Mladic extradited to face war crimes charges

Mladic extradited to face war crimes charges
Good for sustainability/life. War criminal to be put away for t.b.d. long.

A WHO Team of Researchers Conclude That Cell Phones Are "Possibly Carcinogenic" - - TIME Healthland

A WHO Team of Researchers Conclude That Cell Phones Are "Possibly Carcinogenic" - - TIME Healthland
Bad for sustainability/life.
"Now what?" Indeed. The truth is a good start; health improvements t.b.d. please.

Mercury, PCBs, sport fish: Mercury, PCBs widespread in sport fish in California's urban coastal waters, survey finds - latimes.com

Mercury, PCBs, sport fish: Mercury, PCBs widespread in sport fish in California's urban coastal waters, survey finds - latimes.com

Again, clearly, we have to recycle more effectively and support the decommissioning of coal-fired (and mercury spewing) power plants (among other things).
The E.P.A. and State must strengthen, regulate and hold industry to set levels of pollution that companies can spew into our environment, with debilitating fines and penalties for non-compliance.

From Wikipedia:

PCB's (banned in the U.S. since 1979, but "...continued to be allowed in 'totally enclosed uses' such as transformers and capacitors...")

PCBs were widely used for many applications, especially as dielectric fluids in transformers, capacitors, and coolants. Due to PCB's toxicity and classification as a persistent organic pollutant, PCB production was banned by the United States Congress in 1979 and by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in 2001.^[1] Concerns about the toxicity of PCBs are largely based on compounds within this group that share a structural similarity and toxic mode of action with dioxin. Toxic effects such as endocrine disruption and neurotoxicity are also associated with other compounds within the group.

• Humans

The most commonly observed health effects in people exposed to extremely high levels of PCBs are skin conditions, such as chloracne and rashes, but these were known to be symptoms of acute systemic poisoning dating back to 1922. Studies in workers exposed to PCBs have shown changes in blood and urine that may indicate liver damage. In Japan in 1968, 280 kg of PCB-contaminated rice bran oil was used as chicken feed, resulting in a mass poisoning, known as Yushō disease, in over 14,000 people.^[43] Common symptoms included dermal and ocular lesions, irregular menstrual cycles and lowered immune responses.^[44][45][46] Other symptoms included fatigue, headaches, coughs, and unusual skin sores.^[47] Additionally, in children, there were reports of poor cognitive development.^[44][46][47]

• Animals

Animals that eat PCB-contaminated food even for short periods of time suffer liver damage and may die. In 1968 in Japan, 400,000 birds died after eating poultry feed that was contaminated with PCBs.^[43] Animals that ingest smaller amounts of PCBs in food over several weeks or months develop various health effects, including anemia; acne-like skin conditions (chloracne); and liver, stomach, and thyroid gland injuries (including hepatocarcinoma). Other effects of PCBs in animals include changes in the immune system, behavioral alterations, and impaired reproduction. PCBs are not known to cause birth defects in humans, although those that have dioxin-like activity are known to cause a variety of teratogenic effects in animals.

• Effects during pregnancy/breastfeeding

Women who were exposed to relatively high levels of PCBs in the workplace or ate large amounts of fish contaminated with PCBs had babies that weighed slightly less than babies from women who did not have these exposures. Babies born to women who ate PCB-contaminated fish also showed abnormal responses in tests of infant behavior. Some of these behaviors, such as problems with motor skills and a decrease in short-term memory, lasted for several years. Other studies suggest that the immune system was affected in children born to and nursed by mothers exposed to increased levels of PCBs. The most likely way infants will be exposed to PCBs is from breast milk. Transplacental transfers of PCBs were also reported.

Studies have shown PCBs alter estrogen levels in the body and contribute to reproduction problems. In the womb, males can be feminised or the baby may be intersex, neither a male nor a female. Also, both sets of reproductive organs may develop. More instances of this are being reported. Biological magnification of PCBs has also led to polar bears and whales that have both male and female sex organs and males that cannot reproduce. This effect is known as endocrine disruption. Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) pose a serious threat to reproduction in top-level predators.

Cancer link

A few studies of workers indicate PCBs were associated with specific kinds of cancer in humans, such as cancer of the liver and biliary tract. PCBs also have been shown to mimic the action of estrogen in breast cancer cells and can enhance breast carcinogenesis.^[48] Rats that ate food containing high levels of PCBs for two years developed liver cancer. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has concluded PCBs may reasonably be anticipated to be carcinogens. The EPA and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have determined that PCBs are probably carcinogenic to humans. PCBs are also classified as probable human carcinogens by the National Cancer Institute, World Health Organization, and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Recent research by the National Toxicology Program has confirmed PCB126 (Technical Report 520) and a binary mixture of PCB126 and PCB153 (Technical Report 531) are carcinogens.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polychlorinated_biphenyl

**************

Mercury

Mercury, also known as quicksilver^[1] or hydrargyrum, is a chemical element. Its symbol on the periodic table is Hg, and its atomic number is 80. Its atomic mass is 200.6.

Mercury Poisoning

Toxic effects include damage to the brain, kidney, and lungs.^[1] Mercury poisoning can result in several diseases, including acrodynia (pink disease)^[2], Hunter-Russell syndrome, and Minamata disease.^[3]

Symptoms typically include sensory impairment (vision, hearing, speech), disturbed sensation and a lack of coordination. The type and degree of symptoms exhibited depend upon the individual toxin, the dose, and the method and duration of exposure.

Occupational exposure

Due to the health effects of mercury exposure, industrial and commercial uses are regulated in many countries. The World Health Organization, OSHA, and NIOSH all treat mercury as an occupational hazard, and have established specific occupational exposure limits. Environmental releases and disposal of mercury are regulated in the U.S. primarily by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Case control studies have shown effects such as tremors, impaired cognitive skills, and sleep disturbance in workers with chronic exposure to mercury vapor even at low concentrations in the range 0.7–42 μg/m³.^[86][87] A study has shown that acute exposure (4 – 8 hours) to calculated elemental mercury levels of 1.1 to 44 mg/m³ resulted in chest pain, dyspnea, cough, hemoptysis, impairment of pulmonary function, and evidence of interstitial pneumonitis.^[88] Acute exposure to mercury vapor has been shown to result in profound central nervous system effects, including psychotic reactions characterized by delirium, hallucinations, and suicidal tendency. Occupational exposure has resulted in broad-ranging functional disturbance, including erethism, irritability, excitability, excessive shyness, and insomnia. With continuing exposure, a fine tremor develops and may escalate to violent muscular spasms. Tremor initially involves the hands and later spreads to the eyelids, lips, and tongue. Long-term, low-level exposure has been associated with more subtle symptoms of erethism, including fatigue, irritability, loss of memory, vivid dreams, and depression.^[89][90]

Fish

Main article: Mercury in fish

Fish and shellfish have a natural tendency to concentrate mercury in their bodies, often in the form of methylmercury, a highly toxic organic compound of mercury. Species of fish that are high on the food chain, such as shark, swordfish, king mackerel, albacore tuna, and tilefish contain higher concentrations of mercury than others. As mercury and methylmercury are fat soluble,^{[verification needed]} they primarily accumulate in the viscera, although they are also found throughout the muscle tissue.^[93] When this fish is consumed by a predator, the mercury level is accumulated. Since fish are less efficient at depurating than accumulating methylmercury, fish-tissue concentrations increase over time. Thus species that are high on the food chain amass body burdens of mercury that can be ten times higher than the species they consume. This process is called biomagnification. Mercury poisoning happened this way in Minamata, Japan, now called Minamata disease.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_%28element%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_poisoning

Minister: Germany to go nuke free by 2022 - CNN.com

Minister: Germany to go nuke free by 2022 - CNN.com
Wow!!! Great for Germany... leading the pack. And their economy is doing awesome.
They're modernizing, and we are treading water stuck in the last millennium.

Netanyahu says will give up some land for peace | Reuters

Netanyahu says will give up some land for peace | Reuters
Sounds like things are coming to the middle here.
If both sides want peace, in shallah, God willing, they will continue and meet in the middle in peace.
See my post below re: Obama's favorable position regarding this.

Why is America the 'no-vacation nation'? - CNN.com

Why is America the 'no-vacation nation'? - CNN.com
This pisses me off... and is a big reason (among a couple) I quit Gracenote....

(CNN) -- Let's be blunt: If you like to take lots of vacation, the United States is not the place to work.

Besides a handful of national holidays, the typical American worker bee gets two or three precious weeks off out of a whole year to relax and see the world -- much less than what people in many other countries receive.

And even that amount of vacation often comes with strings attached.

Some U.S. companies don't like employees taking off more than one week at a time. Others....

Five ways Moneygall is welcoming Obama 'home' to Ireland - Back to roots - CSMonitor.com

Five ways Moneygall is welcoming Obama 'home' to Ireland - Back to roots - CSMonitor.com
It is a small world...

Obama announces 'new chapter' in U.S. Mideast diplomacy - CNN

Obama announces 'new chapter' in U.S. Mideast diplomacy - CNN
I like him. I really like him.
I think he is a natural diplomat, quite largely without biases.
He seems to approach each decision without pre-judgment, and usually arrives at places similar to where I would. Drawing borders to pre-1967 areas for Israeli and the peninsula might be difficult and/or even controversial, but considering how much aid we give Israel, and how we're helping Democracy in the Middle East, it's a beautiful gesture to Middle Eastern countries, to respect their sovereignty and historical boundaries. It's a great policy. If that region really wants peace, then they should compromise, meet in the middle, and truly embrace their cohabitation in that region. It is multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and could be a thriving global hub if the younger generation wants it to be.

Thoughts on Government Support of the Oil Industry

Budget Woes 5/16/2011, but Billions of Taxpayer Dollars to Oil Companies

by George Colby Allerton on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at 12:35pm

Who wants their kids filling up cars with $50 a gallon oil 15 years from now?
How long can the GOP tie America's future to a dirty oil economy, when we all know oil is finite, so polluting, and the fuel source of the 1800's and 1900's??

When we are afraid that "daddy government" must know what he's doing. So we obey.
Well, sometimes "daddies" are beating the mommy or f***ing the babysitter... but it goes on. And here that is.
We have to have the courage to throw off the outdated, and bring in the new.
How can we let oil companies pollute our air and water, have a stranglehold on how we power our cars, pay no taxes, AND take billions of dollars of tax cuts and subsidies?
While the government is trimming AWAY budgets for health care, Medicaid, education, public radio, national parks... but keeping oil companies on top of the heap?

We all have to get into hybrid cars, soon electric cars, and be putting solar panels on our roofs. We are in this together. The air we breathe, the water we drink, we cannot take for granted.

We have to end these outdated Charles Dickens' grimy energy subsidies now.


Dear Hon. Sen. Feinstein,                    May 16, 2011
cc/ Sen. Boxer, Sen. Kerry, New York Times, LA Times, SF Chronicle

It is thievery for the U.S. government to give these billion-dollar profitable businesses endless subsidies and tax-cuts, while citizens are having their services, education, Medicaid, etc. cut.
Ridiculous, unacceptable, it has to stop. The Founding Fathers wouldn't have stood for such blatant pandering of our government to a certain industry at the expense of the common man's good. We should no longer either.