Friday, January 27th, 2012
SABRINA TAVERNISE, - The New York Times
Stephan: It is not good for a democracy to have strong class tensions; it inherently destabilizes society, and degrades the sense we are all in it together. Yet the trend of rising class tensions is clearly getting worse. Conservatives don't like the discussion of this subject because it points out the extreme disparity between the 1% and the 99%, which they would prefer to go unremarked.
Conflict between rich and poor now eclipses racial strain and friction between immigrants and the native-born as the greatest source of tension in American society, according to a survey released Wednesday.
About two-thirds of Americans now believe there are ‘strong conflicts
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Friday, January 27th, 2012
KATE SPINNER, - Herald-Tribune (Sarasoto, FL)
Stephan: The deniers just keeping spewing their nonsense while scientists, and those who are responsible for carrying out the public response to disasters, are beginning to run around with their hair on fire. If you live on a coast line, or in an area where drought or tornadoes are common, I would begin thinking seriously about your response to the crises your area may face.
NEW ORLEANS — Last year’s extreme weather across the U.S. – 2011 was the most expensive year ever for natural disasters – is raising concern among scientists and policy-makers about the nation’s ability to withstand a shifting climate.
Damage from tornadoes, floods, droughts, hurricanes and wildfires caused more than $200 billion in losses and 1,000 deaths across the nation last year. Florida escaped major damage, but saw record high temperatures over the summer, after a much colder than normal winter.
The conversation about climate change has to move beyond debates about greenhouse gases to discussions about making homes and infrastructure more resilient to weather, said Margaret Davidson, director of the Coastal Services Center for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Communities across the nation need to reduce their vulnerability, she said during a forum on adapting to climate change at the American Meteorological Society meeting here.
Recent trends show the cost of natural disasters escalating while the government’s financial ability to deal with those losses shrinks. Climate scientists anticipate an uptick in extreme weather as the global climate warms.
‘You can see there’s a train wreck coming and it has to do with Mother Nature,’ Davidson said.
In communities where disasters, such as floods and storm […]
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Thursday, January 26th, 2012
, - Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Stephan: This could be a very big deal. I will follow this closely.
The Center for Immunotherapy at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) has launched a phase I clinical research study of a dendritic cell vaccine designed to both eradicate cancer cells and prevent disease relapse. Developed at RPCI, the NY-ESO-1 dendritic cell vaccine will be manufactured in the Institute’s new Therapeutic Cell Production Facility using a unique FDA-approved process – making RPCI the first research facility in the U.S. to use a custom-made barrier isolator for vaccine cell production, and the first in the world to use this system in an approved, government-regulated study.
Dendritic cells are the gatekeepers of the human immune system, defending against invaders like bacteria, viruses and cancer. The vaccine to be produced at RPCI will be the first to incorporate a particular form of NY-ESO-1, antiDEC205-NY-ESO-1. ‘Armed with this specialized protein, the treated cells are then given back to the patient as a vaccine designed to recruit an army of killer immune cells that seek out and destroy cancer,
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Thursday, January 26th, 2012
BRUCE E. LEVINE, - AlterNet
Stephan: If you are 18-30, as I have been told over and over, student debt is a major life distorting factor in your life, and it can continue into your 40s. This article is too polemic, but it accurately spells out the issues involved. It isn't clear to me yet whether this will lead to civil strife, but there is no question it is an issue great significance to a very large part of our population, which explains its appearance in the President's State of the Union
In October 2011, the White House announced, ‘Currently, more than 36 million Americans have federal student loan debt.
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Thursday, January 26th, 2012
Stephan: Carol Kindschi and Larry Greenberg, read the article on Monsanto published by the Organic Consumers Association, that I ran a few days ago, and wrote Monsanto. Here is their response in its entirety. They sent it to me, for which I thank them, and I pass it on to you. As I have said before, I try to get you the most accurate and complete information possible, and correct things when I think they are justified. This email is filled with simple declarative statements. It is a base line against which to assess the future.
——– Original Message ——–
Subject: Whole Foods Market (Customer Service)
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:40:32 -0600
From:
Reply-To:
To:
Hi Carol,
Rumors that Whole Foods Market has sur
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