FUEL: Sundance Film Festival Award Winner

 

Oil or no oil?  That’s the question many car owners and most filmgoers asked themselves before they watched the documentary—FUEL.  Afterwards however, there was no question in anyone’s mind the next step in our eco-evolution.  In fact, at the packed FUEL screening at the Go Green Expo actors/environmentalists Peter Fonda and Mariel Hemmingway swore to the audience that they would personally take FUEL to the White House.

You might think that oil is unavoidable in our society, but a new documentary, FUEL out now, gets to the point; it is possible to exist comfortably in a oil-free world—if we want to.  The director of the film is a young and talented man named Joshua Tickell.  With an awe-inspiring Gandhy-like energy, his vision…FUEL…is a must-see for everyone.  I had the opportunity to interview Tickell and his hope for our future carries enough punch to get us on board for an oil-free world.

SD: How long did the documentary FUEL take to make? 

JT: The movie took 11 years.

SD: What’s the difference between FUEL and your other documentary, Fields of Fuel?

JT: Fields of Fuel is an unfinished rough cut of FUEL and there were many aspects of, Fields of Fuel that were unfinished; from animation to interviews.  FUEL is the definitive and completed film—as it was envisioned, but with unexpected surprises.  

SD: The subtitle of FUEL is, “The World Is Addicted To Oil.  It’s Time For An Intervention.”  Has President Obama seen the movie yet?  

JT:  Obama’s energy advisor saw an early cut and soon after, lines from the movie began appearing in President Obama’s speeches.  I think it’s likely we will have an audience with the president this year.  I hope anyway.  We’re working to get it in front of him.

SD: What is the reaction to FUEL?

JT: Excitement.  People want the movie in every school and movie theater in America.  If GREEN energy is important to you, see the movie.  Vote with your ticket stub.  Help everyone see that this issue warrants national attention by bringing attention to box office numbers.  Bring every person you know to the film and see it multiple times…you’ll learn something new each time.  FUEL is showing in LA at the Broadway on 3rd Street, and at the Sunset 5 in Hollywood,  right now.  There is nothing more meaningful than coming out to the theater and packing the house.

SD: What is bio fuel and where does it come from?

JT:  Bio-fuel is any fuel derived from biological materials.  This includes fuels like ethanol, biodiesel and methane.

SD: How has been bio-fuel been detrimental to people?

JT: We address this complicated question in great detail in the film.  True a handful of large corporations destroyed tracts of land for biofuel production, but the scare tactics and misinformation that was spread about biofuels starving the world were untrue and misguided.

SD: School buses in Las Vegas are converted to bio fuel.  What would it take for the LA School District to do the same?

JT: It would take a concerted effort, coordination and commitment.  Technology is available and every diesel school bus in the country can run on clean biodiesel made from recycled sources.  

Visit: thefuelfilm.com

By Dr. Sophie Duriez

A school where learning is inspired by wonder, exploration and discovery.

 

A school where learning is inspired by wonder, skills achieved through exploration and knowledge is attained through discovery.

MUSE is built on the premise by its founders to teach children about peace, within themselves and peace around the world.  Through a comprehensive academia and social approach, children develop an awareness of self, peers, neighbors and their global friends.  The MUSE curriculum is offered through a constellation of learning approaches, both child-led and teacher inspired.

• Nurture an inner and outer awareness in children.

• Celebrate and respect each child’s spirit and individuality.

• Engage children through experience-based, hands-on learning.

• Grow confident and free thinkers.

MUSE Founder Suzy Amis Cameron is on a mission.  Not satisfied with the school system when looking for an education program for her own two children, she sought an alternative approach offering education in a completely different, all encompassing way.  So, she and her husband James Cameron decided to create a school and one of the main focuses would be teaching a healthy lifestyle to children, which meant teaching the importance of a healthy diet.  She states, “I have watched my children and friends children’s behaviors change drastically after minor diet adjustments.  It is vital for us to feed our children the best way we can so their brains will have optimal production value.”

 In addition to Spanish and French, children get the best of everything they need and love  with a full routine of Adventure and Outdoor activities, Yoga, Art, Music, Performing Arts, Human Development and an all natural organic menu of lunch and snack time goodies.  All of the MUSE programs are specifically designed for early childhood through the fifth grade.  The key, core principles used in each program targeted to help the growth and development of the children are:

1. Adults see each child as unique, strong and full of potential.

2. The teacher is a partner in learning with the child.

3. Children can present their ideas and emotions through many “languages”—including spoken and written words, visual arts, drama, movement and more.

4. The educational process is a collaboration between children and peers; teachers and other teachers; teachers and families; school and the community.

By Janice E. Burns 

Hollywood Couples Who Rock!

 

Hollywood romances come and go and often our favorite star hook-ups don’t even make it to the altar even after all those highly publicized exotic vacations, blinding bling presents and all that public smooching and butt grabbing they put us through.  Worse—others who “I Do”—in the end don’t—and matrimonial bliss ends up mere a flash in the pan, with a way too cordial divorce (nobody buys) and it’s onto the next love of his/her life.  February is ‘lovers month’ so we just had to pick our favorite couples—some married some not—nevertheless, public opinion seems to be that we’re all rooting for these match-ups.  More than that—we’re certain the angels in heaven will weep and here on earth all hell will break loose—if they don’t make it!

 

HEIDI KLUM & SEAL

If ever there was a Hollywood couple with a story book beginning that took them straight to a snappy “I do” and all the way to forever and beyond…it’s these two.  Forget gorgeous, everything about them is CUTE including their three kids, Leni, Harry and Johan (all under age six)!  With their fourth year of marriage comin’ round the bend what we like is that they cuddle and froth over each other no matter where they are. They dig each other and we dig them!  German-born supermodel Klum announced to the world that she and Seal were engaged at the end of 2004, and what a proposal it had been!  Skiing in British Columbia, the Nigerian born/British raised, R&B superhunk hired a helicopter to take them to the top of a 14,000 foot glacier to do the asking.  They married on a beach near Seal’s home in Costa Careyes, Mexico months later in 2005.  Klum is proud as punch to this very day over landing the 6’4” superstar stating to InStyle magazine, “Sometimes I lie in bed and I’m like, ‘Oh my god, there’s Seal lying next to me.  What’s he doing there?  I get a smile on my face immediately.  Some people wake up in the morning and turn over when they see their mate. That’s not us.  Our honeymoon period is definitely not over.”  We hope not!  The duo first locked eyes in late 2003.  Klum had abruptly ended a long-term relationship with a man who had to have been crazier than a loon to let her get away.  Klum soon discovered that she was pregnant by the bad boyfriend and was ready to go it alone as a mommy warrior, when she accidently hit Seal’s radar screen. The two started kicking it with some serious dating.  What the heart wants the heart gets and when Klum gave birth to her baby daughter in 2004, Seal was standing right by her side and promptly assumed the role of the baby’s father.  Two more kiddies (sons) followed zippity split and now the family lives happily ever-after in Beverly Hills where all rich, happy people live.  When the Grammy Award winning singer—who by the way has a degree in architecture is not globe-trotting around with his stellar concert career (15,000,000 million-plus albums sold worldwide, his sixth album SOUL was released this past November and produced by music icon David Foster), and Klum is not overseeing her ever-growing dynasty of modeling, clothes, jewelry, fragrance, pitch person, glittery Victoria Secret winged entrances

—not to mention a sixth season on Bravo channel’s-Emmy nominated hit show Project Run—they veg-out  with the kids in parks, on swings, going down slides, to the beach and having the time of their lives.

 

Jim Carrey & Jenny McCarthy

These days our favorite funnyman seems to have more on his mind than making us laugh.  Since Carrey’s high- profile romance with Jenny McCarthy took off, he has been in over-drive supporting her and her year-old son Evan, helping McCarthy champion for causes close to her heart, namely bringing awareness to autism intervention of which she is a mighty advocate.  Through her efforts McCarthy  has shed light on the fact that autism is an environmental illness.  Executive officer of the UCLA Hospital System, Dr. David Feinberg, referred to McCarthy as “my hero” citing her efforts to raise awareness to the condition.   He also recognized the Canadian-born  superstar Carrey as being a tremendous supporter of the treatment center as well.  As a former Playboy Playmate, and chosen by People (USA) magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world, not to mention being singled out as Sexiest Women in the World,  McCarthy has shown us that with dedication and perseverance nothing is beyond a miracle as in the case of her son, who is experiencing miracles at every turn in his recovery. Amazingly, working within the medical community fighting for changes in both diagnosis and treat- ment isn’t that far out of the ballpark; McCarthy was enrolled in nursing school before Hollywood came calling.  Using her quick wit and unforgiving sense of humor, she has become an accomplished author lending a laugh to times in her life that were less than glamorous— namely pregnancy. On a more serious note her best-selling book “Louder Than Words: A Mother’s Journey in Healing Autism,” cut to the chase on a mother’s heartbreak.  With McCarthy’s work, the federal court system recently conceded that vaccines could contribute to autism, something many parents of autistic children have considered for years, due to the fact that  by two years of age…most children have received somewhere in the area of 36 immunization shots.  Looking like a man on top of the world, with the woman he loves by his side, photos crop up everywhere of the smooching, hugging and handholding couple.   With zero need to prove his status in the movie industry and already richer than rich, the Golden Globe winner Carrey seems at home and in bliss with McCarthy, her son and his beautiful teenage daughter  Jane, from a previous marriage.  Although the Carrey/McCarthy romance has been in overdrive since 2005, and they live together, marriage plans are on hold.  And as McCarthy told Ellen DeGeneres on her show last year—we don’t need a “piece of paper.”  We agree.  It looks to us like the deal is already sealed.

Ashton Kutcher & Demi Moore 

What we like is that Demi Moore showed women that it’s never too late to go for the gusto of a younger man.  What we like even more…her choice of Ashton Kutcher.  A former Hollywood party boy, seemingly over-night Kutcher went into adoring husband mode and step-father figure to Moore’s three children by Bruce Willis.  To top that, and we can…Moore, Kutcher and Willis are all friends, and offer an amazing example to divorced couples everywhere that with love for our children and commitment to letting bygones be bygones with regards to divorce…it is possible to merge a past  and present husband friendships.  In an interview Moore told Harper’s Bazaar that she never understood the fascination people had with their 15-year age difference.   “People made such a fuss about my relationship with Ashton. You would have thought they had never seen it before. Age wasn’t what I was thinking about, but to the rest of the world it was a very big deal.”  Not to be left out of the new and ex melting pot comings and goings, Kutcher told his side of the story noting that having Willis around was something he had to work on.  ”I just had to get over my ego, which was screaming, ‘This guy used to sleep with your woman.’  And I listened instead to the little voice inside that was whispering, ‘This guy loves and cares about your woman.’  Once I did that, it was a cakewalk.”  It’s not fair…Moore seems to look younger every year and when she unveiled a ‘10 bod’ in the Charlie’s Angels sequel is was apparent that she works her butt off—literally to stay in amazing shape.  In an industry that shakes off women over 40 like a dog shakes off fleas, Moore continues on and credits her youthful look to maintaining a youthful outlook on life.  “If you think you’re old, feel that you’re done growing, then you’re going to have a stale life force around you.  I’ve always enjoyed being childlike and placed an importance on being silly and playing and remembering not to take myself too seriously…One of the most important things about anti-aging is really in your thinking…”  For a while it seemed like their interest in Kabala was at the root of their marital bliss, but according to reports the couple are not regular attendees as of late and red string bracelets are nowhere in sight. Although we’ve watched Demi progress in her craft over decades, we’ve had less chance to see Kutcher do his acting growing thing.  He stated, “I’ll probably never be the best actor in Hollywood, but I hope to be the hardest working,’ and that’s something considering that 12 years ago, he was a biochemical engineering student at the University of Iowa.  Although they married in 2005, they act like two dovey little birds.  Our most excellent pick for a Hollywood Honey couple that we  are certain will last.

This Woman Can Save Your Life

 

 

AGE LESS…LIVE MORE…

 

“You can now defy your bad genes.”

Our elegant human body contains more than 100 trillion cells and each one performs many mind boggling functions on a daily basis.  The catch here is that even though they are separate…they must find a way to work together in order for your body to stay up and running and healthy.

Everything from energy level to memory, mood, libido, exercise capacity, weight, the rate at which you age and ability to prevent and fight off disease is determined by how well your cells receive and use information including genetic information—meaning how well they function—or don’t!  

Our current medicine typically waits for symptoms to arise and treats late symptoms with one-size-fits-all drugs or surgery.  Generally by the time a person seeks out a physician for treatment of the actual physical problem, the disease has already taken hold, done damage, and is well on its way to becoming chronic or untreatable. 

That’s where the CENIGENT Health Enhancement Medical Institute comes in. 

With an MD from UC San Diego Medical School, board certified internist, Dr. Lida Ghaderi is an expert in personalized genetic-based medicine and is the founder of CENIGENT.  For more than a decade, she has helped many people, and now uses the CENIGENT program for her exclusive patients.  

What is CENIGENT?

Each letter of CENIGENT defines one of the 8 vital systems of the body which govern our health.  When these 8 inter-related systems are balanced and optimal—we are in a healthy state, otherwise disease and aging ensue.

CENIGENT spells out these systems:

• C: Cellular system (metabolic function

          and mitochondria) 

• E: Endocrine system (hormones) 

• N: Nervous system 

• I: Immune system 

• G: Genetics 

• E: Epigenetics (affects gene expression) 

• N: Nutrigenomics (nutrition/genomics) 

• T: Thought system (chronic stress)

Patients from all walks of life seek help from the CENIGENT program to predict and prevent illness, treat existing disease and aging, or restore their health and vitality. 

Whether you want to avoid disease that runs in your family, change the impact of risky genetics, repair your health from an existing or a prior illness, age well or restore your body to optimum balance, the eight CENIGENT systems offer the latest advancements in clinical care. 

“It’s the unique dance between our genetics, the environment and CENIGENT systems that translate to health or disease.  The mapping of the human genome has been exciting.  We can now use this genetic information to identify the weakest links in our body and create safer, individualized, and effective therapies for each.” states Ghaderi. 

CENIGENT’s 52 week programs are not offered elsewhere in the states.  The initial evaluation and rigorous testing is rather simple and can be completed in few hours. Advanced Assessments & Testing: (Genetic testing, 500+ biomarkers, predictive Imaging Tests); Tailored 150+ hours of research for each patient on genetics & testing; Personalized recommendations based on Genetics and ample follow-up.

Under the guidance of Dr. Ghaderi, UCLA has also created an exclusive state-of-the-art radiation-free predictive whole body MRI-based Imaging tests for CENIGENT Patients only. 

Patients get insight into future health risks that affect them on an individual basis. And especially for baby-boomers struggling with hormone replacement issues, low libido, toxic environmental exposures, and lack of proper nutrition affecting their health.  Not only answers to on-going problems are answered, but solutions to prevent pre-mature aging and health decline.  

Dr. Ghaderi says most people starting towards health decline may not know it, but early warning symptoms are hidden beneath poor digestion, fatigue, poor sleep, dry hair, irritability, low or no libido, sexual dysfunction, weight gain, PMS and increasing need for medications to counteract physical ailments. 

And when Dr. Ghaderi speaks of “Individualized” treatments she means it!  Don’t look for a long waiting line in her Santa Monica-based office.  A patient’s visit is scheduled by the day—not hour.  Her office is a Zen-like experience, complete with medispa services and patients have 24/7 access to her cell phone.

Patients achieve vibrant health, improved memory, mood, libido, weight, sleep, stress handling, cardiovascular, immune, skin, bone & joint health, resolution of chronic disease and maximized performance—at any age.  What could possibly be more important than that?

Patient Satisfaction #1 - California Surgical Institute

 

The hot topic of January 2009?  You guessed it.  The sagging economy.  It’s affecting millions of jobs in every industry—plastic surgery included.  So how has Dr. Tarick Smaili­ and the California Surgical Institute  managed to stay on top?  

By putting safety and quality first. 

The American Society of Plastic Surgery estimates that the number of facial, breast and body procedures have decreased between 40% - 50% from this time last year.  Even Beverly Hills has not escaped untouched. Numerous surgeons in the area have reported seeing a drastic decrease in consultations and surgeries; however, the reputable still stand strong.

According to Dr. Tarick Smaili, Medical Director for the California Surgical Institute, “There is, and will always be, a need for quality plastic surgery.  During these difficult times, people are looking for the security and confidence only a tested facility can provide.  CSI has built a reputation as a leader in quality care, professionalism and quality results.  It is this solid reputation that has kept our happy patients referring us to their friends & families.”

This seems to be the case for other surgeons in the area who have escaped the drastic decline in patient surgeries.  The main concern amongst patients?  Downtime and quality results.  Time is money and patients don’t want to worry about taking extra time out of work or activities for a long recovery period or worse, a revision surgery.  This is why surgeons known for short recovery times and, most important, quality results are the ones who are setting themselves apart from the others and remain on top. “Reputation is definitely what sets us aside from other surgeons.  Our exemplary results and our referrals speak for themselves. Word of mouth is one of our most important assets.  And results do not lie,” Dr. Smaili said.

As the population ages, and as techniques become even more advanced, Dr. Smaili believes that the future of plastic surgery is secure.  “Clients will continue to seek professional, safe, solutions for their cosmetic needs as well as for their well-being and peace of mind.  And they will seek out Board Certified professionals to perform these services.”  The American Board of Plastic Surgery agrees.  They believe that as time progresses and as more information is available to the public, prospective patients will further see the importance of choosing qualifications over pricing.  No matter the state of the economy, safety and patient satisfaction should always be #1.  And California Surgical Institute has shown that spending more for board certified anesthesiologists, state-of-the-art equipment and the like, truly does pay off in the end. Not only financially, but also in the joy they can bring to their patients.

WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING PART OF YOUR PRACTICE?

Dr. Smaili: The most rewarding part of my practice is the ability to transform a person’s life for the better, whether it is for cosmetic reasons, after an accident, injury, or to correct a birth defect.  We strive on a daily basis to help our clients become better and stronger as a whole, both in mind and appearance.

HOW DOES YOUR PRACTICE STAY CONSISTENTLY AHEAD OF OTHERS IN BOTH SAFETY AND IN TECHNIQUE?

Dr Smaili: Our physicians constantly update their skills and techniques by attending the latest, state-of-the-art conferences, with the leading cosmetic surgeons from around the world.  We also share our knowledge with others so the entire profession may be enhanced.

U.S. NEWS: February 2009

Thousands of work boots, bath slippers, tennis sneakers, beach sandals and roller skates materialized on the Palmetto Expressway, in Florida disrupting traffic for hours.  Police did not know where the shoes came from as there was no sign of a crash, and no one claimed them.  A private contractor was hired to pick up the shoes and deposit them at an empty field, where a Nashville-based nonprofit group, Soles4Souls, picked them up and will distribute them around the world.

Five influential Democratic governors pleaded for up to $1 trillion in federal assistance over two years, to alleviate budget cuts, create jobs, and avoid inflicting irreversible damage to schools during the fiscal crisis.  The governors asked for $350 billion for infrastructure projects, $250 billion for education, $150 billion for middle-class tax cuts, and $250 billion for funding Medicaid, food stamps, and unemployment benefits.  The outline they said was not endorsed by the Obama administration.  It’s still in the air what the final price tag would be and what restrictions would be placed on the money.

Al Franken won the final ballot tally for the Minnesota state senate seat against Senator Norm Coleman. The long and dragged out decision was set to rest with election officials counting the 933 absentee ballots that both sides agreed were wrongly rejected.  Franken won 52 percent and Coleman captured 33 percent (the rest went to other candidates or cast no vote in the Senate race). 

The U.S. inaugurated its largest embassy, a fortress-like compound in the heart of the Green Zone, a sign U.S. officials say is a new chapter in relations between America and Iraq.  U.S. Marines raised the American flag over buildings that sit on a 104-acre site, with space for 1,000 employees, more than 10 times the size of any U.S. Embassy in the world.  ”Iraq is in a new era and so is the Iraqi-U.S. relationship,” Ambassador Ryan Crocker proclaimed.  Not in attendance was Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said to be traveling in Iran.  Explaining the embassy opening three years before the U.S. must withdraw all of its troops, Crocker said it is vital for the U.S. to remain involved in non-military ways.

New Mexico governor Bill Richardson’s exit from the Obama administration brought down the hammer on him being the leading Latino political figure in the nation.  Richardson slated to be Secretary of Commerce, cited a federal investigation into state business for with- drawing.  Great disappointment came from Latino advocates looking to his appointment to increase awareness on Latino issues.  The investigation involves Beverly Hills-based CDR Financial Products Inc., paid to issue road-construction bonds.  The FBI is investigating Richardson’s administrations role in influencing the CDR’s selection.

Pres. Obama braced Americans for possible “trillion-dollar deficits for years to come,” in a dark assessment of the U.S. financial outlook.  He said his administration would impose tight fiscal discipline on the government, citing what will be record deficits for years to come.  His stimulus package could total nearly $800 billion in new spending and tax cuts over two years.  He pledged to work with Congress on spending controls and efficiency measures.  “We’re not going to be able to expect American people to support this critical effort unless we take extraordinary steps to ensure that investments are made wisely and managed well,” Obama said.

The Pentagon won’t award the Purple Heart, a medal given to those wounded or killed by enemy action to war veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder because it’s not a physical wound.  The decision drowned the hope of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who believed the honor could remove the negative stigma associated with the condition.  The disorder is thought to contribute to recurring nightmares, uncontrolled rage, severe depression and suicide. 

Supreme Court refuses cable companies to help customers copy shows, a decision that could have a major impact on video-on-demand as the video recording service would violate the Copyright Act.  Cable TV companies want to make copies for customers at their request.  Lawyers for TV networks/film studios say “copying” violates federal law.  The Copyright Act says that those who make and produce copyrighted material have “the exclusive rights” to profit from it.

The White House cat, an 18-year-old black American short hair, died stated the office of Laura Bush. Named India, the cat was the pet of daughters, Barbara and Jenna Bush, but when the daughters went off to college, the cat, remained with the president and first lady.

Presidents have pondered whether to move in-laws into the White House.  President Ulysses S. Grant’s father-in-law lived there as did Harry S. Truman’s mother-in-law, who historians reported stated that she knew “dozens of men better qualified” to preside over the Oval Office.  President Obama has confirmed that his 71-year-old mother-in-law will move in, possibly temporarily, to help with the children.  During his run for president, Obama’s mother-in-law retired from her bank position to care for the Obama girls.

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon indicted on stealing gift cards donated to the city for needy families and not reporting fur coats, trips and other luxuries paid by local developer, Ronald H. Lipscomb, a former boyfriend.  A three-year state investigation charged she used $2,000 in donated gift cards for Target and Best Buy to buy a digital camcorder, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360 and other devices for personal use, failing to disclose trips to New York and Chicago. 

A new civil rights bill provides women, blacks and Hispanics with new tools to challenge pay discrimination in the workplace.

A federal intelligence appeals court gave government the power to conduct electronic surveillance without warrants.  The ruling aids telecommunications companies sued for assisting the government’s eavesdropping.  Ruling from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, found an exception to Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches in national-security cases where eavesdropping is done to obtain foreign intelligence.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., ruled that evidence from an unlawful arrest and based on somewhat hapless police record keeping may be used against a criminal defendant.  But the 5-to-4 decision stressed that judges reviewing such evidence should make it last on the list and use it subjectively when deciding whether evidence  should be considered.  ”To trigger the exclusionary rule,” stated Chief Justice Roberts, ”police conduct must be sufficiently deliberate that exclusion can meaningfully deter it, and sufficiently culpable that such deterrence is worth the price paid by the justice system.” 

The current value of university endowments fell approximately 23 percent on the average in the five months ending on November 30, 2008, according to two newly released reports.

According to a Federal District Court judge and prior to White House employees leaving to make way for a new administration, they had their computers searched and had to give up devices containing thousands of e-mails that disappeared.  The messages, dated March 2003 to October 2005, are part of a litigation to protect communication of White House officials from the time frame that surrounds the war in Iraq and a federal inquiry into the leak of the identity of Valerie Wilson, the former C.I.A. officer.

LA’S HOMELESS AND THEIR PETS

 

By Shane & Sia Barbi with Robin Torme

 

Beverly Hills is known for it’s rich and famous. Yet, even its tree-lined borders can’t escape the images of homeless people sleeping on the streets, and often with their pet companions.  L.A. has a substantial homeless population who along with their voiceless pets, suffer the consequences of inadequate housing. Many homeless suffer from loneliness and adopt pets to fill void emotional needs and for protection.  Pets are often the only family they have. 

Every year, heart-wrenching scenarios occur where a homeless man or woman dies in severe weather while searching for shelter to ’save’ their companion versus abandoning them to a cold death.  But there are none. In recent California fires, a homeless man and his dog burned to death.  During the torrential rains, a home- less woman and her cat froze to death, curled together in a shoddy blanket.  During Hurricane Katrina, a man who became homeless had a heart attack when forced to abandon his dog.  Anyone can end up homeless.

Sadly, homeless are often mentally impaired, left without healthy boundaries to survive, vulnerable to darker reasons for owning pets where they starve, neglect or create wounds on them to evoke food,  sympathy and money.  ”Sometimes officials just don’t seem to care”, says Sia.  ”As a community, we are failing the homeless while these animals endure a slow torturous death.  When I reported such abuse, it led to a dead end.  Haunted by the dog’s bloodshot eyes pleading for help, officials showed up to take a report then let the man go with the dog despite obvious signs of abuse.  They didn’t check for licensing explaining that homeless have no address so they let these cases “slide.” The man escaped with the dog who then died, enduring two years of beatings, being dragged when it couldn’t walk from a severe paw infection.  The man then got another shelter dog still without an address…and animal crimes can’t be reported without one.  To not arrest for animal abuse has ramifications on society as evidenced by research showing most violent offenders start by torturing and killing animals.

Karley’s Story

An L.A. County assistant fire chief, 54 year old Glynn Johnson, was recently charged with animal cruelty in the beating death of Karley, his neighbor’s puppy.  Travis Staggs, a neighbor, was returning the escaped puppy to the owners, when Johnson insisted on taking over.  Johnson claims the puppy attacked him but eyewitnesses say the puppy did not attack, but rather Johnson tried to break the pup’s jaws, then bashed its head fatally with a rock.  Neighbors suspect him of other animal deaths in the area.  Staggs said he tried to intervene but couldn’t.  Johnson has pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty, with sentence-enhancing allegations of using a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony.  Many are just as outraged as Johnson has now been “retired” which includes pay from the fire department and remains free on $10,000 bail.  Johnson has since filed a lawsuit against the owners of the pup, the Toole family, who have two children, claiming the puppy has left him permanently disabled.  As parents, the Tooles are concerned over the effects that this has had on their traumatized kids, claiming they don’t sleep well and cry about their disappointment in the system.

According to the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, Johnson alleges that he suffered physical and emotional trauma as a result of the “pup’s brutal attack.”  He’s scheduled to return to Riverside County Superior Court for a felony settle- ment conference on February 20th.

Perhaps it’s time that we examine priorities and hold highly-salaried officials accountable to much higher standards.  Do we allow politicians to spend on lavish issues that pale in comparison to the living and the breathing?  A solution would not require additional funding, but simply enforcement, re-allocating, cutting the wasteful budgets, and supporting a new law defining animals as living beings and not ‘property.’  The Toole Family is working to get such a bill passed.  In an era where violent offenders have more rights than animals, isn’t it time those who feel the same pain we do are treated with nominal respect?  It’s beyond our own race and religion, but basic moral standards as a community.

If this story is as disturbing to you as it is to us, there is something that you can  do.  SuperStar music man Willie Nelson has recently signed the ongoing petition against Johnson. You can as well.  Looking at Karley, in plain sight is an angel with wings in the shape of a cross holding a ball of light.  It’s located right in the middle of her sweet little chest.  It’s incredibly unusual and some believe it’s a mark, perhaps confirming her mission here, chosen to give her life for a purpose, wearing a symbol of an angel spirit representing change for animals everywhere.  This symbol is recognized in some religions as “the perfection of power in which an angel spirit shines in everlasting life”.

DOWNTOWN DOG RESCUE is a great organization working in the poorest neighborhoods to help the homeless, their pets and stray dogs. They need your help setting up programs that can ensure a safe and healthy life for L.A.’s homeless and their pets.

California News: February 09

 

H&R Block Inc. to pay a $4.85 million; Attorney General of California sued Block in 2006, alleging the company used deceptive advertising to disguise refund-anticipation loans calling them early tax refunds and had unfair debt-collection practices in garnishing refund proceeds.  Settlement give $2.45 million in restitution to consumers taking loans between Jan. 1, 2001, and Dec. 31, 2008.  H&R Block denies wrongdoing.  Settlement limited to three years, with  $500,000 in penalties and $1.9 million in fees.

A bruising recession and stalemate in Sacramento have CA with a $42 billion budget shortfall.  The country’s biggest state won’t have cash to pay highway maintenance, fund schools and critical services. Residents expecting a state tax refund might get an IOU.  Thirty-seven other states also face budget shortfalls.

A man arrested at LA International Airport with a truck full of guns and nearly 1,000 rounds of ammunition said he is a law-abiding weapons enthusiast with no idea he broke the law, stating he will be exonerated. The Orange Country resident said he went to LAX to pick up a friend from Baltimore and that they intended to go target shooting at an outdoor range in San Bernardino County.

An Amtrak train carrying 400 passengers bound for San Diego struck and killed a woman walking inside a railroad tunnel by Chatsworth.  No train passengers were injured, but held on board for two hours pending completion of an investigation.  The woman was killed instantly.  She had been hiking and was walking with her husband and two sisters, who squeezed against the tunnel wall to avoid being hit.

CA’s ethics watchdog agency enacted rules prohibiting politicians, including the governor from using certain political accounts as slush funds to self-promote.   Funds raised by politicians for ballot-measures must be spent on specific propositions said the Fair Political Practices Commission.  Rules followed complaints that a governor-controlled committee called California Dream Team, spent $2.4 million last year to support a redistricting measure, and $2 million to cover expenses that some say benefited the governor and his other causes.

California law bans sale of toys and children’s products containing phthalates.  Goods cannot contain more than 0.1 percent of phthalates, a colorless, oily chemical used in thousands of consumer products to impart flexibility and durability.  The law authorized in 2007, sets the strictest standard nationwide for phthalates in consumer products.  In November, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a legal opinion that a federal ban on children’s products, which sets the same limits on phthalate levels as the state, applies to goods manufactured on or after Feb. 10, the date the federal law takes effect.

A man with a 2- to 3-foot-long sword was shot and killed by a Modesto policeman answering a call about a suspicious man carrying what appeared to be a sword or a large knife in front of the Doubletree Hotel in downtown Modesto.  The officer, was placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation.

University of California regents voted to trim freshman enrollment for next fall by 2,300 students (6%) as state funding worsens.  Six of UC’s nine undergraduate campuses will see significant cuts in enrollment. Irvine and UC San Diego are hit the hardest as their enrollment numbers are the highest.

CA Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger broke from tradition in his State of the State address vowing not to advance policy agenda this year other than to resolve the state’s fiscal crisis.  The governor said partisan beliefs rather than interests of Californians were at play in the stalemate.  The annual speech usually  lays out the governors list of accomplishments from the preceding year and their grand aspirations for the new one.   His remarks lasted less than 10 minutes.

A state panel urged legislators to change Jessica’s Law saying its restrictions on where sex offenders can live is a poor use of taxpayers’ money.  Residency restrictions, passed two years ago in Proposition 83, have not been shown to prevent new crimes and may reduce public safety, the panel says.  State corrections officials say that the number of homeless sex offenders on parole is 12 times larger now than it was when the law was originally passed.

CA highest court is the battleground in the debate over benefits for illegal immigrants and will hear arguments on the constitutionality of a state law allowing undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at public colleges and Universities.  The decision affects hundreds of illegal immigrant students attending community colleges, Cal State and UC campuses who say they can’t  afford higher education if required to pay out-of-state tuition.  At least nine other states, including Oklahoma, New York and Texas have similar laws providing reduced fees to illegal immigrants.  The CA court decision might not be legally binding in other states, but national politicians are looking at California for future legal challenges.

Church of Scientology critics accuse Riverside County of kowtowing to the religion and infringing on free speech by passing an ordinance limiting protest  outside the church complex.  Last year, demonstrators who believe Scientology is an abusive cult picketed Golden Era Productions, the church’s main center for the production and dissemination of videos and tapes.  The campus is home to 500 church employees who are often forced to wear masks out of fear.  They also encountered 56 bomb threats and 30 death threats last year.

Rebellious congregations who are parting with their original denominations could lose their church buildings and property, according to CA Supreme Court.  The recent case involved the Episcopal Church, but applies to other denominations such as the United Methodist and Presbyterian organizations, who also face upheaval over gay rights issues.  The ruling follows a decision by 700 conservative Episcopal congregations wanting to form a separate church in North America.

The East LA community sparked the Mexican American civil rights movement.  But  the community has never been an official  city.  So County officials announced they received enough signatures for the city process to formally begin.  Residents cast ballots in 2010 and are set to go door to door to raise $100,000 to pay for the study.

CA Governor’s administration plans to close many state offices on the first and third Friday of each month starting on Feb. 6, 2009 to save money on employee salaries.  The DMV is among the agencies affected; prisons, hospitals and veterans’ homes will not close, but will cut employee hours and issue furloughs so operations continue.  Spokes- man for Service Employees International Union Local 1000, Jim Zamora, said many agencies are already short-staffed and forcing employees to work overtime, citing the state unemployment insurance offices, where there aren’t enough people to answer phones.

Two City of Angels Medical Center, hospital executives are charged with  paying homeless people for having unnecessary medical treatment in a scheme to get millions of dollars from government health programs. Robert Bourseau and Dante Nicholson have been charged with the crime and are set to go to federal court in March. Among the charges are that the two men committed healthcare fraud by taking illegal kickbacks as part of a scheme to defraud Medicare and Medi-Cal according to assistant U.S. Attorney Vince Farhat. The homeless with Medicare or Medi-CAL cards were solicited from skid row.

Ralph Nader ~ In the Public Interest

 

In the Public Interest

Open Letter to President Obama on Consumer Protection

 

Dear President Obama:

Underneath many of our country’s economic problems is the 30-year collapse of consumer protection—both the regulatory kind and the self-help kind known as proper access to justice.  Last month consumer groups sent you a letter proposing action to rein in exploitation of consumers as debtors, buyers of oil, gas and electricity, as patients needing health insurance and eaters wanting safe goods.

Under the Bush regime, the words “consumer protection” were rarely uttered and the Bush administration almost never initiated pro-consumer efforts, even with massive evidence before it, such as predatory lending and credit card abuses.  You need to recognize and elevate the GDP significance of fair consumer policies along with their moral and just attributes at a time of worsening recession.

I suggest you focus on the state of the poorest consumers in the urban and rural ghettos.  As you know from your days with the New York Public Interest Group (NYPIRG) and as a community organizer in Chicago, consumers in these areas are the most gouged and least protected.  That the “poor pay more” has been extensively documented by civic, official and academic studies, and numerous local newspapers and television news reports.  Unfortunately, neither Congress nor the Executive branch have paid adequate attention to the tens of millions of people who lose at least 25 percent of their consumer dollars to multiple frauds and shoddy merchandise.  You should establish special task forces in the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission on their plight, and on the many proven but unused remedies to assure a fair marketplace with effective enforcement and grievance procedures.

Working with and galvanizing local and state agencies to enlarge their capacity and staff—with stimulus monies—can produce a triple-header—making the federal effort more effective, providing valuable jobs and freeing up billions of consumer dollars from the financial sink-hole of commercial crimes.  It requires the visibility and eloquence of your personal leadership to launch this long-overdue defense of poor people.

A second area of action is to update major areas of regulatory health and safety that have been frozen for 30-years.  These include modernizing standards for auto  and tire safety, food safety, aviation, railroad safety and occupational health and trauma protection.

New knowledge, new marketing forays, and new technologies have accumulated during this period without application.  It’s the obsolescence of many safety standards hailing from the fifties, sixties and seventies that permits the tricky, corporate advertising claims that products “exceed federal safety standards.”  Example: the SEC has not come close to regulating the recent explosion of myriad collateralized debt obligations (CDOs).  The massive speculation in this area is destabilizing the national and world economies.

Third, articulate and provide a high profile to what western Europeans have long called “social consumerism.”  Citizens are consumers of government services for which they pay as taxpayers.  They are entitled to prompt, accurate and courteous responses to their inquiries and their perceived needs as embraced by the authorizing statutes.  Americans need to be able to get through to government agencies and departments.  Being put on hold interminably with automated messages to nowhere, not receiving replies to their letters, and generally getting the brush- off even with the deadlines explicated in the Freedom of Information Act have been a bi-partisan failure.  

Under the Bush regime, not answering serious letters from dedicated individuals and groups on time-sensitive matters of policy and action—as with the Iraq war and occupation—became standard operating procedure—starting with President Bush himself.  This stone-walling has turned people off so much that they do not even bother to “ask their government” for assistance and that includes an astonishingly unresponsive Congress (other than for ministerial requests such as locating lost VA or social security checks.)

As you shape the Obama White House, bear in mind that the “change you can believe in” is one of kind, not just degree.

 

Sincerely yours,

Ralph Nader

Stay Informed: www.nader.org

 

Questions/comments can be sent to: Book Offer, PO Box 19312, Washington DC 20036.  Per your request we will send you the book, “If the Gods Meant Us to Vote, They’d Have Given Us Candidates,” by Jim Hightower free of charge, by March 1, 2009, or while supplies last.  This offer is from Ralph Nader.

Congressman Ron Paul

 

 

Justice & America’s Backslide

by Suzanne Takowsky

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,Texas Congressman Dr. Ron Paul is a leading spokesman in Washington for limited constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, and a return to monetary policies, based on commodity-backed currency. Paul graduated from the Duke University School of Medicine obstetrics/gynecology, before going off to serve in the U.S. Air Force as as a flight surgeon. After his return, he moved his family to Texas to start his medical practice where as an OB-GYN specialist, he delivered more than 4,000 babies. During his termin Congress (1970s-1980s) he served on the House Banking committee and was an advocate for sound monetary policy. But as an outspoken critic of the Federal Reserve’s inflationary measures, he discovered that his ideals were not popular in Washington. As a key member of the Gold Commission, he advocated a return to a gold standard for our currency and was an advocate of pro-life and family values. He used his votes to lower or abolish federal taxes, spending, regulation, and promoted the return of government to its proper constitutional levels. In 1984, he relinquished his House seat and went back to his medical practice, but returned to Congress in 1997 to represent the 14th Congressional district of Texas. Paul has authored several books, including Challenge to Liberty; The Case for Gold; and A Republic, If You Can Keep It. As a distinguished counselor to the Ludwig von Mises Institute, he is quoted by scholars and writers inmonetary policy, banking, and political economy. Over the years he’s received numerous honors from organizations including the National Taxpayers Union, Citizens Against Government Waste, the Council for a Competitive Economy, and Young Americans for Freedom, among others. Paul and his wife are the parents of five children, 18 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. They live in Lake Jackson, Texas.

During our interview, Dr. Ron Paul didn’t hold back for a minute when it came to voicing his concern over the well-being of our country, and all who inhabit it. Some may differ with his views on how to improve our current problems, but one thing is clear…his mind is on improving the freedom, security and prosperity for us, our children and future generations—not just in the U.S., but world wide. And Paul’s voice and vote is considerable. He serves on the House Financial Services Committee, the International Relations Committee, Joint Economic Committee, and on the Financial Services Committee, as well being the vice-chairman of the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee.

ST: Going through years of medical school training, starting a private practice, and then becoming a noted specialist in your field of medicine is no easy task. Yet, you gave it up, and went into politics. Why?

RP: Medicine was always my first love and I still have a lot of affection for it, and I would do it again. But I became fascinated with studying and reading economics back in the 1960s, about the same time that I was studying medicine. It started out as a hobby and I tried to figure out why there were cycles in business where economies went through periods of inflation, deflation, recession and unemployment—the things we have to put up with. I never really considered a political career…but went into politics on a lark mainly to talk about the things that I felt were important. I’ve always been interested in economic policy, particularly monetary policy and, of course I am very much engaged in the state of the financial and global problems we face today.

Paul doesn’t hold back on the topic of financial free fall. And points out that intent to defraud hard-working citizens reaches way past people like Bernie Madoff’s so-called Ponzi scheme which has stolen billions of dollars from investors. Paul says that even though Madoff will face appropriate criminal consequences that will hopefully deter other criminals—politicians around him think that more laws need to be enforced. He on the other hand, believes that a lack of laws is not the problem.

“The government runs a fraud much bigger than Madoff’s,” says Paul. “Our Social Security systemis the very definition of a Ponzi/pyramid scheme. If the government truly had aninterest in protecting people’s savings they would allow people to opt out of Social Security. The government would cut wasteful spending, such as our overseas empire, honor current obligations to seniors, and eventually phase the program out. But as with Enron and Sarbanes Oxley, I expect new, unrelated legislation to be proposed that further damages freedom in the name of protecting us, amidst loud proclamations that they have made the world safe.”

ST: With regard to ‘toxic assets’ the government is talking about purchasing from banks, what is your feeling?

RP: First, buying up these toxic assets of which there is no pricing to it—they’re ill-liquid. I think it’s horrible. I was making fun on the House floor the other day about the ‘bad bank’ which means they’re going to buy bad assets created by bad bankers. Then, they will take all of these bad assets and dump them onto good citizens. It’s about taking care of their buddies and working through the monopoly of the banks and howthey create money  and credit. But once people get frightened they almost beg the government to do more. They give the government more and more power, and the Federal Reserve uncontrolled power to create more money. Then the Treasury spends three hundred and fifty billion dollars, and nobody knows where themoney went. Then, Congress says…well, I guess we didn’t give you enough money, so we’re going to give you a trillion dollars …and all this froma government that has nothing. The only thing that they can do is to steal from somebody.”

According to Paul, passing a law doesn’t fix the problem, just as throwing paper at a recession doesn’t stop it. He points out that total trust in government solutions only creates moral hazard, and amplifies risky behavior. It seems that every day Americans are forced to face more bad news that comes in the form of their trust gone astray. Being blindsided by an enemy is always something we fear, but keep a watchful eye out for. But being defrauded by an enemy within is almost unthinkable. Shouldn’t we be able to at least trust our government? Not according to Paul, who says that our government is so complicit pre-empting private fraud that any newlaws, by regulatory agencies do little to help solve anything. He says that he sees our liberties slipping away every time Congress makes a move to do something, citing the SEC, which he states did a poor job overseeing and preventing the economic downfall we are in now.

ST: All of this money that is being put into bailing out companies—is there money in our federal reserve to cover this bailout debt? And if not, where does that leave the American people?

RP: Absolutely not. All this bailout money is coming out of thin air. We all understand what monopoly money is …it’s not real. Just because the government keeps printing it, it may fool people for awhile, but throughout history the government has not been able to fool people for long periods of time. Wars and extravagant domestic spending has always been financed through the delusion factor of printing new money, and it always ends badly. In everyone there’s a feeling that it’s nice to be rich and have the government print more money to help out. Of course, people are happywhen they get a social security check from the government. Even if the check they receive is froma Ponzi scheme—meaning returns on future investments. The social security money they receive is not from money already in the social security fund because there is no money in the system. Money received is based on future funds of new investors—meaning our country’s future generations who will pay into the system. But there is no backing to money now being printed. If we held the government strictly to the rules of the gold standard, they couldn’t do this. It would be illegal.”

ST: Is the United States broke?

RP: Yes. We are completely insolvent. We haven’t been called to task yet as a smaller country would have already been called on the carpet. When third worldnations, such as Central America, Africa or South America do this, people see it and it comes to a halt. We’ve been able to get awaywith it longer because we‘re still the richest country in the world, at one time had the most gold, a powerful economy, a strong military force and there was a strong trust built with other countries. Even though we are broke and can’t pay ‘the bills’ and promises through the entitlement system is something like 70 trillion dollars, and there is no real money in the bank, our notes haven’t been called by theworld, as in the case of Iceland. England is under the gun for the same reason. In our case there are so many countries with so much at stake, nobody wants to dump the dollar because they are holding somany dollars. We’ve more or less trapped them. We’ve always been a consumer nation. We print the money, we buy all these goods from China and they hold trillions of dollars worth of our dollars…they’re almost in a catch 22 and have to keep us afloat. But the markets eventually rule no matter how powerful governments are or how they want to regulate or how powerful our reserve is…ultimately people realize that the money doesn’t have value and start getting out of the dollar. It is worse than before because this is a world wide event; before it was always regional. Now instead of the central banks of the world holding gold—they’re holding dollars. Theworld has awakened to the fact that dollars are not gold, and that’s why the financial markets have ceased up.

ST: Would you consider another run for president in 2012?

RP: No. Notmewithwhat’s going on.

RP: I would change foreign policy, bring the troops home and save 500-600 billion dollars every year; then work very hard on removing the principle that the Federal Reserve can monitize debt. That is theworst part of the Federal Reserve; that the government is allowed to get around debt, and the Federal Reserve continues to print money anyway.

« Previous Page — Next Page »