Protecting Corals and Island Nations: conservation group and the President of Palau both speak out

The Center for Biological Diversity is blowing its environmental horn not only to draw attention to its own actions but those of other nations concerned with the fate of marine ecosystems and the forces that impact them worldwide:

Settlement Requires Protecting 82 Corals
"On Tuesday the Center for Biological Diversity and the [U.S.] National Marine Fisheries Service reached an important agreement that will move 82 species of coral closer to protection. The agreement, following a 2009 petition and two notices of intent to sue by the Center, requires the Service to make decisions on protecting 82 U.S. corals -- including the mountainous star coral, blue rice coral and several Acropora corals -- under the Endangered Species Act by April 15, 2012. The Center has already earned protection for elkhorn (another Acorpora species) and staghorn corals."

As reported in the Houston Chronicle, "Unless we protect them right now, coral reefs will be lost within decades, and our grandchildren will never see these colorful underwater forests teeming with life," Miyoko Sakashita, the director of the organization's oceans program, said in a statement.

Currently, only reef-building staghorn and elkhorn corals are listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. Of the species under review, 75 are found in the Pacific. Nine exist in Hawaii waters, including ringed rice coral, which sometimes has a purple hue but is other times rust orange or brown. It's a candidate for listing because it's only found in the Hawaiian islands. This makes the species vulnerable to being wiped out if there's a heat wave or an invasive species infiltrates its habitat. Protection under the Endangered Species Act could put fishing, dumping, dredging, offshore oil development and other activities under stricter regulatory scrutiny.

Palau Speaks Out Against Climate Change
"The Pacific island nation of Palau has announced it will urgently seek an "advisory opinion" from the United Nations on whether some polluting countries have a legal responsibility to ensure that their greenhouse gases don't harm other countries. Under international law, Palau points out, states are required to take all necessary measures to stop their activities from harming other states. Despite mounting evidence that the climate crisis is only deepening, the U.S. has failed to make significant strides in reducing carbon dioxide emissions and, in fact, some in Congress are pushing to weaken the Clean Air Act rather than harness it to do what's needed to reduce greenhouse pollution and avert the worst effects of the global climate crisis."

Palau President Johnson Toribiong told the General Assembly’s annual general debate that, along with the Marshall Islands, Palau will call on the 193-member Assembly to urgently seek an advisory opinion – which would be non-binding – from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), also known as the World Court. Palau is one of several Pacific island countries that have repeatedly spoken out at the General Assembly about the impact of climate change, with rising sea levels resulting from the emissions of greenhouse gases threatening to swamp their islands.

"Article 194(2) of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea provides that States shall take all measures necessary to ensure that activities under their jurisdiction or control do not spread and do not cause damage by pollution to other States. It is time we determine what the international rule of law means in the context of climate change,” the president was quoted as saying in the UN News Centre.

In today's difficult economic climate, we see the impact of globalization; that our economic health can not be isolated or immune from the financial conditions being experienced by other nations. The same is certainly true for the environment - we're all in this together.

Watch a video of President Toribiong speaking to the General Assembly.

"a stunning visual presentation"

Celine is once again performing at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. This new show, designed exclusively for The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, features 31 musicians, consisting of a full orchestra and band. The show’s concept is one-of-a-kind and includes Celine’s biggest hits performed with a stunning visual presentation.

Tickets for performances from December 28, 2011 to August 19, 2012 are now on sale!

"a skilled and intelligent household robot"

Rosie the Robot could finally be coming to your home.

Willow Garage, a start-up in Menlo Park, Calif., has designed a robot called the PR2 that bears some resemblance to "The Jetsons'" beloved Rosie. It's still under development, but already the PR2 can fold clothes, fetch a drink from the fridge, set the table and even bake cookies.

The robot's backers aren't ready to say just how soon the PR2 will hit the mainstream market. Right now it costs too much, does too little and is too slow to be of interest to most consumers. But to many experts, the idea of a skilled and intelligent household robot finally is drawing near.

"The technology is much closer than most people think," said Andrew Ng, an associate professor of computer science at Stanford University. "We're not yet there, but I think that in less than a decade the technology will exist to have a useful household robot."

"Peg Leg Ballet"

When Alexander Campbell of the Royal Ballet was asked, "Which role has tested you the most & how ?" his response was: "I had to perform Petroushka and Michael Corder’s brand new Le Baiser de la Fee in one evening and together they were a huge challenge. Being doubled over, pigeon toed and heavily made up as Petroushka was a test in itself but then having 20 minutes to get changed, showered and ready for the fresh faced Young Man in Baiser, which was completely classical and possibly one of the toughest things I’ve done stamina wise, was another level of testing! It was extremely rewarding though and possibly one of my favourite times in the company.

Above is Alexander Campbell as Eros in what I would call "Peg Leg Ballet."

"the Tony-winning force of nature"

Broadway stars don't come much bigger or more combative than Patti LuPone, the Tony-winning force of nature who has left her indelible imprint on numerous musicals including "Evita," "Anything Goes," "Sweeney Todd" and "Gypsy." Equally loved (by critics, the gay community) and feared (by cellphone abusers everywhere), she is an actress whose ferocious stage presence knows no compromise.

LuPone will perform a concert Tuesday at UCLA's Royce Hall as a benefit for Reprise Theatre Company. "Gypsy in My Soul" will feature the actress singing an eclectic array of songs with a 10-piece band. The program will no doubt skew Broadway, but LuPone isn't divulging the lineup, preferring not to tip her hand.

This fall, LuPone is returning to Broadway in a concert production titled "An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin," which opens Nov. 21 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. The show has been traveling the country and has played at the Ahmanson Theatre and the Valley Performing Arts Center in Northridge. (It is scheduled to return to Southern California in March at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.)

LuPone spoke recently by phone from Barrier Island in South Carolina, where she was vacationing. When asked about the artistic influences in her career, she singled out the music teachers in her hometown of Northport on Long Island. She said students were introduced to musical instruments in elementary school and that she picked the cello, because the school didn't have a harp.

LuPone also chose to speak about four individuals who have inspired her in different ways throughout her life.


Edith Piaf: I'm an Italian and my emotions are just under my skin.... There's just a purity and rawness in her singing that goes straight to my heart and my gut and it always has. There's such expression in her voice.

Bette Davis: I grew up on Long Island ... and they used to show old movies on television at 10 and 1 o'clock. I saw Busby Berkeley musicals and Bette Davis movies. Davis wasn't the most beautiful actress but she was the most courageous at the time. I was maybe 8 or 9 years old when I first saw her. I used to cut school and feign illness just to see Davis. My mother never knew this because she was off at work.

David Mamet: We started working together in 1976. I learned more from acting for him than four years at Juilliard. There's a simplicity and paring down, a stripping away of control. I love it when he directs me because it's his material.

Stephen Sondheim: He's a task master when it comes to pitch and what is considered Broadway singing -- no bending of the note, no swooping. I was in "Company" this year at the New York Philharmonic -- at the after-party, he gave me a note and I wanted to smack him. Well, I didn't want to smack him. But this was two hours after the production closed.... Basically, [he said] I was slurring two words and that I recovered. It's his music and his lyrics so of course he's going to notice.... It takes a lot of concentration and discipline to sing him as written. When I see musicals in New York today, I usually don't know if I'm watching "American Idol" or a Broadway performance. It should be as precise as an operatic aria

"a freewheeling tour through centuries of architectural history"

The new West Hollywood Library, set to open to the public Saturday on a curving stretch of San Vicente Boulevard across from the Pacific Design Center, is a building that offers a freewheeling tour through centuries of architectural history. Explicitly or implicitly, it points back to the work of Charles Moore, Pierre Koenig, Frank Gehry and even Michelangelo.

The library includes long expanses of floor-to-ceiling glass, in the great California midcentury tradition, as well as bands of marble and generous helpings of architectural ornament. Along with computer terminals and shelves full of actual books, it incorporates a pair of parking garages, rooftop tennis courts, murals by the street artists Shepard Fairey and Kenny Scharf and new chambers for the West Hollywood City Council.

Whatever you want to call its style (the first local stirrings of a postmodern revival, maybe?), it sounds altogether too busy and too stuffed with architectural influences to succeed. And yet it does succeed — beautifully.

Designed by Steve Johnson and James Favaro of the Culver City firm Johnson Favaro, the library is one of the seven or eight most impressive pieces of public architecture to open in Southern California in a decade.

End of an Era !!

After 33 years of piquant and sometimes irascible commentary, 92-year-old Andy Rooney will surrender his regular gig on CBS' legendary newsmagazine "60 Minutes" this weekend.

Rooney will sign off with a final piece — his 1,097th — on Sunday's program, preceded by a retrospective segment on his career with longtime colleague Morley Safer, the network said in a news release Tuesday.

Shown above: Andy Rooney at the "60-Minutes" office in 1978, the year he joined the program.

Earth Overshoot Day: group quantifies annual demand on natural resources

Today is not a particularly good day if your planet Earth. Today, September 27th, is Earth Overshoot Day, according to the Global Footprint Network (GFN). What this day signifies is that for the remainder of the year we are living on, essentially, borrowed natural resources. We're in debt ecologically-speaking.

GFN has been monitoring this kind of ecological yardstick, the "ecological overshoot," which evaluates the natural resources required by humankind compared with the amount of resources available and their ability to renew themselves. According to GFN, since the mid-70s we have been demanding more every year than the earth can replenish: dwindling forests that can not grow back fast enough before being cut down, shrinking numbers of fish, more CO2 produced than the planet can sequester, and so on.

According to GFN, "Our research shows that in approximately nine months, we have demanded a level of services from nature equivalent to what the planet can provide for all of 2012. We maintain this deficit by depleting stocks of things like fish and trees, and by accumulating waste such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the ocean."

Earth Overshoot Day is based on a concept originally designed by the UK-based New Economics Foundation. The foundation wanted to devise a method of use versus resources that would be understandable to policy and decision makers - people who are less inclined to understand scientific theories and observations and more receptive to concepts of net gain and loss. The ecological overshoot illustrates when humankind is withdrawing more than it is depositing and, therefore, dipping into its savings of natural resources - an account that is not at all endless.

The culprit that drives this model, and is a primary force even behind our current budget and employment crisis, is the ever-present 800-pound gorilla in the room: population growth. Despite all of our technology and production capability that provides us with everything from flat screen TVs to higher rice and corn yields for developing nations, we are asking more of mother earth than she can give and still renew herself. And it has been estimated that we will reach 7 billion in the next couple of months.

Earth Overshoot Day is an interesting concept, albeit not a cheery one, because it goes beyond theorizing about an environmental apocalypse and, instead, applies a system of measurement that enables us to gauge where we are going, good or bad, and what degree of improvement the future may hold if we all realize that the planet is a bank account with very limited reserves and a low rate of return.

"Global Footprint Network’s preliminary 2011 calculations show we are now using resources at a rate that would take between 1.3 and 1.5 planets to sustainably support. Our research shows us on track to require the resources of two planets well before mid-century. Of course, we only have one Earth. The fact that we are using (or “spending” natural capital) faster than it can replenish is similar to having expenditures that continually exceed income. In planetary terms, the results of our ecological overspending are becoming more clear by the day."

"exploring ways to get the “physically challenged” down to the ocean"

Evelyn Frey might get her 96th birthday wish granted.

For more than five years, the longtime Manhattan Beach resident, who has been physically unable to make it down to the water for several years, has urged the city and L.A. County to explore ways to get the “physically challenged” down to the ocean.

For years, the issue was continuously placed on the back burner because of budget concerns.

The county brushed aside her recommendation of Mobi-Mats, portable rollout pathways which are used on beaches up and down California and in the Middle East, citing liability and operational concerns. In April, the county promised the city to front the initial costs and study different options for a permanent pedestrian walkway to the water. Tuesday night the issue was back on Council’s plate and they weren’t pleased. Staff, in their report, recommended that City Council deny the request for a permanent walkway due to initial and continual cost concerns.

“This is not what we wanted presented to us,” said Mayor Nick Tell. “I’m very disappointed with this. Santa Monica seems able to figure it out. I don’t know why we’re stuck with such a lousy choice.”

According to city staff, the county researched three materials for the walkway - wood lumber, concrete and a composite decking product. The wood walkways included wide gaps between the planks and uneven surfaces that could lead to trip-and-fall liability, staff said. The composite walkways included difficult-to-remove panels; damaged panels would need total replacement. The voids between the panels could also create trip-and-fall hazards, the county said. The concrete walkway was the best option, the county concluded, recommending it be placed near the El Porto concession stand, extend about halfway down the shoreline (66 feet) and measure six feet wide.

“Staff is concerned that a walkway halfway to the shoreline would not accomplish the goal of allowing seniors and those physically challenged to reach the shoreline,” staff said in their report. The purchase and installation of a concrete walkway would be $50,000.

Currently the county offers two balloon-tire wheelchairs on the beach to allow people with disabilities to get down to the water, staff noted. The wheelchairs can be checked out by contacting any ocean lifeguard.

At an April meeting, Frey told Council she asked a lifeguard for a chair.

“He said, ‘What wheelchairs?’” she said.

Councilman David Lesser said staff should have worked harder on their report and researched different cities that already have permanent walkways on their beaches.

“We’ve got to come up with an answer that really works,” Tell said. “This is such an important thing to have. We’ve got to spend some time figuring this out.”
Tell recommended that Council form a subcommittee to study the issue further.

“Hang in there, Evelyn,” he said. “We’re gonna get this done.”

"horrifyingly real"

The film "Contagion" may have been fiction, but the 1918-19 influenza epidemic was horrifyingly real. The "Spanish flu" epidemic tore a path of destruction across the globe, killing an estimated 50-100 million people within months before disappearing into history.

Now, evidence from U.S. soldiers felled by the virus reveals that it circulated in the country for four months before the pandemic was even identified.

The findings, published online Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offer a picture of a virus as it turned from common pathogen to killer bug, said senior author Jeffery Taubenberger, a pathologist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Md.

"Levitated Mass"

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art recently introduced its newest VIP in a Riverside quarry: the 340-ton, 211/2-foot-high granite boulder that will form the centerpiece of Michael Heizer's massive outdoor sculpture, "Levitated Mass."

When the piece is complete, the rock will sit on steel rails at ground level, north of the Wilshire Boulevard museum's Resnick Pavilion. A 456-foot-long, ramp-like slot in the ground, descending to 15 feet deep, will run beneath it. The rock will appear to levitate above people walking through the underground channel.

Because of its size and weight, bringing what LACMA calls "the monolith" to the museum is an intricate, complex, potentially dangerous and very expensive process that has required more than a year of logistical preparations. It's one of the heaviest objects to be moved since ancient times, says museum director Michael Govan.

"It's much contested, the movement of monoliths in ancient times. The estimated weights of certain objects are speculation. But it is pretty clear that this is one of the largest monoliths that's ever been moved," Govan says.

LACMA is working with Emmert International, a company that specializes in moving "extreme objects" like nuclear generators and missiles, says project manager John Bowsher. Emmert is building a custom "transporter" around the boulder that will likely be 200 feet long and almost three freeway lanes wide. A road will first have to be carved out of the quarry; then the transporter will travel to LACMA at night, on closed roads and at less than 10 mph, led by a police escort. The approximately 85-mile journey, normally a one and half hour drive, will take a circuitous route lasting a week to 10 days.

"Urbanized"

In 1900, according to the London School of Economics, 10% of the world's population lived in cities. Five years ago the figure reached 50%. By 2050 it is likely to be 70%, or even 75.

That headlong rush into the world's cities — and its implications for the environment, architecture and the way we live — is the subject of "Urbanized," a sharp, good-looking documentary by Gary Hustwit that had its first Los Angeles showings Sunday evening at the Independent theater downtown. The film, which premiered this month at the Toronto International Film Festival, features interviews with the architects Rem Koolhaas, Yung Ho Chang, Alejandro Aravena and Ricardo Scofidio along with mayors, activists and planners. It is both a love letter to urban life and a cautionary tale about what happens when more newcomers crowd into a city, or the slums on its outskirts, than the place can begin to comfortably absorb.

John Lautner's Silvertop house

Kenneth Reiner, the man who commissioned John Lautner's Silvertop house, died earlier this month at 95, the LA Times reports. Silvertop is one of Lautner's most standout works and Reiner was a standout client--he didn't just hand over cash, he actually invented and built some of the house's coolest features. Reiner made his fortune in hairclips and aircraft nuts, and in 1956 he hired Lautner to design the house on Micheltorena St. in Silver Lake--a concrete dome with a cantilevered driveway, filled with "faucet-less sinks that automatically filled with water; a dining table with a hydraulic pedestal that was lowered for cocktails and elevated for meals; a system for heating and cooling that could not be seen or heard; and controls for lights and appliances that were discreetly set into walls and doors jambs," as the LAT describes.

"Here the invader was stopped"

A lieutenant -- a lawyer from Los Angeles before being drafted -- was hastily given what seemed like a suicide assignment: to stop a column of German tanks with an artillery piece that was intended to shoot down airplanes, soldiers who weren't trained for the job and a firing position that provided no protection.

"If they got one shot at us, we were dead," Leon Kent said. "I remember thinking: Do the shells go through you, or do you just go up in pieces?"

But what Kent and three enlisted soldiers under his command accomplished soon became symbolic of the Allies' determination to blunt the German offensive.

With two "miracle" shots, soldiers of 143rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Gun Battalion disabled the two lead German tanks, blocking the rest of the column from advancing along the narrow road outside Stoumont Station in Belgium.

"We stopped them cold," Kent said.

In the four hours it took the German tank commanders to resume their advance, the U.S. soldiers were able to establish a blocking position several miles away. After the war, the locals put up a plaque that, in French, reads: "Here the invader was stopped."

The three enlisted soldiers who fired the 90mm gun were given the Silver Star for bravery. Kent was meritoriously promoted to captain.

As an officer, he should have taken up a safe position away from the gun. Instead he had stayed on the platform beside his men.

Now 96 and living in retirement in Beverly Hills after resuming his law career, Kent eschews any suggestion of courage on his part. He felt obligated to stay with his men.

"I think it was more guilt than bravery," he said.

Retired Army Maj. Gen. John Crowe sees it somewhat differently. He'll be at the ceremony at the December 1944 Historical Museum in La Gleize, Belgium.

"What Capt. Kent showed was extraordinary leadership," said Crowe, now retired in Visalia. "He wouldn't ask his troops to do anything he wouldn't do himself. That's the kind of leadership that inspires troops."

"caught up in the moment" if you can believe that ???

Wednesday's night's episode of "The X Factor" featured some good contenders, and some not-go-great performances. But only one audition had Paula Abdul running backstage, feeling sick to her stomach.

Geo Godley, 43, a self-proclaimed Internet blogger who's "classically trained on the piano," caused quite a stir when he approached the "X Factor" stage and announced he'd be singing to a piece he composed himself. He continued to prance around stage to the beat, and then dropped his pants.

As a result, the Parents Television Council filed a formal broadcast indecency complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) against Fox Broadcasting. The act aired shortly after 9 p.m., during hours when indecent content is prohibited on broadcast television.

As described on PTC's website, their mission is "to promote and restore responsibility and decency to the entertainment industry in answer to America's demand for positive, family-oriented television programming."

PTC president Tim Winter called Godley's performance downright "indecent." He also added, "As the broadcast decency law comes before the United States Supreme Court in the coming term, Fox has offered a compelling demonstration as to why that law needs to be upheld. If Godley performed his act in public, he would have been arrested. But if he performs it in front of a Fox camera, his act is beamed via the public airwaves into every home in the nation."

Along with judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger, several mothers with children and teenagers in the audience appeared disturbed by Godley's act. Some people even stood and left the arena.

Godley, on the other hand, insists his attire was nothing worse than what is seen on a beach.

"We always dance in g-strings," he told TMZ.com. "G-Strings are legal. The PTC have no complaint to make."

HBut he added, "I apologize to anyone that was exposed to my behind ... I had no intention of showing it and it was an accident when I fell. I was caught up in the moment."

Randy Travis --- O K !

Country singer Randy Travis was resting at home Monday after passing out on stage during a benefit concert in front of a roomful of doctors.

The 52-year-old performer fainted in mid-song Sunday during an annual benefit for the Huguley Memorial Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

The doctors who treated him at the scene said Monday that Travis was struggling with laryngitis because of chronic allergies and had taken several over-the-counter medications.

—Associated Press

Boeing 787 Dreamliner

On a rainy and blustery day at Boeing Co.'s facilities in Everett, Wash., the aerospace giant formally delivered the world's first passenger-ready 787 Dreamliner to Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways Co.

Standing shoulder to shoulder, a crowd of about 500 employees, local politicians and aviation industry insiders gathered on a wet tarmac to see Boeing hand over the ceremonial key for the new aircraft to All Nippon.

Depending on how individual airlines configure the new planes, they hold the prospect of being faster, more fuel-efficient and having more legroom and overhead space for baggage. The first passenger flight from Narita, near Tokyo, to Hong Kong is set for Oct. 26.

Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee . . . no, wait, that's boxing!!!

Matt Evans

White Shark Rescue: SoCal surfers come to the aid of a juvenile shark

As California shark conservationists, supporters, and advocates wait for Gov. Jerry Brown to sign into law AB 376, the shark fin prohibition; we get reminders that perhaps the tide of public opinion is slowly turning in favor of the sharks. Pete Thomas' Outdoors, action, and adventure reported an unusual rescue at Venice Beach in Southern California:

"Sharks have many allies these days, as people, states and even nations are rallying behind efforts aimed at conservation.

But for a group of surfers and other witnesses at Venice Beach, Calif., over the weekend, one shark in particular needed rescuing, and it was a precarious job well done, as you can see in the accompanying video.

The juvenile white shark apparently was hooked on the city pier and became stranded on the shore with the fishing gear still in its mouth. It appeared listless and in bad shape, but at least its rescuers got the hook out and gave it a chance to survive.

The incident occurred one month after an angler reeled to the surface and gaffed a white shark from the Huntington Beach Pier. He became the subject of an investigation because white sharks are protected in California and it's illegal to kill them.

Southern California waters are a nursery area for juvenile white sharks, which prey on fishes, rays and smaller sharks until they grow large enough to begin preying on seals and sea lions."

I'll be back among the white sharks at Isla Guadalupe in two weeks. I'll be sure to let the big mommas and poppas down there know that their youngster is all right.

The Inquisition

Only in hindsight does earthquake prediction work with real accuracy. Seismologists can assess long-term risks and likely scenarios, but they'd be the last ones to say they can foretell the time, date and epicenter of the next Big One. Yet in Italy, a trial is underway for a group of seismologists and a government official accused of manslaughter for being overly reassuring about underground rumblings that preceded a killer quake in 2009.

The charges they face for doing their job aren't just ludicrous but potentially damaging to scientists worldwide. Society increasingly relies on expert scientific advice; it won't receive that advice if scientists are afraid to speak.

The Italian official and seismologists, who make up a panel called the Commission of Grand Risks, had been asked to assess the risk in quake-prone L'Aquila, in central Italy, after a series of tremors. In a March 2009 memo, the commission concluded that a major earthquake was unlikely, though the possibility couldn't be ruled out. In addition, one member of the commission said, imprudently, that residents of the area should relax, preferably with a glass of wine. A week after the memo was released, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck, killing more than 300 people.

Modern society is apt to look at science as a sure thing. But scientific insight can neither take all the uncertainty out of life nor make people safe in all situations. What it does, more often than not, is guide us to better-informed decisions than we could obtain by blind guessing.

In this tragic case, the experts were wrong. But what if the commission had taken the opposite approach and told the public that the situation in L'Aquila was very dangerous and that everyone should evacuate immediately? In the rush to leave town, there could have been fatal car accidents; if the prediction was mistaken and there was no quake, lives would have been needlessly lost. The only safe answer becomes "I really don't know," which is of no help to anyone.

Obviously, scientists shouldn't be flippant about seismic safety. But Italy supposedly ended the business of prosecuting irreverence and science after the 16th century Inquisition. No matter what the verdict is in this case, the only possible outcome is a chilling effect on seismologists and any other scientists called on to venture an opinion in an uncertain world.

Would you buy a car from this man ?? How about a quick cure ??

On an HBO Documentary, Benny Hinn freely admits that "He cannot heal the truly sick, such as people with cancer, Aids, heart disease". Hinn adds, " I use Hypnosis Techniques to make people feel better at my crusades."

Despite the admission from Hinn, Tens of Thousands of Christians rush to Benn Hinn Crusades and pray for the healing of serious diseases such as Cancer, Aids and Heart Disease.

When you tell Hinn's Followers about the HBO Documentary, many say, "That was a trick of the Devil. HBO took Hinn's word out of context."

Benny Hinn was sued and lost three wrongful death law suits. (out of court settlements/ undisclosed payments). All three times, Hinn told people at his crusades they were healed of cancer or AIDS. These victims, believed the lies of Benny Hinn, stopped taking their medicine and died.

Followers of Benny Hinn claim this is all "tricks of the devil" and Hinn "payed the $$$$ to avoid controversy."

On Dateline Interview, Benny Hinn was questioned about another donation campaign. Benny Hinn raised $25 million dollars to build an orphange in S. California.

Benny Hinn never built the Orphange and ended all plans to build it. When questioned on Dateline, Benny Hinn smiled and said, "The Lord told me not to build the orphange. God will reveal new plans."

Benny Hinn refuses to account for the $25 Million or say where the $$$$ is. His Faithful Flock doesn't seem to care.

Hong Kong Shark Foundation: taking shark advocacy to the streets of Hong Kong

Shark conservation has grown over the years with some quantifiable progress in the form of legislation, regulations, and defined sanctuaries. There has been some improvement in advocacy and general public awareness. But there has also has been time, energy, and needed funds wasted over perhaps well-intended feel good campaigns whose results did nothing to move the needle in the direction of improved conservation.

Actually, that can probably be said of all conservation movements and so it is incumbent upon all of us who are interested in conservation issues to study the players and make sure that our efforts and support are directed to those groups who can bring about real change.

Regarding the issue of market demand in Asian countries for shark fin products, I was encouraged to see this small news item by the Associated Foreign Press and picked up far to the west in the Oman Daily Observer: a "plankmob" in the streets of of downtown Hong Kong to protest shark fins and shark fin soup. The event was planned for today, Sunday, by the Hong Kong Shark Foundation - an organization dedicated to conserving sharks and situated in the midst of one of the major trade centers for shark products.

"Supporters of the Hong Kong Shark Foundation march along a street to raise awareness for sharks killed each year for their fins, in Hong Kong yesterday. According to studies of the shark fin market up to 73 million sharks are killed each year, primarily for their fins used in shark fin soup. A bowl of shark fin soup can cost 100 USD, with a single fin being worth more than 1,300 USD."

Read about the Hong Kong Shark Foundation.

Diana Nyad: long distance swimmer battles nature in latest swim

On Friday, as the sun began to set outside of Hemingway Marina, near Havana, Cuba, Diana Nyad once began her attempt to swim the 103 miles from Cuba to Key West, Florida - an accomplishment that was thwarted in early August due to a shoulder injury and an asthma attack, apparently brought on by the use of a foreign-made medication to combat the shoulder pain. With water temperatures and calm seas offering ideal conditions, Diana, at age 62, went after a goal that has alluded her for several years.

I was fortunate and privileged to have been on the Xtreme Dream team involved in the August swim as a shark watch diver, having filmed her earlier for a CNN documentary which aired recently. The expense of this kind of undertaking is enormous and so to try again so soon after the August attempt, Diana needed to scale back her operation. To save costs in airfare and accommodations, August lead shark crew member Luke Tipple and myself had to bow out (we had other obligations anyway), and Diana recruited three Florida locals, including Rob MacDonald and Johnny Rose who were with us in August.

With every meeting or conversation I have had with Diana, I was always impressed by her energy and determination. And so in the weeks following the August swim, in the back of my mind I was always thinking that if she got a sufficiently clean bill of health from her doctors regarding her right shoulder which had been such a big issue in the August attempt, she would be thinking seriously about making another go of it if the weather was right. So, Xtreme Dream redux - with Diana once again heading into the unknown of the first night crossing the Florida Straits on her way to Key West.

Challenges Once Again
As has been reported on her website and in several news outlets, it didn't take long for challenges to present themselves - this time in the form of severe sea jelly, or jellyfish, stings. Diana received several stings from a Portuguese Man-of-War which required some quick action from Johnny Rose.

An entry from the Xtreme Dream blog: "A testament to Diana’s strength was the two hours tonight following her sting by numerous Portuguese man of war. Chief handler Bonnie Stoll said, 'Diana was stung along both arms the side of her body and her face.' Jonathan Rose, a safety diver and EMT, immediately got in the water with Diana to try and free her of the tentacles and stingers. Rose was also stung numerous times. The crew got Diana’s swimsuit changed and put a new suit on with a shirt covering her. After an hour and a half of treading water Diana began to rehydrate and swim her freestyle stroke."

The encounter took its toll on Diana and her ability to maintain her stride in the water. After getting some medical attention, under the watchful eyes of independent observers from the International Swimming Foundation to ensure that all rules for an unaided swim were met. Diana continued on and started to show improvement. Things were looking up.

Next up was some Saturday afternoon unwanted company: an oceanic whitetip shark. Even though Diana was using the electronic shark shields that we had also used in August, an oceanic whitetip can become intensely curious - this was the one species I had the most concern over in August. Fortunately, Rob MacDonald approached the shark and it proved to be less than curious and bid a hasty retreat. As it turned out, it wasn't the big creatures that would prove to be the greatest threat as the hours wore on.

A Difficult Decision
Entering her second night of the swim, Diana once again encountered Portuguese Man-of-War and was badly stung about the face, affecting her eyes even though they are protected by goggles. This time, more extensive medical treatment was required and Diana had to make a tough decision; she chose to come aboard the support vessel, resting on the transom while receiving treatment from two doctors. This would normally signal an end to the entire swim attempt, but there was one more avenue available to her.

From the Xtreme Dream blog: "According to the independent observer from the International Swim Federation, Diana may continue the swim if she has only been removed from the water for medical treatment. In other words, not simply to rest. The swim then becomes something called a “staged swim,” meaning that it may occur in stages. Diana’s swim will still be record breaking if she decides to continue."

This is why it is so critical to having independent observers watching over a world record attempt such as this swim from Cuba to Florida. The observers can authenticate what was or was not accomplished and can verify changes in strategy that may be dictated by circumstances. With the support vessel not moving forward during her break, Diana eventually resumed her swim from the exact spot where she stopped to receive medical treatment; a record could still be accomplished as a staged swim.

Nature Can Have Its Way
In the waters where Diana is swimming, there are several jellyfish species. Some of the most common are the Portuguese Man-of-War, the Moon Jelly, and the Sea Walnut. The Moon Jelly and Sea Walnut are relatively harmless, but the Portuguese Man-of-War can deliver quite a wallop. During the day, it is relatively easy to recognize with its large, bluish-purple dome that floats on the surface. Trailing underneath are stinging tentacles that can sometimes reach 30 feet in length. And these tentacles can still sting even when broken off from the main body itself.

While warm water temperatures and calm seas are the ideal conditions for a long distance swimmer, they are also ideal conditions for jellyfish reproduction. So it is during these summer months that the numbers can increase exponentially, thereby increasing the chances for an encounter. Worldwide, there have been increasing jellyfish "blooms" with thousands of jellyfish appearing at sea or along coastlines, sometimes washing up on beaches. Scientists have yet to draw definitive conclusions as to why these increases in numbers may be occurring but climate change and loss of natural predators are theories being researched.

Moving into Sunday, Diana persevered, having swam for over 40 hours. But she faced two additional nights before she would reach Florida and there was concern as to the threat of additional jellyfish encounters. Reluctantly, but giving wise consideration to her personal health and the counsel of her physicians, Diana concluded the swim at 11:00am, completing 82 nautical miles (over 92 statute miles) and once again proving herself to be a champion athlete and an inspiration to so many, young and old.

Diana, it's my birthday today and I'm only a couple of years behind you. You're a terrific reminder of what all of us can accomplish in our daily lives when we set our minds to it. You also demonstrate to us the wisdom of knowing when to change strategies so that drive is not mistaken for obsession.

". . . for each of us, isn’t life about determining your own finish line? This journey has always been about reaching your own other shore no matter what it is, and that dream continues.” - Diana Nyad, Sunday, 9/25/11

Now, as you so often say, "Onward!"

Read about Diana's swim at her website.
Quotes sourced from her blog.
Swim photos courtesy of www.diananyad.com.

Warren Buffet says . . .

OUR leaders have asked for shared sacrifice. But when they did the asking, they spared me. I checked with my mega-rich friends to learn what pain they were expecting. They, too, were left untouched.

While the poor and middle class fight for us in Afghanistan, and while most Americans struggle to make ends meet, we mega-rich continue to get our extraordinary tax breaks. Some of us are investment managers who earn billions from our daily labors but are allowed to classify our income as carried interest, thereby getting a bargain 15 percent tax rate. Others own stock index futures for 10 minutes and have 60 percent of their gain taxed at 15 percent, as if theyd been long-term investors.

These and other blessings are showered upon us by legislators in Washington who feel compelled to protect us, much as if we were spotted owls or some other endangered species. Its nice to have friends in high places.

Last year my federal tax bill the income tax I paid, as well as payroll taxes paid by me and on my behalf was $6,938,744. That sounds like a lot of money. But what I paid was only 17.4 percent of my taxable income and thats actually a lower percentage than was paid by any of the other 20 people in our office. Their tax burdens ranged from 33 percent to 41 percent and averaged 36 percent.

If you make money with money, as some of my super-rich friends do, your percentage may be a bit lower than mine. But if you earn money from a job, your percentage will surely exceed mine most likely by a lot.

To understand why, you need to examine the sources of government revenue. Last year about 80 percent of these revenues came from personal income taxes and payroll taxes. The mega-rich pay income taxes at a rate of 15 percent on most of their earnings but pay practically nothing in payroll taxes. Its a different story for the middle class: typically, they fall into the 15 percent and 25 percent income tax brackets, and then are hit with heavy payroll taxes to boot.

Back in the 1980s and 1990s, tax rates for the rich were far higher, and my percentage rate was in the middle of the pack. According to a theory I sometimes hear, I should have thrown a fit and refused to invest because of the elevated tax rates on capital gains and dividends.

I didnt refuse, nor did others. I have worked with investors for 60 years and I have yet to see anyone not even when capital gains rates were 39.9 percent in 1976-77 shy away from a sensible investment because of the tax rate on the potential gain. People invest to make money, and potential taxes have never scared them off. And to those who argue that higher rates hurt job creation, I would note that a net of nearly 40 million jobs were added between 1980 and 2000. You know whats happened since then: lower tax rates and far lower job creation.

Since 1992, the I.R.S. has compiled data from the returns of the 400 Americans reporting the largest income. In 1992, the top 400 had aggregate taxable income of $16.9 billion and paid federal taxes of 29.2 percent on that sum. In 2008, the aggregate income of the highest 400 had soared to $90.9 billion a staggering $227.4 million on average but the rate paid had fallen to 21.5 percent.

The taxes I refer to here include only federal income tax, but you can be sure that any payroll tax for the 400 was inconsequential compared to income. In fact, 88 of the 400 in 2008 reported no wages at all, though every one of them reported capital gains. Some of my brethren may shun work but they all like to invest. (I can relate to that.)

I know well many of the mega-rich and, by and large, they are very decent people. They love America and appreciate the opportunity this country has given them. Many have joined the Giving Pledge, promising to give most of their wealth to philanthropy. Most wouldnt mind being told to pay more in taxes as well, particularly when so many of their fellow citizens are truly suffering.

Twelve members of Congress will soon take on the crucial job of rearranging our countrys finances. Theyve been instructed to devise a plan that reduces the 10-year deficit by at least $1.5 trillion. Its vital, however, that they achieve far more than that. Americans are rapidly losing faith in the ability of Congress to deal with our countrys fiscal problems. Only action that is immediate, real and very substantial will prevent that doubt from morphing into hopelessness. That feeling can create its own reality.

Job one for the 12 is to pare down some future promises that even a rich America cant fulfill. Big money must be saved here. The 12 should then turn to the issue of revenues. I would leave rates for 99.7 percent of taxpayers unchanged and continue the current 2-percentage-point reduction in the employee contribution to the payroll tax. This cut helps the poor and the middle class, who need every break they can get.

But for those making more than $1 million there were 236,883 such households in 2009 I would raise rates immediately on taxable income in excess of $1 million, including, of course, dividends and capital gains. And for those who make $10 million or more there were 8,274 in 2009 I would suggest an additional increase in rate.

My friends and I have been coddled long enough by a billionaire-friendly Congress. Its time for our government to get serious about shared sacrifice.

Warren E. Buffett is the chairman and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway.



Are the republicans and specially Tea-Party of now the worst politicians of American history ?

Bolivia's 'Road of Death' is beautiful but . . .

North Yungas road clearly endangers your life. It runs in httpthe Bolivian Andes, 70 km from La Paz to Coroico, and plunges down almost 3,600 meters in an orgy of extremely narrow hairpin curves and 800-meter abyss near-misses. A fatal accident happens there every couple of weeks, 100-200 people perish there every year. In 1995 the Inter-American Development Bank named the La Paz-to-Coroico route "the world's most dangerous road."

Scandinavia's Big Link

The Øresund Bridge links two of Scandinavia's largest cities - Copenhagen in Denmark and Malmö in Sweden. Following the opening of the bridge, the Øresund Region is poised to become a major European centre for IT, research and other knowledge-based sectors.

Cambodia's Tigers and the Banteng: protecting a predator can also mean protecting its prey

In Cambodia, international conservation groups and the Cambodian government are working to restore the eastern plains as a primary habitat for the country's dwindling population of tigers. The number of tigers worldwide is perilously low, with totals estimated at around 3,200 to perhaps 5,000. Poaching has been the primary threat to the tiger, but to develop a comprehensive conservation and management program, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) recognizes that more must be done than just eliminate poaching. One must also protect its food source.

The Cambodian tigers feed on wild pigs, muntjac deer, and banteng - an endangered species of cattle. All have suffered declines in number in the past few decades. In particular, the banteng, estimated at 2,700 to 5,700 in number residing in the eastern plains, has seen a decrease of 50% in the last 30 years. Due to its scarcity worldwide, the banteng is listed as globally endangered by the IUCN.

While the banteng suffered at the hands of poachers seeking its meat and horns, the WWF has recently issued a report based on surveys taken in 2009 and 2011 that identify social and agricultural land concessions and infrastructure as the primary threat. Human development is encroaching upon the banteng, and their loss threatens the future of one of its primary predators: the tiger.

“For the tiger population to recover, one of the most important things needed is a sustainable source of prey, such as banteng,” read a statement from the WWF regarding the need for a comprehensive and effective conservation management plan in Cambodia. “Anything less threatens to unravel a decade of conservation progress and with each passing day diminishes the Eastern Plains’ value as a national and global ecological asset for current and future generations.”

Because of the complex web of inter-dependencies that make up a healthy ecosystem, simple "silver bullet" solutions are far and few between. Should we stop the commercial killing of, say, whales or sharks, we must then also consider the health and status of the animals upon which they feed - from the smallest krill to large commercial fish. And for the remaining Cambodian tigers, should we protect their numbers we must also provide an environment within which they can feed and flourish.

“For tigers and prey species- including a globally endangered banteng population to recover within the landscape, stronger protected area management and a commitment to conservation from high levels of Cambodian government are essential,” WWF species conservation manager Nick Cox said.

Read about the banteng in the Phnom Penh Post.

"Thanks for the Memories"

Artist Tom Wilson Jr., who took over the Ziggy comic strip his father created in 1971, draws a cartoon celebrating the strip's 35th anniversary in 2006. Tom Wilson, Sr. passed away last Friday. He was 80 years old.

A "Drive" through the inderbelly

A stylish and often dreamlike mood piece with flashes of a 1980s aesthetic, "Drive," which opens Friday in Los Angeles, romanticizes and occasionally criminalizes the activity many of us dread most about Southland life. Inside their vehicles, characters seek peace, make escapes, find romance and commit murder.

Look for the Unusual

At least 25 major museums around Southern California will be offering free admission on Oct. 2 as part of Pacific Standard Time, the initiative led by the Getty focusing on the history of art in the region from 1945 to 1980.

Museums offering free admission on Oct. 2 include the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Hammer Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the Santa Monica Museum of Art.

Pacific Standard Time comprises more than 60 participating cultural groups throughout Southern California. The event officially begins in October.

—David Ng

Paramount to Expand

A rendering shows the proposed future Bronson Gate at Paramount Pictures. About 1.4 million square feet of development would take place over the next two decades at Paramount’s Melrose Avenue headquarters and some adjacent properties owned by the company, if city officials approve.

(Paramount Pictures Corp. / September 21, 2011)

"Avatar" Themed Attractions

Before you think "hey, Avatar isn't Disney," we know that. But it appears as though the Walt Disney Company has made a deal and secured the rights from Twentieth Century Fox and James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment to make Avatar themed attractions.

The LA Times brings this news, reporting that Disney plans to make their new acquired Avatar property to be a large part of all their Disney theme parks throughout the world, and it looks as though they will be starting with Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

U.S. Senate Ocean Caucus: group formed to weigh pressing ocean management issues

How does one get 100 senators and 435 representatives to agree on anything? Well, judging by today's standards, it would appear to be an impossibility. But one method is the senate caucus - a group of senators that discuss the most pressing issues regarding a particular topic, trying to move forward on proposed legislation with a unified, bipartisan voice.

The Senate Ocean Caucus has been forming, its latest permutation consisting of 19 senators, co-chaired by Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

As reported in the Cape Cod Times, "Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Scott Brown, R-Mass., and 17 other senators founded the Senate ocean caucus last week to collaborate on federal ocean management and protection policies. The caucus also plans to educate congressional members and staff on ocean and coastal policies and scientific research.

'The ocean caucus will help focus attention on ... laws that govern the seas, affect jobs and vital industries, concern our marine ecosystems and protect our waters off Massachusetts,' Kerry said."

David Helvarg's Blue Frontier Campaign has been watching this group closely (At the Blue Frontier Campaign's Blue Vision Summit in May, I had an opportunity to hear Sen. Whitehouse speak cautiously but optimistically about the caucus) and David had this to say,

"Senator Whitehouse said the caucus will focus on 'the role of the ocean economy, ecosystems functions and the need for more research.' Hopefully it can also help save ocean agencies and programs from having their budgets slashed by the House and that other body, oh yeah, the Senate. From what was said, it sounds like the caucus will begin working around issues involving the melting Arctic, the Law of the Seas treaty that the Senate has yet to ratify (30 years and counting), and ocean conservation. It’s a truly hopeful sign in a generally less than hopeful town."

With a Senate Ocean Caucus - there is also a House version, too - ocean conservation organizations and citizens as a whole will have a focal point toward which they can direct their concerns and watch what is being considered, debated, and acted upon in Washington. As dysfunctional as our government currently is, we still need those lightning rods where we can direct our energy towards getting government to seriously consider the long-term consequences of ineffective conservation and natural resource management.

Read the Blue Frontier Campaign's latest newsletter.
Read about the Senate Ocean caucus in the Cape Cod Times.

I wonder how it felt to be such a dominating force ??

If he did not get injured in the prime of his career, it is very possible that Sandy Koufax would be in the discussion as the best pitcher in MLB history. He is however, the best player in the history of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Koufax led the National League in ERA during each of his last five seasons in the majors. His dominance was clear, as he also won at least 25 games three times during that period. Koufax also collected three Cy Young Awards and an MVP.

Whale Sharks: Nat Geo documents unusual feeding behavior

Whale sharks - the largest fish on the planet. For many of us who dip below the surface of the sea, either with snorkels or scuba, catching a glimpse of any large marine animal is always a powerful and memorable experience. It almost seems surreal; something so large gliding past you like a zeppelin in a liquid sky.

That feeling is heightened when the leviathan in question is a whale shark. Not that you are concerned about becoming prey to the whale shark - these animals are filter feeders like baleen whales - but it's a shark all the same. Throughout the world there are several "hot spots" for finding small congregations of whale sharks, but it's not always guaranteed. Many divers can tell you of their experiences being skunked, and then learning about the sharks that appeared the day after they departed.

For underwater photographer Michael Aw, luck was on his side while taking pictures for National Geographic. Not only did he find whale sharks off the northern shores of Papua, Indonesia, but he was able to document an unusual behavior. The whale sharks had come across a reliable food source, that of the baitfish caught by local fishermen. With hundreds of small fish corralled into fishing nets, the sharks would grab at the nets, trying to make off with an easy meal. It would appear that it runs in the family - whale sharks are opportunistic feeders, like their smaller shark cousins.

Accompanying Aw's photos in Sharing with Sharks for the October issue, on sale September 27th, and online edition of National Geographic, Jennifer Holland wrote, "The giant fish is hard to study because it is hard to find and track. By tagging individual specimens, scientists have learned that whale sharks can log thousands of miles in years-long trips. But they sometimes disappear for weeks, diving more than a mile down and resting in the chilly deep for a spell. No one has ever found mating or birthing grounds.

Whale sharks are ordinarily loners. But not in one corner of Indonesia. [Michael Aw's] photographs, shot some eight miles off the province of Papua, reveal a group of sharks that call on fishermen each day, zipping by one another, looking for handouts near the surface, and nosing the nets - a rare instance when the generally docile fish act, well, like the rest of the sharks."

One might question whether these sharks are becoming habituated or "trained" to look to the fishermen for their food. This has been a concern leveled at others in the eco-tourism trade who are accused of attracting animals, in particular sharks, to the extant that it potentially interferes with the animals normal hunting instincts. But research has shown that what is offered as an attractant is usually insignificant compared to the animal's normal nutritional requirements and with whatever behavior modification that might take place, its effects are transitory.

But it can provide for some amazing moments, as Michael Aw's photos can attest. You can read the entire photo-article in the October issue of National Geographic or visit the National Geographic website.

"two canvases competing"

Pablo Picasso, Portrait of a Woman, 1910, oil on canvas: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. With these two images the subjects were simultaneously visible and invisible, as if there were two canvases competing; the first layer being the image of a woman, and the second being a broken space of shapes, lines and color.

"woefully underexamined"

Museums and galleries all over Southern California will be filled to overflowing this fall with exhibitions that are part of Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A., 1945-1980. The Getty-sponsored historical survey chronicles countless nooks and crannies of the first two generations of the region’s art made after World War II. In all, some 60 shows will open over the next six months, offering the most in-depth look imaginable at a woefully underexamined period.

Above at Los Angeles County Museum of Art: "Folding Screen With Indian Wedding and Flying Pole," circa 1690, is part of the museum's "Contested Visions" exhibition.

"Brooklyn Book Festival"

On Sunday in Brooklyn, as people are standing in line to hear Pulitzer Prize winners Jennifer Egan and Jhumpa Lahiri, others will be parking their strollers so Adam Mansbach can sign copies of his alt-parenting book "Go the F-- to Sleep." The Brooklyn Book Festival has become New York City's preeminent public daylong literary event — even though it takes place across the river from Manhattan, the epicenter of publishing.

Above: the Brooklyn Bridge ties a less glittery borough to Manhattan.