There are reports coming out that Cyprus is to impose capital controls including a weekly limit of money that can be withdrawn by private citizens, a ban on all cheques being cashed and export limits for the Euro.
Michalis Sarris Cypriot finance minister has confirmed that those with more than 100,000 Euros in the bank could lose 40% of their cash but that deposits below that will not be hit.
Chris Carrington is a writer, researcher and lecturer with a background in science, technology and environmental studies. Chris is an editor for The Daily Sheeple. Wake the flock up!
Ben Bernanke has defended the continuing low-interest-rate policies of the US Federal Reserve and central banks in Europe, saying they are helping to boost the global economy.
The Fed governor’s comments come after some analysts have voiced concern that such low rates are cutting the value of currencies of advanced nations.
These critics say this may put the developing world at a disadvantage.
US rates have been between 0% and 0.25% since December 2008.
Mr Bernanke said: “Because stronger growth in each [advanced] economy confers beneficial spillovers to trading policies, these policies are not ‘beggar-thy-neighbour’ but rather ‘enrich-thy-neighbour’ actions.”
The US Federal Reserve has pledged to keep US interest rates at the record low level until the US unemployment rate falls below 6.5%. Last month the US unemployment rate was 7.7%.
If the currency of an advanced nation weakens against competitor exporters, including those from the developing world, it’s goods become relatively cheaper, giving it a price advantage.
Mr Bernanke was speaking at a London School of Economics discussion entitled “What should economists and policy makers learn from the financial crisis?”.
He was joined by Bank of England governor Sir Mervyn King, former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and International Monetary Fund chief economist Olivier Jean Blanchard.
Mr Blanchard said the world’s financial leaders had to continue to show humility for failing to predict the financial crisis, admitting that they underestimated how “the interaction of a multitude of distortions” could affect the global financial system.
In what is believed to be the first time since the 1940s, the entire British defense staff will be here March 25 to discuss long-range strategy and the impact of budget cuts with their U.S. counterparts, according to U.S. and British sources.
The meeting is reminiscent of the Combined Chiefs of Staff, when British and American military leaders joined forces during World War II. Both nations are undergoing significant budgetary reductions and will continue to rely on each other in future years for support. Understanding what capabilities will survive and won’t is essential to long-term strategic planning.
“The relationship military to military is very strong. We have common interest in how we meet the financial constraints placed on both nations, but also on issues like how we manage the drawdown in Afghanistan and also how we reconfigure post Afghanistan,” said Sir Gerald Howarth, a member of parliament and the ex-defense minister responsible for international security affairs from 2010 to 2012.
“We have a huge amount of strategic issues to discuss where we have a very large level of common interest,” he said.
A Defence Ministry spokesman characterized the meeting as private and declined further comment.
In the U.S., spokesmen for the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff did not respond to questions.
U.S. and British military leaders regularly discuss ongoing issues. What’s different about this series of meetings is they will focus not on immediate budget, program or operational issues, but the strategic future of the Anglo-American alliance, including deepening cooperation.
In addition to the U.S. Joint Chiefs, British attendees are expected to include Gen. Sir David Richards, chief of the Defence Staff; Gen. Sir Nicholas Houghton, vice chief of the Defence Staff, who will take over as chief when Richards retires later this year; Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, chief of the Air Staff; Adm. Sir George Zambellas, incoming Navy first sea lord; Gen. Sir Peter Wall, chief of the General Staff; and Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach, commander of Joint Forces Command, sources said.
The U.S. and U.K. regularly share the most sensitive military intelligence, technology and equipment, including submarine-launched nuclear ballistic missiles. Britain over the past decade in particular has shaped its capabilities to dovetail with U.S. forces.
The British are the leading developmental partner on the U.S.-led F-35 fighter program with Lockheed Martin and have in their inventory Boeing C-17 transports, Chinook and Apache helicopters and Lockheed C-130 cargo aircraft. In addition, the Royal Air Force is buying highly sensitive RC-135 Rivet Joint intelligence planes produced by L-3 Communications in the U.S., making London the only international customer for that program.
The meeting comes as the Pentagon faces $500 billion in spending cuts over the coming decade, which will force senior leaders to make difficult choices. The British delegation arrives with particular experience in that area, having faced even deeper budget cuts — in percentage terms — over the past several years, forcing major reforms to force structure, organization and acquisition programs in that time.
“Getting value for money and efficiency is something we have focused a considerable amount of attention on, and we can offer them advice in that area,” Howarth said.
Still, the British budget is a fraction of that of the U.S. In fact, at $62.7 billion in 2011, the British budget is not much larger than the size of the annual cuts faced by the Americans. Under mandatory cuts for the remainder of 2013, the Pentagon is reducing its budget by $46 billion.
Yet the U.S. military could learn a thing or two from its British counterparts when it comes to consolidation, especially within the headquarters staff ranks, said Barry Pavel, the director of the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security at the Atlantic Council here.
“I think [the U.S.] can learn a lot,” Pavel said. “There’s a lot of inefficiencies in our headquarters. They’ve taken jointness … to new levels that we haven’t yet done.”
But the British, having cut so deeply, are also in need. They are “going to have to leverage the U.S. to a greater degree, or try to,” Pavel said.
To get leaner and reduce overhead in recent years, the British military consolidated its war colleges into a single school and created an operational command center outside of London to oversee operations, according to retired British Army Brig. Gen. Ben Barry, now with the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank in London.
The U.S. Defense Department is already preparing for force structure reductions in the coming years and is re-evaluating its military strategy to determine how further budget cuts would affect its plans.
U.S. and British forces routinely train together and have fought side-by-side over the past decade in Afghanistan and Iraq. In Afghanistan, British Lt. Gen. Nick Carter serves as the deputy commander to U.S. Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, commander of NATO forces.
“On the day-to-day business of military cooperation, the relationship between the U.S. [NATO] commander and the British second in command is another good example of working in partnership,” Howarth said.
The two militaries regularly participate in personnel exchanges.
Andrew Chuter in London contributed to this report.
A flame retardant removed from children’s pajamas 30 years ago but now used in polyurethane foam is prevalent in office environments, especially in older buildings, where urine testing of workers turned up widespread evidence of its biomarker, a new study led by Boston University School of Public Health researchers has found.
The study, published in the journalEnvironment International, found that the chemical known as TDCPP — chlorinated tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate, or ‘chlorinated tris’ — was present in 99 percent of dust samples taken from participants’ homes, vehicles and offices, “demonstrating the widespread presence of this flame retardant in the indoor environment.” The research team recruited 31 adults who worked and lived in the Boston area for the testing.
The study found that the office environment was the strongest predictor of metabolized TDCPP in urine, with significantly lower concentrations of the chemical among workers in a new office building than in older buildings. Similarly, the average concentration of TDCPP in dust was significantly lower in the new office building than in the older office buildings.
Urine samples were collected during the workday, which may explain why an association was found between the quickly metabolized chemical and characteristics of the office, rather than the vehicle or home.
“Overall, our findings suggest that exposure to TDCPP in the work environment is one of the contributors to the personal exposure for office workers. Further research is needed to confirm specific exposure sources (e.g., polyurethane foam), determine the importance of exposure in other microenvironments such as homes and vehicles, and address the inhalation and dermal exposure pathways,” the research team concluded.
TDCPP, an additive to polyurethane foam used in upholstered furniture, is found in dust, where it can likely lead to human exposure. Potential health effects remain a concern. In 2011, TDCPP was added to the Proposition 65 list of chemicals known by the State of California to cause cancer.
In vitro studies suggest TDCPP may be neurotoxic, and one study found that increased concentrations in dust were associated with decreased semen quality and reduced free thyroxine in men, suggesting possible effects on fertility and thyroid function. Animal studies show TDCPP is readily absorbed through both the skin and gastrointestinal tract.
The researchers said the high concentrations observed in dust from offices could reflect requirements by the City of Boston that office furniture meet California fire retardant standards, a rule that is not required of residential furniture in Boston. The state of California has proposed a draft furniture flammability standard that could reduce the need for flame retardant chemicals in polyurethane foam. However, the standard used for office furniture has yet to be revised.
“It is currently very difficult to avoid flame retardants. Hopefully, better options will become available in the near future,” said Courtney Carignan, a doctoral candidate in environmental health who co-authored the study. “Currently, the best advice we have for people is to wash your hands, especially before eating. Dust control, good ventilation and air purifiers may also be useful for reducing personal exposure.”
The low concentrations of TDCPP in the newer office building suggest that its newer furniture did not contain TDCPP, or that it had not yet had sufficient time to migrate out of the products, the researchers said. If the new furniture did not contain TDCPP, it likely contained a different flame retardant such as the controversial FireMaster 550. Other differences between exposures include the possibility of more efficient ventilation or HVAC systems or cleaning methods in the newer building.
The authors urged that “more research is needed to determine factors that influence TDCPP concentrations in dust, in relation to building contents and characteristics.”
The Sun continues to be very quiet with a sunspot count of just 56. NOAA estimate the chance of an M class flare at 0.1% over the next 24 hours and of an X class flare at the same 0.1% of the same time period.
A solar wind flowing from a coronal hole almost at the center of the sun disc will hit Earth on 29-30th March and could give rise to high altitude auroras.
Chris Carrington is a writer, researcher and lecturer with a background in science, technology and environmental studies. Chris is an editor for The Daily Sheeple. Wake the flock up!
After spending four years in prison and getting acquitted at appeal on the grounds of flawed forensic evidence Amanda Knox, and her ex boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito are to be retried for murder.
Meredith Kercher a British student and housemate of Knox died after having her throat cut at the house she and Knox shared. The murder, in November 2007 saw Rudy Guede convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison for his part in the killing. Knox was later sentenced to 26 years imprisonment and Sollecito to 25 years.
Under Italian law Knox cannot be forced to return for the trial. The can however apply for extradition if she is found guilty.
Chris Carrington is a writer, researcher and lecturer with a background in science, technology and environmental studies. Chris is an editor for The Daily Sheeple. Wake the flock up!
Laser pointers are now considered weapons that can land you in federal prison for nearly 2 1/2 years even when you plead guilty.
On Monday, a judge sentenced California teenager Adam Gardenhire to 30 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to deliberately directing his laser pointer at a private plane.
U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson sentenced a 19-year-old man on Monday to 30 months in federal prison for shining a laser pointer at a plane and police helicopter, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted the case.
Adam Gardenhire deliberately pointed the commercial grade green laser at a private Cessna Citation that was landing at the Burbank Bob Hope Airport in California on March 29, 2012.
Gardenhire, of North Hollywood, California, was arrested and pleaded guilty in the incident as part of an agreement with prosecutors in October.
“Gardenhire had no idea that the deceptively ordinary laser he had borrowed from a friend was powerful enough to be seen by, much less distract, a pilot thousands of feet away,” wrote attorney Sean Kennedy.
Negligence simply wasn’t good enough to protect this non-violent young man from prison time.
The FAA says that laser pointers are dangerous to pilots because it may temporarily blind them. They claim that over 3600 laser incidents occurred in 2011.
Below is an compelling video of the FBI catching a laser pointer criminal in the act in 2011. This 2-year-old video shows the FBI’s incredibly advanced surveillance technology:
North Korea says it has ordered artillery and rocket units into “combat posture” to prepare to target US bases in Hawaii, Guam and the US mainland.
The announcement, carried by KCNA news agency, follows days of strong rhetoric from Pyongyang.
It came as South Korea marked the third anniversary of the sinking of the Cheonan warship, which left 46 sailors dead.
South Korea said it had detected no signs of unusual activity in the North.
Tensions remain high on the Korean peninsula in the wake of North Korea’s third nuclear test on 12 February. The test led to new UN sanctions which Pyongyang strongly opposes.
Joint US-South Korea annual military drills have further angered the communist nation. In recent weeks its habitually fiery rhetoric has escalated – it has threatened the US with “pre-emptive nuclear attacks”, as well as strikes on US military bases in Japan.
“From this moment, the Supreme Command of the Korean People’s Army will be putting in combat duty posture No 1 all field artillery units including long-range artillery units and strategic rocket units that will target all enemy objects in US invasionary bases on its mainland, Hawaii and Guam,” the KCNA statement said.
Ms Park called for change in Pyongyang as she honoured the Cheonan dead
North Korea is not thought to have the technology to strike the US mainland with either a nuclear weapon or a ballistic missile, but it is capable of targeting US military bases in the region with its mid-range missiles.
North Korea’s announcement comes as the country carries out large-scale military exercises, reports the BBC’s Lucy Williamson in Seoul, and it is not clear whether the order applies to the army as a whole or just to specific units.
In a press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said that he hoped that “relevant parties [would] exercise restraint so as to ease the tension”.
‘Path to survival’The statement came hours after South Korean President Park Geun-hye called on North Korea to “change course” by abandoning nuclear weapons.
Speaking at the national cemetery in Daejeon where the sailors who died when the warship sank are buried, Ms Park said North Korea continued to threaten the South’s national security.
“For the North, the only path to survival lies in stopping provocations and threats, abandoning its nuclear weaponry and missiles, and becoming a responsible member of the international community,” she said.
The Cheonan sank in 2010 near the disputed inter-Korean western maritime border. South Korea says a North Korean torpedo sank the ship but Pyongyang denies any involvement.
Months later, North Korea shelled a border island, Yeonpyeong, in the same area, killing four South Koreans, including two civilians. It said it was responding to military exercises in the South.
Last week, South Korea and the US signed a new military plan – conceived after the shelling – pledging joint action to counter limited attacks from North Korea.
Earlier on Tuesday, meanwhile, officials said that the computer network used by local governments in South Korea was briefly paralysed, Yonhap news agency reported. Websites of associations for North Korean defectors were also affected, the agency said.
Daily NK, a news site focused on North Korea, said in a post on its Facebook page that it had “experienced a cyber-attack at 13:40″ local time (04:40 GMT) on Tuesday.
Free North Korea Radio, an radio broadcaster, also said that its website “was completely destroyed,” after an attack around noon, Yonhap reported.
The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said in a statement that the government was “closely working to confirm if the paralysis cases were caused by technical problems or hacking attacks”.
A cyber-attack on six South Korean banks and broadcasters last week disrupted 32,000 computers and some banking services.
The origin of the attack is not yet known, although there has been speculation that North Korea orchestrated the hacking.
North Korea has been blamed for previous cyber-attacks on the South in 2009 and 2011.
While European politicos negotiate in Brussels, deciding the fate of other people’s money in Cyprus, the free market has already moved in to help Cypriots get access to their money via other means…
Banks have been closed for the last week in Cyprus and if they do re-open on Tuesday, it has now been announced that daily withdrawal limits at ATMs will be 100 euros per day.
As the Cypriot Drama unfolds before our very eyes, I began pondering what tangible solutions there are to bank holidays and bank runs. What could I do to help in Cyprus and all other countries (like Spain, Greece and Italy) for which, as we have predicted at TDV, bank closures are coming? The answer wasn’t hard to come up with. If these people had simply bought bitcoins with their savings, not only would they currently have 100% access to their funds, but also they would have enjoyed a parabolic move to the upside over past months.
ENTER THE WORLD’S FIRST OPERATIONAL BITCOIN ATM
Upon examination of the marketplace and many discussions with Justin O’Connell (TDV Newsletter & Gold Silver Bitcoin), as well as another key strategic partner of ours, I have decided to move forward with what I believe could be the next multi-billion dollar business venture: Bitcoin ATM.
But that isn’t all. It is wholly our intention at Bitcoin ATM to put the company in the right position to open its very first ATM in Cyprus. If we did this now, and we are moving quickly to make this so, we would be the only functioning ATM on the island.
How do I know this is such a good idea? Just look at what Bloomberg recently wrote about Bitcoin as currency:
One place where it’s not safe is in Bitcoin. Bitcoin is generally referred to as a “digital currency” or “virtual currency,” a form of cash that doesn’t need government backing. Unfortunately it’s missing the most essential aspect of money: it’s not useful for buying anything. Bitcoin’s rise as a tool for financial speculation underlines the failure of the virtual currency idea.
As Dollar Vigilante readers will know, I take issue with a number of assumptions in this paragraph. For instance, no economic law exists (in the real world) which stipulates that cash needs government backing. Also, I have found that Bitcoin is useful for many things, not the least of which are the many things we accept Bitcoin for here at TDV Media, such as TDV Offshore, TDV Passports, TDV Newsletter, TDV Homegrown, and Get Your Gold Out Of Dodge.
I am not the first person to note Bitcoin’s Aristotelian attributes as money.
Durability: Bitcoin exists on the networks of users everywhere. Just like the internet, there is no singular switch to turn Bitcoin off. Bitcoin has already seen tremendous volatility, and the userbase has remained.
Portability: What’s more portable than a flash drive? Or, how about a private key memorized in your brain. There is nothing more portable than a thought, and that’s what Bitcoin can be if you memorize your private key and keep the coins on a cold storage medium (also another technology the Bitcoin ATM team has planned).
Fungibility: Bitcoin is divisible up to 8 decimal places. That means that at its current growth (inflation) rate of 3,600 bitcoin-a-day, the ultimate total amount of 21,000,000 bitcoin ever to be on the market can be divided among billions of people on the planet.
Intrinsic Value: A bet for Bitcoin is a bet for the Internet. We all have first hand experience with the intrinsic value of the Internet. What’s more, Bitcoin values the notion of privacy in a world where privacy has become scarcer than silver.
In Europe, institutions like the International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank & the German Federal Government have forced individuals to suffer through the confiscation and devaluation of their savings through techniques like taxes, levies and inflation.
The European Central Bank published a report in October, which stated that increased demand for Bitcoin “could have a negative impact on the reputation of central banks,” particularly if the public perceives Bitcoin’s value is due to “a central bank not doing its job properly.” Yet another reason why I know this idea is a good one.
These reasons and others are why I feel that Bitcoin ATM’s time is now. We picked our slogan, “Your Future Now,” to demonstrate the immediacy with which we feel we must roll out this technology.
I’ve founded many successful internet companies, and rarely have I been as excited about an idea as Bitcoin ATM. I’ve got a great, knowledgeable team who has already contacted important people within and without the ATM and bitcoin communities to make this feasible. You’ll be intrigued by the unexpected relationships we’re forging to bring Bitcoin to more people across the globe. In gauging shop owners in the digital currency unfriendly state of California last week, the Bitcoin ATM team discovered great interest from not only those who knew Bitcoin, but also from those who did not. Stateless currencies will be a way of the future, and that’s why Bitcoin ATM, and why now.
BITCOIN ATM FUNCTIONALITY
At this moment in time, you can deposit fiat currency into Bitcoin ATM and receive bitcoins to your account. You can also send bitcoins and receive fiat currencies.
OWN YOUR OWN BITCOIN ATM’S – POSSIBLE BUSINESS VENTURE OF THE DECADE
Ever wish you had gotten involved in the early stages of the internet in 1994? Or bought gold in 2000? Or invested in Microsoft in the 80s? I see bitcoin and things like Bitcoin ATM as being the next big thing. And, this is not the first time I’ve recognized a massive paradigm shift as I did starting Canada’s largest financial website in 1994… and became a gold advocate early in the last decade and starting up The Dollar Vigilante in 2009 with a focus on protecting from The End Of The Monetary System As We Know It (TEOTMSAWKI)… something that is in full flight as people in Cyprus can attest.
As stated, we want to roll out these ATMs as quickly as possible. Very obvious first locations would be in nations which are currently undergoing capital controls such as Argentina and Iran. But, even more than that, there are communities of freedom minded individuals sprouting up all over the world. A few bitcoin ATMs in the free state, New Hampshire, where thousands of freedom loving agorists have already moved is a no brainer. Other areas that make complete sense include places like Chile where many are now gravitating as well as Cafayate in Argentina where Doug Casey has already formed his freedom loving expat community.
I am convinced bitcoin will be the currency of the future… and all the attacks on it by governments and central banks shows they know it.
Preppers seem to be an intelligent, discerning bunch. They embrace individual responsibility, self-reliance, preparedness, and self-sufficiency. Very admirable traits indeed. My intention here is to shine some light on the foundation of many doomsday preppers – fear.
All fear is not bad. It’s a gift in many cases that has been passed down ancestrally.
Fear of our future has motived many of us to change our lifestyle. Too much fear paralyzes. Picture your health. You’re chilling on the sofa after work with remote in hand – feeling fine physically. An ad from the Industrial Pharmaceutical Complex interrupts compelling you to take action (and their newest wonder drug – which may cause anal seepage). Hum, as the thought bubble forms. I do remember not being able to remember the name of my co-worker’s daughter’s husband. Is this the onset of …. [fill in the blank]. I can put up with a bit of seepage if that pill can help me.
Then there’s the pesky problem of information overload. We’re drowning in a tsunami of threats, boogeymen, four-horsemen hype that would make for a bad day – even for the most prepared. Anxiety and hand wringing in the corner or buying the latest shiny object seem to be our only hope of survival for our species. Negative news sells. Who tunes into a local newscast with stories of families that made it home safely for dinner? No one. We rubberneck to see the disconnected devastation and destruction on our idiot tubes. We want to have our fear – and be happy too.
But we have to stay informed on all the potential S hitting the fan, right? There’s better ways to stay informed than faux news. I try to find a happy medium – staying informed – without succumbing to anxiety-induced anal seepage.
Last year our family experienced our own genuine, personal SHTF scenario. This was not a drill or practice session. DRG’s life was on the line. Discounting or overlooking real threats to our families is just plain stupid. Minimizing our risk in this preparedness game is all we can do. The first step would be to prioritize what’s really likely to happen in our individual situation.
I’m not your typical prepper – whatever that term implies. I don’t own a single gas mask. I know the three minutes without air rule. It’s just that, in my estimation, owning a chemical suit and gas mask is not a priority for our family now. Would I buy one if I thought breathable air was in short supply? Yes. But for now, my priority is to fry bigger fish – like water and food.
Here’s the good news! We don’t have to watch fear-based TV news to stay informed. No more throwing remotes or shoes at the talking heads on your screen. Online alternative news sites are everywhere. User beware. Some prepping sites fall into the fear, doom and gloom category. I’ve found that I was guilty of this myself in the early stages of this blog – fanning the flames of fear drives web traffic. Again, look for information that offers practical advise and steps to living a more simple life. A lot of “non-prepping” sites offer excellent information. Meaning, surf outside the prepping wave pool. I’m always interested in other non “prepper” sites y’all ‘Commentistas’ have discovered. Please, do tell!
How do we avoid the coffin that fear built?
Put down the shovel and stop digging.
Relax. Take frequent breaks from the potential unknowns that keep you from sleeping. Health-destroying headlines top my list.
Turn off the TV. I use to be a news junkie. I’ve broken the addiction. I value my psychological health. Here’s a study that found that watching the news on television triggers persisting negative psychological feelings that could not be buffered by attention-diverting distraction (i.e., lecture), but only by a directed psychological intervention such as progressive relaxation.
Erase the hell-in-a-handbasket mindset. Bad stuff has happened in our time and to our ancestors – yet they prevailed.
Fire the worker bee in you. What if the secret to survival was to fire yourself? You’ve probably read the “What did you do to prep” threads on forums. If not, they’re easy to find. I sometimes get the impression that if you’re not doing something to prepare everyday that you’ll eventually get caught, um, unprepared. We have to escape the tyranny of the urgent – the daily grind. Well Mr. Knowitall, who’s going to do all that stuff ‘experts’ say are essential to survival? You will. But first, you must fire yourself. Go ahead. Step away form the food dehydrator. You could use the break, right? Take a weekend off to concentrate on your long-term plan. Act like a CEO, not a worker bee. Then, step-by-step, begin implementing your plan. Scurrying around full of fear is unproductive.
Focus on the main thing. Every trivial “news worthy” event has side-track potential. Your main thing may not be my main thing. Discover yours and focus your energy there.
What’s the next pandemic? I don’t know, and frankly, don’t care. Viewing life through the lens of fear shapes our future. Sadly, a lot is written in prepperdom that reinforces the panic-stricken mindset. My job is to decide what’s worth my time and energy. Standing over my coffin of fear with a shovel and dirty hands is not an option for me. Fear not.
Todd Walker is married to the lovely Dirt Road Girl, proud father and grandfather, a government school teacher, a lover of the primal lifestyle and liberty. You can check out his website at Survival Sherpa with a vision of helping each other on the climb to self-reliance and preparedness…the Survival Sherpa way…One step at a time. Follow him on Twitter. Send him mail: survivalsherpa@gmail.com
ADHD* is a way to describe a group of symptoms resulting from impaired uptake of dopamine to the pre-frontal cortex of the brain. How much of that is genetic or lifestyle is debatable. In 20 years, there has been a 20 percent increase in diagnoses.
But non-ADHD kids trying to make it through the rigors of study are increasingly given ADHD meds to give them a mental boost. A new report from theAmerican Academy of Neurology declares that the increasing use of ADHD drugs – often termed ‘study drugs’ – on healthy kids is unjustifiable. Whether it be parent requests, doctors over-prescribing, young people taking them without prescriptions, or substance abuse. Their study abstract stated:
Neurodevelopmental issues include the importance of evolving personal authenticity during childhood and adolescence, the emergence of individual decision-making capacities, and the process of developing autonomy.
Just an observation: it seems that it is much, much easier for children and teens to be placed on narcotics like Ritalin and Adderall than it is for adults – why do you think that is?
An adult has to prove a history of symptoms and sometimes a job loss resulting from ADHD symptoms yet children who often exhibit those symptoms naturally while growing up seem to get the green card. The AAN did note more use from adults as well.
Here are a few things to ponder:
Are public school demands becoming too burdensome?
Is this part of the push to reach ‘outcome-based’ demands for standardized tests – which often determine funding?
Are teachers having difficulty meeting No Child Left Behind demands and pressuring parents for med help for sub-par performance?
Are children simply losing interest? Do they need another way to learn?
Is the Western world encouraging too much competition and personal comparisons?
Are doctors standing to benefit somehow from writing these prescriptions?
Some doctors find this report frustrating because they are trying to coax hesitant parents into their children’s prescriptions by assuring they are safe.
I worry that we’re focusing too much on the downside and it will deter people from getting the help they need. We have a lot of good evidence about the use [of medications] and it is clearly effective in the short term for treating the symptoms you see with ADHD. (Source)
But this further highlights the AAN’s points, and they call for more health studies on non-ADHD kids who are taking these drugs.
There are other ways to help children and teens with their daily functions and dopamine uptake without narcotics that are, at best, temporarily effective at certain dosages; and, at worst, dangerous or habit forming. But alternative methods are not patented or generally recognized by medical associations. The book Lunch Lessons showed how getting kids involved in growing their own food at school and changing the lunches led to better grades, behavior, and test scores.
Todays sunspot number is 56. None of the sunspots facing Earth are actively flaring and NOAA estimates the chance of an M class flare at 5% over the next 24 hours and of an X class flare at 0.1% over the same period.
Chris Carrington is a writer, researcher and lecturer with a background in science, technology and environmental studies. Chris is an editor for The Daily Sheeple. Wake the flock up!
Todays sunspot number is 54. NOAA estimate the chances of an M class flare at 10% during the next 24 hours and a 0.1% chance of an X class over the same period.
Chris Carrington is a writer, researcher and lecturer with a background in science, technology and environmental studies. Chris is an editor for The Daily Sheeple. Wake the flock up!
“The reports that you are getting about the beliefs of students in public schools is not coming from the students, but rather the sick media spin-doctors and their disinformation.”
– Bradlee Dean
Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., and Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., have introduced sex-education legislation limiting funding for “ineffective” abstinent-only programs, while expanding the dangerous comprehensive sex-education program. At the same time, a student at Clear Lake Middle School in Florida was punished for wearing an abstinence T-shirt.
As shown in the example above, America has allowed themselves to be deceived by the mainstream media, so much so that they believe that young students across this country are accepting of all forms of immorality, when in fact they are rejecting it. Amidst a generation that suffers the highest suicide rates, drug and alcohol abuse, teen pregnancy, abortion and anti-depressant usage – this is hardly the case.
I have seen this firsthand.
This is a generation of survivors, and rightly so.
I have been in over 342 high schools across America, and the next generation is literally dying for someone to break into their indoctrinated worlds and give them the truth found in America’s biblical and constitutional foundations (Hosea 4:6).
When people find out about our assemblies, without fail they will ask, “How do you get into public schools? Do they really accept your message?”
Yes, they do.
As a matter of fact, I have received over 80 letters of recommendation from school administrators. I have been invited back to schools repeatedly. Over 95 percent of the student body, as well as the staff, are thankful we came.
There are, however, a small bunch of socialist-minded teachers who can’t handle the fact that the students are glued to the message. In a few instances, they have even made the mistake of attempting to stop the next generation from hearing an American, constitutional and moral message.
Editor’s note: My good friend over at Durable Faith got my wheels spinning with his article challenging conventional wisdom about farming and gardening. I’ve always grown gardens. Til a patch of earth or prepare a medium for a container garden. Plant in rows, build a fence, water, and harvest. Is there a better way to grow more food with less effort?
In his article, Durable challenges us to pursue the ancient paths – of permaculture. We might learn something hidden. I know I did.
Conventional wisdom is that mankind has evolved from hunter/gatherers to agrarian societies and that only primitive societies gather …
By the Bronze Age, wild food contributed a nutritionally insignificant component to the usual diet. If the operative definition of agriculture includes large scale intensive cultivation of land, mono-cropping, organized irrigation, and use of a specialized labour force, the title “inventors of agriculture” would fall to the Sumerians, starting c. 5500 BCE. Intensive farming allows a much greater density of population than can be supported by hunting and gathering, and allows for the accumulation of excess product for off-season use, or to sell/barter. The ability of farmers to feed large numbers of people whose activities have nothing to do with agriculture was the crucial factor in the rise of standing armies. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_agriculture
So farming progress brought us mono-cropping (potato famine anyone), big cities, and standing armies…Progress indeed…
We know that conventional wisdom is just dead wrong on many items. God’s thoughts are higher (Isa 55:9) than our thoughts and his ways are higher than our ways.
Let’s take a fresh look at the creation story’s account of the garden
Geneses 2: 8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin[d] and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.[e]14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;
Clearly, it was God who planted the garden, NOT ADAM. So, he was caring for something that already exists, sounds more like tending perennials than planting annuals.
But then came the forbidden fruit, the fall, the curse, and everything changed.
Gen 3: 17: To Adam he said “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.19By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
So looking at this in english, it appears that when Adam was blessed, he ate perennials in a sheltered river valley, but after the curse he had to work the fields and produce annuals, battling weeds, weather, etc.
But in the Hebrew, the word translated as field (haś·śā·ḏeh) in verse 18 is pretty generically used to refer to all types of land in other places in the old testament.
A few quick examples of other ways the hebrew word haś·śā·ḏeh is translated into english
Ezekiel 20:46 - forest land
2 Samuel 19:29 – the land
2 Samuel 23:11 – plot of land
2 Chronicles 25:18 – the wild
So then, the curse should not to be interpreted as any dissuasion or lack of permission from eating off wild and forest lands. Adam was certainly not promoted to tilling and dealing with weeds as a result of the fall of man.
In the context of what is being called ”peak topsoil”, scientists are taking a fresh look at the methods of historical indigenous peoples and the line between gathering / optimized foraging / permaculture and what we consider to be active farming has disappeared. It seems that it was the pride of the superior race that looked at gatherers and saw their methods as rudimentary.
In fact, a noted expert observed that :
“The Iroquois could support roughly three times as many people on an acre as contemporaneous Europeans could with their wheat crops.”
So much for our modern superiority of technologically advanced agriculture.
1 Corinthians 1: 27 - But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
Jeremiah 6: 16 – This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”
As for Durable, I am studying native american soil management techniques and the modern equivalent of optimized foraging referenced by the concept of food forests.
Todd Walker is married to the lovely Dirt Road Girl, proud father and grandfather, a government school teacher, a lover of the primal lifestyle and liberty. You can check out his website at Survival Sherpa with a vision of helping each other on the climb to self-reliance and preparedness…the Survival Sherpa way…One step at a time. Follow him on Twitter. Send him mail: survivalsherpa@gmail.com
Florida’s endangered manatees have long suffered from human activity, but this year they face an especially deadly threat hidden in the waters where they swim. An algae bloom off southwest Florida, called Florida red tide, has killed 174 manatees since January, the highest number to die from red tide in a calendar year, state wildlife officials said Monday.
A red tide is a higher than normal concentration of a microscopic algae that appears in the Gulf of Mexico. At high enough concentrations, the algae can turn the water red or brown, hence the name. Red tides happen almost every year in southwest Florida and sometimes last just a few weeks, but this year the red tide has lingered and settled in an area of warm water where the manatees have migrated.
“It’s kind of filled in an area where they’ve congregated and are feeding on sea grass where the toxins settle on,”
Said Kevin Baxter, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Those toxins can affect the central nervous systems of fish and other vertebrates, causing the animals to die. Wildlife officials and their partners have this year rescued 12 manatees suffering from the effects of red tide.
They asked the public to alert them to other ailing manatees who may be showing a lack of coordination and stability in the water, muscle twitches or seizures, and difficulty lifting their heads to breathe. Unlike other algae blooms, red tides are not caused by pollution, the wildlife service said.
“Red tides occurred in Florida long before human settlement, and severe red tides were observed in the mid-1900s before the state’s coastlines were heavily developed,”
The commission said. The blooms usually develop 10 to 40 miles offshore, away from man-made nutrient resources, it added. Red tides were documented in the southern Gulf as far back as the 1700s and along Florida’s Gulf coast in the 1840s, the commission said. “Fish kills near Tampa Bay were even mentioned in the records of Spanish explorers.” Manatees are listed under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Conservation efforts have led to an increase in the manatee population, the commission said, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working on a rule that would reclassify the manatee from endangered to threatened.
Sun spot AR1682 has a magnetic field that has enough energy to produce M class flares and forecasters give a 10% chance of an eruption. The possibility of an X class eruption is put at 0.1%
Chris Carrington is a writer, researcher and lecturer with a background in science, technology and environmental studies. Chris is an editor for The Daily Sheeple. Wake the flock up!
A massive storm has dumped up to 17 inches of snow on the central US. Tornado warnings are in force and two people have died. Millions of people in 24 states will be affected before the storm fizzles out as it reaches the Great Lakes area on Saturday.
Hot on its heels is another weather system, moving up from the Gulf of Mexico that’s expected to dump up to two feet of snow on some parts of the East Coast on Saturday and Sunday
The Governor of Missouri has declared a state of emergency, Governor Jay Nixon said:
“Missouri stands ready to help communities in need and to deploy the resources to keep folks safe. I urge all Missourians to keep a close eye on the weather and avoid unnecessary travel.”
Chris Carrington is a writer, researcher and lecturer with a background in science, technology and environmental studies. Chris is an editor for The Daily Sheeple. Wake the flock up!
Home
RSS Feed
Newsletter
Bookmark Us
Facebook
Twitter
