined that the cooperative illegally sprayed herbicide, causing visually apparent tainting of the Johnsons’ crops consistent with drift. Johnson sold his herbicide-tainted crops at lower, nonorganic prices and, as required by federal regulation, removed the tainted field from organic production for three years. The Johnsons settled their losses with the cooperative for that incident.

Under that settlement, the cooperative paid damages and agreed to give the Johnsons 24 hours’ notice before it sprayed in any adjacent field.

The cooperative oversprayed adjacent fields again in 2005 and the Johnsons again contacted the MDA. The MDA investigated, found drift, and instructed the Johnsons to burn their contaminated alfalfa. In addition to losing the tainted alfalfa, the Johnsons could not grow anything on the burn spot and took the contaminated field out of organic production for three years.

The cooperative again oversprayed in 2007. Johnson again contacted the MDA, and after investigating the MDA required Johnson to plow under a 175-foot wide strip of soybeans running the entire length of his field. He was also told by the state’s organic certifying agent that if any pesticide residue was detected, he must take the field out of organic production for three years. The MDA detected pesticide residue, and so Johnson took the field out of organic production.

Johnson again notified the MDA in 2008 about the cooperative’s spraying in July and August. He smelled chemicals in the air over his field, leaving him with “cottonmouth, headache and nausea” and his wife a headache and nausea. The MDA investigated and again cited the cooperative for illegally spraying, and the Johnsons again took the affected fields out of organic production for three years. He plowed part of the alfalfa field under because it was “becoming choked with weeds and the alfalfa was very sick and poor.”

In January 2009, the Johnsons sued the cooperative for the 2005 and 2007 incidents. They asked the district court to enjoin the cooperative from spraying within one-half mile of their farm and for damages based on common-law theories of trespass, nuisance, negligence per se, and battery. In June 2009, the district court granted a temporary injunction, prohibiting the cooperative from spraying within one-quarter mile of the Johnsons’ farm and requiring it to give notice of its spraying activities in the area.

In April 2010, the Johnsons moved to amend their complaint to include damages from the 2008 incidents.

The district court granted summary judgment in the cooperative’s favor and dismissed all of the Johnsons’ claims. It concluded that the claims arising from the 2005 overspray are time barred. Regarding the 2007 overspray, the district court dismissed the trespass claim because it concluded that “trespass by particulate matter” is not recognized in Minnesota; it dismissed the nuisance and negligence-per-se claims because the Johnsons presented no evidence that the cooperative’s spraying caused damages; and it dismissed the battery claim for lack of evidence of intent. The district court also denied the Johnsons’ motion to amend their complaint, reasoning that the claims arising from the 2008 overspray would fail for the same reasons the 2007-overspray claims failed. The district court consequently denied the Johnsons’ request for permanent injunctive relief. The Johnsons appeal.

U.S. Department of Transportation To Require CDL License(s) to Operate Farm Machinery?

This is just another example of the government over-regulating everything in peoples' lives. Is it really necessary to require farm workers to get CDL licenses to operate farm equipment? On many of these farms, young children and elderly family members work and operate the machinery. How are family farms going to survive this requirement?

The time-honored initiation into working the family farm could one day be a thing of the past, with discussions underway in Washington to require operators of farm equipment to have a commercial driver's license, or CDL...

..."The vast majority of our farms are family farms, operators of equipment are usually family members, and if [those changes] were to take place, that would eliminate some of the family participation in the farm operation."

Source: KXXV-25

FLASHBACK: Why Did U.S. Government Secure Crop Technology Patent for Aluminum Resistant Genes? (2009)

Why is the United States' government developing aluminum-resistant genetics? The patent (US# 7,582,809) says that the purpose of the technology is to aid in areas where soil has been contaminated with aluminum. I personally think that this seed technology might also used for "chemtrail" fallout - fallout that is alleged to contain aluminum. Aluminum toxicity would decimate the organic markets, because organic seeds will not contain this aluminum-resistance gene. If aluminum toxicity increases, then it might be required of farmers to license this genetic technology in order to plant seeds that will survive in the aluminum-rich soils.

The technology appears to use cloned sorghum to create the necessary genes for geneticists to modify other food crops to be aluminum resistant.

This invention relates to a major aluminum tolerance gene, SbMATE (for Sorghum bicolor ember of the multidrug and toxic compound extrusion transporter family), that is responsible for AltSB locus (for aluminum tolerance in Sorghum bicolor), cloned from sorghum along with its native promoter and regulatory regions, a construct containing a gene and a constitutive promoter, a vector containing the construct, and a method of transforming a plant utilizing the construct and vector, and plants, including staple crop plans, transformed with the gene construct having increased tolerance to aluminum toxicity.

I didn't know what SbMATE was, but a little research revealed a typical story of the Western World allegedly stealing rights of the Third World. In this case, it is patent rights derived from a gene in sorghum, a crop in Tanzania. For further reading, check out The SbMATE Patent: American Ingenuity or Looting of a Tanzanian Resource?

Sorghum bicolor major aluminum tolerance (SbMATE) gene
• Isolated from sorghum
• Enables plants to grow normally in aluminum‐ rich soil, which is normally toxic to crops
– aluminum toxicity is one of the primary limitations for crop production in developing countries
– crops such as wheat, rice, and maize are unable to grow in aluminum‐rich soil because aluminum in such soil takes a chemical form that is toxic to them

If you want to read the full government file on this patent (including file wrappers), click here for the USPTO link. If that link is not working, then simply do a search on this page for patent #7,582,809.

See also: Cloned gene being used to develop aluminum tolerant crops, Kochian says at AAAS

Source: Google Patents / US Patent # 7,582,809

Federal Reserve Prepares for Financial Default By United States of America!

This blog post is neither sponsored nor commissioned by the Fed!

Please note that this story about the Federal Reserve preparing for a U.S. default is from a week ago, so it shows that the Federal Reserve had little hope that our political leaders would reach an agreement on the debt ceiling. As of this writing, the lawmakers have not reached an agreement on the debt ceiling.

Nevertheless, this is just like a WWE match where it's all about suspense and drama! I still believe that the lawmakers will reach some last minute B.S. deal to avoid having a default occur on their respective watches, but anything is always possible.

As the wrangling over the U.S. debt ceiling continues in Washington, the Federal Reserve is making preparations in the event that Congress and President Obama fail to reach an agreement by the August 2 deadline...

"We are in contingency planning mode," Charles Plosser, president of the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank, told Reuters...

Source: globalpost

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Issues License to Uranerz Energy for Nichols Ranch Uranium Recovery Project in Wyoming

In case you weren't aware, the United States is still issuing mining permits for uranium! This one is in Wyoming. I've never actually met anyone from Wyoming, so if you're reading this in Wyoming, please drop a line in the comments!

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NRC ISSUES LICENSE TO URANERZ ENERGY CORP. FOR NICHOLS RANCH URANIUM RECOVERY PROJECT IN WYOMING

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a license to Uranerz Energy Corp. to construct and operate the proposed Nichols Ranch in-situ leach uranium recovery project in Johnson and Campbell counties in Wyoming.

Uranerz submitted the license application for Nichols Ranch on Nov. 30, 2007. The project is to be located in the Pumpkin Buttes Uranium Mining District of the Powder River Basin, about 46 miles south-southwest of Gillette and 60 miles northnortheast of Casper. The project will cover nearly 3,400 acres, of which about 300 acres will be directly affected by operations. The project will recover and mill uranium for use in fuel for commercial nuclear power plants.

The NRC published its Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Nichols Ranch project in January. That report determined that there were no major environmental impacts that would preclude issuing the license. The environmental report is available in the agency’s ADAMS online database by searching for ML103440120. The staff has also completed its Safety Evaluation Report, which will be available in ADAMS by searching for ML102240206.

More information about the Nichols Ranch project and in situ uranium recovery is available on the NRC website.

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News releases are available through a free listserv subscription at the following Web address: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC homepage at www.nrc.gov also offers a SUBSCRIBE link. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC’s website.

NRC NEWS
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Office of Public Affairs
Telephone: 301/415-8200
Washington, D.C. 20555-0001
E-mail: opa.resource@nrc.gov
Site: www.nrc.gov
Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov
No. 11-131
July 20, 2011

Evergreen Aviation Offers Weather Modification Services with Its Supertanker Aircraft

Image © Evergreen International Aviation

I have previously posted on this blog about weather modification technology and if I haven't, then please note that the Chinese government has a dedicated Weather Services Department. As for Evergreen International Aviation, I will quote from its site regarding its services and its Supertanker:

MARKETS:

• Firefighting
• Oil Spill Containment
• Weather Modification
• Biochemical Decontamination

The Evergreen Supertanker is not just limited to fighting fire. It will be a true utilitarian aircraft with the capability to configure to different applications on short notice. This multimission aircraft can support sensitive security and environmental missions. The aircraft’s exceptional drop capabilities, loiter time and size make it an ideal tool to perform challenging homeland security missions, able to neutralize chemical attacks on military installments or major population centers, and help control large, environmentally disastrous oil spills.

Finally, I linked the image above directly from the Evergreen Aviation website image gallery. You would think the image of three (3) planes flying in formation over New York City while spraying some unknown chemical would be directly from some conspiracy theory website and not from the official corporate website.

Source: Evergreen Aviation

U.S. & Russia Reaffirm Agreement to Dispose of No Less Than 68 Metric Tons of Weapons-Grade Plutonium!

17,000 nuclear weapons worth of plutonium! That is a whole lot of plutonium for the USA and Russia to eliminate. How does one dispose of plutonium when it has a half-life of 24,000 years? As Fukushima shows the world, it is probably not a good idea to have plutonium sitting around to radiate everyone.

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U.S., Russia Reaffirm Commitment to Dispose of Enough Plutonium for 17,000 Nuclear Weapons

Release Date:

July 13, 2011

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) today announced the formal entry into force of the amended Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement (PMDA) after an exchange of diplomatic notes this afternoon by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the State Department. The United States and Russia reaffirmed their commitment to each dispose of no less than 34 metric tons each of their surplus weapon-grade plutonium by irradiating the plutonium as mixed oxide (MOX) fuel in nuclear power reactors. The material to be disposed under the Agreement is enough for 17,000 nuclear weapons.

Over the last year, the amended PMDA has been provisionally applied by the U.S. and Russian governments and has now been ratified by action of the Russian Duma and by Russian President Dmitri Medvedev’s approval on June 3, 2011. The two countries have today exchanged diplomatic notes bringing the agreement into full effect.

“This milestone marks important progress on U.S. and Russian commitments to eliminate nuclear weapons material,” said Laura Holgate, Senior Director, WMD Terrorism & Threat Reduction at National Security Council. “Such eliminations are the ultimate in improving nuclear security, as they permanently remove the threat of theft or misuse of nuclear material, at the same time reducing the burden of securing materials.”

“I am pleased that the United States and Russia are formally moving forward with their plutonium disposition partnership,” said Anne Harrington, NNSA’s Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation. “As we work to implement the unprecedented nuclear security agenda outlined by Presidents Obama and Medvedev, NNSA looks forward to working with the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation ‘Rosatom’ to implement the next phase of cooperation under this amended Agreement.”

First signed in September 2000, the PMDA was amended in April 2010, by a Protocol signed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the margins of President Obama’s Nuclear Security Summit in Washington D.C. This Protocol codified a revised Russian plutonium disposition program based on using fast reactors for irradiating the plutonium and operating under strict nonproliferation conditions. According to the amended PMDA, the United States will provide up to $400 million to support plutonium disposition in Russia, subject to future appropriations, and Russia will fund the balance of its disposition program, estimated to be more than $3 billion. NNSA and its Russian counterpart, Rosatom, will also jointly seek international contributions for Russia’s program.

To implement U.S. plutonium disposition, NNSA is overseeing the construction of three major facilities at the Savannah River Site: the MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility; the Waste Solidification Building; and a pit disassembly and conversion capability. At the same time, Russia is making significant investments in its MOX fuel fabrication capabilities and construction of the BN-800 fast reactor (both currently scheduled to become operational in 2014). Under the amended PMDA, both countries will begin disposition in 2018.

Follow NNSA News on Facebook [1], Twitter [2], YouTube [3], and Flickr [4].

Established by Congress in 2000, NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science in the nation’s national security enterprise. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, reliability, and performance of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear testing; reduces the global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the U.S. Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the U.S. and abroad.

Energy Department to Sell 30.6 Million Barrels Oil from US Emergency Stockpiles to 15 Private Companies

List of Fifteen (15) Companies Buying 30.6 Million Barrels of Crude Oil from USA Emergency Stockpiles

This is an interesting development that the government is selling its emergency stockpiles to private entities.

Traders and oil refiners are among the 15 companies that are buying roughly 30.6 million barrels of crude from the United States’ emergency stockpiles, the Energy Department announced today.

The following companies made offers to the Department of Energy's emergency supply of oil!

• Barclays Bank is buying 200,000 barrels of oil for $21 million.
• Conocophillips is buying 1.1 million barrels for $118.7 million.
• Conocophillips is buying an additional 1 million barrels for $106.3 million.
• ExxonMobil Oil Corporation is buying 1.51 million barrels for $163.6 million.
• Hess Energy Trading Co. is buying 2 million barrels for $212.6 million.
• JP Morgan Ventures Energy Corporation is buying 1.5 million barrels for $158 million.
• Marathon Petroleum is buying 1 million barrels for $107.3 million.
• Marathon Petroleum is buying an additional 1 million barrels for $105.8 million.
• Murphy Oil USA is buying 500,000 barrels for $53.4 million.
• Plains Marketing LP is buying 1.04 million barrels for $112.1 million.
• Plains Marketing LP is also buying an additional 1.04 million barrels for $111.1 million.
• Shell (USA) Trading Company is buying 500,000 barrels for $53.8 million.
• Shell (USA) Trading Company is also buying 1 million barrels for $107.2 million.
• Shell (USA) Trading Company is also buying 1 million barrels for $108.9 million.
• Shell (USA) Trading Company is also buying 650,000 barrels for $69.6 million.
• Sunoco Inc. (R & M) is buying 700,000 barrels for $74.7 million.
• Sunoco Inc. (R & M) is also buying 700,000 barrels for $74.7 million.
• Tesoro Refining and Marketing Company is buying 1.2 million barrels for $128.5 million.
• Trafigura AG is buying 550,000 barrels for $59 million.
• Trafigura AG is buying 550,000 barrels for $57.9 million.
• Valero Marketing and Supply Company is buying 2.15 million barrels for $233.2 million.
• Valero Marketing and Supply Company is also buying 1.95 million barrels for $210.9 million.
• Valero Marketing and Supply Company is also buying 2 million barrels for $214.1 million.
• Valero Marketing and Supply Company is also buying 400,000 barrels for $42.4 million.
• Valero Marketing and Supply Company is also buying 400,000 barrels for $42.4 million.
• Vitoil Inc., is buying 3 million barrels for $324.2 million.
• Vitoil Inc., is buying 1 million barrels for $108.1 million.
• bp oil suppl is buying 500,000 barrels for $52.5 million.

Source: Fuel Fix (blog)

Homeland Security Tests Next-Generation Radiation Detection System Prototypes (Including Roadside Trackers)

The federal government (namely the Department of Homeland Security Domestic Nuclear Detection Office) always has the latest and greatest toys. It gets high-tech radiation detectors, but what do the ordinary citizens get? Do an Internet search for "radiation detectors" and you will mainly see a bunch of non-calibrated radiation detectors from the 1950s/60s Cold War heyday or high-end detectors that are very expensive. The latest DHS toys debuted at a race track and were the following next-generation radiation detection systems: (1) stand-off radiation detection systems; and (2) a roadside tracker.

While crowds filled the stands to watch the Belmont Stakes races in New York in mid-June, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) worked with police from Nassau and Suffolk counties to explore concepts of operation for three experimental next-generation radiation detection systems. The prototype systems are designed to indentify and precisely locate sources of radiation.

Source: Emergency Management

Rep. Rick Crawford Introduces HR 2411 That Establishes Automatic Wage Deductions to Pay Public Debt

I have a feeling that if Rep. Eric Alan Rick Crawford's HR2411 bill for voluntary wage deduction to pay the public debt passes into law, it will initially be hailed as the patriotic and voluntary thing for each American to do in order to help the country stave off an imminent default. While a lot of Americans are ready to kill the tabloid maven Casey Anthony for seemingly evading justice, very few Americans demand justice for the trillions of dollars that was received in bailouts by globalist bankers and Wall $treet. See FLASHBACK: TARP Special Inspector Barofsky Says U.S. Taxpayer Bailout May Cost $23.7 Trillion!

I guess the American worker will have to pay for this bailout and other bailouts directly through the worker's wages. But wait, the bill says that deductions are only voluntary, right?

Just like the federal income tax via the IRS is supposedly voluntary per Sen. Harry Reid, the IRS will sue you and potentially throw you in jail (ask Wesley Snipes) if you fail to pay or report the voluntary taxes. My prediction if this bill passes is that at some point the deductions won't be voluntary.

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H.R.2411

Reduce America's Debt Now Act of 2011 (Introduced in House - IH)

112th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 2411

To provide for an employee election on Form W-4 to have amounts deducted and withheld from wages to be used to reduce the public debt.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 6, 2011

Mr. CRAWFORD (for himself, Mr. TIBERI, Mr. FINCHER, Mr. LANDRY, Mr. DENHAM, Mr. DOLD, Mr. FLORES, Mr. GRIFFIN of Arkansas, Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan, Mr. PALAZZO, and Mr. GUINTA) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

A BILL

To provide for an employee election on Form W-4 to have amounts deducted and withheld from wages to be used to reduce the public debt.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Reduce America's Debt Now Act of 2011'.

SEC. 2. VOLUNTARY WITHHOLDING FROM PAYROLL FOR REDUCTION OF THE PUBLIC DEBT.

(a) In General- An employee may elect for an employer to deduct and withhold upon the payment of wages by such employer amounts to be used to reduce the public debt.

(b) Requirement of Withholding- Every employer making payment of wages shall deduct and withhold upon such wages any amounts so elected, and shall pay such amounts over to the Secretary of the Treasury at such times and in such manner as the Secretary shall by regulation prescribe.

(c) Transfers to Account To Reduce Public Debt- The Secretary shall, not less frequently than monthly, transfer to the special account established by section 3113(d) of title 31, United States Code, amounts equal to the amounts paid over under subsection (b).

(d) Definitions and Special Rules- For purposes of this section--

(1) WAGES, EMPLOYEE, ETC- The terms `wages', `employee', and `employer' shall have the respective meanings given such terms under section 3401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

(2) AMOUNTS NOT DEDUCTIBLE- Notwithstanding section 170(c)(1) of such Code, no deduction shall be allowed for any amount deducted and withheld from wages under subsection (a).

(3) ELECTION TO BE INCLUDED ON WITHHOLDING EXEMPTION CERTIFICATE- Not later December 31, 2011, the Secretary of the Treasury shall modify withholding exemption certificates (described in section 3402(f)(2) of such Code) to include the election under subsection (a). The Secretary shall include on such certificates a reasonably conspicuous statement that any amounts deducted and withheld from wages under subsection (a) are not deductible as charitable contributions for Federal income tax purposes.

(e) Effective Date- This section shall apply to remuneration paid after December 31, 2011.

SEC. 3. EXCLUSION OF PUBLIC DEBT WITHHOLDING FROM WAGES.

(a) Social Security Taxes-

(1) AMENDMENT TO 1986 CODE- Subsection (a) of section 3121 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking `or' at the end of paragraph (22), by striking the period at the end of paragraph (23) and inserting `; or', and by inserting after paragraph (23) the following new paragraph:

`(24) any amount deducted and withheld pursuant to an election under section 2 of the Reduce America's Debt Now Act of 2011.'.

(2) AMENDMENT TO SOCIAL SECURITY ACT- Section 209(a) of the Social Security Act is amended by striking `or' at the end of paragraph (19), by striking the period at the end of paragraph (20) and inserting `; or', and by inserting after paragraph (20) the following new paragraph:

`(21) Any amount deducted and withheld pursuant to an election under section 2 of the Reduce America's Debt Now Act of 2011.'.

(b) Unemployment Taxes- Subsection (b) of section 3306 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking `or' at the end of paragraph (19), by striking the period at the end of paragraph (20) and inserting `; or', and by inserting after paragraph (20) the following new paragraph:

`(21) any amount deducted and withheld pursuant to an election under section 2 of the Reduce America's Debt Now Act of 2011.'.

(c) Wage Withholding- Subsection (a) of section 3401 of such Code is amended by striking `or' at the end of paragraph (22), by striking the period at the end of paragraph (23) and inserting `; or', and by inserting after paragraph (23) the following new paragraph:

`(24) any amount deducted and withheld pursuant to an election under section 2 of the Reduce America's Debt Now Act of 2011.'.

(d) Effective Date- The amendments made by this section shall apply to remuneration made after December 31, 2011.

FLASHBACK: "Reverse Planking" Is Method Used to Chain Slaves to Ships for Transport from Africa (1788)

I first heard about planking (or plankin') only a week or so ago when people flooded my Twitter timeline with pictures of people planking (for an example of someone planking). I may be behind the times, but I don't follow a lot of trends unless they directly affect me. While a few of the planking pictures I saw were entertaining, it seemed like a waste of time.

If you are unfamiliar with planking, the UrbanDictionary.com defines planking as the art of laying face down horizontally across any object or the ground with arms by the sides, aiming to occur in daring situations or a brotherly display of core-strength.

I didn't think much of the fad until I saw the above picture from Stowage of the British Slave Ship Brookes under the Regulated Slave Trade Act of 1788 (see below for a close-up). Namely, "reverse" planking is the way that the slave transporters restrained the slaves in the slave ships for the journey across the Atlantic Ocean and elsewhere.

Often the ships...transported hundreds of slaves, who were chained tightly to plank beds...They were confined to cargo holds with each slave chained with little room to move.

The main difference with today's planking and the slave transport practice is the slaves were transported face up and today's planking is performed face down. I hate to be a downer, but cats need to know their history before jumping on a trend that pops up out of nowhere. I wonder who was the first person to promote this planking practice to the black community.

It seems like this planking is essentially an art that is derived from a practice that was used in the slave trade & distribution system.

Source: Library of Congress

Hillary Clinton Basically Admits U.S. Government Created Taliban & al-Qaeda!

The above video should be spread far and wide, because Hillary admits an essential (but often overlooked) fact that the USA helped create Al-Qaeda back in the day when American interests were aligned against the Soviet Union.

Source: Planetseeder.com

ExxonMobil Oil Spill in Montana's Yellowstone River Causes Evacuations over 4th of July Holiday Weekend

I feel sorry for the people that live along this river whose holiday weekend is likely being interrupted by this oil spill. No word on how much oil has spilled into the river.

Brent Peters, the fire chief for the city of Laurel about 12 miles east of Billings, said the break in the 12-inch diameter pipe occurred late Friday about a mile south of Laurel.

He said about 140 people were evacuated starting about 12:15 a.m. Saturday due to concerns about possible explosions, and the overpowering fumes. He said they were allowed to return at about 4 a.m. after instruments showed fumes had decreased.

Source: USA Today

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Statement by ExxonMobil Pipeline Company Regarding Crude Oil Release into Yellowstone River in Montana

BILLINGS, Mont.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ExxonMobil Pipeline Company issued the following statement concerning a crude release into the Yellowstone River in Montana:

“Early on the morning of July 2, we discovered an undetermined amount of crude oil was released into the Yellowstone River from an ExxonMobil Pipeline Company (EMPCo) pipeline. EMPCo deeply regrets this release and is working hard with local emergency authorities to mitigate the impacts of this release on the surrounding communities and to the environment.

The release originated from a 12” crude pipeline operated by EMPCo that runs from Silver Tip, MT to Billings, MT. The pipeline has been shutdown and the segment where the release occurred has been isolated. All appropriate state and federal authorities have been alerted.

At this early stage, we have no information on the cause of the incident, and we are working to determine the amount of oil released. ExxonMobil has activated its North American Regional Response Team to assist in the clean up efforts. A claims number 1-888-382-0043 has also been established to assist individuals who might have been impacted by this event.

We recognize the seriousness of this incident and are working hard to address it. Our principal focus is on protecting the safety and health of the public and our employees. We will, of course, also begin a thorough investigation of the cause of this unfortunate event. We will provide additional information as it becomes available.”

About ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil, the largest publicly traded international oil and gas company, uses technology and innovation to help meet the world’s growing energy needs. ExxonMobil holds an industry-leading inventory of resources, is the largest refiner and marketer of petroleum products, and its chemical company is one of the largest in the world. For more information, visit www.exxonmobil.com.

Contacts

Downstream Media Relations

703-846-4467

NYPD Allegedly Brutalizes Pete Rock's Wife & Daughter at Smif N Wessun's Album Release Party (June 29, 2011)

This video is one of the main reasons I do not visit New York City often. How in the world can the po-po beat down (allegedly) Pete Rock's wife and daughter?

The Big Apple appears to be a great city, but the NYPD are a bunch of fascists. The city also has draconian laws relating to guns, so I'm definitely not a fan. Plus, I am always hearing about police brutality stories in NYC especially in connection with hip-hop events. Click here for the video link if you cannot view it above.

Source: DJ Lady Jay Diamond

U.S. State Department Provides Grant to Create Shadow Stealth Web ("Internet in a Suitcase")

File photo

I have previously posted stories about Obama's proposed cybersecurity measures that will give the government the right to shut down the Internet with the press of a button. This new Open Technology Initiative (overseen by Sascha Meinrath at New America Foundation) is sort of a reverse version of the aforementioned process, because this "Internet in a Suitcase" will provide 'net access to people in areas where there is no Internet or where a government may have restricted or shut down the Internet.

The Obama administration is leading a global effort to deploy “shadow” Internet and mobile phone systems that dissidents can use to undermine repressive governments that seek to silence them...

...The group’s suitcase project will rely on a version of “mesh network” technology, which can transform devices like cellphones or personal computers to create an invisible wireless web without a centralized hub.

Source: The New York Times; New America Foundation