October 20, 2015


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/self-proclaimed-cia-director-hacker-says-he-had-help-more-to-come/

Self-proclaimed CIA director hacker says he had help
CBS/AP
October 20, 2015

Photograph -- screen-shot-2015-10-19-at-7-02-26-pm.png -- Now suspended twitter account of hacker. CBS NEWS
Photograph -- Play VIDEO -- CIA director's email hacked


There may be more than one person responsible for hacks on the email accounts of the CIA director and the director of Homeland Security.

The person claiming to be responsibly [sic] for the hacks told CBS News correspondent Jeff Pegues there are six people in his group who helped breach the accounts. And the same Twitter handle that released sensitive information about public officials claims also to have had access to a White House official.

There are threats of more disclosures to come.

Late on Monday, the person tweeting under the handle CWA followed through on threats to release sensitive information.

"You know we don't lie, what you have all been waiting for sorry for the delay," the tweet read.

Along with the statement came an attachment with the names, Social Security numbers and phone numbers of 20 people said to be affiliated with the head of the CIA.

One document purporting to come from CIA Director John Brennan's AOL email account contains a spreadsheet of people, including senior intelligence officials, along with their Social Security numbers, although the hacker redacted the numbers in the version he posted on Twitter. It's unclear why Brennan would have stored such a document in his private email account. Based on the titles, the document appears to date from 2009 or before.

In a statement the CIA would only say that it has referred the matter to the appropriate authorities. CBS News contacted some of the people whose names were on the list and there is a common thread-- many worked for the Obama transition team in 2008.

When people visit the White House and other secure facilities, they are required to supply their Social Security numbers. Brennan could have been forwarding a list of invitees to the White House when he was President Barack Obama's counter terrorism adviser, the job he held before he became CIA director in 2013.

Security experts advise people not to email Social Security numbers, and some companies have software that automatically blocks an email if it detects characters in the format of a Social Security number.

The hacker told the Post he had obtained a 47-page version of Brennan's application for a security clearance, known as an SF86. That document - millions of which were stolen from the federal personnel office last year by hackers linked to China - contains detailed information about past jobs, foreign contacts, finances and other sensitive personal details.

No such document appears to be posted on the hacker's Twitter account, but it's not clear whether the hacker posted it elsewhere.

The hacker, an alleged high school student, seems to be feeding off the publicity the stunt has generated, and that's in part why investigators are reluctant to talk about it. In a tweet, the hacker said: "We are not doing this for personal satisfaction, we are doing this because innocent people in Palestine are being killed daily."




“The person claiming to be responsibly [sic] for the hacks told CBS News correspondent Jeff Pegues there are six people in his group who helped breach the accounts. And the same Twitter handle that released sensitive information about public officials claims also to have had access to a White House official. There are threats of more disclosures to come. …. One document purporting to come from CIA Director John Brennan's AOL email account contains a spreadsheet of people, including senior intelligence officials, along with their Social Security numbers, although the hacker redacted the numbers in the version he posted on Twitter. It's unclear why Brennan would have stored such a document in his private email account. CBS News contacted some of the people whose names were on the list and there is a common thread-- many worked for the Obama transition team in 2008. When people visit the White House and other secure facilities, they are required to supply their Social Security numbers. Based on the titles, the document appears to date from 2009 or before. …. No such document appears to be posted on the hacker's Twitter account, but it's not clear whether the hacker posted it elsewhere. The hacker, an alleged high school student, seems to be feeding off the publicity the stunt has generated, and that's in part why investigators are reluctant to talk about it. In a tweet, the hacker said: "We are not doing this for personal satisfaction, we are doing this because innocent people in Palestine are being killed daily."

I wonder if government workers are using some kind of encryption or if what they have just isn’t secure enough. Not only should Hillary Clinton have used the -- presumably well-protected -- government email system, but everybody else who is handling sensitive material should also. In this case the names and information had not been of key importance since 2008, but they probably were kept for future contacts as the people might be needed. Maybe such lists should be secret, assuming hackers wouldn’t be able to get to them if they were. The problem I see is that everybody’s info in this country is now held on computer websites somewhere, and the technology hasn’t stayed ahead of the eager young hackers, who can be convinced that they are helping the Palestinians by doing something like this. We can’t cope with our massive amount of information without a computer, but especially with the power and reach of the Internet, any information anywhere can be accessed if the hacker is sufficiently savvy. It’s a catch 22.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/russian-american-deal-on-syrian-air-space-expected-shortly/

U.S., Russia sign memorandum of understanding on Syria
CBS NEWS
October 20, 2015

Photograph -- A frame grab taken from footage released by Russia's Defence Ministry October 5, 2015, shows a Russian air force jet taxiing on the tarmac of Heymim air base in Syria. REUTERS


The Pentagon said Tuesday that the U.S. and Russia had signed a memorandum of understanding over safety procedures for aircraft flying over Syria.

The memo includes specific protocols for air crews to follow over Syria, and establishes of ground communications link.

Late last week, as the final details were being negotiated, a Russian SU-30 Flanker jet fighter came within 1,500 feet of two American aircraft, the closest approach since Russia started flying airstrikes, reports CBS News correspondent David Martin.

The Russian was below and behind the Americans. Defense officials described the Russian behavior as unprofessional but not threatening.

"There was nothing unsafe at all," one official said. "The pilots maintained their flight pattern and then the Russian waved off and our pilots continued."

Pentagon officials have been careful about how they characterize the deal struck with Russia.

"Agreement is too strong a word for what this is," a Pentagon spokesman said Monday, reiterating previous administration statements about total disagreement with what Russia is doing in Syria.

It was just designed to be a set of air safety procedures worked out at the requests of the Russians.




“Late last week, as the final details were being negotiated, a Russian SU-30 Flanker jet fighter came within 1,500 feet of two American aircraft, the closest approach since Russia started flying airstrikes, reports CBS News correspondent David Martin. The Russian was below and behind the Americans. Defense officials described the Russian behavior as unprofessional but not threatening. "There was nothing unsafe at all," one official said. "The pilots maintained their flight pattern and then the Russian waved off and our pilots continued." …. "Agreement is too strong a word for what this is," a Pentagon spokesman said Monday, reiterating previous administration statements about total disagreement with what Russia is doing in Syria. It was just designed to be a set of air safety procedures worked out at the requests of the Russians.”

Whether we like it or not, it makes sense. Neither Russia nor the US want war, and we all want to have a claim to the Middle East, which means cooperation. In 1000 AD countries could avoid having much contact with each other, but now people and armies are interacting frequently enough to easily get on each other’s nerves, so to speak. It has become a very small world.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sec-kerry-to-meet-israeli-palestinian-leaders-netanyahu-abbas/

Sec. Kerry to enter the Israeli-Palestinian morass
CBS/AP
October 18, 2015

Photograph -- An Israeli policeman checks a Palestinian young man at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City October 17, 2015. Three Palestinians were shot dead on Saturday in what Israel said were thwarted knife attacks in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank as tensions ran high after more than two weeks of unrest. REUTERS/Ammar Awad REUTERS/AMMAR AWAD
Play VIDEO -- Israelis kill 3 Palestinians in alleged stabbing attacks
Play VIDEO -- Jewish holy site torched as Israel braces for new violence


PARIS - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says he'll be meeting this week with Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in a bid to ease tensions that have erupted in deadly violence.

Kerry plans talks with Netanyahu in Germany and then, after a meeting on Syria in an as-yet undetermined location, intends to see Abbas and Jordanian King Abdullah in the Mideast.


Kerry isn't giving the exact dates. But U.S. officials say Kerry probably will be in Germany on Thursday and Jordan on Saturday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss Kerry's travel plans.

Over the past month, eight Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks, most of them stabbings. In that time, 40 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, including 19 labeled by Israel as attackers, and the rest in clashes with Israeli troops.

The announcement of U.S. involvement in the growing conflagration comes just as the leader of Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah group called the violent unrest in Israel a "renewed intifada," describing it as the hope for salvation for the Palestinians.

Nasrallah's remarks were broadcast Sunday. He said the wave of attacks against Israelis was carried out by a "new generation" of Palestinians who believe in "resistance" and who must be supported by all in the region.

Palestinian assailants have been carrying out near-daily stabbing attacks against Israelis that have spread from Jerusalem to elsewhere in the country.

An Israeli police officer, center front, checks the dead body of a Palestinian man who was shot dead after authorities say he drew a knife and tried to stab the officers who shot him in a street in Jerusalem Oct. 17, 2015. Nasrallah said: "It is everyone's responsibility to stand by it and help it, each with their own capabilities, abilities and circumstances."

Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war in 2006. They remain bitter enemies.

Netanyahu said Sunday his government is going to go after the finances of the Islamic Movement in Israel, a group he accuses of being the chief inciter of the recent violence.

Netanyahu said his government has been operating on all fronts to stop the wave of attacks and will now start tackling its source. Netanyahu says the government will take measures against the Islamic Movement "particularly its financial sources."

The violence erupted a month ago over the Jewish New Year, fueled by rumors that Israel was plotting to take over Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site, a hilltop compound revered by Jews as the Temple Mount and home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third-holiest site and a key national symbol for the Palestinians.

Israel has adamantly denied the allegations, saying it has no plans to change the status quo at the site, where Jews are allowed to visit but not pray.

Israel accuses the Palestinians of inciting to violence through the false claims. Palestinians say the violence is the result of nearly 50 years of Israeli occupation, more than two decades of failed peace efforts and a lack of hope for gaining independence anytime soon.




“The announcement of U.S. involvement in the growing conflagration comes just as the leader of Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah group called the violent unrest in Israel a "renewed intifada," describing it as the hope for salvation for the Palestinians. …. Nasrallah's remarks were broadcast Sunday. He said the wave of attacks against Israelis was carried out by a "new generation" of Palestinians who believe in "resistance" and who must be supported by all in the region. …. Netanyahu said Sunday his government is going to go after the finances of the Islamic Movement in Israel, a group he accuses of being the chief inciter of the recent violence. …. The violence erupted a month ago over the Jewish New Year, fueled by rumors that Israel was plotting to take over Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site, a hilltop compound revered by Jews as the Temple Mount and home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third-holiest site and a key national symbol for the Palestinians. Israel has adamantly denied the allegations, saying it has no plans to change the status quo at the site, where Jews are allowed to visit but not pray.”

The only logical thing to do is declare the Palestinian territories a nation and give them a seat in the UN. Why that wasn’t done in the beginning when the Israeli nation was established, I don’t know. It certainly wasn’t a fair deal. Still, they both need to fully acknowledge the rights of both to exist, do some real "give and take" over what land and holy places are shared, lay down their arms and make treaties that cover all these little issues that keep flaring up and causing more warfare. I hope John Kerry can work miracles. We need one.




http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/10/20/450276158/chemicals-in-sunscreen-are-harming-coral-reefs-says-new-study

Chemicals In Sunscreen Are Harming Coral Reefs, Says New Study
Laura Wagner
OCTOBER 20, 2015

Photograph -- This Sept. 2015 photo provided by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources shows partially bleached coral in Kaneohe, Hawaii.
Dan Dennison/AP


New research about sunscreen's damaging effects on coral reefs suggest that you might want to think twice before slathering it on.

Reports about the harmful environmental effects of certain chemicals in the water have been circulated for years, but according to the authors of a new study released Tuesday, the chemicals in even one drop of sunscreen are enough to damage fragile coral reef systems. Some 14,000 tons of sunscreen lotions wind up in coral reefs around the world each year.

The ingredient oxybenzone leaches the coral of its nutrients and bleaches it white. It can also disrupt the development of fish and other wildlife.

Scientists conducted the new study in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Hawaii, but reefs all over the world are at risk, according to a 2011 report by the World Resource Institute.

While destructive fishing, pollution and development all pose threats to the coral reef, the study reveals that sunscreen is a serious danger to the health of coral.

"The use of oxybenzone-containing products needs to be seriously deliberated in islands and areas where coral reef conservation is a critical issue," Downs said according to the Washington Post.

"We have lost at least 80 percent of the coral reefs in the Caribbean," co-author Craig Downs said. "Any small effort to reduce oxybenzone pollution could mean that a coral reef survives a long, hot summer, or that a degraded area recovers."

Local economies also depend on the tourism that coral reefs attract. As a result, some local businesses have started to ban the use of harmful sunscreen in their waters. In Akumal, Mexico, an area known for its reefs and sea turtles, visitors are warned against wearing sunscreen and are restricted to certain areas to prevent too much disruption of reef life.

But damaging sunscreen from beach-goers is just part of the concern. Any time people wear sunscreen, it's going to wind up in the waterways when they clean it off, just like harmful chemicals in household cleaning products that are washed down drains and into the sewage systems.

"People come inside and step into the shower. People forget it goes somewhere," co-author John Fauth told the Post.

So how can you avoid harming coral reefs without allowing the sun to damage your skin?

The U.S. National Park Service for South Florida, Hawaii, U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa recommend using "reef-friendly" sunscreen (those made with titanium oxide or zinc oxide, which are natural mineral ingredients) and wearing clothing and hats to protect the skin from the sun.




“Reports about the harmful environmental effects of certain chemicals in the water have been circulated for years, but according to the authors of a new study released Tuesday, the chemicals in even one drop of sunscreen are enough to damage fragile coral reef systems. Some 14,000 tons of sunscreen lotions wind up in coral reefs around the world each year. The ingredient oxybenzone leaches the coral of its nutrients and bleaches it white. It can also disrupt the development of fish and other wildlife. …. "We have lost at least 80 percent of the coral reefs in the Caribbean," co-author Craig Downs said. "Any small effort to reduce oxybenzone pollution could mean that a coral reef survives a long, hot summer, or that a degraded area recovers." Local economies also depend on the tourism that coral reefs attract. As a result, some local businesses have started to ban the use of harmful sunscreen in their waters. In Akumal, Mexico, an area known for its reefs and sea turtles, visitors are warned against wearing sunscreen and are restricted to certain areas to prevent too much disruption of reef life. …. So how can you avoid harming coral reefs without allowing the sun to damage your skin? The U.S. National Park Service for South Florida, Hawaii, U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa recommend using "reef-friendly" sunscreen (those made with titanium oxide or zinc oxide, which are natural mineral ingredients) and wearing clothing and hats to protect the skin from the sun.”

This chemical is new, but others have been in the news before. In the 90s they were blaming the warming oceans for the bleaching of corals, but it’s apparently coming from a number of causes. I’m glad to see that a progressive-minded few beach areas have already started banning those lotions. I have never had the patience to use them, because they do rinse off your skin the minute you get into the water. That’s a waste of money because you’re supposed to put more on constantly over a day’s time. In my youth there was no suntan lotion, or at any rate I don’t remember any, and “Southern ladies” were fond of wide-brimmed hats to keep the sun off. That’s a more beautiful solution to the problem, I think.




http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/10/20/450240066/crowds-of-migrants-and-refugees-prompt-slovenia-to-deploy-army

Crowds Of Migrants And Refugees Prompt Slovenia To Deploy Army
Bill Chappell
OCTOBER 20, 2015

Photograph -- A policeman on horseback and other officers lead a group of refugees and migrants near Dobova, Slovenia, Tuesday. Slovenia's parliament is expected to approve a measure to have the army help police guard the border with Croatia.
Srdjan Zivulovic /Reuters /Landov
Photograph/twitter -- James Glynn @jamesglynn -- We came across them resting in a field, eating corn growing next to them. Lots of families 10:21 AM - 20 Oct 2015 • Republic of Slovenia, Slovenija -- 8 8 Retweets 2 2 favorites



Saying that thousands of people have overwhelmed its infrastructure at Slovenia's border with Croatia, Slovenia is moving to deploy its army. More than 6,000 people arrived Tuesday, Slovenia's interior minister says, with more than 18,000 reaching Slovenia since Friday.

Describing a situation in which Slovenia is caught in the middle, the country's interior minister, Boštjan Šefic, says Croatia has been seeking to boost the number of people it sends into Slovenia from the south, even as Slovenia's northern neighbor, Austria, announced it wants to limit the influx. A bottleneck formed over the weekend, after Hungary closed its border with Croatia.

With Hungary shutting itself off, Lauren Frayer reports for Morning Edition, "migrants are forced to go out of their way, hundreds of miles westward and create a new corridor toward northern Europe."

Listen to the Story
Reporting from a camp where thousands of people spent the night and endured heavy rains, Lauren adds that cleanup crews are now "shoveling out huge piles of donated clothes, tents, blankets, that are all caked in mud."

The materials were left behind as refugees and migrants boarded buses in Slovenia to head for Austria. As the camp was being cleaned up, the next group of people was already headed to the area.

Today, photos from Slovenia show military forces in trucks and armored vehicles gathering along roadways — and in other images, aid personnel are seen delivering portable toilets and buses to help the most vulnerable travelers.

Slovenia's forces were evidently sent to staging areas Tuesday ahead of a parliamentary vote that's expected to endorse their use along the border under certain circumstances.

From the border town of Doboa, police on horseback led around 2,000 people on a march to Brezice, where a refugee camp has been set up.

"We came across them resting in a field, eating corn growing next to them," says BBC producer James Glynn. He adds that after a brief rest, the crowd was told to continue their journey to Brezice.


The latest rush of refugees and migrants, many of them fleeing conflict in Syria and other countries, comes as temperatures drop along the border — and as Hungary and other nations have sought to close their borders or limit the flow of arrivals.

So far this year, more than 640,000 refugees and migrants have arrived in Europe, according to the UN Refugee Agency. More than half of them are from Syria.

Faced with delays, hundreds of people are being forced to camp outdoors along the route that they hope ends in Austria, Germany and other European Union nations.

From the Serbian-Croatian border, Susannah George reports for our Newscast unit:

"Hundreds wait to cross from Serbia into Croatia, where what was once a small transit center is turning into a muddy, makeshift camp. Tents line the sides of the roads and families are building small fires to stay warm.

"Ahmed Abdullah, from Aleppo, is traveling with his wife and children — they're all bundled up in donated jackets and hats, his youngest son's feet are wrapped in plastic bags. He says he's worried — it's getting colder and moving from one place to another is taking longer.

"Aid workers at the border say thousands were forced to sleep here overnight."

In Slovenia, Šefic says, "Despite recent developments, we are still doing our best to increase our capacities, especially with regard to heated facilities, so that we can take proper care of the refugees and migrants entering our country until their potential departure for Austria."

Šefic also called for a more permanent solution — a call that echoes the sentiments of Amnesty International.

"The fact is that European leaders have known full well for months that a situation like this could arise, but have still failed to prevent it by putting in place available support mechanisms," said Barbora Černušáková, a researcher with the group who is monitoring the situation at the Croatia-Slovenia border.

On the Greek island of Lesbos, the European Union has opened its first facility to register refugees and migrants. From Lesbos, Joanna Kakissis reports for our Newscast that there's mass confusion:

"More than half a million people have arrived in Greece from Turkey; they cross the Aegean Sea on flimsy rafts. More than 8,000 people arrived on Monday alone. The new registration center is supposed to help identify refugees quickly. But authorities are overwhelmed, and many families are still forced to sleep outside."



“Saying that thousands of people have overwhelmed its infrastructure at Slovenia's border with Croatia, Slovenia is moving to deploy its army. More than 6,000 people arrived Tuesday, Slovenia's interior minister says, with more than 18,000 reaching Slovenia since Friday. …. , Boštjan Šefic, says Croatia has been seeking to boost the number of people it sends into Slovenia from the south, even as Slovenia's northern neighbor, Austria, announced it wants to limit the influx. A bottleneck formed over the weekend, after Hungary closed its border with Croatia. With Hungary shutting itself off, Lauren Frayer reports for Morning Edition, "migrants are forced to go out of their way, hundreds of miles westward and create a new corridor toward northern Europe." …. Šefic also called for a more permanent solution — a call that echoes the sentiments of Amnesty International. "The fact is that European leaders have known full well for months that a situation like this could arise, but have still failed to prevent it by putting in place available support mechanisms" …. , the European Union has opened its first facility to register refugees and migrants. From Lesbos, Joanna Kakissis reports for our Newscast that there's mass confusion: "More than half a million people have arrived in Greece from Turkey; they cross the Aegean Sea on flimsy rafts. More than 8,000 people arrived on Monday alone. The new registration center is supposed to help identify refugees quickly. But authorities are overwhelmed, and many families are still forced to sleep outside."

Do take a look at the website to see the number of people who are lined up to approach Slovenia. It has to be seen to be believed. I hope this prediction will not come to pass, but the situation looks like seminal conditions for a major war. Several European cities in the last couple of months have actually included building walls to keep these refugees out. Does that remind you of anything? Europe could begin to look the same way it did in the Medieval Period and the Dark Ages. In those days whole cities were walled, and in the countryside landowners had castles. That’s not just to have a beautiful structure to live in, but to protect their families and neighbors as well whenever marauding groups came through.

I sense a good novel in that, but though it may sound like it, I am not joking. The situation is too real and too grave for humor. One of the really unfortunate things is that there aren’t enough indoor heated spaces to let people sleep, and I’ll bet there isn’t much food, either, not to mention the sheer fatigue they must be feeling. They have come from Syria on foot, at least a good portion of the distance. I think there is a leg across the water between Turkey and Greece also.

In the words of Boštjan Šefic, "The fact is that European leaders have known full well for months that a situation like this could arise, but have still failed to prevent it by putting in place available support mechanisms …." I’m willing to bet, however, that this massive influx of travelers took them by surprise. There is also the matter of how to bring the citizens of any nation to the realization of a really shocking problem and then to their mobilization toward solving it. Denial, denial, denial! It reminds me of the massive disbelief in this country in the idea of “global warming” or even simply “climate change” by Republican politicians and too many patriotic and gullible citizens.

There is even a persistent story in the Florida news that our dear Governor Rick Scott has issued a silent fatwa against any Florida state bureaucrat who uses the words “climate change” in an official report. Everybody has their head placed firmly in the sand. He denies that, of course, but it has the effect that absolutely nothing is being done to solve the problem on the state level. Meanwhile about a third of the Arctic ice has already melted, and the sea level is rising in Florida cities. Miami is said to be “ground zero.” True that’s not the whole state, but it’s a very populous and important city. We are going to be the most hard-hit part of the US, a recent article said. Not only is Rick Scott a really funny-looking dude, like Donald Trump, but he is also a real jerk. See the Huffington Post article below from March of this year.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/12/rick-scott-climate-change_n_6855006.html

Ban On 'Climate Change' Widespread Across Florida Government Under Rick Scott
By Amanda Terkel
March 12, 2015

Video -- Sen. Bill Nelson speaking in the legislature.


Florida's ban on using the words "climate change" and "global warming" in official communications goes beyond just the state's Department of Environmental Protection to other government agencies under Gov. Rick Scott (R), according to a new report by the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting.

FCIR previously reported that four former DEP officials had come forward about the unwritten policy.

Now, employees who worked at other government agencies are speaking out, as well.

Until last year, Bill Taylor was a manager at the Florida Department of Transportation's office in Fort Lauderdale. He said that at a meeting in 2012 or 2013 -- Scott took office in 2011 -- "it was mentioned very casually that in our future dealings with the public, we were not to use the terms ‘climate change’ or ‘global warming.’ But it was OK to talk about sea-level rise, because for some projects that had to be taken into consideration.”

A former employee at the South Florida Water Management District had a similar story.

“It was widely known that you couldn't put those words into a report," the former employee told FCIR. "They just wouldn't make it through the editing process."

A Florida scientist who co-authored a study about how climate change affects a certain marine food-borne illness told The Washington Post that the state Department of Health told her to excise every mention of "climate change" from her paper.

Florida officials, including Scott, have denied that there's any policy banning these words. The governor told reporters Monday that the FCIR report was "not true" although he refused to say whether he believes man-made global warming is a problem.

Scott has been an outspoken skeptic of global warming, despite the fact that his state is at risk of losing its coastal communities to rising sea levels. A Southeast Florida Regional Climate Compact paper has warned that water in the area could rise by as much as 2 feet by the year 2060.

Last year, a reporter asked Scott whether man-made climate change "is significantly affecting the weather, the climate." Scott tried to change the subject and replied, "Well, I'm not a scientist."

When asked by the Tampa Bay Times in 2010 whether he believed in climate change, Scott simply replied, "No."

FCIR noted that although the words "climate change" and "global warming" still slip through and make their way into government reports, there has been a "steep decline" in their use since Scott came into office.

The state's senior Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson has a very different take on what climate change means for his state: [His words are recorded in a video as he speaks to the US Senate. See the website above. The video is short, but he nails it. I do like Senator Nelson.]





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/excessive-drinking-is-draining-americas-economy-cdc/

Excessive drinking is draining America's economy
By ASHLEY WELCH CBS NEWS
October 16, 2015

Photograph -- JUSTIN SULLIVAN, GETTY IMAGES
Photograph -- rev4costofalcohol-1.jpg -- CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION


The astronomical costs associated with heavy alcohol use are taking a major toll on the U.S. economy, according to a new report from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found that excessive drinking cost the U.S. $249 billion in 2010, a significant increase from the $223.5 billion reported in 2006. Over $100 billion of these costs were paid by the government.

"The increase in the costs of excessive drinking from 2006 to 2010 is concerning, particularly given the severe economic recession that occurred during these years," Dr. Robert Brewer, head of CDC's Alcohol Program and one of the study's authors, said in a statement. "Effective prevention strategies can reduce excessive drinking and related costs in states and communities, but they are under used."

The researchers attributed most of the costs to reduced workplace productivity, crime, and the cost of treating people for health problems caused by excessive drinking.

Each year, excessive alcohol consumption is responsible for an average of 88,000 deaths in the U.S., including 1 in 10 deaths among working-age adults ages 20 to 64.

Binge drinking -- defined as consuming five or more drinks on one occasion for men or four or more drinks for women -- accounted for 77 percent of the costs. Underage drinking was responsible for almost 10 percent of the costs, and drinking while pregnant accounted for another 2.2 percent.

Overall, workplace productivity losses associated with excessive drinking cost the country $179 billion, alcohol-related health care costs totaled about $28 billion, criminal justice costs associated with heavy alcohol use amounted to $25 billion, and motor vehicle crashes due to excessive drinking cost $13 billion.

The study also found that state costs for excessive drinking ranged from a low of $488 million in North Dakota to a high of $35 billion in California. Washington D.C. had the highest cost per person at $1,526, compared to the national average of $807, while New Mexico had the highest cost per drink -- $2.77, compared to the $2.05 national average.

The researchers based the 2010 cost estimates on changes in the occurrence of alcohol-related problems and the cost of paying for them since 2006. Still, they said they believe the report underestimates the cost of excessive drinking since information on alcohol use is often underreported or unavailable, and other costs, such as pain and suffering due to harms from excessive drinking, were not included.




"The increase in the costs of excessive drinking from 2006 to 2010 is concerning, particularly given the severe economic recession that occurred during these years," Dr. Robert Brewer, head of CDC's Alcohol Program and one of the study's authors, said in a statement. "Effective prevention strategies can reduce excessive drinking and related costs in states and communities, but they are under used." …. Binge drinking -- defined as consuming five or more drinks on one occasion for men or four or more drinks for women -- accounted for 77 percent of the costs. Underage drinking was responsible for almost 10 percent of the costs, and drinking while pregnant accounted for another 2.2 percent. Overall, workplace productivity losses associated with excessive drinking cost the country $179 billion, alcohol-related health care costs totaled about $28 billion, criminal justice costs associated with heavy alcohol use amounted to $25 billion, and motor vehicle crashes due to excessive drinking cost $13 billion.”

This report makes me think of the national reputation for alcohol abue that Russia used to hold. I imagine they are still equally into alcohol addiction and abuse, but I haven’t seen a mention of it lately. I am disappointed that this article didn’t go into what the possible preventions of our increasing alcohol problems, other than to merely mention that the US doesn’t try to solve the problems are. I imagine after the virtual takeover of our nation’s streets by alcohol selling mobsters during the 1920-1930 years, the government has backed away from things like that kind of Prohibition law. It simply was flagrantly ignored by the population as a whole during the “Jazz Age,” as well as by the bootleggers who all got fabulously wealthy. My father always said that John Kennedy’s father Joe Kennedy was just a bootlegger and was into the mobs.

Given the problem we have here with alcohol, it disturbs me deeply. Anyone who has ever smoked marijuana knows that it has a strong mental effect. Of course that is why pharmaceutical companies are behind its’ medicinal use. I they would see to it that the THC is in small quantities and that marijuana will be kept out of the hands of children it would help. Maybe THC does aid cancer patients in dealing with their chemo. I am downright annoyed at the number of states – interestingly, mainly Republican states – have been allowing it for “recreational purposes.”

Trying to live a drug-free life just isn’t popular these days, except among some conservative religious groups and groups like AA and NA who set up a social structure that successfully keeps many alcoholics and addicts from using “one day at a time.” The trick is not to “control”one’s consumption, but to abstain. That takes a lot of getting used to until the drinker/addict reaches a point when their body no longer reacts with the undeniable “urges” to use.

I frankly don’t see, as long as alcohol and drugs are so easy to get and relatively inexpensive, how very much can really be done to stop our rising trend of abuse, unless individuals who are caught drunk behind the wheel of a car or in similar trouble were to be committed mandatorily to a long term treatment center or, alternatively, to the local AA groups. Both of those things are being done today, but the compulsion to use is so strong that it takes a great deal of help to resist a drink. Basically, the problem is that the use of such substances is a response to genuine mental health issues that are deep-seated and ongoing, and that there is no easy, quick or permanent “cure.” No “self-help” book will fix the problem. It is definitely true, however, that after three or four years the number of “thoughts” about drinking does reduce, and people can be comfortable. Most do chose to continue to go to their AA/NA meetings because it is so helpful, and needless to say, that’s where their friends are. That transfer from barroom friends to AA friends is the key to long-term success.

AA and NA members work on their issues through readings, regular and frequent group interaction, a spiritual and emotional community of fellow addicts all of whom have “been there” and who care, and usually a “sponsor” who is a lot like a psychotherapist and a lot like a priest. They’re THERE at three AM and generally agree to be called to talk about personal issues if the addict is having a real crisis, and the next morning over coffee if it can wait.

About mental health treatment for addition, it is often a failure, though to be fair the path from fully addicted to relative healthy is a long one and tends to have a few breakdowns along the way. Don’t through your family member out of the family if he gets drunk again. Just get him back into AA. Also, a real psychiatrist, as most of you know, is NOT THERE except twice a week for a 50 minute hour at the rate of $100.00 or so an hour, and you’re supposed to think/talk your way through an ongoing and complex problem. When someone tells you he has been sober for ten years, you should congratulate him, because that is no small feat. I want the US government to pay for more mental health treatment of all kinds because it is much needed, but there simply is no magic trick in any of them. It's possible, but it's work.





IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH, DON’T READ THIS ONE. FOR SHAME, DENMARK!!


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/danish-zoo-dissects-year-old-lion-before-crowd/

Despite outrage, Danish zoo dissects lion before crowd
AP October 15, 2015

Photograph -- People watch as a lion is dissected at Odense Zoo in Odense, Denmark October 15, 2015. REUTERS/CLAUS FISKER/SCANPIX DENMARK
11 PHOTOS -- Giraffe fed to lions at Danish zoo


ODENSE, Denmark -- A Danish zoo publicly dissected a year-old male lion Thursday, pulling out its blood-red organs to show a few hundred people including children - an event met outside of Denmark with criticism and online protests.

Adult spectators brought scarves to their noses to ward off the pungent smell as they watched the dissection, considered by many in this Scandinavian country of 5.6 million to be an educational program. The event was deliberately scheduled to take place during the annual fall school holidays.

A Brussels-based animal protection group, however, sharply criticized Odense Zoo, 170 kilometers (105 miles) west of Copenhagen, for killing three healthy young lions this year.

Joanna Swabe, head of the Humane Society International/Europe, said in a statement that "zoos routinely over-breed and kill lions and thousands of other animals deemed surplus to requirements."

She said zoos have "an ethical responsibility" and can use contraceptive options "to manage reproduction, prevent inbreeding (and) maintain genetically healthy populations."

One of central Denmark's most popular tourist attractions, the Odense zoo has done public dissections for 20 years. On Thursday, scores of children stood around a table where the zoo had displayed a stuffed lion cub next to the lion being dissected.

Odense Zoo employee Lotte Tranberg said the male lion and its two siblings were killed in February because they were getting sexually mature and could have started mating with each other and the zoo wanted to avoid inbreeding. They also could have killed each other because they would have been kept in the same enclosure, she said.

Tranberg talked about the lives of big cats before cutting up the stiff carcass of the lion, which had white tuffs of fur on its legs and stomach. She also held up the lion's blood-red organs to show the crowd. Children raised their hands to ask questions during the operation, which she answered.

Denmark's TV2 said the zoo decided to dissect a male lion this time because it was bigger than its female sibling.

Zoo officials say the lions were killed after they had failed to find new homes for the animals despite numerous attempts. The remains of the two other siblings - another male and a female - are still in a zoo freezer, and officials have not decided what to do with them, said Jens Odgaard Olsson, manager of the zoo.

On Facebook, a few dozen people on Thursday accused the zoo and Denmark of having a lack of compassion. But on the zoo's Facebook page, ordinary Danes defended the dissection, asking English-speaking commentators whether they ever had been to a slaughterhouse.

Public dissections are common in several European countries. Funen Village, an open-air museum in Odense, slaughtered and dissected a pig Wednesday before children while explaining which parts of the animal are eaten.

Odense Zoo itself was elected "Best in Europe" in the category with up to 500,000 visitors per year in 2013 and 2015.

In February 2014, however, Copenhagen Zoo faced international protests after a giraffe was killed, dissected and fed to lions in front of children.




“Adult spectators brought scarves to their noses to ward off the pungent smell as they watched the dissection, considered by many in this Scandinavian country of 5.6 million to be an educational program. The event was deliberately scheduled to take place during the annual fall school holidays. A Brussels-based animal protection group, however, sharply criticized Odense Zoo, 170 kilometers (105 miles) west of Copenhagen, for killing three healthy young lions this year. Joanna Swabe, head of the Humane Society International/Europe, said in a statement that "zoos routinely over-breed and kill lions and thousands of other animals deemed surplus to requirements." …. On Facebook, a few dozen people on Thursday accused the zoo and Denmark of having a lack of compassion. But on the zoo's Facebook page, ordinary Danes defended the dissection, asking English-speaking commentators whether they ever had been to a slaughterhouse. …. Odense Zoo itself was elected "Best in Europe" in the category with up to 500,000 visitors per year in 2013 and 2015. In February 2014, however, Copenhagen Zoo faced international protests after a giraffe was killed, dissected and fed to lions in front of children.”

I believe we need to be engendering the love of life and not the love of gore. This reminds me of the townsfolk in a large number of European countries during WWII, who lined Jews up over a deep trench and shot them so that they would fall neatly in to be covered with soil. An elderly resident of the village in question reported seeing that, and stated that it was actually commonplace. It wasn’t just the horrible Nazi animals who did such things, but the average citizen, and they would watch for the enjoyment of the spectacle. The Romans did that in their coliseums of course also, and the Spanish bullfight usually ends up with the slaughter of the bull. Such a killing ground of Jews was discovered and dug up in the last two or three months in Eastern Europe. I clipped the article for this blog.

If you want kids to learn how to slaughter and dismember animals for their food, send them for a month or so to a local farm to participate in the work there. They would learn to plant and harvest vegetables and fruit, pull weeds and hoe, and experience the joy of pulling some ears of corn to be roasted. Many people nowadays have never tasted roasted corn, but it has a fuller and richer flavor than boiled corn. If our society breaks down in the next 40 or 50 years – yes, that’ a conspiracy theory – they will at least know a little of the knowledge that our pampered young people have lost touch with. That, by the way, is one of our real problems today.

My grandmother killed and gutted many chickens and my father hunted and cleaned animals for our table. I’ve seen it and even done it myself, and it is educational, but it isn’t the only way to teach biology. It is a lesson in how we get food to eat, and of the chain of life, however, which is important to know. That way it wouldn’t be just a matter of something horrible, like this grotesque show put on for the “enjoyment” of spectators.

I understood the one case when a giraffe was fed to lions, assuming the zoo could save money that way and they had lots of giraffes. I am a practical person, after all. It would be ever so much better, however, if the use of animal birth control would become the main way of maintaining animal populations and preventing incest, and I have seen it on television. It is currently being done in many places. Birth control for animals to solve the incest and overpopulation problems was suggested by the writer of the article, and I highly approve of it.