Moments of Awareness

El Segundo, CA — March 11, 2011 — The magnitude 8.9 earthquake and subsequent tsunami waves that struck of Japan today, killing hundreds and causing major damage to that country's infrastructure, could also cause a significant disruption in the global electronics supply chain, according to industry analysts at IHS iSuppli . Japan in 2010 accounted for 13.9 percent of all global electronic equipment factory revenue, according to a preliminary IHS iSuppli estimate. This includes manufacturing of all electronic equipment, including computers, consumer electronics devices and communications gear. Japan produced $216.6 billion worth of electronic equipment in 2010. In addition, Japan accounted for 16.5 percent of global consumer electronics equipment factory revenue in 2010. The country represented 10.2 percent of worldwide data processing revenue in 2010, according to IHS iSuppli. Furthermore, Japanese suppliers accounted for more than one fifth of global semiconductor p...

Henry Charlier was in the sixth grade as he watched his uncle’s melanoma turn into brain cancer and take his life. Three decades later, the assistant professor in chemistry and biochemistry at Boise State University is steeped in finding ways to focus chemotherapy drugs on killing cancer cells, not harming patients. He knows of at least one enzyme in the human body that neutralizes some chemotherapy drugs into substances that don’t kill cancer cells and are poisonous to the heart. “The goal of our research is to take this guy out,” he said. Charlier was among several BSU professors who talked Thursday about their research with residents and industry. Boist State does a good job of turning money into research, said Mark Rudin, the university’s vice president for research. “We are not so good at translating the research into money.” The university received about $50 million for research projects in 2010. Moving research off a college campus and into commercial production lines c...

"We listen to music and talk to people." Watch live on Cable One  Channel 11  in southwestern Idaho and eastern Oregon or  on-line  (there's an approximately thirty-second delay) and give us a call at 1-208-343-1100 between 10 and 11PM MT. Check out 'fake band' The Greenpoint Homewreckers (from Mystery Primate Worldwide 's Kurt Schuler) & rising local talent Brother Dan on tonight's show. Watch previous shows on YouTube  here  and background videos with music (now in widescreen HD)  here .   Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

The role of Social Security and Medicare in our nation’s ongoing fiscal problems is widely misunderstood and often misrepresented. One often hears that the growth of spending on big entitlement programs, including Social Security and Medicare, must be reduced. It is true. But it also ignores the fact that, up till now, at least, those two specific programs have not added to annual budget deficits or the national debt. Instead, taxes paid into these two programs have exceeded spending by a wide margin for decades, reducing the annual budget deficits and cumulative national debt as they are commonly tabulated. The fact that taxes have been less than spending in all categories except Social Security and Medicare is why the national debt has mushroomed over the past 30 years. If we do not address that fundamental problem, we are not going to solve anything. This is not to say Social Security and Medicare are on sound financial footings. They are not, and they require major changes...

Before the Foothills and the Boise River valley bottom were developed, thousands of mule deer wintered in the lowlands from Barber Valley to Lake Lowell. Today, humans have claimed nearly all of that land, leaving the ungulates little space to hunker down and ride out the winter. Soon after the city of Boise bought Hammer Flat with the last of its Foothills open space money one year ago, city leaders said wildlife, not recreationists, would be the beneficiaries of the 700-acre site. And they are holding true to that plan. On Tuesday, the City Council is expected to agree to let the Idaho Department of Fish and Game manage the site for wildlife, not human, use with the goal of one day buying the land as a wildlife refuge. Under the agreement, wildlife managers would have the power to issue tickets to trespassers. The land, once slated to be a 1,350-unit housing development, has never been prime recreation land. While privately owned, the land was used by some hikers and hu...

For you retro buffs, this is apparently available at a shop (I wanna say 'shoppe', 'cause that's where it feels like it belongs :D) in Alameda: From: paul peterson Date: Wed, Mar 9, 2011 at 10:08 PM Turns on with a pull chain. Works GREAT. $225. though..... Cool huh? Wonder if it's worth more? About 15' in diameter. :O( PP See the full gallery on Posterous Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

Parental alienation theories continue to be used in the family court systems. The more battered women advocates continue to fight against it, the more it morphs and expands. It is not a matter of who is doing it more often or whether it exists . It is a convenient tool that attempts to explain basic human parental behaviors while making money for the court system, attorneys and Guardians Ad Litem, psychologists, and social workers. These systems and "professionals" can only profit if they have business...customers. Remember this as the fight continues. Remember also that psychology does not provide proof, nor does it predict. Like science, it changes as more knowledge is gained. Unlike science (though arguable!), it supports popular opinion which waxes and wanes according to what society is focused on at the time. It can also help to guide or shape public opinion-- like religion . In that our society is misogynist, racist, and hostile to children, the application of ps...

From: Idaho Conservation League Date: Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 2:02 PM Your Voice for Conservation Friday, March 11, 2011 Volume 15, Issue 9 Dear Peace, Thank you for joining us last night at our annual legislative reception! It was a great night during a tough legislative session. Off-road Vehicles (ORVs) On Monday at 1:30, the Senate Resources and Environment Committee will hold hearings on three pieces of legislation relating to off-road vehicles.  Senate Bills 1015 and 1016 would strip Idaho Fish and Game of the ability to provide traditional, non-motorized hunting opportunities. Thanks to your help, opposition to these bills in letters and e-mails to our le...

via thearcjackson.org Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

'Bullying' is the current buzzword that most makes me cringe but I agree that we need to start with ourselves and I'm glad to hear that message coming from the White House. Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

Thanks to Jan over at Libertarian Moms : Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

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Marky Ramone and singer Michale Graves are back with their second single “If and When” now available to download from iTunes. Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg officially debuted the new track on iTunes, March 7th. Michale Graves is currently on a solo tour in support of his streaming talk radio show ‘Radio Deadly’ ( www.radiodeadly.net ) and will meet up with Marky to tour South America this summer. Check out the new track on iTunes, Here markyramone.com michalegraves.net via ampmagazine.com   Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

BY STEPHEN HENDERSON DETROIT FREE PRESS COLUMNIST I don't expect complexity from Glenn Beck any more than I expect sober clarity from Charlie Sheen. So Beck's assertion Monday that Detroit 2010 is Hiroshima 1945 was predictably crude and one-dimensional -- effective, perhaps, for a predisposed audience, but not much grist for the intellectual mill. Give Beck this, though: For an unrefined analogy, the core of this one was pretty spot-on. [...] Full article at  freep.com Mr. Henderson says, "... [T]here's a pernicious quality in today's political dialogue that seeks to blame one source for all of America's problems, be it liberals, Republicans, corporations or 'mainstream media.' If we could just take that evil out back and shoot it, problems would vanish, right? "Right. Nothing's that simple. "There's a lot of blame to go around for the problems of Detroit. But the more important issue is: Who'...

Washington - From state legislatures to Congress to tea party rallies, a vocal backlash is rising against what are perceived as too-generous retirement benefits for state and local government workers. However, that widespread perception doesn't match reality. A close look at state and local pension plans across the nation, and a comparison of them to those in the private sector, reveals a more complicated story. However, the short answer is that there's simply no evidence that state pensions are the current burden to public finances that their critics claim. Pension contributions from state and local employers aren't blowing up budgets. They amount to just 2.9 percent of state spending, on average, according to the National Association of State Retirement Administrators. The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College puts the figure a bit higher at 3.8 percent. Though there's no direct comparison, state and local pension contributions approximate the b...

For certain members of the military, and for certain federal employees, there’s just 2 months remaining to get use the federal home buyer tax credit. Eligible persons include members of the uniformed services, members of the Foreign Service, and intelligence community employees who served at least 90 days of qualified, extended duty service outside of the United States between January 1[...] Full article at  cheriuremortgageblog.com   Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

Grade school students living in Eagle’s Brookwood subdivision have just a short walk from their neighborhood to Eagle Hills Elementary. But the required dash across Floating Feather Road was too risky. To keep the students safe, the school had to bus the kids the short distance. “It was too much to ask the kids to get across without some kind of safety device,” Eagle Hills Principal Jason Leforgee said. Now, thanks to Ada County voters, the kids can safely cross the street, and the school no longer has to pay to bus the students the short distance. Fall 2008 was a politically and economically tough time, but when the Ada County Highway District asked for the increase, voters responded by passing the vehicle registration fee increase with a 67 percent majority — a two-thirds super-majority for a fee that needed only a simple majority to pass. [...] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cynthia Sewell: 377-6428 Full article at  idahostatesman.com   ...

Michael George Gonzalez   ATTENTION BELLINGHAM:Brad Lockhart, a local musician had his instruments stolen from his van the other night. An American Telecaster, Mexican Thinline Telecaster, Goodtimes Banjo, and 68 Fender Bassman got stolen out of his van.If anyone sees any of these things in a pawn shop or on craigslist please call him at 360-820-1854 Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad laid the first stone of a $2.1 billion irrigation project on the Tigris River today, the Syrian Arab News Agency said. The project will pump 1.25 billion cubic meters (330 billion gallons) of Tigris water to irrigate some 200,000 hectares (770 square miles) of land in the northeastern governorate of Hassakeh, it said. It will provide 125 million cubic meters of potable [...] ~~~~~~~~~~ To contact the reporters on this story: Lina Ibrahim in Dubai at librahim4@bloomberg.net ; Nayla Razzouk in Amman at nrazzouk2@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephen Voss at sev@bloomberg.net Full article at  bloomberg.com An interesting discussion on the middle eastern water supply situation (and why this matters) can be found here . Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

A hard freeze swept across Boise overnight, foreshadowing what is expected to be a cruel debate swirling around education and Medicaid today. The Idaho House is gaveling in a bit early this morning in order to take up Senate Bills 1108 and 1110, better known as two of the three bills that Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna has proposed to change the face of education. Luna calls his plan "Students Come First," and today's session comes after a week of student-led sit-ins and walk-outs. SB 1108 guts collective bargaining from teachers. SB 1110 introduces merit pay for thousands of Idaho's educators. As if that weren't enough drama for one day, a joint session of the House and Senate Health and Welfare committees will take up House Bill 221, better known as Medicaid reform. The measure, co-sponsored by Republican Rep. Janice McGeachin and Republican Senator Patti Anne Lodge, would cut up to $39 million from Medicaid. That, in turn, wo...

Researchers at the University of Waterloo found the rewards of raising children are often a myth. (SHUTTERSTOCK) Parents often exaggerate the joys of parenthood as a way to mentally justify how much money the kids are costing them, a new study says. Researchers at the University of Waterloo found the rewards of raising children are often a myth. The researchers divided 80 parents into two groups. One group was given reading material that says it costs about $185,000 to raise a child to 18. The other group was asked to read about the long-term benefits of being a parent, including financial and practical support in old age. [...] Full article at  torontosun.com Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

Measurements to worry about: A U.S. study has claimed that if men want to become fathers they should check the size of their AGD When it comes to male fertility, it turns out that size does matter. But not the measurement that most men worry about. The dimension in question is a measurement known as anogenital distance, or AGD. The shorter the AGD, the more likely a man was to have a low sperm count, a U.S. study has shown. Men whose AGD is shorter than the median length - around two inches - have seven times the chance of being sub-fertile as those with a longer AGD, according to the study published on Friday in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. [...] Full article at  dailymail.co.uk Time to measure your taint, fellas. :) Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

From: Ken Cook, EWG Action Fund Date: Tue, Mar 8, 2011 at 7:15 AM Dear Friend, It's unbelievable that with all that we know about bisphenol A, Maine's Governor Paul LePage is justifying his opposition to banning the chemical from baby bottles by making a lame joke. The Bangor Daily News quotes Gov. LePage as saying: "The only thing that I've heard is if you take a plastic bottle and put it in the microwave and you heat it up, it gives off a chemical similar to estrogen. So the worst case is some women may have little beards ." Little beards? Gov. LePage seems to have missed the more than 200 studies linking this plastics component and synthetic estrogen to serious health problems such as prostate and breast cancer, infertility, early puberty and brain and heart disorders. He also apparently missed the research showing serious and lasting changes in the brains and bodies of fetal and newborn test animals. EWG Action Fund plans to send Gov. LePag...

From: Josh Ritter Date: Tue, Mar 8, 2011 at 6:40 AM Josh's debut novel, BRIGHT'S PASSAGE , hits shelves in North America on JUNE 28th via Random House / Dial Press.   Go here to download the first chapter of the book (PDF file) for free: http://joshritter.com/2011/03/03/brights-passage-joshs-debut-novel-in-stores-june-28th/ For folks reading this on their phone / iPad / etc , go here to read the first chapter: http://joshritter.com/files/2011/03/joshritter-brightspassage-chapter1.pdf *  *  *  *  * The novel follows a young, widowed veteran of the First World War, Henry Bright, as he and his infant son, along with an unlikely guardian angel flee from a forest fire and Bright's cruel in-laws.  Shifting between their strange journey through West Virginia's hickory-canopied foothills, Bright's harrowing memories of the trenches of France, and recollections from his childhood, the novel is at times suspenseful and kinetic, quiet and eerie, and often humorous. You ...

The America Invents Act offers a step toward a more effective and transparent patent protection system. This should encourage investment in inventions and faster diffusion of ideas. The bill, which has broad bipartisan support, would boost the patent office’s resources by letting it keep all the fees it collects. This would enable it to speed up the review of patent applications — which currently takes almost three years to process — and work through an immense backlog of 715,000 applications. The bill should reduce costly litigation by creating an in-house system to look into claims of patent infringement before they go to court. The bill would also replace the first-to-invent standard prevailing in the United States — which grants formal protection to the creator of an innovation — with the first-inventor-to-file system used in most nations. This change would make it cheaper for American patent holders to get patent protection around the world...

The Boise State football team opens spring ball Monday needing to replace some serious star power. The Broncos lost 11 starters from last year’s 12-1 team, many of them multi-year starters. The most suspense surrounds wide receiver, safety, nickel and the right side of the offensive line — positions that account for six of the lost starters. The other openings likely will be filled by proven backups except for kicker, which won’t be settled until recruit Jake Van Ginkel arrives in August. The Broncos have 15 spring practices spread over six weeks. The Spring Game is at 5 p.m. April 16. “We need a lot of guys to step up,” said sixth-year coach Chris Petersen, whose team moves into the Mountain West Conference this fall. “We lost so much talent. Certainly some of our young guys who have played and been factors now are going to be much bigger factors if they take care of business.” [...] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chadd Cripe: 377-6398 "...

U.S. Geothermal CEO Dan Kunz already is upgrading a geothermal power plant in Nevada and developing a new one in Oregon. Both states offer incentives to help companies like his overcome the high up-front costs to build clean energy generators that will last for decades. But Kunz is waiting to see whether the Idaho Legislature is going to renew a 6 percent sale tax rebate before he decides whether to expand his company’s 13-megawatt Raft River Geothermal Plant east of Burley in Cassia County. Idaho is No. 3 in the nation in terms of geothermal power potential. But Kunz said without state incentives, developers like him will go to surrounding states without sales tax and more favorable attitudes toward alternative energy. So far, the debate over the alternative energy tax rebate has focused on wind energy developers who have invested $1 billion since the rebate was first approved in 2005. A bounty of wind has Idaho utilities and the Idaho Public Utilities Commission call...

Anthony Lakes Ski Area gets about 300 inches of snow a year, has a taller summit than Bogus Basin, Brundage or Tamarack, and is about the same distance from the Treasure Valley as Sun Valley. NORDIC SKIING Last weekend, I skate-skied on perfectly groomed Nordic trails in the 29-kilometer network with rolling terrain and meadows. The tracks were set for classic and skate skiing. There also were plenty of marked snowshoe trails. It was my third visit, and I love coming back to the uncrowded, well-maintained trails. [...] ~~~~~~~~~~~~ For more information call (514) 856-3277 or go to www.anthonylakes.com . Natalie Bartley is a freelance outdoors writer and the author of two trail guidebooks. E-mail: natbartley@earthlink.net . Full article at  idahostatesman.com   Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

Land on airport’s commercial runway without making contact Christian Peregin A Libyan pilot (right) emerging from his Mirage fighter jet after landing at Malta International Airport, yesterday. He and a colleague, flying another jet, asked for asylum after refusing to shoot at protesters. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi Two Libyan fighter jet pilots landed in Malta yesterday claiming to have escaped the country after being asked to bomb protester civilians in Benghazi. [...] Full article at  timesofmalta.com   Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

Burial remains of a dog that lived over 7,000 years ago in Siberia suggest the male Husky-like animal probably lived and died similar to how humans did at that time and place, eating the same food, sustaining work injuries, and getting a human-like burial. "Based on how northern indigenous people understand animals in historic times, I think the people burying this particular dog saw it as a thinking, social being, perhaps on par with humans in many ways," said Robert Losey, lead author of a study about the dog burial, which has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology. "I think the act of treating it as a human upon its death indicates that people knew it had a soul, and that the mortuary rites it received were meant to ensure that this soul was properly cared for," added Losey, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Alberta. For the study, Losey collaborated with excavation director Vladimir Bazal...

BodyBuilding.com hands out cash for fitness book reports. Healthwise offers Wellness Bucks and nap rooms. The local branch of the American Heart Association competes for Wii privileges. Workers of all shapes and sizes are being enticed by cash and prizes that employers hope will hedge against growing health-coverage costs. Company wellness programs that used to start and end with smoking-cessation support and gym reimbursements are morphing into menus of freebies and discounts. SPEND TO SAVE MONEY Most businesses are quick to say their first priority is employee health for its own sake. But they admit saving money is a factor in the new financial incentives. Research published in December in the Harvard Business Review — which drew on a site visit to Healthwise, the nonprofit health-information organization in Boise — suggests that offering perks and fixing employees’ health problems can yield a 200 [...] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Audrey Dutton: 377-6448 Fu...

From: Maha Yoga Date: Mon, Mar 7, 2011 at 10:02 AM Maha Yoga | Maha Yoga | 13050 San Vicente Blvd | Suite 202 | Los Angeles | CA | 90049 Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

From: SpaceWeather.com Date: Mon, Mar 7, 2011 at 10:52 AM Space Weather News for March 7, 2011 http://spaceweather.com DOUBLE FLYBY ALERT: This morning, March 7th, space shuttle Discovery undocked from the International Space Station. This sets the stage for a spectacular series of double flyby sighting opportunities. The station and shuttle will be flying over parts of the United States and Europe tonight and tomorrow, appearing in the night sky as a closely-spaced pair of bright lights. This is also a last chance to see Discovery in flight, because the orbiter will be retired after landing in Florida on Wednesday, March 9th. Check the Simple Satellite Tracker ( http://spaceweather.com/flybys ) or download our smartphone flybys app ( http://simpleflybys.com ) to find out when to look.  If you'd like a phone call when the ISS is about to fly over your location, sign up for Space Weather Phone: http://spaceweatherphone.com . New subscribers may sign up for free space weather...

Mystery_Primates_Worldwide-Blind_to_Rhythm_.mp3 Listen on Posterous Mystery Primates Worldwide Posted via email from Moments of Awareness

we will be at the liquid [Boise, ID] this tues march 8th for Mardi gras! Come out and party down! SEE U THERE! I've said it before, I'll say it again, mark your calendar and don't miss it ! :) Posted via email from Moments of Awareness