OKAY so today President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle went to Norway to receive the coveted Nobel Peace Prize and you can't seem to hear enough about "9 days before, he agreed to sending 30,000 more troops raising the total to 100,000 troops in Afghanistan". How can he receive such an honor for having not been in office more than 8 months (depending on whether you consider the date he was called for the Prize or when the Prize Committee selected him) is being stated.
The bottomline, after 8 years of being in Afghanistan, we owe it to the citizens to assist in nation building although we have seen how corrupt Karzai can be. After years of dropping bombs on a society who had housed Osama and the Al Qaeda crew, we are trying to help them build their nation under the principles of a democracy that depending on whom you listen to, may not even be what they want. But that is the Obama plan.
The hope I believe with all capitol letters is that the people of Afghanistan will become more aggressive in wanting the help of American troops, builders, educators, and infrastructure contractors. But interestingly the areas we are looking to stabilize happen to be the same area where we know The Taliban is fighting tooth and nail for their right to be leaders in their own country. Do we have the right to go into the country and tell them what is best for them?
Will we be able to keep reigns on Karzai and keep reminding him "democracy" is not a dictatorship where you stash away 1.3 million votes when you believe you are about to loose?
The media has been screaming about the 18 months Obama said will be the deadline for pulling out. There are several comments in Huffington Post magazine, Amy Goodman's commentary on DemocracyNow! and Jesse Jackson on Tavis Smiley Show says that 18 months is a questionable amount of time to complete nation building, but has anyone factored in, that we are talking about a nation of people who have been around longer than our nation is old?
Maybe we shouldn't sell these people short! I'm sure they are tired of the time, money, families lost, bloodshed, and living without as we are of seeing them get back on their feet. And bottomline we want to see our soldiers come home in one piece, with a good sense of whom they are for the service they have given to this country. And not ever have troops feel as many expressed when they went to Vietnam, that their services weren't appreciated . . .
So maybe with the Peace Award President Obama will remember what the essence of the award means and stick to the 18 months withdrawal plan? We again, can only hope.
President Obama should act to protect American Energy Security by issuing an Executive Order to Purchase ONLY natural gas vehicles for Federal use
Natural gas vehicles are practical and are currently built and sold by US auto companies in foreign markets. Transitioning to Natural Gas Vehicles should be pursued more aggressively by the Obama administration to help get America off of dependence on foreign fuels (***US JOB #1***). Natural gas is the only alternative fuel available for at least the next decade that America could use to break its dependence on foreign fuels. Hydrogen as a replacement fuel for gasoline will not be available for 20 to 30 years. The Federal Government is the largest single user of vehicles in the United States. An executive order from President Obama to instruct all agencies of the Federal Government to, from this point forward, only purchase natural gas vehicles for new automobile purchases would provide Detroit automakers with the market demand that is needed to set in motion a chain of events that would transition the nation into American built and American fueled vehicles. An executive order requiring agencies of the Federal Government (including DOE) to only purchase domestically manufactured natural gas vehicles would also be economically disruptive and would give American auto companies that are currently on the ropes and fighting for the continued existence of American manufacturing with a level playing field once again to provide these alternate technology vehicles. Given a guaranteed demand for natural gas vehicles from Government purchases American automakers could use this opportunity to take back market share from foreign auto companies and in the process create large numbers [1] of good paying US manufacturing jobs. The President is empowered to issue executive orders to direct the proper operation of government. In 1993 President Clinton used an executive order [2] to direct the government to purchase a greater percentage of Alternative Fueled Vehicles. A job creating and economy saving sequence of events could be set in motion through one Presidential signature on an executive order that would be effective immediately and would not require any additional funding and would avoid a time wasting drawn out legislative battle in Congress.
For some inexplicable reason the executive order to initiate the process of using American fuels (natural gas) for transportation and retaking the American auto industry never comes?????
Federal Agencies are reported to have recently placed orders for foreign engineered and currently still foreign built Toyota Prius Hybrids (the latest politically correct status symbol) even though American built NGVs that would burn domestically provided natural gas fuel are available.
Advantages of using a Presidential Executive Order to initiate a transition to the use of American built NGVs fueled entirely by domestically produced American Natural Gas:
1) No new government funds need to be allocated – funding is already in the pipeline to provide for replacement acquisition of new vehicles for the Federal Government.
2) Using an executive order would have immediate effects – there is no need to laboriously try to push a bill through Congress - the President’s signature is enough.
3) Detroit already knows how to build the needed vehicles (they already build tens of thousands of NGVs in foreign countries like Argentina) – no lengthy technology development is necessary.
4) Ample supplies of natural gas are available – DOE EIA has recently confirmed that the nation’s additional reserves of shale natural gas (increased by 51% in one year - 32.8 trillion cubic feet or roughly 13 percent of total proved reserves) now significantly add to natural gas reserves believed to exist only 1 year ago [3].
5) The Fueling infrastructure required is easier to manage for federal government employees – only a moderate number of fueling stations would have to be built to support Federal employee use of NGVs.
President Obama, why not consider the possibility of issuing an executive order to require the Federal Government and its Agencies purchase domestically manufactured Natural Gas Vehicles for all new government vehicle purchases?
[1] The Toyota Prius Assembly plant in Nagoya Japan employs 70,000 workers.
[2] Executive Order 12844 of April 21, 1993 - Federal Use of Alternative Fueled Vehicles
http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/executive-orders/pdf/12844.pdf
[3] DOE EIA Natural Gas Reserves Report
http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/natural_gas/data_publications/crude_oil_natural_gas_reserves/cr.html?featureclicked=1&
It requires an excessively large volume to sequester world wide CO2 produced from burning coal.
Dr. Stephen Chu contributed an editorial to Science Magazine (25 September 2009 issue) entitled "Carbon Capture and Sequestration" [1] where he described the magnitude of the challenge of sequestering the CO2 the world generates from burning coal. In that editorial he wrote the following:
"At geological storage densities of CO2 (0.6 kg/m3), underground sequestration will require a storage volume of 30,000 km^3/year."
30,000 cubic kilometers of CO2 is equal to 7187.382 cubic miles. This is a show stopper of a large value which should call into question the wisdom of this approach.
7187.382 cubic miles of volume would be a rectangular trench 1 mile deep x 1 mile wide x 7187 miles long. The storage volume required to store the world's CO2 for one year would be a trench having 1 mile width and 1 mile depth and exceed twice the distance from Los Angeles to New York City.
It is just not practical to expect to generate storage volumes of this size on a year in and year out basis. There are no underground caverns or natural features that are close to this size and it is not practical to talk about excavating storage structures that are this large.
Why not rethink this goal of deploying CCS given the unrealisticly large volume required to store the world's CO2 produced from burning coal?
[1] Editorial by Dr. Steven Chu: "Carbon Capture and Sequestration"
SCIENCE VOL 325 25 SEPTEMBER 2009
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/reprint/325/5948/1599.pdf
As we all know, the situation in Israel is still being discussed by The Obama Administration and individuals are anxious that the Iran has a nuclear program. We need to know the facts behind the battling in Israel. This is not my event, however, I encourage those seeking answers to meet this great groups of folks and attend:
Global Exchange
Ventura County Supporters
present
A Recent Visit to Gaza
Wednesday, October 28
7:00 P.M- 8:30 P.M.
Thousand Oaks Library
Laila Al-Marayati, MD, will share her experiences of her recent visit to Gaza and will address some of the major political issues that impact the ongoing situation.
Dr. Al-Marayati is the chairperson of Kids in Need of Development, Education and Relief (KinderUSA), a non-profit humanitarian organization dedicated to helping Palestinian children and their families in Gaza, the West Bank and refugee camps in Lebanon. And on behalf of KinderUSA, she traveled to the Gaza Strip in May of this year where she had the opportunity to witness first hand the degree of destruction caused by the Israeli offensive in December of 2008. She visited with numerous Palestinians who continue to suffer under a regime of collective punishment that targets all members of society including those most vulnerable, children. The effects of the ongoing siege of Gaza combined with the trauma caused by the Israeli attack have imposed serious challenges on Palestinians living in Gaza. Yet their resourcefulness and faith help them survive and endure, hoping against all hope for a better future.
Dr. Al-Marayati has served on the US Commission on International Religious Freedom as an appointee of former President Bill Clinton. She is a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist and is the Medical Director of Women's Health at the Eisner Pediatric and Family Medical Center. She serves as the spokesperson of the Muslim Women's League based in Los Angeles which seeks to strengthen the role of Muslim women in society by disseminating accurate information about Islam and women to Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
A question and answer period will follow the presentation.
The program is free and open to the public.
GLOBAL EXCHANGE Ventura County Supporters www.globalexchangeventuracountysupporters.org
For further Information, Contact: 805-498-9401 or GlobalExchangeVCS@yahoo.com
The Global Exchange Ventura County Supporters is a group of people - a community of conscience -dedicated to providing local monthly public forums, supporting and working with other local organizations committed to social and economic justice, human rights and ecological sustainability Global Exchange, headquartered in San Francisco, is an international human rights organization dedicated to promoting environmental, political and social justice. Since our founding in 1988, we have increased the US public's global awareness while building partnerships worldwide. Visit: www.globalexchange.org
You had the creepy crawlies when you walked out of the Buck McKeon Saturday 9AM Community Townhall Meeting on Healthcare Reform. Some women left crying and skeptical about the future. You don't see this in any video! You had to hear their comments. I even heard women from Wells Fargo who were hissing mad! "These are selfish nuts and liars", she said. I told her welcome to the club. She asked me if there is "anything that she can do", please call her. I've BCC'd her to this message and will call her later today.
My final analysis: In creating a future of change, I agree it requires talking to neighbors, friends, family and congressional leaders. The future for our American grandchildren will require healthcare reform. If number crunchers have already determined that in another 15 years our healthcare premium costs will be equal to our take home pay, how are we going to live? Not all families have the ability to have two or more breadwinners in one family.
We are in a day and age of automation, why should insurance companies utilize 30% of their costs for administrative needs?
Why should insurance executives make 10 times the average income of the American citizens’ that they are fleecing for corporate jets, penthouses, exorbitant bonus plans, elaborate **** luxury resort motivational seminars, and vacation trysts.
Meantime, your healthcare needs are being minimalized or denied because it will diminish the lifestyles of the stockholders, the insurance executives and their bottomlines.
If the insurance companies were truly honest they would accelerate incentives for illness prevention, better eating habits, exercise programs, promote positive lifestyle choices and encourage physical and mental rest to increase healthy clientele.
Questions we need to ask ourselves is why would someone who has government tax paid Roll Royce insurance belittle you into believing it isn’t important for you to have affordable, adequate, and accessible medical coverage and a decent delivery system. To do otherwise is downright “stupid-headed”. To know this information is not enough! It isn’t political ladies and gentlemen, it is a human need. Don’t just read this. Do something that is an investment in your healthcare future. Fight for healthcare reform.
If you are interested in more information on what to have at a helathcare forum please email us: minwilli@gmail.com; or visit our website: www.scvyoungdems.org. It isn't too late to have your voice hear. I know many are tiring to the subject, but I believe this is what the opposing side wants, to wear us down and they they'll have their way with us, business as usual.
Peace out, Minerva
Dear Editor,
September 15, 2009, I had the opportunity to watch C-SPAN 3 and hear another testimonial from the “whistleblower” and former head of communications from the Cigna Insurance company Vice President Wendell Potter. He referenced his previous testimonial on June 24, 2009. He expressed a need for comprehensive reform to shape reform to Congress to benefit all Americans. Several times he expressed that the healthcare reform bill will be nothing more than an insurance industry profit protection and insurance act if the bill doesn’t include the public option.
He refutes the heavily prophesized claim that adding the public option will no longer make the private options competitive. Instead he adds that the public option will lower health care cost and cause the industry to reevaluate the way that they do business. The practice of the industry has directly affected 25 million families to become under and not insured and giving rise to over priced cartel led premiums. Potter added that public option will require the Health Services to eliminate high co-pays and deductible which mean less out of pocket costs, increases in lifetime limits, eliminate “fake marketing” plans and increasing annual caps that are more reasonable. Market reforms will not only cause companies to compete, contrary by the industry and allies claims, but also stop the misinformation tactics being used to “frighten us” into believing reform can’t be done. Again, those little fear tactics are being used to induce complacency. Dumping unprofitable and sick consumers to make profit expectations, in a nut shell will cause investors needs to become secondary and can no longer be put over the health of insurance industry consumers.
Consumers must understand that limited benefits fits and underwriting is designed for profit.
Potter and I hope that this is the year that will enact legislation, I hope he is right. Meantime I’d encourage the entire community to go out to the 25th Congressional representative Buck McKeon’s Townhall meeting Saturday September 26 at 9AM and get there early. Parking lots #5, #6, #7,and #8 will assist your morning stroll to the Gymnasium, wear tennis shoes and let’s here what our local legislative representative has to say. Oh and by the way, I did email him the above link . . . I did call Potter, he told me to tell McKeon that “death panels” is another made up marketing phrase.
Peace Out, Minerva L. Williams, Castaic, CA
President Obama asked us to turn the page on what happened with Bush, Cheney, et. al. He asked us to believe in the change that we deserved. I can’t believe that all this GOTV, letter writing, phone banking, poll tending, volunteering, home parties, restaurant presentations, cheerleading for a year and a ½ to get him in the winner’s circle is causing a rise in cynical interpretation. We understand that Obama has to be a worldwide respected, flexible American representation. We understand he wants to include all of America. We know deep reform in healthcare is necessary and a given. More than 75% of Americans want healthcare reform that includes the public option, universal healthcare, and single payer, whatever you want to call it. President Obama experienced the downside through his own mother’s dying. He had to know that there would be an all and out war with dysfunctional profit making, no holds bar, hundreds of billions healthcare making system. He knew the ravages in the financial system. In addition, yes, we see those fear mongering, hating, imposing gun packing/toting self-centered paid obstructionists at town hall meetings. So where is the line in the sand? We voted for “real change” not propping the industry, that disrespects our right to human healthcare. Take off the gloves, Fight Obama, Fight! You are head of the United States military. CIA, FBI and Secret Service know the drills! Don’t lose your eye on the healthcare reform prize. And to the rest of you trying to find out more on how you can be a part of the ensuing battled click on mybarackobama.com or ofa.com (the new mybarackobama.com). For details on explaining the healthcare programs and discrepancies in the healthcare bill look for the videos and their transcripts at http://www.whitehouse.gov
We promised to be vigilant, watchful, reading, writing, conversing with the community, active and to have Obama’s back. WHERE ARE YOU? WE NEED YOU!! YES WE CAN!
President Obama asked us to turn the page. He asked us to believe in the change that we deserved. I can’t believe that all this GOTV, letter writing, phone banking, poll tending, volunteering, home parties, restaurant presentations, cheerleading for a year and a ½ to get him in the winner’s circle is causing a rise in my cynical interpretation. We understand that Obama has to be a worldwide respected, flexible American representation. We understand he wants to include all of America. We know deep reform in healthcare is necessary and a given. More than 75% of Americans want healthcare reform that includes the public option, universal healthcare, and single payer, whatever you want to call it. President Obama experienced the downside through his own mother’s dying. He had to know that there would be an all and out war with dysfunctional profit making, no holds bar, hundreds of billions healthcare making system. He knew the ravages in the financial system. In addition, yes, we see those fear mongering, hating, imposing gun packing/toting self-centered paid obstructionists at town hall meetings. So where is the line in the sand? We voted for “real change” not propping the industry, which disrespect our right to human healthcare. Take off the gloves, Fight Obama, Fight! Remember you are head of the United States military. CIA, FBI and Secret Service know the drills! Don’t lose your eye on the healthcare prize. Yes, we can!
Barack Obama won by more than 7.5 million votes over the Republicans . . . How then can he be so wry in stating what he wants this healthcare reform bill? Obama won more votes than any other candidate. He even won Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, New Mexico, Nevada, North Carolina, Virgina, and handsomely, California (except Orange County).
Those of us who field the calls, go out to the malls, set up workshops, pass the word, produce pass outs, e-blast, twitter, and Facebook are interested in knowing why there is so little information regarding the strategy behind Obama’s statement that the “public option is just a sliver of the proposed objectives and may not be in the final bill”?
Obama-ites and individuals in need of healthcare who believe in the change necessary to stop the medical bankruptcies, to provide efficient, effective and standardized health delivery are supporting healthcare reform. Many understand the need for preventive care, which is to lower the costs of pharmaceuticals, doctors, hospital healthcare, which is strangling our weary seniors, and HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes and cardiac treatment. I believe we all know someone with a nagging irreversible illnesses requiring medicinal cocktails, patches, pills, shots, and tonics to make it through the day.
With the recent morphing of the Obama Plan, “NO OPTION”, many are raising their eyebrows regarding the “non information” getting to the front lines and this can be quite wearying when you are taking the “shots, the hits, the late night calls, and the hissing” from those who believe you are on some “blind ambition” that Obama can deliver.
So what is all of this hesitation, maneuvering and double speak that we are hearing? Are the Democrats just downright gutless wonders on an issue that affects us all? Bush is not around to kick this time. The media won’t allow us to be oblivious to the disruptive, gun toting and gun strapped, reddened, head-vein popping, bulging eyed, yelling “patriots” at town hall meetings. We understand that change is abominable to some and frightening to most when the government steps in. We know how groups take advantage of the “gaping loopholes” and “financial windfalls” due to poor planning and pencil pushing administrators who can’t think their way out of wet paper bags. Nevertheless, Obama et. al. says they have “studied the plan, they know what they need to shore up the gaps before execution.”
Won’t we, in the meantime, demand that our legislature stop taking money from the corporate entities that stand to lose when healthcare is spread throughout the United States? While legislators fully enjoy superior taxpayer-supported healthcare, paid in full, every year, on time, without denial for prior medical conditions, can’t we be vigilant and exclaim to our elected leadership that they represent us and our families’ future? What is wrong with us that a subject we all require to live each day becomes something not worth fighting for? Is it really something in the water? Will someone explain this to me?
The question of whether Obama was legitimately born in the United States continues to stir considerable controversy. Reservist Major Stefan Cook of the US Army refused to deploy to Afghanistan, questioning Obama’s authority as commander-in-chief. Cook told the Army he needed proof that Obama was actually born in the US. Without such proof he believed he should not be compelled to follow the President’s orders to deploy to Afghanistan. To further exacerbate this, the Army subsequently rescinded his orders, leading many to hold this as further proof that Obama just may not be a US born citizen and should therefore be removed from office.
Why the army didn’t pursue further action against Cook and simply revoke his deployment does raise serious questions. This is certainly not in line with the Army’s normal procedure for those who refuse to follow orders. Consider the case of Lt. Erin Watada. Watada refused to deploy to Iraq on the ground that to do so would constitute a war crime, namely that of waging a war of aggression. The Army certainly did prosecute him. Although one of the charges got hung up on a technicality, there are still other significant charges pending against Watada, which will most likely have serious consequences.
It is undisputed that Iraq never attacked the United States or even threatened to do so. It is also undisputed that President Bush never secured the constitutionally required congressional declaration of war against Iraq. It would be difficult to find a better example of an illegal and unconstitutional war, which is precisely why Watada refused to obey orders to participate in it.
My father was in the service and always gave me the impression that the United States Military rarely backs off of an insubordinate soldier without providing an explanation. I would think that they would want to make an example out Cook. Did releasing Cook open the door for every soldier, sailor, and airman to get a free "get out of war" pass?
In the Cook case why didn't the Army pursue further action? Where did the order come from to revoke his orders? Under what conditions were these orders revoked? Why was there no explanation? Will the Army ever provide answers to these questions, or at least an explanation as to why his case is closed? Respectfully yours, Minerva L. Williams, Castaic, CA.
Americans should care that so much of America's Nuclear Industry is now owned by foreign interests. We will need to expand the nation's use of nuclear energy to preserve American quality of life. The fact that so much of the industry is in the hands of foreign interests should be a matter of some concern. We need to support new disruptive US nuclear technology that will allow American manufacturers to retake this critical industry with better, less waste generating, and safer nuclear technology. Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors are technically and economically disruptive nuclear technology that would allow America to retake its nuclear industry and build on America’s first six decades of nuclear leadership. The following summary of Foreign Ownership of US Nuclear Industry is provided by respected industry analyst Rod Adams of Adams Atomic Engines and Atomic Insights. “Westinghouse is about 80% owned by Toshiba - 67% (Japan), Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. - 3% (Japan), Kazatomprom - 10% (Kazakhstan). However, 20% of the company is in the hands of Shaw Group out of Louisiana. GE Nuclear is in a joint venture with Hitachi (GEH), but remains fully owned by a US based company. Combustion Engineering disappeared into Westinghouse. Part of B&W disappeared into Framatome and then into Areva, but the part that has been focused on US Navy nuclear power remains a US owned company. It is that part that is marketing the mPower™ 125 MWe modular reactor. Many smaller nuclear manufacturers also remain in US hands. A couple of start-ups like Hyperion and NuScale have been funded by US venture capital. The NRC certified designs are the ABWR, the AP-1000, the AP-600, and the System 80+. The ABWR certification is still owned by GE, but they sold rights to a major portion of the technology to Toshiba. Toshiba has filed a modified design certification application to incorporate the replacement parts of that technology as part of its NRG South Texas Project, so there will be two certified ABWR designs - one owned by GE, one by Toshiba. Chinese firms are not owners of US manufacturers or NRC certified designs. However, part of the deal for the first four AP-1000s sold in China is a technology transfer agreement that will allow Chinese manufacturers to produce the design under license without further US involvement. I am not sure, but I expect that license will be geographically limited, sort of like the original Westinghouse licenses to France and South Korea.” The intent of this message is not to demonize foreign ownership of the nuclear industry (we should thank French Areva for continuing to develop nuclear technology and for being willing to sell it to us as allies and friends). We should take wise steps to retake the American Nuclear industry by supporting the development of new disruptive American nuclear technology that would re-level the playing field and allow smaller American innovators to compete.
America can no longer build the Light Water Reactors they pioneered in the 1950s. The large 600 ton steel forgings required build the reactor vessels needed to insure safety for this class of reactor can now only be built in Japan or Russia. It is probably not possible to regain the capacity to build these heavy steel forgings associated with traditional Light Water Reactors in the USA. It would be better to concentrate American efforts on developing superior disruptive new nuclear technology that does not require the heavy and expensive reactor containment vessel that currently can be built in the USA and create nuclear design and manufacturing jobs in this country instead of in Japan or Russia. The only Japanese manufacture, Japan Steel Ltd, can only build four reactor containment vessels a year and this is a limiting factor for any plans to improve American energy sufficiency through nuclear energy as there is already a decade long backlog on reactor containment vessels from Japan Steel. Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors could currently be manufactured in USA and do not require a reactor containment vessel because they do not have a traditional solid reactor core that could suffer a core meltdown. Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors are safer because they have liquid cores of molten salt and just cannot suffer a meltdown in the event of loss of primary coolant. LFTR Thorium reactors do not require the heavy and expensive reactor containment vessel which cannot be manufactured in the US. The overwhelming majority of the current NRC certified reactor designs pre-approved for use by US utilities are now owned outright by foreign companies. Profits from sales of the existing NRC certified reactor designs will now go to supporting foreign economies and new nuclear manufacturing jobs will be created primarily in those foreign lands.
Our current NRC regulatory approach favors the preservation of the advantage of the foreign owners of the current NRC certified designs and discourages smaller American start-ups from entry into the nuclear industry. American nuclear start-ups are prevented from supplying superior new American nuclear technology because they cannot overcome the hurdle of the initial high million dollar regulatory fees when they submit their designs for NRC review. We need to revise the way we regulate nuclear manufactures and not charge huge million dollar fees to submit new nuclear designs for review as new American designs will be needed to retake this critical industry and the present regulatory system favors the huge entrenched foreign interests. Small American start-up manufacturers are priced out of participation in the nuclear industry because of the way we fund nuclear regulation at the NRC. We should fund NRC the way we fund other government agencies like the Department of Commerce or Interior. NRC regulators should not have their salaries paid for by the industry they regulate.With the help of Government and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission American nuclear innovators could retake the American nuclear industry and provide significantly better nuclear technology to all Americans.
I am an advocate for improving education. Half of the students in school will drop out. Most of the dropouts won’t know what to do with their lives and will become lost in a world of bad choices. You can help. RCSEFi is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation I started that focuses on encouraging youngsters to stay in school. We work with kids ages 12 – 16 and use auto racing to help them discover the excitement in learning.RCSEFi has elevated the pedagogy with our highly acclaimed teaching process known as E3 Student-Centered Teaching™. Students are shown how to learn using their hands and minds focused around their interests. This is a living pedagogy that evolves with student’s interests helping it to stay relevant and exciting.I support families, single parents, and our children looking for a better way to learn. One of the benefits of RCSEFi is that we offer positive role models for many youngsters lacking a male figure in the life. I am committed to positively changing the lives of children. My organization currently faces a challenge that threatens to hamper our progress. I need your help and support in spreading the word and attracting attention to this vital program. Details of the campaign are listed on the website and on our blog page.http://www.rcsefi.orghttp://www.rcsefi.org/blog
I invite your comments and suggestions.
Together we can change the lives of children. Thank you for your supportClay Smith
Hi All,
Greetings and Salutation!
I watched the movie version of “Chicago” the other night. Today, I think about this AIG fiasco and remember Richard Gere’s well done rendition of “Razzle Dazzle ’em” in that movie. The sly lawyer as he diverts attention from what is fact to what is emotion. In the instance of this AIG fiasco, diverting attention to bonuses paid executives and away from the truth. Any really, really, good swindle or scam uses that “Razzle Dazzle ‘em” rule. One must have a focus of attention somewhere other than upon the fraud itself. The shenanigans at AIG bring to mind a movie called “Paper Moon”. Destiny teams a little girl and a middle-aged man up as con artists. The man pays for some items in a story with a large bill. Behind him in line, the little girl pays for something with a small bill. When the girl sees her change, she balks, claiming that she had given the clerk the larger bill. Her distressed cry that the larger bill is a birthday gift with a birthday inscription on it, inciting emotions. Found in the cash drawer is a larger bill with the inscription the girl claims. The girl “earns” the larger bill via her deception. AIG is much the same con, right down to the little girl taking the fraud into a simpler swindle. A couple of more obvious short-changing maneuvers to increase her take or maybe just to show off her flair for the con game. In the AIG situation, these would be bonuses unnecessary yet still, bonuses useful in diverting attention toward facts to attention toward emotions. It can be a bit more complicated but the primary things that occurred up to and including the bailouts is the same. There are many faucets to this fraud. However, the base fraud is a matter of giving a small bill and pretending it is the large bill. The deregulation of laws, which had created borders betwixt Wall Street, the Banks, and the Insurance companies, that allowed great fraud to be committed. Long ago and far away, something called “buying on margin” came to be. This entailed a situation whereby a person could post X dollars of collateral and the stock market company would give an equal amount of credit. Thereby, one could have $100.00 in collateral and buy $200.00 in stock. This is termed “leveraging” and was fine when regulations were in place. The advent of such things as “options” for “hedging” will greatly increase this leveraging situation to create a “win-win” situation for the smart investor (or better said, “Sly” investor). The stock market always somewhat of a gamble, one could now “bet” that a stock would fall in value and make the big bucks. Even if one did not actually own the actual shares of that stock, one could control hundreds of thousands of dollars in stock with only a few hundreds of marginal dollars. Marginal dollars are the big bill that the little girl did not really give the store clerk; it never existed. However, the real big bill, which the store clerk gave back to the little girl, did exist. In effect, it was money used to “bail out” the clerk and the store due to emotional circumstances. One day it hit the news that a company called “Lehman Brothers” had taken the big dive and the world would collapse unless the government did not step in to help. The sky was falling, as it were. The big cats including the FED knew that Lehman would collapse if someone did not purchase it (and revise the books) or the FED did not step in with help. The stack of cards to build the house was going to come down. The FED knew long before Lehman Brothers failed that it would happen. Instead of bracing (or bailing out) Lehman Brothers, the Fed let Lehman Brothers fail. The auspice incongruously put out that Lehman would fall by itself and create only a pothole on Wall Street. This is incongruent because anyone familiar with the system would know that Lehman would take others with it. Lehman failed and AIG became responsible for the billions in insurance it sold against such a failure. The government fooled to step in with billions and no oversight. The insurance that AIG had sold and could not cover, billions in insurance to protect investors that they not lose their investment AND not lose the monies that did not exist; stocks and options bought on MARGIN. What a quandary, what a great fraud is the scam perpetrated on an unsuspecting people. AIG had insured billions of dollars that did not exist. Until the FED marched in and turned those dollars into real cash, the clerk handing the poor little child her take and her bonus for her short change game. The executives earned those bonuses because they pulled the biggest heist in history. In addition, they are taking the people’s eye off the proverbial ball and probably giving AIG plenty of time for a probable shredding enterprise. Find the insured and one will find the trail of fraud or one can play with the millions in bonuses and ignore the billions in fraud.
Loveya,
Spent Nuclear Fuel from US Light Water Reactors still has enormous energy value (only 3% of the Uranium in typical fuel rods is actually burned) - the remainder of the fuel ~ 96% is disposed of as "waste" but is in fact perfectly usable fuel in alternate technology reactors and is a tremendously valuable resource. Each year America’s current 104 LWR reactors produce 2000 tons of spent nuclear fuel. The energy value left in 2000 tons of spent fuel rods after they are considered expended and are removed from operation in America’s LWRs is approximately 7.0 x 10^12 KW-hours of additional energy if all fissile and fertile uranium in the spent fuel is completely burned in an appropriately designed alternate technology molten salt reactor. The value of the electricity that would result from fully burning all of the 2000 tons of spent nuclear fuel is $685 billion dollars a year presuming a 2009 average cost of commercial electricity of 9.79 cents per KW-hour. This 2000 tons of spent fuel is produced every year, year in and year out, and the potential exists to consistently produce a sizeable revenue stream to help pay the cost of government from the combination of sale of electricity and nuclear industry waste fund payments from nuclear waste generators. The magnitude of this revenue steam is on a par with the magnitude Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 which Congress provided to kick-start the US economy. The funds that would come from completely burning the energy left remaining in spent nuclear fuel would produce a lift to the national economy which is of the same approximate magnitude of what is required to fund Universal Healthcare for all Americans on a sustainable long term basis as long as the 104 existing US LWRs operate. The spent nuclear fuel that has accumulated from US LWRs to could provide start-up fuel for new less waste generating Thorium Reactors. Thorium Molten Salt reactors can be started on spent nuclear fuel and then gradually converted over in the course of three decades to run pure Thorium nuclear fuel that produces only 1 part in 100 the amount of waste and 1 part in 1000 the long term radio-toxicity of waste. Thorium Molten Salt Reactors have dramatically higher fuel efficiency (>98%) and produce, almost exclusively, easier to handle fission products as waste that decay to the benign level of the natural background in ~350 years. Thorium is more abundant (by about 300%) than natural Uranium and 55000% more abundant than Uranium-235 which is the principle fissile fuel component in current fuel rods that is actually burned by current LWRs. We should use Spent Nuclear Fuel to produce abundant less waste generating nuclear energy to become fully energy self sufficient and launch a nuclear renaissance based on improved Thorium Technology. Thorium Molten Salt Reactors are good science. Dr. Edward Teller, the founding director of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, wrote his final paper a month before his death on the subject of the advantages of Thorium Molten Salt Reactors. http://www.geocities.com/rmoir2003/moir_teller.pdf Respectfully, Robert Steinhaus – Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Retired) A Program of Positive Change should include Changing America's Nuclear Fuel Cycle to Thorium
My ideas in reforming the U.S. health care system will relies, also, on the Information Technology (IT) and prevention as developed in my previous blog " Organizing Health Care System: Time is Ripe for Action". I will like to bring to your attention this report as following posted in consulting firm blog.
"Upon assuming office, U.S. President Barack Obama made it clear that reforming healthcare is a top priority for his new administration. But unlike past attempts at healthcare reform that concentrated on the cost of coverage, it appears that today’s healthcare reform debate will revolve around the delivery of healthcare itself. Many experts in the field, such as Dr. Paul Grundy, director of healthcare transformation at IBM, believe this approach is ideal for tackling issues from the quality of care to the cost-effectiveness of medicine. “There is a real understanding this time that there needs to be an adult conversation around ‘what is it we buy,’” he says. “This is the first time we’ve really begun to focus on that issue as part of the reform.”
Technology provides the basis for sweeping reform"Despite the current state of healthcare, Grundy is optimistic about the new administration’s emphasis on modernizing the field with technology, as he notes that developments in technology are poised to make reform economically attractive. Using IT to make healthcare smarter, he explains, may save billions for American businesses—and provide employees with a better quality of life. “We have huge issues around errors and medical errors, which are hugely expensive,” Grundy says. “In a system where you have something as simple as electronic prescribing, you see a 90 percent reduction in medical errors because you have a system in place that identifies, warns you, prevents you from having that error occur.”
"As an example, Grundy points to pilot programs such as the ActiveCare Network pharmaceutical program, which can lower the cost of drug therapies by up to 90 percent by ensuring that the right drug is used on the right patient at the right time. These kinds of programs, he says, are being closely examined by the Obama administration as models for how to prioritize healthcare. “We have the pyramid upside down,” he explains. “We take our money, and we spend it on heart transplants and MRIs until the money goes away—and it never reaches down to covering comprehensive, robust prevention and primary care.”
Click here to read the complete report
Thanks so much for your comments and attention on this blog.
A partial answer might be provided by previous directors of ORNL:
Dr. Alvin Weinberg:
“Why didn't the molten-salt system, so elegant and so well thought-out, prevail? I've already given the political reason: that the plutonium fast breeder arrived first and was therefore able to consolidate its political position within the AEC. But there was another, more technical reason. [Fluoride reactor] technology is entirely different from the technology of any other reactor. To the inexperienced, [fluoride] technology is daunting…
Dr. “Mac” MacPherson:
“The political and technical support for the program in the United States was too thin geographically…only at ORNL was the technology really understood and appreciated. The thorium-fueled fluoride reactor program was in competition with the plutonium fast breeder program, which got an early start and had copious government development funds being spent in many parts of the United States.”
“It was a successful technology that was dropped because it was too different from the main lines of reactor development… I hope that in a second nuclear era, the [fluoride-reactor] technology will be resurrected.”
A awesome plan, and budget! As the main problems are the payments to hospitals, insurance companies and drug companies. Our health care system will be better if the federal government create a better administration and controling procedure by using a state of the art information technologies to manage our health care system in this digital age.
Following is the details of the article in New York Times dated February 26, 2009:
"President Obam's budget would make a down payment toward his goal of covering the uninsured, and he would pay for it in part by cutting federal payments to hospitals, insurance companies and drug companies.
He would also increase premiums charged to Medicare beneficiaries with higher incomes for prescription drug coverage.
Mr. Obama requested more than $6 billion for cancer research at the National Institutes of Health, up from $5.6 billion last year, and he announced a “multiyear plan to double cancer research.”
In addition, Mr. Obama said he would speed the approval of low-cost generic versions of expensive biotechnology drugs by establishing “a new regulatory pathway” at the Food and Drug Administration.
And he said he would increase access to family planning services for low-income women by expanding eligibility under Medicaid. A similar proposal was dropped from the recent economic stimulus bill after it provoked an outcry from Republicans.
Mr. Obama asked Congress to set aside $634 billion in a “reserve fund for health care reform.
He provided no new information about how to cover the uninsured, saying he would work out the details with Congress later this year. But he did propose specific changes to save money, and many of his ideas face opposition from Washington lobbyists and the interests they represent.
Mr. Obama would, for example, require drug companies to give bigger discounts, or rebates, to Medicaid, the health program for low-income people.
Drug makers now must provide Medicaid with a discount equal to at least 15.1 percent of the average manufacturer price for a brand-name product. Mr. Obama wants to require discounts of at least 22.1 percent. Pharmaceutical companies have resisted such proposals in the past.
Mr. Obama said he would save $176 billion over 10 years by cutting Medicare payments to health insurance companies that provide comprehensive care to more than 10 million of the 44 million Medicare beneficiaries.
Medicare pays private insurers an average of 14 percent more than it would cost to care for the same people in the traditional fee-for-service Medicare program. “It’s time to stop this waste,” the White House said.
Karen M. Ignagni, president of America’s Health Insurance Plans, a trade group, denounced the proposal. It would, she said, require people in private Medicare Advantage plans to bear “a disproportionate share of the costs to reform the health care system.”
The president also proposed cutting Medicare payments to hospitals that re-admit a large proportion of patients within 30 days after they are discharged. Such re-admissions sometimes indicate that hospitals provided poor care or did not properly coordinate care.
Under the proposal, hospitals would receive “bundled payments” that cover not only their own services, but also any care provided by nursing homes and home health agencies in the month after patients left the hospital.
For more information on this report, please click here
