-- GOP spending bill angers conservatives; February 16, 2003; Associated Press/billingsgazette.com

-- Bush's Tax Cut: Attacked from All Sides By Howard Gleckman, Richard S. Dunham, and Alexandra Starr; Businessweek; FEBRUARY 14, 2003

-- ANALYSIS: Religion meets environmentalism over energy policy by Brad Knickerbocker; Christian Science Monitor; March 3, 2002; Nando Media/Nando Times

-- Diverse groups oppose security proposal By Declan McCullagh; CNET News.com/ZDNet; March 17, 2003

-- A Far-Right Texan Inspires Antiwar Left By SHAILAGH MURRAY; Wall Street Journal; March 10, 2003

-- There is an Imbalance in the Marketplace of Ideas; accessible online on or around 6-1-05; commonwealinstitute.org

-- "Neo-conned"; Congressman Ron Paul (Republican) addresses the U.S. House of Representatives, July 10, 2003; thelibertycommittee.org

"...the Democratic party...is widely viewed in the US as subservient, impotent and co-opted by the same big-money influence peddling driving the ruling Republican agenda..."

-- MIT launches watch on US government By Egan Orion; 05 July 2003; The Inquirer

-- "A Republican Governor? We’ve already got one" from Circus Maximus by Marc Cooper; AUGUST 22 - 28, 2003; LA Weekly

"...conservative electoral victories have exceeded liberal ones over the past 25 years or so..."

-- The liberal legacy By Mitchell Rofksy, 2/22/2004; boston.com

Only around 50% of eligible US voters actually vote anymore. The decline in participation in the process has been occurring for 40 years. Voters in other western democracies apparently have more trust in their systems than Americans in their own, as turnout there is typically higher than in the US. Deteriorating quality in education and a reduction of involvement in local communities are some of the reasons experts give for this state of affairs.

-- Experts Alarmed at Declining U.S. Voter Turnout By Will Dunham; Yahoo!/Reuters; November 5, 2000

"The conservative think tanks have worked for 40 years now, developing not just language, but modes of thought that the language fit."

-- George Lakoff, professor, department of linguistics, University of California, Berkeley, and author of Moral Politics

-- Left Out By Right Rhetoric; an interview of George Lakoff by Sharon Basco; May 08 2003; TomPaine.com

"For five decades....the biggest bargain around...[was]....political influence. For many a year, it was far cheaper than anything to be found in the stock market."

"[If real campaign finance reform is not undertaken in the US]....we are well on our way to ensuring that a government of the moneyed, by the moneyed, and for the moneyed shall not perish from the earth."

-- Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway Inc., 2000

-- The Billionaire's Buyout Plan By WARREN E. BUFFETT; September 10, 2000; The New York Times Company

Ian Fraser notes signs that the US has seemed to become ever more conservative over time.

-- The Learning Kingdom's Today in History for July 6, 2000, http://www.LearningKingdom.com

-- Media Concentration is a Totalitarian Tool by Molly Ivins; commondreams.org; January 31, 2003; citing http://www.thedailycamera.com/

"Frightening new evidence of the brain's susceptibility to suggestion..."

-- Studies question reliability of memory By Clive Cookson; February 17 2003; news.ft.com

-- Media may facilitate suicidal acts; EurekAlert!; 27-Feb-2003; Contact: Emma Dickinson; edickinson@bmj.com; 44-207-383-6529; BMJ-British Medical Journal

-- Media coverage boosts 'charcoal burning' suicides by Shaoni Bhattacharya; 28 February 03; New Scientist

-- Mind tricks take memories for a ride, scientists assert By MICHAEL WOODS; February 17, 2003; toledoblade.com

It was after all this that the Great Depression took place, lasting for many years.

-- Encyclopedia Americana: Republican Party possibly by George H. Mayer, University of South Florida, Grolier Incorporated

Corruption within the ruling Republican party of 1920s USA was rampant.

-- Welcome to the Machine by Nicholas Confessore; The Washington Monthly; July/August 2003

US President(s): Warren G. Harding, Republican, 1921-1923; Calvin Coolidge, Republican, 1923-1929; Herbert Hoover, Republican, 1929-1933

-- The Universal Almanac 1996, Andrews & McMeel, pages 70-91, and other sources

Senate: Republican majority (68th, 69th, 70th, 71st, 72nd Congresses)

-- U.S. Senate Statistics: Majority and Minority Parties and Senate Statistics Vice Presidents

House of Representatives: Republican majority, (68th, 69th, 70th, 71st, 72nd Houses)

-- Yahoo! News - Politics in the Supreme Court; The Associated Press; 9-8-03

The Bush Administration and its neoconservative allies routinely brand virtually all dissent or opposition to their policies as unpatriotic and traitorous.

-- "Neo-conned"; Congressman Ron Paul (Republican) addresses the U.S. House of Representatives, July 10, 2003

-- Inevitably, The Politics Of Terror By E.J. Dionne Jr.; washingtonpost.com; May 25, 2003; Page B01

"...the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."

-- Hermann Goering, Hitler's chosen successor for ruling Nazi Germany during World War II; quote from the Nuremberg Trials 1945-1946

-- 9-11 boosted trust in government, temporary distress, research shows; eurekalert.org; 9-Jun-2003; Contact: David Williamson; 919-962-8596; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

"Preventative war ... I don't believe in such a thing, and frankly I wouldn't even listen seriously to anyone that came in and talked about such a thing."

-- US Republican president Dwight Eisenhower, 1954

-- The Impact of the USA PATRIOT Act on Free Expression by By Nancy Kranich; fepproject.org; May 5, 2003

-- U.S. becoming Big Brother society: Report; Associated Press/rtnews.globetechnology.com; Jan. 16, 2003

-- Fighting terror by terrifying U.S. citizens by ROB MORSE; San Francisco Chronicle; November 20, 2002

-- Backlog of Whistleblower Cases Growing, Agency Report Says By Tania Branigan; Washington Post; July 21, 2003; Page A04

Over a third of all economic crimes are only uncovered with the help of whistleblowers.

-- Economic Crime Detected Mostly by Whistleblowers and Audits, PwC Survey Finds By SmartPros Editorial Staff; July 9, 2003

"Whistleblowers can pay dearly for doing the right thing"

-- In the name of truth by Caroline Overington; The Age; July 22 2003

What becomes of US and British government whistleblowers? Smears and harassment

-- Insiders Outed ; July 24, 2003; motherjones.com

-- Whistleblowers get the axe by Jed Gottlieb; The Independent Online; Vol. 14 No. 48; Issue Date 11/27/2003 [this item was still a live link as of 12-03-03; however, the datestamp on the article seemed awfully recent compared to my memory of originally running across the item online, perhaps a month or so earlier in realtime than the datestamp indicates].

"the fact that the Bush Administration would try and use the courts to stiffle dissent is nothing short of astounding, and must be broadcast to as wide an audience as possible"

-- Ashcroft tried to prevent NYC protests; February 16, 2003; daily KOS

"Important economic data that casts a bad light on administration policies has been expunged from government Web sites."

-- Bush's Data Dump The administration is hiding bad economic news. Here's how By Russ Baker; July 11, 2003; slate.msn.com

-- Bush's Bad Science (washingtonpost.com) By J.W. Anderson; July 11, 2003; Page A21

-- No political substitute for sound science By Henry Kelly; August 14, 2003; seattletimes.nwsource.com

"A growing number of US national security professionals are accusing the Bush Administration of slanting the facts and hijacking the intelligence apparatus to justify its rush to war in Iraq."

-- Bush 'skewed facts to justify attack on Iraq' By Jim Wolf; June 1 2003; smh.com.au

"The Bush administration persistently manipulates scientific data to serve its ideology and protect the interests of its political supporters..."

-- White House accused of manipulating data By Christopher Marquis, New York Times; From the Dayton Daily News: 08.10.2003; This may have been one original NYT URL for this article.

"It appears that this administration is marginalizing the recommendations of major scientific organizations on the one hand, while defending artificial "research" to support political goals, or, worse still, manufacturing it."

-- The Citizen-Scientist's Obligation to Stand Up for Standards By LAWRENCE M. KRAUSS; April 22, 2003; the New York Times

"Criminal prosecutions are highly unusual for corporate criminals, and convictions carrying jail time are even more rare."

-- Big crimes? Maybe. Big punishment? Not likely; Yahoo! Op/Ed - USA TODAY; Gannett Co. Inc.; Feb 5, 2002

-- Crime And (Very Little) Punishment by Arianna Huffington; Arianna Online; July 15, 2002

-- WorldCom, Enron execs elude charges By David E. Rovella; BLOOMBERG NEWS; Aug. 20, 2003; bayarea.com

-- Punishment falls short of crime against investors By Dan Gillmor; Dec. 21, 2002; siliconvalley.com

Gross inconsistency in punishments for businesses which knowingly abused their customers often results in negligible penalties for relatively large-scale crimes.

-- Penalizing Wall Street: Pick a Fine, Any Fine By Heather Timmons and Mike McNamee; Businessweek; DECEMBER 23, 2002

-- Banking's Bigwigs May Be Beyond the Law's Reach By Mike McNamee, Nanette Byrnes, and Emily Thornton; Businessweek; MAY 19, 2003

The Republican political party of USAmerica controlled both houses of Congress for the whole decade preceding the Great Depression of the 20th century. They also held the Presidency during these years. They pushed tariffs to an all time high, often looked the other way as big business commited violations of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act and market competition within the USA waned, and made tax cuts which benefited the wealthy.

It was after all this that the Great Depression took place, lasting for many years.

-- Encyclopedia Americana: Republican Party possibly by George H. Mayer, University of South Florida, Grolier Incorporated

Republicans controlled both the Senate and the House in Congress, as well as the Presidency, from 1921 to 1933. After the debacle of the Great Depression, they never again managed to control all three of these positions simultaneously for longer than a year or two at a time, at most (as of mid-2003).

-- The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2002, pages 92 and 545; World Almanac Books

Corruption within the ruling Republican party of 1920s USA was rampant.

-- Welcome to the Machine by Nicholas Confessore; The Washington Monthly; July/August 2003

Between 1,977 AD and 1,999 AD the wealthiest one percent of USAmericans enjoyed a 115% rise in income

Of course, the above isn't entirely accurate. Because those same execs also often got stock options worth possibly millions of dollars in themselves, in addition to the income described above. They often qualified for income tax breaks production workers didn't, as well.

-- Parallels Between the 1990s and the 1920s Is History Repeating Itself? (apparently by Robert S. McElvaine); Aug 08 2000; www.tompaine.com

"The average American worker earns only about $40,000 per year"

-- Jobs, jobs, jobs: Bush’s blueprint By PAUL KRUGMAN; April 23, 2003; TODAY newspaper and ABS-CBN Interactive

-- Ownership Statistics by The Shared Capitalism Institute; found on or about 10-23-2000

Among the perks top execs sometimes get from their companies are substantial loans (up to $millions) -- which often end up becoming essentially gifts, with no requirement for payback whatsoever. And regardless of how well (or badly) the company is doing under the exec's supervision.

"[In]...an outrageous abuse of power...executives treat the corporate treasury as their own personal checkbook..."

-- Marjorie Kelly, publisher of Business Ethics magazine (Minneapolis)

-- Company loans to top execs common By Jennifer Beauprez; Denver Post; May 12, 2002

-- "The Rich-Poor Gap Grows" by John Allen Paulos, Special to ABCNEWS.com Aug. 1, 1999, ABC News Internet Ventures, http://www.abcnews.go.com/

-- Wage gap widens By ALAN BJERGA; Lori O'Toole Buselt, contributor; Apr. 24, 2002; eagle and wire service sources; http://www.kansas.com

-- Repeal of estate tax to increase tax burden and widen wealth gap; EurekAlert!; 24-Feb-2003; Contact: Johanna Ebner or Lee Herring; pubinfo@asanet.org; 202-383-9005 x332; American Sociological Association

"For the majority of Americans, the question is not if they will experience poverty, but when"

-- Most Americans Experience Poverty Sometime In Adult Life, Study Finds; 7 APRIL 1999; Contact: Gerry Everding; gerry_everding@aismail.wustl.edu; 314-935-6375; Washington University in St. Louis

-- Bush Signs Bill Prohibiting Higher Local Minimum Wages The Associated Press/click10.com; June 5, 2003

The overwhelming majority (90%) of young white male employees in USAmerica are destined to experience a smaller rise in income over their lives than their father's generation did

-- Ninety percent of young white male workers now doing worse than they would have 20 years ago; EurekAlert!; 20-Feb-2002; Contact: Joel Schwarz; joels@u.washington.edu; 206-543-2580; University of Washington

-- Whites join slide into poverty as US incomes fall by Matthew Engel; September 26, 2002; The Guardian

-- Census U.S. Poverty Up, Income Down (washingtonpost.com) By Steven Pearlstein; September 24, 2002

-- Census: U.S. Poverty Up, Income Down Poverty Rate Rose in 2001 for First Time in Eight Years As Household Income Fell, U.S. Says; The Associated Press/abcnews.go.com; apparent datestamp Sept. 24 2002

-- Study: the Rich Expect to Stay That Way; ABCNews; Reuters; 11/02/2001

-- The Power of the Super-Rich; review by Jeff Madrick of the book Wealth and Democracy: A Political History of the American Rich by Kevin Phillips, Broadway Books publisher; The New York Review of Books Volume 49, Number 12 · July 18, 2002

-- Republican Party is very accommodating to rich tax avoiders By ROBYN E. BLUMNER; St. Petersburg Times; December 1, 2002

-- A GOP reward for fleeing taxes By Molly Ivins; Nov. 28, 2002; Star Telegram

"Companies which have moved offshore to avoid paying US taxes are making a billion dollars a year from US government contracts, an Associated Press investigation has found."

-- US 'pays offshore firms $1bn'; BBC; 27 May, 2003

-- ITALY; ECONOMICS REPORTING REVIEW: The NYT and the Washington Post Under the Microscope [possibly by Dean Baker] Week of October 28 - November 3 (found on or about 11-5-00), citing "Italy's New Politics: The Beauty Contest," by Alessandra Stanley in the New York Times, October 30, 2000, page A6; [TOMPAINE.com: ECONOMICS REPORTING REVIEW may be the original link]

US Republicans enjoyed a full decade of control over both the executive and legislative branches of government during the 1920s with which to prove the worth of their economic theories, such that cutting taxes for the wealthy and relaxing regulations on business would bring about improved economic results for everyone. Instead, such policies seemed to help create a speculative bubble which eventually burst, resulting in the Great Depression, and a lengthy period of economic pain for both America and the world as they struggled to recover. This global economic calamity may also have contributed to the rise of Hitler and the Nazis in Germany, which in turn led to World War II.

-- Encyclopedia Americana: Republican Party possibly by George H. Mayer, University of South Florida, Grolier Incorporated

Corruption within the ruling Republican party of 1920s USA was rampant.

-- Welcome to the Machine by Nicholas Confessore; The Washington Monthly; July/August 2003

The total death toll for World Wars I and II combined, including combatants from all sides, and civilians, and deaths caused directly and indirectly by the conflicts, is estimated to have been around 36 million.

-- 'Minimal' U.S. Combat Death Toll Seen in Iraq War By Will Dunham; January 05, 2003; Reuters

US President(s): Warren G. Harding, Republican, 1921-1923; Calvin Coolidge, Republican, 1923-1929; Herbert Hoover, Republican, 1929-1933

-- The Universal Almanac 1996, Andrews & McMeel, pages 70-91, and other sources

Senate: Republican majority (68th, 69th, 70th, 71st, 72nd Congresses)

-- U.S. Senate Statistics: Majority and Minority Parties and Senate Statistics Vice Presidents

House of Representatives: Republican majority, (68th, 69th, 70th, 71st, 72nd Houses)

-- Political Divisions of the House of Representatives (1789 to Present), Source: Committee on House Administration. Charlie Rose, Chairman. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1994. History of the United States House of Representatives, 1789-1994 Washington: 1994

-- "SOAKING THE RICH DOES WORK" By Peter Coy; Businessweek; 5-11-98

-- You may hate paying them, but taxes are necessary By Dan Gillmor; Mercury News; Feb. 10, 2003

"income taxes for the median American family of four are already lower than they've been since 1957"

-- Feeling Overtaxed? (apparently by Matt Bivens); The Daily Outrage; Rapid Response Weblogs; http://www.thenation.com/; found on or about 4-11-03 (different content appears to have been posted at the URL since)

-- Wealth and our Commonwealth: Why America Should Tax Accumulated Fortunes by William H. Gates, Sr. and Chuck Collins, Foreword by Paul Volcker; Beacon Press, 2003; responsiblewealth.org; Why America Should Tax Accumulated Fortunes is a second related URL.

-- The wealth gap in america and the Case for Preserving the Estate Tax

-- Economists attack Bush's 'madness'; BBC; 11 February, 2003

-- Economists' statement opposing the Bush tax cuts; epinet.org; this item was accessible online 12-13-03

-- Nobel winners attack Bush economics; BBC; 7 February, 2003

-- Some of America's Rich Urge No Repeal of Estate Tax; February 14, 2001; Yahoo!/Reuters

-- Well-heeled stand behind estate tax; February 14, 2001; The Associated Press/Nando Media/Nando Times; http://www.nandotimes.com

-- This is no April Fool's joke: Rich protest they aren't taxed enough By LEO RENNERT; 3/31/1998; McClatchy Newspapers

-- Please tax us, say (some) of America's richest by Duncan Campbell; February 12, 2003; The Guardian

"The battle over the 'death tax' pits some of the nation's wealthiest people against . . . some of the nation's wealthiest people. But the stakes are high for the rest of us, too"

-- Sharing the Wealth? By Bob Thompson; Washington Post; April 13, 2003; Page W08

"The rich are already rich enough to be able to end poverty."

-- Economist Jeffrey D. Sachs, director of Columbia University's Earth Institute

-- Science to Save the World By David Appell; Scientific American; December 16, 2002

-- Grin and pay it No, taxes are not fun. But your rights depend on them... especially if you're rich by E.J. Dionne, Jr. Washington Post Writers Group 04.15.03; workingforchange.com

Either excessive wealth or poverty can lead to a greater tendency towards mental illness related suicide...but the wealthy person is a bit more likely to commit suicide than the poor one, under these conditions. So it would appear an increased redistribution of wealth from rich to poor would actually help reduce suicide rates among both groups.

-- Wealth Tied to Suicide Risk in the Mentally Ill; Reuters Health/Yahoo! Health Headlines; February 9 2001; citing British Medical Journal 2001;322:334-335

-- Poor less likely to commit suicide; Agence France-Presse; February 10, 2001; Nando Media/Nando Times; http://www.nandotimes.com

-- Nando InfoTech, on or about 5-6-97

In 1998 the average cost of a complete patent infringement lawsuit in the USA, with appeal, was roughly one and a half million dollars for each side of the dispute.

-- Would You Buy a Patent License From This Man? By Ian Mount; April 2001; eCompany Now

-- Entrepreneurs sacrifice health for success

The results surprised them. It turned out that those workers on their staff with the least scientific qualifications were responsible for most of the company's patents-- while those workers with the most scientific qualifications were responsible for the least number of patents. Indeed, the most prolific patent contributor of all in the company turned out to possess no scientific credentials whatsoever.

-- Flame-proof by Richard Milton, Last revised: October 07, 1999, Alternative Science Website, http://www.alternativescience.com

"...big corporations are not the hatchery of new ideas, in fact they annihilate them"

-- Like MacArthur by Dave Winer; Mar 10, 2003; DaveNet; Scripting.com

"...over 99% of the country's employers are small businesses and that they employ more than half of the private workforce"

-- Small Business Stats Posted by janet; beyond corporate; November 26, 2002

"When you lose small businesses, you lose big ideas"

-- Ted Turner, founder of CNN

-- Too much communication for FCC; CNN; May 30, 2003

-- Leonardo Da Vinci: Son of a Slave? -- Discovery Channel By Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News; found on or about December 12, 2003

It also appears that some of the most neglected and abhorred citizens in America (homeless mentally ill) may be a vast untapped source of creative genius-- if only we cared enough to include them in society with treatment and understanding.

-- MS snags crucial authentication, DRM opt-outs in DoJ settlement By Andrew Orlowski; 3 November 2001

"...."Sellout" isn't too strong a word to describe the U.S. Justice Department's settlement [with Microsoft]....Neither is "dangerous"..."

-- A Fraudulent, Cynical Settlement; News, Views and a Hong Kong Diary by Dan Gillmor; November 2, 2001; KnightRidder.com

Microsoft is steadily squeezing customers harder and harder for more revenues-- i.e., the real costs of being a Microsoft customer are growing by the day. Microsoft is also using its legal clout to gag sources which might publish information about Microsoft's software performance or quality compared to competitors. The company's latest software also leaves users with little or no privacy left at all on their machines, as personal info is routinely sent to the Microsoft mothership. Info, which among other things, allows Microsoft to keep tabs on competing software applications a user might install. With its new system Microsoft now could also decide to make your PC stop working entirely if you install too many new items on it-- unless you cough up more money for the company. The UCITA (Uniform Computer Information Transaction Act) theoretically gives them the power to shut down the entire world and demand new payments before allowing everyone to continue.

Oh yes-- and Microsoft is thumbing its nose at free speech rights in nations like the USA as well, by imposing censorship clauses in its software licenses. For example, users of FrontPage 2002 are not allowed to criticize the company or its products using the package.

-- A punitive puppeteer? The Gripe Line by Ed Foster; INFOWORLD; InfoWorld Media Group, Inc., October 04, 2001

-- Extending its tentacles; The Economist Newspaper/The Economist Group; Oct 20th 2001

The Republican political party of USAmerica controlled both houses of Congress for the whole decade preceding the Great Depression of the 20th century. They also held the Presidency during these years. They pushed tariffs to an all time high, often looked the other way as big business commited violations of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act and market competition within the USA waned, and made tax cuts which benefited the wealthy.

It was after all this that the Great Depression took place, lasting for many years.

-- Encyclopedia Americana: Republican Party possibly by George H. Mayer, University of South Florida, Grolier Incorporated

Corruption within the ruling Republican party of 1920s USA was rampant.

From 1962 to 2001, there was a net gain of 369,000 non-defense government employees overall. 84% of these were added during Republican administrations, with only 16% coming in during Democratic Administrations.

-- Just for the Record Part II; P.L.A. - A Journal of Politics, Law and Autism by Dwight Meredith; October 24, 2002; citing table 17-1 found at http://w3.access.gpo.gov/usbudget/fy2003/pdf/hist.pdf

In late 2002, with negligible prior debate, the US Congress created the largest new bureaucracy to be formed in the federal government since the days of WWII. And this bureaucracy's primary purpose? Frightening widescale surveillance of innocent US citizens.

-- Just for the Record Part IV; P.L.A. - A Journal of Politics, Law and Autism by Dwight Meredith; October 27, 2002; citing ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/lf/aat1.txt

From 1962 to 2001, the average growth rate in GDP (Gross Domestic Product) during years for which Republican presidents submitted budgets was 2.94%. The average rate for years when Democratic presidents submitted budgets was 3.92%.

-- Just for the Record Part III; P.L.A. - A Journal of Politics, Law and Autism by Dwight Meredith; October 27, 2002; citing http://www.bea.gov/bea/dn/nipaweb/TableViewFixed.asp?SelectedTable=1&FirstYear=2001&LastYear=2002&Freq=Qtr

"the economy needs to be growing by more than 3 percent -- and possibly well above -- for jobs to be added"

-- For Bush, Time to Mend Economy Is Running Out By Dana Milbank; April 5, 2003; Page A01; Washington Post

As of mid-2003, it appears economic growth of more than 3.5% may be required to reduce US unemployment.

-- What Postwar Pickup? By Rich Miller, Michael Arndt, Faith Keenan, and Christine Tierney; Businessweek; MAY 9, 2003

"The men in charge talk about growth, but actually they like stagnation. Do they really want full employment and strong labor unions and rising wages? I doubt it. Stagnation helps to justify more tax cuts. Their goal is plain: that financial wealth should be freed of tax."

-- James K. Galbraith, senior scholar at the Levy Economics Institute, speaking before the Take Back America conference in Washington, D.C. on June 5 (apparently 2003)

-- Drowning, First-Class Style; Jun 09 2003; http://www.tompaine.com/

"The president's backers want a stagnant job market -- it keeps the help from getting uppity."

-- Jamie Galbraith; Salon magazine

-- It's about money Follow the greenbacks to learn where seemingly haphazard Bush policy comes from by Molly Ivins; 01.20.04; workingforchange.com

"...77 percent of Americans go to work even when they are sick...26 percent are afraid they'll lose their job and 18 percent figure it's best to save the sick days for the kids."

-- New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer

-- NY's Attorney General accuses Bush administration of handcuffing enforcement By DEVLIN BARRETT; Newsday/Associated Press; February 27, 2003

-- Bush Signs Bill Prohibiting Higher Local Minimum Wages The Associated Press/click10.com; June 5, 2003

-- Senate GOP Blocks Minimum Wage Hike (washingtonpost.com) By Helen Dewar; July 12, 2003; Page A04

-- Bush Limits Raises for Federal Workers

One disadvantage of US workers compared to Europeans is that fewer US workers are unionized; thus it's much more difficult for US workers than Europeans to successully negotiate higher pay or better working conditions or improved benefits from their employers.

The risks to an overworked population include making more mistakes both on and off the job, which creates often injurious or even fatal errors across-the-board, from mistakes in filling prescriptions to repairing the brakes of automobiles, to piloting commercial airliners-- and even during the routine daily commutes between home and work.

-- The Overworked Individualist: Portrait Of The American Worker; interview of Deborah Figart, Professor of Economics with Richard Stockton College, by Sharon Basco; Feb 24 2003

"Few other industrialized countries have as little vacation time as America, where there aren't even legal guarantees of vacation time"

-- Are You Suffering from Vacation Deprivation? By Catherine Valenti; ABC News; June 25, 2003

"...Europeans still enjoy free health care for all, cradle to grave; free education through university level; comparatively generous retirement for their elderly; an average of five weeks paid annual vacation, more sick leave, parental leave, and a shorter work week with comparable wages for their workers...Social spending in Europe runs some 50 percent above that in the United States. Environmental, food safety and labor laws are the envy of activists in the U.S."

-- The Ups and Downs of European Politics by Steven Hill; AlterNet; December 21, 2002

The more time spent working of course, the less time available for leisure. The less leisure time you have, the greater your risk of contracting Alzheimer's. So according to the citations immediately above and below, it would appear Americans would suffer a significantly greater risk of Alzheimer's than Europeans.

-- Leisure Activity May Lower Alzheimer Risk: Study By Merritt McKinney; Reuters Health/Yahoo!; December 24, 2001; citing Neurology 2001;57:2236-2242

The average European spends 30% less time at work than an American.

It appears the percentage of Americans who must work to live is growing, while the same percentage among Europeans is shrinking.

-- Euro-Sluggishness By David Ignatius; washingtonpost.com; July 8, 2003; Page A17

Europeans enjoy far more leisure time and 'quality time' with friends and family than Americans, as over past decades Americans' average work hours rose while that of Europeans fell. Atop this, Europeans also live longer than Americans.

-- No Rest for the Productive By Lewis Braham; Businessweek; JULY 9, 2003

"Some of the countries that have the strongest labor protections in Old Europe, such as Austria, Sweden, and Norway also have the lowest unemployment rates."

"At least by the measure of job creation, "Old Europe" beats George W. Bush’s America."

-- George W. Bush's America vs. "Old Europe" on Jobs By Dean Baker and Simone Baribeau; April 16, 2003

Truth be known, it may often be more hazardous to be a private sector employee than a military recruit, in terms of the risk of sickness, injury, or death due to your job.

-- Guardian | Work is three times as deadly as war, says UN by Andrew Osborn; May 2, 2002; The Guardian; Guardian Newspapers Limited

-- Abusive supervisors may get employees to meet deadlines at expense of company's 'bottom line'; EurekAlert; 22-Dec-2002; Contact: David Partenheimer; dpartenheimer@apa.org; 202-336-5706; American Psychological Association

-- Workplace bullies cost employers money

The more control people feel they have over their own lives, or the more confidence they have in their ability to perform their jobs, the stronger their immune systems seem to be.

-- How people perceive personal control when coping with demanding jobs can make them more vulnerable to colds and the flu; 29 APRIL 2001; EurekAlert!; US Contact: Pam Willenz pwillenz@apa.org 202-336-5707 American Psychological Association

-- Sense of Control at Work Affects HealthBy Jamie Cohen; ABC News; found on or about 12-12-03

"...the world's most productive firms almost never lay off workers..."

-- Poor leadership leads to layoffs by Jason Jennings; Yahoo! News; Nov 22, 2002

-- All in a Day’s Work Layoffs, Cost Cuts Lead to Overworked, Dissatisfied Workers, Say Experts By Catherine Valenti; ABC News; found on or about 12-12-03

-- Demoralised workers hurt bottom line Demoralised workers hurt bottom line By electricnews.net Posted: 12/02/2003

-- Stress at work increases the chance of acute common infections; EurekAlert; 24-Jan-2003; Contact: Michel Philippens; philippens@nwo.nl; 31-703-440-784; Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research

-- Job loss can lead to downward spiral of depression and poor health; EurekAlert; 6-Oct-2002; Contact: Pam Willenz; pwillenz@apa.org; 202-336-5707; American Psychological Association

-- 'historical evidence that wage increases lead to greater productivity and need not squeeze business profits'

-- How & Why People Join Unions

-- Employers are slow to adopt family-friendly and employee-friendly policies; EurekAlert; 21-Nov-2002; Contact: Lesley Lilley; lesley.lilley@esrc.ac.uk; 179-341-3119; Economic & Social Research Council

Working late night/early morning shifts (also commonly known as the third shift, or the graveyard shift) seems to stress the heart and perhaps other bodily systems-- especially for people who must often switch shifts, or cycle through different work schedules. Such work schedules appear to increase the risk of illness and accidents for such workers.

-- Graveyard Shift May Cause Heart Disease -- Study By Maggie Fox, Reuters/Yahoo! Top Stories Headlines, October 16, 2000

-- Diabetes tied to altering of the heart's circadian clock; EurekAlert; 22-Apr-2002; Contact: Donna Krupa; 703-967-2751; American Physiological Society

-- AIR POLLUTION LINKED TO INCREASED MEDICAL CARE AND COSTS FOR ELDERLY; Nov. 12, 2002; hbns.org; Center for the Advancement of Health Contact: Ira R. Allen Director of Public Affairs 202.387.2829 press@cfah.org

The major causes of cancer (well over 50%) stem from exposure to harmful elements of the environment-- not from genetic causes.

-- Nurture Not Nature Main Cause of Cancer - Report By Gene Emery, Reuters/Yahoo! Top Stories, July 13, 2000

-- Two-thirds of U.S. population has increased cancer risk due to pollution

-- Association between increased risk of stillbirths and abnormalities with proximity to incinerators; eurekalert.org; 28-May-2003; Contact: Emma Dickinson; pressoffice@bma.org.uk; 44-207-383-6529; BMJ Specialty Journals

Pollution doesn't have to get inside you to hurt you. It can also damage the Earth's biosphere, thereby allowing in stronger radiation from the Sun, to make skin cancers harder to avoid.

-- Many young Americans risk skin cancer from annual sunburns; EurekAlert; 16-Jul-2002; Contact: Mary Kay Sones; msones@cdc.gov; 770-488-6416; Center for the Advancement of Health

Pollution doesn't even have to exist in the environment during your own lifetime to damage you-- you could end up sick or injured due to the pollution your forebears endured.

-- Air Pollution Damages Across Generations - Study By Maggie Fox, Yahoo! News/Reuters; Dec 09, 2002

-- Toxins in 20% of U.S. Food Supply By SId Kirchheimer; WebMD Medical News; Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD; October 14, 2002; my.webmd.com

-- Pollution 'damages intelligence' By Alex Kirby, 22 April, 2000, BBC News Sci/Tech

"mercury could be slightly reducing the mental performance of millions of people worldwide"

-- Even safe mercury levels harm brain; EurekAlert! 11-Jun-2003; Contact: Claire Bowles; claire.bowles@rbi.co.uk; 44-207-331-2751; New Scientist

-- Mercury in rain surpasses safe level by BRUCE HENDERSON; Charlotte Observer; May. 30, 2003

Between the 1950s and 2000, something happened to make today's young adults and children more anxiety-ridden than they were in previous generations. During the 1980s average children possessed a higher level of anxiety than child psychiatric patients of thirty years before.

It is thought that child anxieties reflect those of society overall. If this is true, then social stresses on adults are growing. It appears that people increasingly distrust those around them, too.

Many of our young seem to feel less safe and less connected to others than previous generations.

This mounting anxiety is apparently contributing to rising rates of substance abuse and depression among the younger population.

-- Children's Anxiety at All-Time High By Suzanne Rostler, Reuters Health/Yahoo! Health Headlines, December 15, 2000, citing the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2000;79:1007-1021

-- Muffling the Left by Chisun Lee; villagevoice.com; August 6 - 12, 2003

-- Report: Bush Administration is Targeting Progressive Non-Profits; August 6, 2003; msmagazine.com

-- Rotten, Old-Fashioned Corruption at the FCC By Molly Ivins, AlterNet; May 29, 2003

-- The Faint, Fading Voice of the Left By Thane Peterson; Businessweek; MAY 20, 2003

-- The "Enronization" of America By Thane Peterson; Businessweek; JUNE 10, 2003

-- I WANT THE PRESIDENT TO CERTIFY THE GOVT'S BOOKS By JOHN CRUDELE

"According to some estimates we cannot track $2.3 trillion in transactions"

-- US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld

"We know it's gone. But we don't know what they spent it on...they have to cover it up...that's where the corruption comes in. They have to cover up the fact that they can't do the job."

-- Jim Minnery, Defense Finance and Accounting Service

"[the defense budget] numbers are pie in the sky. The books are cooked routinely year after year"

-- Department of Defense Analyst Franklin C. Spinney

"With good financial oversight we could find $48 billion in loose change in [the Pentagon building]"

-- Retired Vice Admiral Jack Shanahan

-- The War On Waste (possibly by Vince Gonzales); CBSNews.com; Jan. 29, 2002

"the federal government is keeping its books much like Enron did, and all of us will end up paying for it"

-- Sheila Weinberg, the Institute for Truth in Accounting

-- Low-Income Taxpayers: New Meat for the Right (washingtonpost.com) By E. J. Dionne Jr.; November 26, 2002; Page A29

-- New Tax Plan May Bring Shift In Burden Poor Could Pay A Bigger Share By Jonathan Weisman; Washington Post; December 16, 2002; Page A03

-- Bush camp studying whether wealthy bear too much of tax load; Seattle Times

-- Meme Watch: Bushies Take the Bait The tax-the-poor movement picks up steam By Timothy Noah; Dec. 16, 2002; slate.msn.com

-- The war on the poor Bush's compassionate conservatism borders on loan-sharking by E.J. Dionne, Jr.; 02.07.03; workingforchange.com

-- Bush seeks stiffer aid rules for poor

-- Bush Seeks to Recast Federal Ties to the Poor States Would Gain Control Over Services; Funds for Some Programs Would Be Cut (washingtonpost.com) By Amy Goldstein and Jonathan Weisman; February 9, 2003; Page A01

-- Government regulations contribute to medical debt of uninsured and underinsured; EurekAlert!; 4-Jun-2003; Contact: Mary Mahon; mm@cmwf.org; 212-606-3853

-- Dividend Plan Called Threat to Affordable Housing (washingtonpost.com) By Sandra Fleishman; February 11, 2003; Page A04

The US government now appears it will be mired in budget deficits at least through 2005, if not longer, according to a National Press Club speech by President Bush's budget director, Mitch Daniels.

Daniels says the deficits should be handled by cutting the budgets of social programs, and forcing annual Congressional votes (and opportunities for more cuts) even for the continuing operation of programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

-- Media War Horses Aim for the Front Lines By Howard Kurtz; Washington Post; November 30, 2001

No other nation on Earth was known to have more people in prison in 1999 than the USA; USAmerica was spending $39 billion a year to maintain its prison population at the time.

50% of the prison population was black, although blacks made up only about 13% of the total American population then.

In 1999 the USA was jailing its population at a rate only matched or exceeded by states which used to be a part of the Soviet Union (Russia was jailing faster than the US, while Belarus and Ukraine trailed the US). Singapore was the next fastest after the Ukraine (however, the number of prisoners and rate of incarceration in places like China was unknown).

-- College Further From Poor's Grasp, Study Shows by Stuart Silverstein citing May 2, 2002 Los Angeles Times

-- Is medical school only for the rich?; EurekAlert; 15-Apr-2002; Contact: Irfan Dhalla; irfan.dhalla@utoronto.ca; 613-731-8610 x1703; Canadian Medical Association Journal

-- College less affordable as tuitions increase By Mary Beth Marklein, USA TODAY; 2/10/2003

Financial inequality between the top 20% and bottom 20% of American society stands at 50% worse than that in countries like France, Germany, and Japan. Fully 38% of all US wealth is in the possession of only 1% of its population.

The primary road to upward mobility in the US is via education. But by the end of the 20th century this path was all but slamming shut for the lowest income Americans, as they were hit with a double whammy: huge increases in college costs took place even as effective government subsidies for the lowest income students were deeply slashed. Among the results were changes such as age 18-24 students from the top 25% income families enjoying ten times the chance of obtaining a degree in 1994 as students from the lowest 25% income group. Back in 1979 the richer student only had a 4 to 1 advantage over the poorer one. So educational opportunity-- and along with it job opportunity-- appears to be fast disappearing in America. Ergo, the USA may no longer be the land of opportunity it once was.

-- Log cabin to White House? Not any more by Will Hutton; April 28, 2002; The Observer; Guardian Newspapers Limited

As of 1998 the wealthiest 10% of Americans owned a whopping 85% of all stock and bond investments, in terms of cash value.

-- The Politics of Portfolios: Bush Bets on an Investor Class By RICHARD W. STEVENSON; Yahoo! News/The New York Times; Jan 07, 2003

-- Libraries Across U.S. Are Scaling Back

"State schools face rigorous tests without the money to pass them"

-- Bush makes poor pay for military might and tax cuts by Julian Borger; May 26, 2003; The Guardian

-- The Crunch for Schools (washingtonpost.com); January 2, 2003; Page A18

-- Schools, Facing Tight Budgets, Leave Gifted Programs Behind; 2004/03/02; nytimes.com

-- Schools Sell Blood, Day Care, Dr. Pepper By Dean Schabner; ABC News; found on or about December 12, 2003

"Some teachers are offering extra credit to kids who are willing to bring toilet paper and tissue for the understocked restrooms."

-- Around The Weird: Bizarre News Briefs; 2004-03-10 - Wireless Flash Weird News; ncbuy.com

-- Of Course Colleges Chase the Money By Mark Hyman; Businessweek; JULY 3, 2003

-- System takes from poor schools and gives to the rich, study shows FROM: Steven Goldsmith; May 27, 2003; 206-543-2580; sgolds@u.washington.edu

-- College Seniors No More Knowledgeable Than 1950s High School Grads -- 12-18-2002

-- United States a nation of financial illiterates - The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon, USA

-- Tech companies say affirmative action is needed By Sarah Lubman; Mercury News; Feb. 14, 2003

-- Tech companies endorse affirmative action By Sarah Lubman; Mercury News; Feb. 13, 2003

-- Why Diversity Is Good Business By Roger O. Crockett; Businessweek; JANUARY 17, 2003

-- What's good for the military Former generals file brief in favor of affirmative action by Susan Estrich; Creators Syndicate; 04.02.03; workingforchange.com

-- Colour still marks US job market; BBC; 15 January, 2003

"Discrimination in the workplace is still a common worldwide problem but it is becoming more insidious and taking on new forms such as bias based on HIV/Aids or religion..."

-- ILO spotlights new workplace discrimination; 12 May 2003

-- Racial profiling a waste of time, many experts say

-- Small Business Stats; November 26, 2002; beyondcorporate.com

"...American families live just one illness or accident away from complete financial collapse..."

"...It was very unlikely 30 years ago that an ordinary family could run up a half-million dollar medical bill, yet today that can happen in a matter of weeks in a major medical centre"

-- Professor Elizabeth Warren; Harvard Law School; one of the authors of a recent study into the causes of personal bankruptcy in America

-- US Study: Medical Bills Main Culprit In Bankruptcies by Araminta Wordsworth; www.commondreams.org; October 09, 2002; originally published by the National Post in Canada, April 27, 2000

-- Pharmaceuticals are more precious than gold By MICHAEL WOODS; Toledo Blade; December 23, 2002

Compared to other countries, Americans are charged too much for just about everything health or medical-related. For example, we typically pay twice as much as other nations do for the same exact drugs. We pay our doctors twice on average what other OECD nations do too. We also pay lots more in administrative costs than most other OECD countries, wherever they use universal health systems compared to our private health care insurance system.

-- Health Insurance Premiums; OUTSTANDING STORIES OF THE WEEK; Economic Reporting Review By Dean Baker; July 15, 2002

US healthcare is burdened with the worst overhead costs of all the industrialized nations. Canada's system has only 1% overhead compared with America's 14%.

The American system also pays nurse's aides so little they often cannot afford healthcare themselves, while paying top executives of health industry companies up to $54 million each in annual salaries in 2000.

-- Consider universal healthcare By WARREN GOLDSTEIN; Jun. 18, 2003; The Miami Herald

"The big question is why are Americans paying twice as much as Canadians for the same drugs?"

-- Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan

-- Access To Canadian Prescriptions May EndBy Jackie Judd; ABC News; March 13, 2003

-- Pills, Profit and the Public Health with Peter Jennings; ABC News Internet Ventures; Bitter Medicine: Pills, Profit and the Public Health aired on ABC, May 29, 2002 at 10 PM ET

-- Health Care in a 'Death Cycle' (washingtonpost.com) By David S. Broder; April 17, 2002; Page A15

"Americans are raising the white flag as never before..."

-- Breaking Records--For Bankruptcies By Andy Serwer; FORTUNE STREET LIFE found on or about 7-14-2002

"Ninety percent of personal bankruptcies are caused by the loss of a job, high medical bills or divorce"

"this legislation would make it more likely that debtors will lose their homes, their cars, and a chance at a fresh start with a clean slate"

-- Meanwhile In Congress...The House Passes Anti-Consumer Bankruptcy Bill apparently by Adam J. Goldberg; tompaine.com; Mar 21 2003

"...over 99% of the country's employers are small businesses and that they employ more than half of the private workforce"

-- Small Business Stats Posted by janet; beyond corporate; November 26, 2002

-- Physical, mental health illnesses hinder low-income families' economic security; eurekalert.org; 17-Aug-2002; Contact: Vicki Fong; vyf1@psu.edu; 814-865-9481; Penn State

"Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, who requested the study, said the scams had spread because of the soaring costs of health care and the growing number of uninsured."

-- Inquiry Finds Sharp Increase in Health Insurance Schemes By ROBERT PEAR; March 3, 2004; nytimes.com

"These scam artists are preying on citizens who are desperate for cheaper health care premiums,"

-- Senator Charles E. Grassley, Iowa Republican, chairman of the Finance Committee

-- Inquiry Finds Sharp Increase in Health Insurance Schemes By ROBERT PEAR; March 3, 2004; nytimes.com

"Tens of thousands of employers and hundreds of thousands of individuals have paid premiums for essentially nonexistent coverage...These unauthorized or bogus entities covered at least 15,000 employers and more than 200,000 policyholders...They left at least $252 million in unpaid medical claims..."

-- Kathryn G. Allen, the General Accounting Office health insurance studies director

-- Inquiry Finds Sharp Increase in Health Insurance Schemes By ROBERT PEAR; March 3, 2004; nytimes.com

-- A Plague of Health-Insurance Scams By Brian Grow; Businessweek; AUGUST 9, 2002

-- Health insurance scams leave thousands with large medical debts and no coverage; eurekalert.org; 28-Aug-2003; Contact: Mary Mahon; mm@cmwf.org; 212-606-3853; Commonwealth Fund

In places where matters of health security seem uncertain and unreliable, people are more vulnerable to costly health-related scams, plus will often experiment with even the riskiest of remedies (and so possibly worsen their conditions, or even die).

-- Fatally wounded by Isabel Hilton; May 22, 2003; The Guardian

"...the United States wastes more money on health bureaucracy than it would cost to provide health care to the tens of millions of uninsured Americans"

-- Yahoo! News - Bureaucratic Waste Dogs U.S. Health Care, Study Says

Compared to other countries, Americans are charged too much for just about everything health or medical-related. For example, we typically pay twice as much as other nations do for the same exact drugs. We pay our doctors twice on average what other OECD nations do too. We also pay lots more in administrative costs than most other OECD countries, wherever they use universal health systems compared to our private health care insurance system.

-- Health Insurance Premiums; OUTSTANDING STORIES OF THE WEEK; Economic Reporting Review By Dean Baker; July 15, 2002

-- Pills, Profit and the Public Health with Peter Jennings; ABC News Internet Ventures; Bitter Medicine: Pills, Profit and the Public Health aired on ABC, May 29, 2002 at 10 PM ET

-- Health Care in a 'Death Cycle' (washingtonpost.com) By David S. Broder; April 17, 2002; Page A15

Ironically, as of 2002, Americans already paid enough in taxes to get the universal health care virtually all other developed nations already possess. But we've let our politicians and big business simply pocket huge chunks of it rather than provide us with the services we've paid for.

"We pay the world's highest health care taxes, but much of the money is squandered. The wealthy get tax breaks, and HMOs and drug companies pocket billions in profits at the taxpayers' expense."

-- Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard

"...politicians claim we can't afford universal coverage. Every other developed nation has national health insurance. We already pay for it, but we don't get it."

-- Dr. David Himmelstein, of Physicians for a National Health Program.

"Other nations provide comprehensive health care to everyone without spending any more than the amount that we already pay in taxes to fund health care. But in the United States, we keep in place flawed policies that prevent tens of millions from having any health care coverage at all."

"We have an abundance of data to show that we can provide truly comprehensive health care benefits for absolutely everyone and actually reduce our total health care costs by adopting a program of universal health insurance."

-- Dr. Don McCanne, president of Physicians for a National Health Program

-- Harvard Medical School study concludes: 'We pay for national health insurance but don't get it' by Frances M. Beal; July 17, 2002; San Francisco Bay View

Of all the industrialized nations only the USA doesn't provide its citizens with universal healthcare access-- which may be one reason the life expectancy of US citizens trails behind that of at least 16 other countries worldwide. For these reasons the US healthcare system has been labeled by some as a global embarrassment and one of the worst cases of national neglect or error in the modern world.

-- "Call to make health care a Constitutional right" Yahoo! News Health Headlines/Reuters Health; April 23, 1999

-- Republicans Have Huge Edge in Campaign Cash (washingtonpost.com) By Thomas B. Edsall and David VonDrehle; February 14, 2003; Page A01

-- Bush Raises More Money Than All 9 Challengers (washingtonpost.com) By Dan Balz and Thomas B. Edsall; July 16, 2003; Page A01

-- Over The Sea, Then Under The Knife Patients worldwide are heading to hospitals in Asia for affordable, high-quality surgery By Frederik Balfour, Manjeet Kripalani, Kerry Capell and Laura Cohn; FEBRUARY 16, 2004; businessweek.com

The world's healthiest people are the Japanese, while France appears to possess the best health care system overall. The United States spends more per person on health care every year than any of the other 190 countries in the study, yet ranks only 37th in terms of health care quality, and 24th in the World Health Organization's Disability Adjusted Life Expectancy.

The World Health Organization studied health care quality and cost in 191 countries worldwide, announcing their conclusions around mid-2000 AD. Among them were these items of note:

WHO's study focused primarily upon the cost-effectiveness of each nation's health care, compared to all others. Important factors included the health of a country's native population relative to others, the treatment of the nation's minorities and poor, and how well a country's public health system does at preventing sickness in the first place.

The people of Japan were judged to be the most healthy population overall, living on average 4.5 years more in good health during their lifespan than Americans. Japan spends an average of $1,759 per person in health care.

France was judged to possess the best health care system overall, with Italy coming in second. The French live on average three more years in good health than Americans. France spends an annual average of $2,125 per person on health care.

Japan, Singapore, and Spain ranked among the top ten best health care systems in the world.

Britain and Canada, which offer a free national health service and a widely acclaimed system respectively, came in 18th and 30th on the scorecard.

The United States came in 37th in ranking, despite spending more per person on health care every year than any of the other 190 countries in the study ($3,724).

-- Controversial study finds France has world's best health-care system By LAURAN NEERGAARD, Associated Press, June 20, 2000, http://www.nandotimes.com

"...U.S. citizens pay $3,925 per person for health care each year, far more than the $2,500 spent for each person in Switzerland, the second most expensive country..."

"The American health care system is at once the most expensive and the most inadequate system in the developed world, and it is uniquely complicated"

-- The New England Journal of Medicine, 1999

-- "Journal Calls U.S. Health Care Expensive, Inadequate" By Gene Emery, 1-7-99, Reuters Limited/Yahoo; US Health System Most Expensive in World, citing The New England Journal of Medicine January 7, 1999;340:48, 70-76; and other sources like NEJM -- The American Health Care System Revisited -- A New Series; Journal Calls U.S. Health Care Expensive, Inadequate; and US Has Most Expensive Health System

By one measure, the total healthcare monies spent in the US annually per person around 2000 amounted to $4,187. By contrast, Costa Rica spent only $226. The US also enjoyed twice as many doctors per person as Costa Rica. Some results of this vast resource disparity include higher life expectancies at birth for Costa Rican men than US men-- with expectancies for women just a bit less in Costa Rica than the US. Why? Perhaps because basic healthcare services focused on prevention are available to most Costa Ricans, and the Costa Rican economic policies allow most everyone sufficient income for food and housing for themselves and their families. The biggest healthcare difference all the extra money spent in the US seems to bring is the addition of a bit more lifespan via advanced technology to old folks near the end of their lives.

-- The slowing pace of progress By Phillip J. Longman, US News & World Report, found on or about 12-30-2000

Of 191 nations considered, Japan appears to boast the most healthy and long lived population overall.

By the World Health Organization's own Disability Adjusted Life Expectancy (DALE) years of bad health are subtracted from average life expectancy to better measure the length of healthy lifespans per country. By this measure the USA ranked only 24th on the list-- trailing states like Switzerland, Monaco, and Greece.

The lowest life expectancy (under 26) exists in Sierra Leone.

-- Japan Has Longest Healthy Life Expectancy - WHO By Patricia Reaney, Reuters/Yahoo! Top Stories Headlines, June 4, 2000

"...Europe's systems for healthcare are generally more able to support couples seeking fertility treatment than anywhere else in the world..."

-- Europe’s healthcare systems supports trend for quality and quantity in ART; 2-Jul-2003; eurekalert.org; Contact: Emma Mason; wordmason@aol.com; 44-137-656-3090; European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology

Despite spending lots more on healthcare, Americans don't live as long as the citizens of most other industrialized nations today. One clue as to why may be the presence of universal healthcare in those other nations (like Canada).

-- Ronald Walters, political science professor at the University of Maryland

-- Draft Bill Stirs Debate Over The Military, Race and Equity By Darryl Fears; Washington Post; February 4, 2003; Page A03

-- How the Rich Go to War They Send the Poor to Fight by James Ridgeway; April 3rd, 2003; villagevoice.com

-- Poverty, Military Service Seem to Go Hand-in-Hand by Roy MacGregor; 12-13-03; commondreams.org; previously published April 5, 2003 by the Globe & Mail/Canada

-- We're Looking for a Few Poor Men By Ted Rall, AlterNet; April 14, 2003

-- Working class carries burden of US defense By Michael Conlon of Reuters; 11.04.2003; isn.ethz.ch

"...when Congress authorized the use of force in Iraq, not a single member of the House and only one senator had a son or daughter serving in the enlisted ranks of the armed services. And only three House members have children who are officers."

-- A Lump of Coal From the President By David S. Broder; Washington Post; December 4, 2002; Page A23

"And who's actually fighting the war?

Once again, America's poor. The soldiers who are baking in Iraq's desert sun are not the children of the rich. Only one of all the representatives in the House of Representatives and the Senate has a child fighting in Iraq. America's "volunteer" army in fact depends on a poverty draft of poor whites, Blacks, Latinos, and Asians looking for a way to earn a living and get an education. Federal statistics show that African Americans make up 21 percent of the total armed forces and 29 percent of the U.S. army. They count for only 12 percent of the general population."

-- Gen. John Abizaid, head of U.S. Central Command

-- General Unrest New U.S. Commander Upset by Comments From Troops in Iraq; Martha Raddatz and Erin Hayes contributors; abcnews.go.com; found on or about December 13, 2003

-- Pentagon may punish GIs who spoke out on TV by Robert Collier, July 18, 2003; San Francisco Chronicle

-- Soldiers exposed in 109 chemical tests, Pentagon says

-- Defense tests of chemical weapons may have harmed sailors, subjects By David Goldstein; Knight Ridder Newspapers; Jun. 16, 2002; realcities.com

-- Pentagon had 50 tests of chemical, biological weapons involving military personnel

-- Chemicals used to protect soldiers in 1991 Gulf War can damage testes, animal studies show; eurekalert.org; 8-Jan-2003; Contact: Rebecca Levine; levin005@mc.duke.edu; 919-684-4148; Duke University Medical Center

-- Bush's Retirement Rx Is Bad Medicine By Aaron Bernstein; Businessweek; FEBRUARY 18, 2003

"President George W. Bush's dividend tax cut plan threatens the economy by expanding the national deficit...When combined with the cost of a possible war with Iraq, the plan could force Social Security and Medicare into insolvency..."

-- Dems attack Bush over economic plan By P. Mitchell Prothero; 2/27/2003; upi.com

-- Bush's bogus Medicare reform By Robert Kuttner, 3/5/2003 [page A23 of the Boston Globe on 3/5/2003]

"...suicide among America's young people has increased 36% since 1970, and triple the rate in 1950..."

-- Economic vs. Social health: it’s not the economy, stupid!; N. 26, July 2002; Rationally Speaking by Massimo Pigliucci; Department of Botany, University of Tennessee

-- Suicide linked to unemployment; BBC; November 6, 1998

From 1962 to 2001 in the USA, the average unemployment rate during years for which Republican presidents submitted budgets was 6.75%. The average rate for years when Democratic presidents submitted budgets was 5.1%.

-- Just for the Record Part IV; P.L.A. - A Journal of Politics, Law and Autism by Dwight Meredith; October 27, 2002; citing ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/lf/aat1.txt

Either excessive wealth or poverty can lead to a greater tendency towards mental illness related suicide...but the wealthy person is a bit more likely to commit suicide than the poor one, under these conditions. So it would appear an increased redistribution of wealth from rich to poor (or a narrowing of the income gap) would actually help reduce suicide rates among both groups.

However, as American right-wing politics usually tend to widen income gaps and disparities (thereby making the poor poorer and the rich richer), it appears successfully implemented conservative policies likely raise suicide rates among both rich and poor. At least according to the research cited below.

-- Wealth Tied to Suicide Risk in the Mentally Ill; Reuters Health/Yahoo! Health Headlines; February 9 2001; citing British Medical Journal 2001;322:334-335

-- Poor less likely to commit suicide; Agence France-Presse; February 10, 2001; Nando Media/Nando Times; http://www.nandotimes.com

-- Life Of Crime Becoming Viable Career Move For Youths - 2004-03-04; Wireless Flash Weird News; ncbuy.com

-- Rejection massively reduces IQ by Emma Young; 15 March 02; NewScientist.com

-- Being Social Keeps Mind Sharp; abcnews.go.com [this URL has its content regularly changed]

-- Schmoozing is good for the brain, U-M study suggests; EurekAlert; 22-Oct-2002; Contact: Diane Swanbrow; swanbrow@umich.edu; 734-647-9069; University of Michigan

-- Social Exclusion Causes Self-Defeating Behavior

-- Exile groups should not be excluded from political dialogue; EurekAlert; 26-Oct-2002; Contact: Iain Stewart; iain.stewart@esrc.ac.uk; 44-179-341-3032; Economic & Social Research Council

-- Social rejection has a host of behavioral consequences, none of them good

"...a relationship between suicide rates and the level of social integration..."

-- Social Capital and Health, Nutrition and Population; worldbank.org; October 10, 2002

From 1962 to 2001, the average growth rate in GDP (Gross Domestic Product) during years for which Republican presidents submitted budgets was 2.94%. The average rate for years when Democratic presidents submitted budgets was 3.92%.

-- SEGREGATED NEIGHBORHOODS LEAD TO POOR HEALTH

-- PSYCHOLOGICAL, PHYSICAL ABUSE EQUALLY HARMFUL TO HEALTH

-- PERCEPTION OF PUNISHMENT UNDERMINES HIV TREATMENT ADHERENCE

-- Feeling Like a Burden Ups Suicide Risk for Some By Charnicia E. Huggins; Yahoo! News/Reuters Health; September 20, 2002; citing Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology

-- Lonely People Face Higher Risk Of Heart Disease; Science Daily

-- Plutocracy by some other name; thoughts on the eve of the apocalypse; October 20, 2002; citing this New York Times article

-- "The Rich-Poor Gap Grows" by John Allen Paulos, Special to ABCNEWS.com Aug. 1, 1999, ABC News Internet Ventures, http://www.abcnews.go.com/

-- Wage gap widens By ALAN BJERGA; Lori O'Toole Buselt, contributor; Apr. 24, 2002; eagle and wire service sources; http://www.kansas.com

-- Repeal of estate tax to increase tax burden and widen wealth gap; EurekAlert!

The overwhelming majority (90%) of young white male employees in USAmerica are destined to experience a smaller rise in income over their lives than their father's generation did

-- Ninety percent of young white male workers now doing worse than they would have 20 years ago; EurekAlert!; 20-Feb-2002; Contact: Joel Schwarz; joels@u.washington.edu; 206-543-2580; University of Washington

From 1962 to 2001 in the USA, the average inflation rate during years for which Republican presidents submitted budgets was 4.96%. The average rate for years when Democratic presidents submitted budgets was 4.26%.

"...wealth inequality, rather than poverty, determines crime rate..."

-- VITAL SIGNS February 15, 2004 by Dave Pollard; blogs.salon.com/0002007

From 1962 to 2001 in the USA, the average unemployment rate during years for which Republican presidents submitted budgets was 6.75%. The average rate for years when Democratic presidents submitted budgets was 5.1%.

Look at the reference above and then the one below. Taken together these studies indicate that having too many disadvantaged youth (read: poor or poorly raised) in one's country could be dangerous for that country's future as a prosperous and democratic state. Ergo, making sure to provide them (and their parents) with at least a modest amount of support in terms of health, education, and general guidance during their formative years would seem prudent.

"For the majority of Americans, the question is not if they will experience poverty, but when"

-- Most Americans Experience Poverty Sometime In Adult Life, Study Finds; 7 APRIL 1999; Contact: Gerry Everding; gerry_everding@aismail.wustl.edu; 314-935-6375; Washington University in St. Louis

The overwhelming majority (90%) of young white male employees in USAmerica are destined to experience a smaller rise in income over their lives than their father's generation did

-- Ninety percent of young white male workers now doing worse than they would have 20 years ago; EurekAlert!; 20-Feb-2002; Contact: Joel Schwarz; joels@u.washington.edu; 206-543-2580; University of Washington

-- Whites join slide into poverty as US incomes fall by Matthew Engel; September 26, 2002; The Guardian

-- Census U.S. Poverty Up, Income Down (washingtonpost.com) By Steven Pearlstein; September 24, 2002

-- Census: U.S. Poverty Up, Income Down Poverty Rate Rose in 2001 for First Time in Eight Years As Household Income Fell, U.S. Says; The Associated Press/abcnews.go.com; apparent datestamp Sept. 24 2002

-- New Tax Plan May Bring Shift In Burden Poor Could Pay A Bigger Share By Jonathan Weisman; Washington Post; December 16, 2002; Page A03

-- Meme Watch: Bushies Take the Bait The tax-the-poor movement picks up steam By Timothy Noah; Dec. 16, 2002; slate.msn.com

-- The war on the poor Bush's compassionate conservatism borders on loan-sharking by E.J. Dionne, Jr.; 02.07.03; workingforchange.com

-- Bush seeks stiffer aid rules for poor

-- Bush Seeks to Recast Federal Ties to the Poor States Would Gain Control Over Services; Funds for Some Programs Would Be Cut By Amy Goldstein and Jonathan Weisman; Washington Post; February 9, 2003; Page A01

-- Dividend Plan Called Threat to Affordable Housing (washingtonpost.com) By Sandra Fleishman; Washington Post; February 11, 2003; Page A04

Only around 50% of eligible US voters actually vote anymore. The decline in participation in the process has been occurring for 40 years. Voters in other western democracies apparently have more trust in their systems than Americans in their own, as turnout there is typically higher than in the US. Deteriorating quality in education and a reduction of involvement in local communities are some of the reasons experts give for this state of affairs.

"Only Iran and US apply death penalty to under-18s"

-- Mississippi plan to execute juvenile fuels legal debate by Julian Borger; January 6, 2003; The Guardian

-- United States Leads World in Juvenile Offender Executions and Ranks Third Worldwide in Total Number of Executions, Newest Statistics Show; amnestyusa.org; 11 April 2003; Contact: Jen Corlew, 202-544-0200 x302

"Only China executes more prisoners than the United States."

-- Execution Pace Slows Amid Death Penalty Shifts By Andrew Stern; Reuters; Jan 18, 2004; story.news.yahoo.com

-- 'Signs Grow of Innocent People Being Executed, Judge Says'; 2003/08/12; nytimes.com

-- Yahoo! News - Man Spent Months in Jail on False Charges; story.news.yahoo.com

"[the study]...raises serious questions about testimony given over the last 40 years. The F.B.I. reached farther than the science supported."

-- Senator Charles E. Grassley, Iowa Republican

-- Report Questions the Reliability of an F.B.I. Ballistics Test By ERIC LICHTBLAU; February 11, 2004; nytimes.com

-- Yahoo! News - Panel Questions FBI Bullet Analysis; story.news.yahoo.com

-- Senator Says Report on Misconduct by F.B.I. Agents Is ’List of Horrors’; 2004/02/19; nytimes.com

"As cells die off they release the drug back into the bloodstream, so the concentration can shoot up 10 times..."

-- Post-mortem drug test errors; eurekalert.org; 10-Mar-2004; Contact: Claire Bowles claire.bowles@rbi.co.uk 44-207-331-2751 New Scientist

-- Bite-marks giving false impression; eurekalert.org; 10-Mar-2004; Contact: Claire Bowles claire.bowles@rbi.co.uk 44-207-331-2751 New Scientist

Early 2003 Iran is regarded as an "ultraconservative society"

-- Plane Crash Kills 302 Iranian Soldiers; ABC News; The Associated Press; abcnews.go.com; accessible online 12-13-03

"...Thanks to Bush, America is one of only two nations on Earth that have refused to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The other hold out is the notoriously patriarchal and human rights-abusing third-world nation of Somalia..."

-- CHERYL SEAL REPORTS MARCH 24: Anti-propaganda Media Analysis by Cheryl Seal; 24 Mar 2003; baltimore.indymedia.org

-- Shackling Children (washingtonpost.com); June 23, 2003; Page A20

"In Costa Rica, we don't even allow that kind of punishment for our prison inmates"

It appears that American conservatives may have gotten the idea of holding and torturing terror suspects in foreign countries after 9-11-01 from a practice already in effect of doing something similar to teenage American kids in so-called 'tough love' institutions located in countries south of the US/Mexico border, and therefore not subject to the child abuse laws of the USA itself. It sounds from the article like the kids can have lots of trouble trying to contact their families from these places-- much like what's been happening with adult terrorist suspects or uncharged 'material witnesses' since 9-11-01.

-- Costa Rican authorities raid US-run 'boot camp' by Duncan Campbell; May 23, 2003; The Guardian

-- Drug banned for use on animals okay for execution of Tennessee inmates by wmctv.com staff/The Associated Press; accessible online 12-13-03; wmcstations.com

"He died of flesh eating bacteria after being held in solitary confinement, naked and handcuffed, for most of 15 days"

-- Federal officials inspect jail By STEVE MYERS; 05/28/03

In 2003 America, stealing $200 worth of video tapes can get you a life sentence in prison while a $1200 theft of golf clubs can get you 25 years.

-- Cruel, but Usual; March 7, 2003; The Foundation for National Progress; related stories include $11 theft gets career criminal 25 years to life and 50 years' jail for video thefts upheld

-- Fla. Homeless Man Faces 10 Years For Spitting On Deputy

-- Man gets life in prison for spitting on police; CNN

-- '$180 million at $500 a month...'

Note that one of the constitutional principles undergirding America is supposed to be a ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

Perhaps the closest thing to predictability in American sentencing today is that the rich or powerful who steal millions or billions of dollars, or harm thousands or millions by their actions or inactions, usually get far lighter punishment (if any) than poor whites or blacks or other disadvantaged citizens involved in crimes which are trivial by comparison.

"Criminal prosecutions are highly unusual for corporate criminals, and convictions carrying jail time are even more rare."

-- Big crimes? Maybe. Big punishment? Not likely; Yahoo! Op/Ed - USA TODAY; Gannett Co. Inc.; Feb 5, 2002

-- Crime And (Very Little) Punishment by Arianna Huffington; Arianna Online; July 15, 2002

-- WorldCom, Enron execs elude charges By David E. Rovella; BLOOMBERG NEWS; Aug. 20, 2003; bayarea.com

-- Punishment falls short of crime against investors By Dan Gillmor; Dec. 21, 2002; siliconvalley.com

Gross inconsistency in punishments for businesses which knowingly abused their customers often results in negligible penalties for relatively large-scale crimes.

-- Penalizing Wall Street: Pick a Fine, Any FineBy Heather Timmons and Mike McNamee; Businessweek; DECEMBER 23, 2002

-- Banking's Bigwigs May Be Beyond the Law's Reach By Mike McNamee, Nanette Byrnes, and Emily Thornton; Businessweek; MAY 19, 2003

"Swipe a CD from a record store and you'll get arrested. But when Congress authorizes the entertainment industry to steal from you -- well, that's the American way."

-- Supreme Court Endorses Copyright Theft by Dan Gillmor; January 15, 2003; weblog.siliconvalley.com

No other nation on Earth was known to have more people in prison in 1999 than the USA; USAmerica was spending $39 billion a year to maintain its prison population at the time.

50% of the prison population was black, although blacks made up only about 13% of the total American population then.

In 1999 the USA was jailing its population at a rate only matched or exceeded by states which used to be a part of the Soviet Union (Russia was jailing faster than the US, while Belarus and Ukraine trailed the US). Singapore was the next fastest after the Ukraine (however, the number of prisoners and rate of incarceration in places like China was unknown).

-- Soaring U.S. Inmate Population Sparks Debate By Will Dunham, Reuters/Yahoo! Politics Headlines, December 29 1999

-- U.S. Prison Population Sets New Record; The Associated Press; 04/07/03; kxan.com

"...with about 5 percent of the world's population, we have 25 percent of the prisoners"

-- Enormous prison population a reason for concern, questions By Asheville Citizen-Times; April 8, 2003

"...1 in every 142 U.S. residents was in prison or jail in mid-2002"

-- U.S. Prison Population Tops 2 Million U.S. Prisons and Jails Top 2 Million Inmates for the First Time, Justice Department Reports The Associated Press; April 7, 2003; abcnews.go.com

-- A Nation Behind Bars (washingtonpost.com); April 13, 2003; Page B06

-- The United States has surpassed Russia as the nation with the highest percentage of citizens behind bars

-- U.S. prison population largest in world 06-01-03; The Baltimore Sun; charleston.net

"The United States has the largest, most expensive and fastest-growing prison system in the world..."

"...mass imprisonment creates a huge population of ex-convicts. About 600,000 hit the streets each year with no skills, no place to live and few family connections. These former offenders are almost always ruled out of consideration for decent jobs and are further marginalized by laws that bar them from getting student loans or driver's licenses, from voting and from becoming tenants in public housing developments. Many revert to lawlessness and end up back in prison within a few brief years."

"...the country will need to change its attitude before it can reincorporate the millions of ex-offenders who stand at the margins of society with no clear way into the mainstream."

It appears Republican backing for states' rights exists only so long as a state toes the party line.

-- Ashcroft's moral stand out of line; A Times Editorial; St. Petersburg Times, November 13, 2001

-- Religious groups are increasingly coming out against harsh drug laws By Dean Schabner; ABCNEWS.com; June 20, 2002

"For Some Religious Groups, Drug Laws Do More Harm Than Drugs Themselves"

-- Religious Groups Call Drug War Immoral By Dean Schabner; abcnews.go.com; June 19, 2002

Want to multiply by six times the likelihood a student will perform a criminal act? Expel them from school.

Perceived stressful circumstances make people more prone to disease.

-- Yahoo! News/Reuters Health - Feeling Stressed Out Weakens Immune System Response By Charnicia E. Huggins Nov 29, 2002

-- Psychological distress may predict hypertension; EurekAlert; 24-Sep-2002; Contact: Dr. Thomas Rutledge; dr.tom@medscape.com; 858-552-8585; Center for the Advancement of Health

-- Men’s health more vulnerable to stressful life events; EurekAlert; 24-Sep-2002; Contact: Mika Kivimaki; mika.kivimaki@occuphealth.fi; 35-891-912-3837; Center for the Advancement of Health

-- Heart-Felt Stress Can Be More Dangerous To Immune System by Center For The Advancement Of Health; 2002-07-11; Science Daily; sciencedaily.com

-- High mental stress linked with increased risk of cardiovascular death; EurekAlert; 12-Aug-2002; Contact: Bridgette McNeill; bridgette.mcneill@heart.org; 214-706-1135; American Heart Association

-- Want hypertension? Hurry up!; EurekAlert; 20-Nov-2002; Contact: Carole Bullock; carole.bullock@heart.org; 214-706-1279; American Heart Association

-- ABILITY TO COPE WITH STRESS MAY PLAY A ROLE IN CANCER PROGRESSION By Joel B. Finkelstein; Health Behavior News Service; Dec. 1, 2002

-- STRESS MAY TRIGGER MS FLARE-UPS IN WOMEN By Susan R. Farrer; Health Behavior News Service; Nov. 26, 2002

-- GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER LINKED TO PEPTIC ULCER DISEASE By Ann Quigley; Health Behavior News Service; Nov. 25, 2002

-- CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME LINKED TO IMPAIRED STRESS RESPONSE By Ann Quigley; Health Behavior News Service; Nov. 25, 2002

-- Stressful Feelings May Influence Vaccine Effectiveness; Science Daily Source: Center For The Advancement Of Health Date: 2002-11-25

-- A Frazzled Mind, a Weakened Body By MICHAEL D. LEMONICK; Time magazine; Jan. 12, 2003

"approximately 150,000 additional deaths can be attributed to the effects of Reaganomics"

-- Mentally fatigued persons switch to automatic pilot; EurekAlert; 23-May-2002; Contact: Michel Philippens; philippens@nwo.nl; 31-70-3440784; Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research

Going too long without sufficient sleep can make you as dangerous and incapacitated in some ways as being drunk.

-- A New Animal Study Clarifies How Different Parts Of The Brain Regulate Sleep; Contact: Donna Krupa; 703.527.7357; Cell: 703.967.2751; djkrupa1@aol.com; January 12, 2003; The American Physiological Society, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland, 20814-3991 USA (301) 634-7164; citing the Journal of Neurophysiology November 2002

Somewhere between 5 and 30 percent of all traffic accidents may be due to fatigue.

By contrast, recreational physical exertions reduce the risk of death.

-- Physical activity at work linked to higher risk of death Reuters/Yahoo! Health Headlines, February 10 2000

Those who sleep less than six hours a night suffer reduced lifespans compared to those who get at least seven hours. Regular and sustained sleep deprivation affects the body in ways similar to accelerated aging.

-- Losing Sleep Over Fatigue By ROBERT LEE HOTZ, March 16, 2000

-- Sleep 'key to longer life'; BBC News Online; 15 July, 2002

At least 51% of USAmerican adults are sometimes sleepy while driving (and at least 12% actually drive faster when sleepy)-- helping to cause around 200,000 accidents every year.

-- DATA POINTS: The Need for Zzz's, Scientific American: Science and The Citizen: IN BRIEF: August 2000

Getting six to eight hours of sleep per night improves learning and memory capacities, compared to getting less. In areas involving particularly challenging material, as much as a 20%-50% difference in learning and memory can occur on a daily basis between one person getting at minimum six hours sleep a night, and the other getting less.

-- Sleep longer, learn better by: Cynthia Reynolds, March 7, 2000, Discovery Channel Canada 2000

Airline pilots suffer as much as 25 times more skin cancers than others, perhaps due somewhat to disrupted sleep patterns.

-- Students and sleep - perfect together By RACHEL SMOLKIN, Nando Media/Scripps Howard News Service, September 23, 1999, http://www.nandotimes.com

-- Losing Sleep Over Fatigue By ROBERT LEE HOTZ, March 16, 2000

Getting six to eight hours of sleep per night improves learning and memory capacities, compared to getting less. In areas involving particularly challenging material, as much as a 20%-50% difference in learning and memory can occur on a daily basis between one person getting at minimum six hours sleep a night, and the other getting less.

-- Sleep longer, learn better by: Cynthia Reynolds, March 7, 2000, Discovery Channel Canada 2000

-- ABCNEWS.com : Dreams May Help Us Remember By Joseph B. Verrengia, The Associated Press, July 18, 2000

Inadequate sleep appears to be afflicting many middle-class children by the time they reach sixth grade, possibly reducing their attention spans and ability to learn. This sleep loss gradually ramps up between second and sixth grades as children typically awaken at the same times but go to sleep later and later.

-- Grade-Schoolers Grow into Sleep Loss by B. Bower, From Science News, Vol. 157, No. 21, May 20, 2000, p. 324

-- Up Too Late Hectic lives rob kids' sleep and health; US News (9-9-02) by Samantha Levine with Mary Brophy Marcus; September 9, 2002 p 51, 54, 56, 58, 61-62; usnews.com

Improvements in health increase productivity and energy on the part of a population, as well as result in less down time. Health improvements boost life expectancy, which may bring with it a greater demand for education-- since the longer the lifespan the more useful an education can be. More education leads to more productivity and higher incomes. Longer lifespans also make for increased investment, since people must plan for retirement. This expanding investment pool itself allows for more economic growth in a nation-- as well as further improvements in health...

-- Healthy nations more likely to become wealthy, Reuters Health/Yahoo! Health Headlines, February 17 2000

-- The Many Benefits of Providing Benefits; Businessweek; MAY 23, 2002; interview by Karen E. Klein of Carey Jury and Terri Shell

It costs America somewhere between 65 and 130 billion dollars annually for millions of its citizens to go without health insurance.

-- Toll of Health Insurance Gap Detailed By Rob Stein; June 18, 2003; Page A07; Washington Post

"It is entirely reasonable to view deficit spending to provide health care as warranted, while viewing deficit spending to pay for tax cuts to the wealthy as fiscally irresponsible."

-- Health Care Outstanding Stories Of The Week; Economics Reporting Review: April 19 to 25; apparently by Dean Baker [the datestamp of Apr 28 2003 was also found on this piece]; tompaine.com

"Social-welfare programs may help many more people than previously thought..."

-- Social programs may provide hidden 'spillover' benefits, study finds; eurekalert.org; 19-Jun-2003; Contact: Anuosha Chaudhuri; anuoshac@u.washington.edu; 206-276-1041; University of Washington

"...health workers have linked influenza to 39 cases of brain damage, or encephalopathy..."

-- Spray Flu Vaccine Is Little Used, Even With Shots Scarce By LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN; February 25, 2004; nytimes.com

Evidence is mounting that at least some forms of schizophrenia can be caused in whole or in part by viruses.

-- Hopkins researcher finds retroviral 'footprint' in brains of people with schizophrenia; EurekAlert!; 9 APRIL 2001; US Contact: David Bricker dbricker@jhmi.edu 410-223-1728; http://www.stanleylab.org

-- Virus in DNA 'is cause of mental illness' BY MARK HENDERSON; Times Newspapers Ltd.; APRIL 10 2001

The Borna virus looks to have a connection to human depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, and schizophrenia. It can kill sheep and horses via brain disease.

-- Animal Virus May Contribute to Mental Illness By Stephen Pincock; Reuters Health/Yahoo! Health Headlines; January 9, 2002

-- Insanity virus -- a crazy idea - Mainstream psychiatric outcast ponders parasitic mental illness by Keay Davidson; San Francisco Chronicle; August 5, 2002, and Virus behind insanity, authors suggest By KEAY DAVIDSON; SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE; August 6, 2002

Tourette's syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder may develop in cases where children endure repeated infections of a particular kind of strep, and go untreated.

-- Strep a Linked to Psychiatric Disorders in Kids By Anne Harding; Reuters Health/Yahoo! Health Headlines; December 19, 2001

-- Obsessed by a Bug? In Study, Bizarre Child Behaviors Possibly Linked to Strep Infection Respond to Antibiotics By Miriam E. Tucker; The Washington Post; June 18, 2002; Page HE01

-- Virus causes mental illness symptoms in mice by Emily Singer; New Scientist; 07 July 03

-- Yahoo! News - Common Bacteria Linked to Alzheimer's Disease; story.news.yahoo.com

But that's not all. There's mounting evidence that far more of humanity's ills are spawned by infectious agents than ever imagined in previous decades.

It appears the bacteria Salmonella, most known as a cause of food poisoning, may also cause a bout of arthritis in 10% of victims, which lasts for weeks. A smaller percentage of people suffer long term arthritis from such encounters. The method by which this occurs appears to be applicable to other auto-immune afflictions as well.

-- Study Finds Evidence Food Bug Can Cause Arthritis, Reuters/Yahoo! Science Headlines, February 1, 2000

Evidence is mounting that infectious diseases may contribute to cardio-vascular problems, including diseases of the system. Chlamydia pneumonia bacteria and the herpes variant cytomegalovirus (CMV) are but two such agents.

-- More Evidence That Infections Cause Heart Disease By Maggie Fox, Reuters/Yahoo! Science Headlines, September 18, 2000

All sorts of common bacterial infections, from urinary to gum disease, may contribute to later heart-related illnesses/conditions.

-- Infections Linked to Clogged Arteries By Merritt McKinney, February 26, 2001, Yahoo!/Reuters Health; Circulation 2001;103:1064-1070 is cited in the article

Note that being burdened with one affliction possibly stemming from infection can lead to still others by different means.

-- Cardiovascular disease leads to higher risk of dementia, Eurekalert!; 9-May-2002; Contact: Frank Raczkiewicz; 412-624-2607; University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

-- Ulcer bacteria linked to strokes, Eurekalert!; 8-Jul-2002; Contact: Bridgette Mc Neill; bridgette.mcneill@heart.org; 214-706-1135; American Heart Association

-- Common virus may contribute to uncommon bone disease in children; 8-Mar-2004; eurekalert.org; Contact: Joey Marie McCool McCool@email.chop.edu 267-426-6070 Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia

"Uveitis can have many different causes including viral infections, fungal infections,...bacterial infections,...and as a result of eye injuries."

-- Potentially blinding eye disease more prevalent than previously thought; 1-Mar-2004; eurekalert.org; Contact: Media Relations media@aao.org 415-561-8534 American Academy of Ophthalmology

There's 200 different known forms of cancer. Viral infections appear to trigger almost 20% of these.

-- Scientists Seek Cancer Clues in Cold Virus By Patricia Reaney, Yahoo!/Reuters, February 20, 2001

A new infectious threat to human beings, in addition to the bacterial and viral agents known before, is now being officially recognized: prions. These things are responsible for afflictions such as Mad Cow Disease, and likely various cancers and other brain-related problems.

-- Predictions for the new millennium By LANCE GAY, October 25, 1999, Nando Media/Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.nandotimes.com

Under some circumstances it appears the act of suicide itself can be infectious, and spread alarmingly through a given population.

-- Alaska health officials worried about rash of suicides By MARTHA BELLISLE and S.J. KOMARNITSKY; Anchorage Daily News; Nando Media/Scripps Howard News Service; March 16, 2001

Some viruses (such as certain herpes variants) apparently can cause certain types of cancer.

-- Cancer-Causing Virus Spares Healthy Individuals By Will Boggs; Yahoo!/Reuters Health; April 9, 2001

It appears leukaemia may be spread among humans by an infectious agent of some sort, probably a virus. It also seems many people harbor the virus, but it only causes leukaemia in a portion of same.

It had been known for some time that a virus could spread leukaemia amongst cattle and felines. Viruses are also often responsible for human cases of stomach, liver, and cervical cancer.

-- Deadly import by Emma Young; New Scientist Online News; 16 March 2001; The Lancet (vol 357, p 858)

-- Researchers discover how leukaemia virus spreads through the body; EurekAlert!; 13-Feb-2003; Contact: Tony Stephenson; at.stephenson@imperial.ac.uk; 44-20-7594-6712; Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine

-- Virus makes cervical cancer risk soar by Gaia Vince; New Scientist; 29 July 02

Some believe infectious agents could be related to many ailments today which are commonly attributed to old age, lifestyle, or genes instead, such as Alzheimer's and atherosclerosis.

-- Scientific American: Feature Article: A Host with Infectious Ideas By Steve Mirsky: May 2001

At least one contagion looks like it can make men shoot blanks (in terms of sperm). It may also help cause miscarriages in women.

-- Common virus linked to male infertility by Emma Young; 26 October 01; New Scientist; newscientist.com; Human Reproduction (vol 16, p 2333)

Exposure to the Epstein-Barr virus (mononucleosis) appears to relate to the later contraction of multiple sclerosis, as well as possibly other types of nerve ailments and some cancers. As much as 95% of adults in the US of age 40 or older may have been infected by Epstein-Barr.

-- Mono virus may be linked to multiple sclerosis, study suggests By LINDSEY TANNER; Associated Press/Nando Media/Nando Times; December 25, 2001

-- Antibiotic May Be A Potential Therapy For Multiple Sclerosis ; ScienceDaily Magazine; sciencedaily.com; 12/21/2001; University Of Wisconsin-Madison (http://www.wisc.edu/)

It appears that the more infectious agents you're exposed to, the higher your risk of developing heart disease.

-- Infection cited as a direct link to artery thickening; 7-Jan-2002; Contact: Carole Bullock; carole.bullock@heart.org; 214-706-1279; American Heart Association

-- Repeated infections may raise risk of heart disease, study says By LEE BOWMAN, Scripps Howard News Service/Nando Media/Nando Times; January 7, 2002

-- Virus in babies may cause asthma later on; EurekAlert; 10-Jul-2002; Contact: Gila Reckess; reckessg@msnotes.wustl.edu; 314-286-0109; Washington University School of Medicine

-- Protecting babies from RSV could reduce the chances of wheeze and asthma during childhood; EurekAlert; 18-Nov-2002; Contact: Tony Stephenson; at.stephenson@ic.ac.uk; 44-207-594-6712; Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine

-- Influenza infection attracts pneumonia bacteria EurekAlert!; 22-May-2002; Contact: Jim Sliwa; jsliwa@asmusa.org; 202-942-9297; American Society for Microbiology

-- New age for germs By Seth Borenstein and Robert S. Boyd; Mercury News; May. 13, 2003

-- Dramatic increases seen in college students' mental health problems over last 13-years; EurekAlert; 2-Feb-2003; Contact: David Partenheimer; dpartenheimer@apa.org; 202-336-5706; American Psychological Association

-- 'Up to 29 percent of people living in the U.S. and other parts of the developed world are mentally ill'; Reuters

-- Survey finds U.S. has high rate of mental illness, low rate of treatment compared to other countries; EurekAlert!; 6-May-2003; Contact: John Lacey; public_affairs@hms.harvard.edu; 617-432-0442; Harvard Medical School

-- Federal panel urges screening of adults for depression; The Associated Press/Nando Media/Nando Times; May 21, 2002

Some of the most common afflictions among US servicemen include substance abuse and depression. As military recruits are typically a ethnically diverse sample of the physically youngest and strongest adults among the general population, this appears to indicate such problems are "pervasive" throughout US society, and may be adversely affecting the productivity of civilian employees as well-- but be less visible there due to the civilian population lacking the same access to healthcare enjoyed by military personnel.

In places where matters of health security seem uncertain and unreliable, people are more vulnerable to costly health-related scams, plus will often experiment with even the riskiest of remedies (and so possibly worsen their conditions, or even die).

-- Fatally wounded by Isabel Hilton; May 22, 2003; The Guardian

"A recent unprecedented increase in unauthorized and illegal health insurance plans, spurred by rising health care costs and increasing numbers of uninsured, has left approximately 100,000 people with millions of dollars in medical debts and no coverage"

"...American families live just one illness or accident away from complete financial collapse..."

"...It was very unlikely 30 years ago that an ordinary family could run up a half-million dollar medical bill, yet today that can happen in a matter of weeks in a major medical centre"

-- Professor Elizabeth Warren; Harvard Law School; one of the authors of a recent study into the causes of personal bankruptcy in America

-- US Study: Medical Bills Main Culprit In Bankruptcies by Araminta Wordsworth; www.commondreams.org; October 09, 2002; originally published by the National Post in Canada, April 27, 2000

-- Pharmaceuticals are more precious than gold

Compared to other countries, Americans are charged too much for just about everything health or medical-related. For example, we typically pay twice as much as other nations do for the same exact drugs. We pay our doctors twice on average what other OECD nations do too. We also pay lots more in administrative costs than most other OECD countries, wherever they use universal health systems compared to our private health care insurance system.

-- Health Insurance Premiums; OUTSTANDING STORIES OF THE WEEK; Economic Reporting Review By Dean Baker; July 15, 2002

-- Pills, Profit and the Public Health with Peter Jennings; ABC News Internet Ventures; Bitter Medicine: Pills, Profit and the Public Health aired on ABC, May 29, 2002 at 10 PM ET

"Americans are raising the white flag as never before..."

-- Breaking Records--For Bankruptcies By Andy Serwer; FORTUNE STREET LIFE found on or about 7-14-2002

Ironically, as of 2002, Americans already paid enough in taxes to get the universal health care virtually all other developed nations already possess. But we've let our politicians and big business simply pocket huge chunks of it rather than provide us with the services we've paid for.

"We pay the world's highest health care taxes, but much of the money is squandered. The wealthy get tax breaks, and HMOs and drug companies pocket billions in profits at the taxpayers' expense."

-- Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard

"...politicians claim we can't afford universal coverage. Every other developed nation has national health insurance. We already pay for it, but we don't get it."

-- Dr. David Himmelstein, of Physicians for a National Health Program.

"Other nations provide comprehensive health care to everyone without spending any more than the amount that we already pay in taxes to fund health care. But in the United States, we keep in place flawed policies that prevent tens of millions from having any health care coverage at all."

"We have an abundance of data to show that we can provide truly comprehensive health care benefits for absolutely everyone and actually reduce our total health care costs by adopting a program of universal health insurance."

-- Dr. Don McCanne, president of Physicians for a National Health Program

-- Harvard Medical School study concludes: 'We pay for national health insurance but don't get it' by Frances M. Beal; July 17, 2002; San Francisco Bay View

-- Republicans Have Huge Edge in Campaign Cash (washingtonpost.com)

-- Bush Raises More Money Than All 9 Challengers (washingtonpost.com)

US President Bush is breaking records for the financial advantage he'll enjoy over any possible opponent in the next election. Indeed, it's expected his Democratic opponent will have run out of money around the time Bush begins his most heavy television advertising.

-- Bush Courts Big Donors in Presidential Mode By Mike Allen; Washington Post; May 22, 2003; Page A11

-- The Short, Unhappy Life of Campaign Finance Reform

"...the growing concentration of wealth has reshaped our political system: it is at the root both of a general shift to the right and of an extreme polarization of our politics"

-- Paul Krugman

-- Plutocracy by some other name; thoughts on the eve of the apocalypse; October 20, 2002; citing this New York Times article

"...Europeans still enjoy free health care for all, cradle to grave; free education through university level; comparatively generous retirement for their elderly; an average of five weeks paid annual vacation, more sick leave, parental leave, and a shorter work week with comparable wages for their workers...Social spending in Europe runs some 50 percent above that in the United States. Environmental, food safety and labor laws are the envy of activists in the U.S."

-- The Ups and Downs of European Politics by Steven Hill; AlterNet; December 21, 2002

-- Bush Blames Hill Republicans President's Homeland Security Explanation Creates Problems for Allies (washingtonpost.com) By Jim VandeHei; February 28, 2003; Page A06

-- Report: U.S. Still Vulnerable (washingtonpost.com)

-- In U.S., Terrorism's Peril Undiminished (washingtonpost.com) By Barton Gellman; December 24, 2002; Page A01

-- Airport Security Remains Porous (washingtonpost.com) By Sara Kehaulani Goo; June 22, 2003; Page A01

-- First Responders Unprepared for Terror Attacks; accessible online 12-14-03; abcnews.go.com

"The gear we have is meant for firefighting. It's not meant for weapons of mass destruction"; ABC News; found on or about 6-22-03

-- Unprepared for Smallpox (washingtonpost.com) By Graham T. Allison; December 26, 2002; Page A39

-- Vaccine Shortage Study Exposes Nation's 'Patchwork' System; Many Doctors Scrambling To Help Children Get Necessary Shots; Science Daily; sciencedaily.com; 2003-02-05; University Of Michigan Health System

Americans are more at risk from bioterror attacks than the citizens of any other developed nation on Earth due to the simple fact so many Americans have no health insurance.

-- Dr. Matthew Wynia of the American Medical Association and Lawrence Gostin of Georgetown University

-- Health experts worry uninsured may spread bioterror germs; The Associated Press/Nando Media /Nando Times; May 30, 2002

"Hospital emergency rooms constitute a key part of the first line of defense against infectious disease epidemics like SARS and even bioterrorism..."

-- Researchers aim to centralize N.C. emergency room data to combat epidemics, bioterrorism; 23-May-2003; Contact: David Williamson; 919-962-8596; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The tens of millions of uninsured in America may routinely delay seeking medical attention for sickness, and so inadvertantly help spread any contagion. But in the USA, many of the insured too feel so pressured by economic conditions even they will often postpone a visit to the hospital for as long as possible-- adding still more to the potential damage of a natural or unnatural disease throughout the nation.

"...77 percent of Americans go to work even when they are sick...26 percent are afraid they'll lose their job and 18 percent figure it's best to save the sick days for the kids."

-- Around The Weird: Bizarre News Briefs; 2004-03-10 - Wireless Flash Weird News; ncbuy.com

But in the crumbling health infrastructure of America circa 2004, even the insured themselves in many regions may not be able to get the medical care they need-- because local personnel or facilities simply don't exist. This could prove especially true in the event of a significant terrorist strike or even plain old accidental or natural calamity. And in the case of terrorism, the terrorists could make things worse by specifically targeting an area ill-served by the US health system.

"An estimated 36 million Americans, many of whom are insured or eligible for Medicare or Medicaid, have no easy access to a doctor or other caregiver..."

"They can't get health care because there aren't enough doctors in their communities who are willing or able to care for them..."

"...half of the 36 million people with no regular access to a doctor have some form of health insurance... But they cannot use it because local doctors do not accept their insurance or there are no health care facilities nearby."

" Patients with no regular doctor or other health care provider are more likely to wait until they are acutely ill to seek care and often end up in an emergency department."

-- Yahoo! News - Report: Many Insured Americans May Lack Health Care; Reuters; Mar 23, 2004; story.news.yahoo.com

"A smallpox attack by terrorists, for example, could infect tens of thousands of Americans before the first victim would even fall ill and cause millions of painful deaths."

"The challenge involves determining who to treat and who to quarantine, before the disease spreads."

"...the public health system can handle a bioterrorism attack involving no more than 1,000 casualties..."

-- U.S. Funnels Billions to Science to Defend Against Terrorism By Ralph Vartabedian; Los Angeles Times; Mar 07, 2004; story.news.yahoo.com

Even when a sick uninsured person does seeks help at a US hospital, they tend to receive a lower quality of care and less attention than the insured, both in cases considered routine or as emergencies-- and so a dangerous contagion from an as yet unreported bioterror attack would have that much more opportunity to spread throughout a community.

-- Lack of Insurance Hurting Americans' Health: Report By Todd Zwillich; May 21, 2002; Yahoo!/Reuters Health

-- The Threat of Terrorism Naturally Grows; A Real War on Terrorism; by Robert Wright; Sept. 4, 2002; slate.msn.com

-- "Millions" of dirty bomb sources by Rob Edwards; New Scientist; 25 June 02

-- CIA tells Hill terror threat eclipses Iraq =TheHill.com=

-- Yahoo! News Nov 29, 2002 Ideal Terror Weapons: Portable, Deadly, Plentiful Missiles By THOM SHANKER The New York Times

-- Senators ask Bush to protect airliners -- The Washington Times

-- Cruise Missile Threat Grows, Rumsfeld Says (washingtonpost.com) By Bradley Graham; August 18, 2002; Page A01

-- Dispersed al-Qaida poses even bigger terror threat, US says by David Teather; June 17, 2002; The Guardian

-- Not Much U.S. Can Do About Suicide Bombs By Bryan Robinson; abcnews.go.com; May 24, 2002

-- Shootings to spread to other cities? By Jon Dougherty; October 17, 2002; worldnetdaily.com

-- The Pentagon Plan to Provoke Terrorist Attacks by CHRIS FLOYD; November 1, 2002; counterpunch.org

-- Drain the Swamp and There Will Be No More Mosquitoes By attacking Iraq, the US will invite a new wave of terrorist attacks by Noam Chomsky; commondreams.org; 12-14-03; previously published September 9, 2002 in the Guardian/UK

-- Bush's Iraq adventure is bound to backfire by Youssef M. Ibrahim; iht.com; November 1, 2002

-- Iraq war 'will increase risk of terror attacks'; ananova.com; 28th October 2002

-- Bush's Big ABM Blunder By Stan Crock; Edited by Douglas Harbrecht; BusinessWeek Online; The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. ; JANUARY 17, 2002

-- U.S. Scientists Urge Against Missile Defense System By David Storey; April 11, 2000; Reuters/Yahoo!

-- Bombs Away Bush's indefensible missile-defense plan By Fred Kaplan; Dec. 17, 2002; slate.msn.com

-- Missile defense strategy not feasible against potential threats, shows American Physical Society study; July 15, 2003; aps.org; Media contact: David Harris, American Physical Society, +1-240-460-2762, harris@aps.org Study group co-chair: Professor Frederick Lamb, University of Illinois, +1-217-840-3909, fkl@uiuc.edu Study group co-chair: Professor Daniel Kleppner, MIT, +1-617-253-6811, kleppner@mit.edu Study group staff director: David Mosher, RAND, Washington, D.C., +1-703-413-1100 x5446, mosher@rand.org

-- Timing is fatal flaw for missile defense by Jeff Hecht; 15 July 03; newscientist.com

-- U.S. Alters Estimate Of Threats By Walter Pincus; The Washington Post; January 11, 2002; Page A01

-- How Politics Helped Redefine Threat By Michael Dobbs; The Washington Post; January 14, 2002; Page A01 [Article two of two]and other sources

-- The Impact of the USA PATRIOT Act on Free Expression by By Nancy Kranich; May 5, 2003

-- U.S. becoming Big Brother society: Report; Associated Press; Jan. 16, 2003

-- Fighting terror by terrifying U.S. citizens by Rob Morse; November 20, 2002; San Francisco Chronicle

-- 'Bush Calls for Broader Police Powers to Fight Terrorism'

"the fact that the Bush Administration would try and use the courts to stiffle dissent is nothing short of astounding, and must be broadcast to as wide an audience as possible"

-- Ashcroft tried to prevent NYC protests; February 16, 2003; daily KOS

-- The New McCarthyism: Secret Arrest and Detention instead of Blacklisting.

-- US uses terrorism law in other crime probes

-- Green Party USA Coordinator Detained at Airport; Prevented by Armed Military Personnel from Flying to Political Meeting in Chicago, CounterPunch Wire; November 2, 2001

In some cases high school students, priests, and nuns who wish to travel to join in peaceful protests are being significantly delayed or prohibited from such activities by government constraints on their freedom to fly to their destinations.

-- Are You on the No Fly List? by Matthew Rothschild; McCarthyism Watch; April 27, 2002; The Progressive

Chicago is initiating a new policy: having reporters fingerprinted.

-- Press Pass? I'll Pass BY WENDY COLE; Currents: Access ; Cjr.org; May/June 2002; found on or about 6-5-02

-- Press freedom being tested by Bush Administration's anti-terrorist policy; 05.23.2002; Reporters Without Borders

Airline passengers detained for speaking foreign language.

-- Three held after airliner reported concerns; CNN; February 6, 2003

-- No more easy time: Peace protesters serving terms alongside hardened criminals

-- No-fly blacklist snares political activists by Alan Gathright, September 27, 2002; San Francisco Chronicle

-- Three journalists sentenced to preventative detention

-- Environmentalists = Terrorists The New Math apparently by Karen Charman; tompaine.com; May 08 2003

-- Conflating protests with terrorism Police departments across the country are spying and compiling dossiers on political activists by Bill Berkowitz; workingforchange.com; 06.13.03

-- Analysts saw protesters at terrorists

-- Canadian Arrested on His Way To Conference Against Genetically Engineered Foods; May 17 '03; stlimc.org

"It's hard to insult people and enlist them as allies at the same time."

-- Diplomatic Riffs by Charley Reese; February 17, 2003; reese.king-online.com

-- U.S. Lawmakers Weigh Actions to Punish France, Germany (washingtonpost.com) By Jim VandeHei; February 12, 2003; Page A16

-- US to punish German 'treachery' by Peter Beaumont, David Rose and Paul Beaver; February 16, 2003; The Observer

"...Blair was given a list of the things that would befall Britain from military subsidies and equipment, to a reduction of value in the dollar versus the pound, which would destroy England's exportability. And Blair was basically told get in line, stand up and salute or "here's your last cigarette, Tony."..."

-- Greg Palast

-- BuzzFlash asks Greg Palast: "What the Heck is Going on With Tony Blair?"; A BUZZFLASH INTERVIEW; February 11, 2003; buzzflash.com

-- Air Pollution Damages Across Generations - Study By Maggie Fox, Yahoo! News/Reuters; Dec 09, 2002

-- Air Pollution Induces DNA Mutations in Mice; Scientific American; December 10, 2002

-- Climate change linked to disease epidemics by Mark Schrope; New Scientist; 20 June 02

-- Ecological effects of climate change include human epidemics; EurekAlert!; 17-Feb-2003; Contact: Nancy Ross-Flanigan; rossflan@umich.edu; 734-647-1853; University of Michigan

-- Grandad's diet affects descendants' health by Gaia Vince; New Scientist; 31 October 02

-- Occasional lack of health insurance results in less preventive care; EurekAlert; 2-Jan-2003; Contact: George Stamatis; gxs18@po.cwru.edu; 216-368-3635; Case Western Reserve University

-- Childhood circumstances linked to health in later life; EurekAlert; 10-Oct-2002; Contact: Emma Wilkinson; ewilkinson@bmj.com; 44-207-383-6529; BMJ-British Medical Journal

It may be that most or all the worst health ailments suffered by adults today can be laid at the door of the circumstances surrounding their development in the womb, and what sort of stress and nutritional environment their mother was exposed to at the time-- or even those each of their parents themselves faced in their own mothers' wombs. For this sort of thing frequently gets passed on to later generations.

It may well be that individual behavior doesn't play the controlling role in determining these conditions. Rather, the state of society and the environment themselves may dominate the outcome.

From these findings it would appear crucial to not only the health of today's populations, but that of unborn future generations, for both business and government to do their utmost to insure a clean environment, legal justice, as much education as practical, and decent economic opportunities for all.

-- Theory Says Disease Tendencies Begin in Womb (washingtonpost.com) By Rob Stein; July 7, 2003; Page A04

-- Stress May Be Bad for the Genes By Amy Norton; Yahoo!/Reuters Health; January 25, 2001; citing Journal of Behavioral Medicine 2000;23:531-541.

Epigenetic instructions passed from parent to child may be able to suppress or stimulate a wide range of genetic activity in the progeny. This could allow for sometimes substantial apparent changes from just one generation to the next. Thus, epigenetics may represent one possible avenue to accelerated evolution. So-called 'imprinted' genes may be part of this process. If this phenomena works as some believe, then human evolution could be profoundly affected in as little as one generation by environmental factors such as diet and drugs.

-- Hidden Inheritance (possible author Gail Vines), New Scientist, Archive: 28 November 1998

-- Risk of Attempting Suicide May Be Partly Genetic By Alison McCook; Reuters Health; October 22, 2001; Reuters Limited; citing Journal of the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

-- Suicide Risk High Many Years After First Attempt; Yahoo! News/Reuters Health; Nov 15, 2002; citing British Medical Journal 2002;325:1125-1126,1155.

-- The Deficit's Warm and Fuzzy Wrapper Bush swears he won't burden future generations with debt. Noble words, but the Administration's spending spree contradicts them By Howard Gleckman; Businessweek; JANUARY 30, 2003

From 1962 to 2001 in the USA, the average annual federal deficit in Republican written budgets was $190 billion, while the deficit in Democratic budgets was $36 billion (all numbers are adjusted for inflation).

-- Just for the Record; P.L.A. - A Journal of Politics, Law and Autism by Dwight Meredith; October 16, 2002; citing table 1-3 found at http://w3.access.gpo.gov/usbudget/fy2003/pdf/hist.pdf

-- CBO Projects $1.8T Deficit in Bush Budget (washingtonpost.com)

-- $1.82T Shortfall Predicted in Bush Budget; The Associated Press/abcnews.go.com; March 8, 2003

After two years as President, Bush now heads the largest and most expensive US federal government in American history.

-- So, Now Bigger Is Better? By David S. Broder; January 12, 2003; Washington Post; Page B01

Deficit spending in America is exploding as of 2003, according to Republican Congressman Ron Paul.

"...the major causes of ill health and death are now the chronic degenerative diseases, such as coronary artery disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's, macular degeneration, cataract and cancer"...

-- Nutrition—the new medicine apparently by Paul Clayton; June 2003; prospect-magazine.co.uk

...most of which are showing some signs of being infectious diseases (and so best minimized via universal healthcare), and virtually all of which are likely worsened in their overall impact upon a given population by typical right-wing policies and practices (as noted elsewhere on this page).

"Over 50 percent of deaths in the United States can be attributed to behavioral and social factors..."

-- Century of research confirms impact of psychosocial factors on health; 19-Jan-2004; eurekalert.org; Contact: Pam Willenz pwillenz@apa.org 202-336-5707 American Psychological Association

-- Divine Right of Kings apparently by Richard Hooker; wsu.edu; accessible online 12-14-03

-- Divine Right Of Kings: The Human God Brings Order to Chaos; bcpl.net; accessible online 12-14-03

-- King James I, On Divine Right of Kings; wwnorton.com; accessible online 12-14-03

-- James I and the Doctrine of The Divine Right of Kings by George P. Landow; accessible online 12-14-03

-- biblical precedent Divine Right of Kings; hyw.com; accessible online 12-14-03

-- King James VI & I on the Divine Right of Kings; jesus-is-lord.com; accessible online 12-14-03; King James VI & I and the Divine Right of Kings; jesus-is-lord.com; accessible online 12-14-03

-- Divine Right of Kings England (History); 2hwy.com; accessible online 12-14-03

-- Divine Right of Kings during the Middle Ages; spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk; accessible online 12-14-03

-- Age-Old Foe Hunger Can Be Halved Soon--Report, Reuters/Yahoo! Top Stories Headlines, February 10, 2000

Over ten million children younger than five die annually worldwide. The majority of these deaths are due to lack of nourishing food or diseases which could have been prevented. Ten percent of children are disabled. 120 million children, about 60% of them girls, are receiving no primary school education whatsoever.

-- Children still suffering around the world, UNICEF says By EDITH M. LEDERER, http://www.nandotimes.com, Nando Media/Nando Times/Associated Press, January 30, 2001

The percentage of world hungry has remained the same for five years now. 792 million of these are in developing nations, with 34 million in developed countries and/or nations in the midst of changing from developing to developed. Persistent hunger makes for children doing more poorly in school, more weak and ill newborns, and adults without the strength to make the extra effort needed to escape from poverty.

-- UN Reports No Progress in Reducing World Hunger By Hillary Mayell October 16, 2000; related URL: http://www.fao.org/focus/e/sofi00/sofi001-e.htm

As of late 2000, roughly 33% of humanity (1.8 billion people) have no more access to electricity than what may be obtained from an automobile battery.

-- People power by Fred Pearce, From New Scientist magazine, 18 November 2000

The technology gap between rich and poor nations is widening as of 2001. Ratios of phone lines per people in the world:

Developed nations: About 50 per 100 persons.

Developing nations: Less than two per 100 persons.

Over 50% of the world's population have never made a single phone call in their entire lives.

Under 5% of the computers on the internet are based in developing nations.

"In actual fact, there is no such thing as a "free market." Markets are the creation of government."

-- Democracy - Not "The Free Market" - Will Save America's Middle Class by Thom Hartmann; March 12, 2004; CommonDreams.org

-- "Neo-conned"; Congressman Ron Paul (Republican) addresses the U.S. House of Representatives, July 10, 2003

Epigenetic instructions passed from parent to child may be able to suppress or stimulate a wide range of genetic activity in the progeny. This could allow for sometimes substantial apparent changes from just one generation to the next. Thus, epigenetics may represent one possible avenue to accelerated evolution. So-called 'imprinted' genes may be part of this process. If this phenomena works as some believe, then human evolution could be profoundly affected in as little as one generation by environmental factors such as diet and drugs.

-- Hidden Inheritance (possible author Gail Vines), New Scientist, Archive: 28 November 1998

It may be the peoples of east Asia are more accepting of top-down authority and less naturally dynamic in certain kinds of socio-economic activity than westerners, by their very nature. If true, this would go far to explain the present and past history of both regions, comparatively speaking

East Asians seem to be less surprised than westerners like Americans when events turn out differently than expected, perhaps largely due to different attitudes or mindsets in general. East Asians may allow for more complexity and contradiction in events than westerners do. Some implications of this may include western populations which are more easily moved to action in response to events, and less accepting of circumstances, while east asians are less easily stirred by unexpected outcomes, and more accepting of same. Such conditions would seem to suggest a greater dynamism of potential social and economic change among westerners, as well as less tolerance for poverty, corruption, dictatorships and totalitarian societies, as compared to east Asians. And indeed, such seems to be the case if present conditions and past histories of both regions are examined.

Note that another possibility here is that westerners simply pay less attention to their fellows and surroundings than eastern peoples, living more inside themselves. This would allow them to be more self-absorbed while also less cognizant of external circumstances-- and thus more easily surprised, scared, outraged, insulted, or angered than many easterners. Such extra emotional charges could easily fuel greater socio-economic activity and individual initiative on the part of westerners compared to their more subdued eastern cousins.

-- Western Mind Sets Itself Up for Surprise By Merritt McKinney, Yahoo!/Reuters Health, December 22, 2000; Cited sources include the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2000;6:890-905

Want more evidence of how easily and quickly human beings may be genetically engineered in various ways? The dire transport housing conditions of the relatively short-lived slave trade between Africa and America may be the cause of today's higher incidence of hypertension (high blood pressure) observed in the African-American population, compared to others. Briefly, primarily only those Africans genetically predisposed to retaining salt and water survived the sweltering temperatures and dearth of food and water on the trip, thereby leading to later generations inordinately prone to hypertension themselves.

So imagine how the genome of a given population living as peasants or slaves under the rule of kings or the equivalent may be shaped over hundreds or thousands of generations, both mentally and physically. In light of this it's astonishing that more of humanity doesn't live in abject slavery and poverty today than is presently the case. But it also points up our likely vulnerability to charismatic leaders and abusive authority.

-- Study identifies hypertension patients who can benefit from the little used diuretic amiloride; 19-Aug-2002; Contact: Donna Krupa; djkrupa1@aol.com; 703-527-7357; American Physiological Society; American Journal of Physiology – Cell Physiology

-- Religious 'vulnerable to compulsion'; 30 May, 2002; New Scientist/BBC

"The line between psychosis and intense religiosity is a bit of a difficult one to draw"

-- Macquarie University PhD student Ryan McKay, a student of one of Australia's leading authorities on delusions, Max Coltheart

-- Religion 'could offer model for delusion' By Judy Skatssoon; theage.com.au; July 14 2003; Delusion and religion linked [14jul03]; Mirror Australian Telegraph Publications; dailytelegraph.news.com.au, is a related URL.

-- Ending Biblical Brainwash For better mental and cultural health, it's time we classified religious fundamentalism as a psychological disorder by George Dvorsky; 12.16.2002; betterhumans.com

"The history of Christianity, the main thread of Western history, is a continuing saga against modernity"

-- Myth: Democracy elected Hitler to power by STEVE KANGAS; found on or about 12-12-03

From 1972 through 2000, an average of 25% of Americans identitified themselves as moderates, 29% as unsure of their own political stance, 18% as somewhere between slightly liberal through extremely liberal, and 29% as somewhere between slighty conservative and extremely conservative (these figures are rounded off).

So from the above stats, it would appear that at least 29% of the USA population during the last several decades consistently identified themselves as conservatives.

It could well be that many among both the 29% unsure of their views and the 25% identifying themselves as moderates might often sit out elections entirely, thus leaving the outcome heavily dependent upon the 29% identifying themselves as conservatives and the 18% surveying as liberals.

An average of 1.5% claimed extremely liberal ideals, and 2.27% extremely conservative political thought. 7.2% identified themselves as liberal, 12.9% as conservative. These figures may indicate the 'hard core' of both liberal and conservative camps: folks who are highly likely to vote and vote strongly along party lines, almost no matter what the quality of their respective candidates or issues. This could result in 15% of the population consistently voting Republican, and 8.7% consistently Democrat, both niche groups likely voting in lockstep for whomever and whatever their respective political leaders tell them to.

I find it interesting that the number of possibly fanatical conservatives may be nearly double that of fanatical liberals among the American population. That in itself may speak volumes of the degree of open-mindedness and tolerance for differing opinions among the two camps.

It may also indicate that modern America may face twice as much risk of unsuspectingly electing a would-be dictator from Republican ranks, than Democrats.

-- Liberal-Conservative Self-Identification 1972-2000; The NES Guide to Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior, citing The National Election Studies; found on or about 6-9-03

"The fact is that the percentage of Americans identifying themselves as conservative or liberal hasn't changed much in the polls...37 vs. 17 percent in 1968, 35 vs. 18 percent in `02...26 vs. 18 percent in 1972, 30 vs. 20 percent in `00..."

-- The liberal legacy By Mitchell Rofksy, 2/22/2004; boston.com

"If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator"

-- US President-elect George W. Bush, December 2000

-- Bush's Hill tour comes to a close By Mark Sherman/ Cox News Service;12-19-2000

-- A letter to America By MARGARET ATWOOD; March 28, 2003 - Page A17; theglobeandmail.com

"Is the Russia of the late Romanovs really our model, a selfish, superstitious empire thrashing toward self-destruction in the name of a doomed status quo?"

-- U.S. Diplomat's Letter of Resignation [the text of career diplomat John Brady Kiesling's letter of resignation to Secretary of State Colin L. Powell. Kiesling has served in US embassies including Casablanca and Tel Aviv] nytimes.com; February 27, 2003

"The mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs; nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately, by the grace of God."

-- Thomas Jefferson

-- williamburton.blogspot.com apparently by William Burton; November 27, 2002; williamburton.blogspot.com

In medieval times only businesses and peasants paid taxes; the rich 'nobles' or royal lines paid none.

President Bush's tax cuts are pushing America ever closer to those medieval conditions, with the main difference being today's aristocracy dropping the requirement for a certain bloodline, to be defined solely by their wealth.

-- Tax-justice watchers tweak loophole on capital gains By David R. Francis; The Christian Science Monitor; February 19, 2002

"Republican-led legislatures in five states believe they've found a way to ease the budget crunch - eliminate the costly 2004 presidential primaries."

-- Primaries Attacked As Too Expensive By Paul Sloca, The Associated Press; CBS News; March 12, 2003

-- Americans Feel Powerless in Nominating Process; Yahoo!/Reuters; June 16, 2000

-- South Carolina poll scandal By Jake Tapper; Feb. 19, 2000; Salon.com

-- South Carolina: The Vanishing Voter Reappears; February 14, 2000; ARIANNA ONLINE

-- Study: Gore Would Have Won Error-Free Florida Vote; Reuters/Yahoo!; December 3, 2000

"...some 91,000 people were wrongly barred from voting"

-- Anybody Using This First Amendment? by Eric Bosse, AlterNet; March 17, 2003

-- Florida's flawed "voter-cleansing" program - Salon.com's politics story of the year; www.Salon.com; December 4, 2000; gregpalast.com

-- Inquiry into new claims of poll abuses in Florida (by Julian Borger and Gregory Palast); The Guardian (London); February 17, 2001; gregpalast.com

"...it may well be the case that massive voter fraud has put many of the wrong candidates in office, meaning we aren't a nation of laws at all"

-- Voter Flawed: A Follow-Up on Several Back Columns and Can Diebold Voting Machines Really Be Hacked? By Robert X. Cringely; JULY 17, 2003; PBS I, Cringely; Archived Column

-- E-Vote Machines Face Audit By Kim Zetter; WIRED; Aug. 12, 2003

-- Electronic voting machines security risk July 25, 2003 By Ellen Messmer; Infoworld

-- Will Bush Backers Manipulate Votes to Deliver GW Another Election? By Amy Goodman and the staff of Democracy Now!; September 4th, 2003

-- Designer of verified vote system dies in unlucky accident by Holly Edwards, The Tennessean [Nashville, TN]; March 14, 2004; citing "http://www.tennessean.com/obits/archives/04/03/48330576.shtml"

-- Jolted Over Electronic Voting (washingtonpost.com) By Brigid Schulte; August 11, 2003; Page A01

-- New Security Woes for E-Vote Firm By Brian McWilliams; WIRED; Aug. 07, 2003

-- Slashdot Maryland Plans Code Review for Voting Software; accessible online 12-15-03; slashdot.org

-- Computer Voting Expert Ousted From Elections Conference by Lynn Landes; 2 August 2003

-- She's at center of high-tech voting debate By Keith Ervin; August 21, 2003; Seattle Times

-- Diebold Magic; accessible online 12-15-03; bartcop.com

-- Dare accepted on electronic voting machines By JIM GALLOWAY; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; 8/23/03

-- Voting security questioned By JIM GALLOWAY; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; 8/19/03

-- Software exposes California recall to tampering The Associated Press; 8/14/2003; usatoday.com

-- Researchers find 'security flaws' in voting

-- More Calls to Vet Voting Machines By Louise Witt; Aug. 04, 2003; wired.com

-- Voting machine fails inspection CNET News.com By Robert Lemos; July 24, 2003

-- E-voting system flaws 'risk election fraud' by Will Knight; 25 July 03; newscientist.com

-- Study E-voting flaws risk ballot fraud - Jul. 25, 2003

-- Why e-voting is a non-starter apparently by Bill Thompson; 25 July, 2003; bbc.co.uk

-- Electronic Voting System is Vulnerable to Tampering; July 24, 2003; Office of News and Information Johns Hopkins University 3003 N. Charles Street, Suite 100 Baltimore, Maryland 21218-3843 Phone: (410) 516-7160 Fax (410) 516-5251 Johns Hopkins Contact: Phil Sneiderman (410) 516-7907, prs@jhu.edu Rice Univ. Contact: Terry Shepard (713) 348-6280, tshepard@rice.edu

-- Voting machine controversy

-- Electronic Voting System Vulnerable to Tampering: Computer Researchers Find Critical Flaws in Popular Software Produced for U.S. Elections; Jul 24 2003; ascribe.org; Media Contact: Phil Sneiderman, Johns Hopkins, 410-516-7907; prs@jhu.edu

-- A Soft Touch -- for Voter Fraud? (washingtonpost.com); August 3, 2003; Page B06

-- Hack the Vote - How to stop someone from stealing the 2004 election. By Paul Boutin; slate.msn.com; July 31, 2003

-- Voting machines need paper trails By Dan Gillmor; Jul. 20, 2003; siliconvalley.com

-- TOMPAINE.com - Electronic Rigging by Kim Alexander; Jun 09 2003

-- Experimental Web Program Opens Voting to Overseas Military By Scott D. Kahn; August 01, 2003; foxnews.com

-- 'On the basics, like registration, voting and counting ballots, Mexico probably does better than the United States'

-- Democrats Unlikely To Retake House: Redistricting Is Biggest Obstacle By Juliet Eilperin; Washington Post; August 11, 2003; Page A01

-- The Long Odds on a Democratic Senate By Alexandra Starr; AUGUST 11, 2003; businessweek.com

"...Ed Lazarus, a Democratic political operative who works for the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, said: "[I]t's very clear what the program is -- it is to defund the Democratic Party." For the GOP, he said, "it's a double header: more income for your side, and you take income from the other."..."

-- Battle Over Damage Awards Takes a More Partisan Turn Trial Lawyers -- Key Democratic Donors -- Say They're Targets By Thomas B. Edsall; Washington Post; August 10, 2003; Page A04

-- Bush-Cheney '04 chugs ahead with $170 million already; August 10, 2003; The Salt Lake Tribune

"The right of voting for representatives is the primary right by which all other rights are protected. To take away this right is to reduce a man to slavery..."

-- Thomas Paine

"...Islam recognizes no separation between church and state. That makes it easy for terrorists to cloak their political causes...in religious rhetoric."

-- Cruel, but Usual; March 7, 2003; The Foundation for National Progress; related stories include $11 theft gets career criminal 25 years to life; 11/15/2002; The Associated Press/usatoday.com; and 50 years' jail for video thefts upheld by Duncan Campbell; March 6, 2003; The Guardian

Note that one of the constitutional principles undergirding America is supposed to be a ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

Perhaps the closest thing to predictability in American sentencing today is that the rich or powerful who steal millions or billions of dollars, or harm thousands or millions by their actions or inactions, usually get far lighter punishment (if any) than poor whites or blacks or other disadvantaged citizens involved in crimes which are trivial by comparison.

"Criminal prosecutions are highly unusual for corporate criminals, and convictions carrying jail time are even more rare."

-- Big crimes? Maybe. Big punishment? Not likely; Yahoo! Op/Ed - USA TODAY; Gannett Co. Inc.; Feb 5, 2002

-- Crime And (Very Little) Punishment by Arianna Huffington; Arianna Online; July 15, 2002

-- Punishment falls short of crime against investors By Dan Gillmor; Dec. 21, 2002; siliconvalley.com

Gross inconsistency in punishments for businesses which knowingly abused their customers often results in negligible penalties for relatively large-scale crimes.

-- Penalizing Wall Street: Pick a Fine, Any Fine By Heather Timmons and Mike McNamee; Businessweek; DECEMBER 23, 2002

"While the crimes Stewart was convicted of are serious, they did not harm her company's employees or investors (though analysts say the verdict could damage the business). By contrast, the massive abuses uncovered at companies such as Enron and WorldCom cost thousands of workers their jobs and produced huge losses for investors."

-- Yahoo! News - Stewart is small catch USATODAY.com; Mar 08, 2004; story.news.yahoo.com

"Swipe a CD from a record store and you'll get arrested. But when Congress authorizes the entertainment industry to steal from you -- well, that's the American way."

-- Supreme Court Endorses Copyright Theft by Dan Gillmor; January 15, 2003; weblog.siliconvalley.com

-- UMass researcher finds link between lying and popularity; EurekAlert! 13 DECEMBER 1999; Contact: Paula Hartman Cohenphcohen@admin.umass.edu; 413-545-2987; University of Massachusetts at Amherst

"Children are being taught to glorify materialism"

-- Gary Ruskin, executive director, Commercial Alert, Portland, Oregon.

-- Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's an ad? By Shelley Emling; July 20, 2003; Austin American-Statesman

One implication of this for childrens' developing value systems: people who have more (money, possessions, power, influence) are superior, better, smarter than those with less-- perhaps no matter how the difference came about. In short, the ends justify the means.

-- Cheaters prosper in schools, colleges By Jill Tucker; Tri-Valley Herald; December 09, 2002

-- Surveys show cheating seen as OK

-- Honor students steal tests By: Heather Moore & Web Staff; 5/20/2003; rdu.news14.com

"The social rules have dissolved because the morality that used to undergird them dissolved long ago."

-- 'Moral Suicide,' à la Wolfe By DAVID BROOKS; November 16, 2004; nytimes.com

-- Honest taxpayers in a real fix By Mark Schwanhausser; Mercury News; Apr. 13, 2003

-- Lies are no longer damned lies Americans reduced to expecting deceit by Steven Winn; June 8, 2003; San Francisco Chronicle

-- Bush's deceptions on Iraq intelligence

-- CNN.com - Is lying about the reason for a war an impeachable offense? By John W. Dean; June 6, 2003

-- We Used To Impeach Liars By William Rivers Pitt t r u t h o u t | Perspective; 03 June 2003

-- They Lie, Steal, Cheat -- and Hollywood Loves Them BY STEPHEN WHITTY; Newhouse News Service; accessible online 12-14-03

"The statement claimed the $5 million film lost $20.6 million as of March 31 despite selling more than $600 million worth of tickets worldwide"

-- Company Sues Greek Wedding Team; Sean Connery Tops Worst Film Accent Poll, Company Sues "Greek Wedding" Team, Brandy and Hubby Split By Guylaine Cadorette, Hollywood.com; July 2, 2003

Something that surprised me personally was to come across the results of a survey indicating students attending private religious schools are more likely to cheat on tests than students of more secular institutions.

"The evidence is that a willingness to cheat has become the norm...The scary thing is that so many kids are entering the work force to become corporate executives, politicians, airplane mechanics and nuclear inspectors with the dispositions and skills of cheaters and thieves."

-- Michael Josephson, president, the Josephson Institute for Ethics, 2003

Religious school attendance seemed to worsen tendencies to lie and cheat, but lessen the likelihood of shoplifting. The rates of theft from family members appeared unaffected by school affiliation.

-- Religious school students cheat more, survey shows May. 4, 2003; Religion News Service; Toronto Star Newspapers Limited

"Simple misrepresentation of facts on a resume is passe. Lying convincingly is in."

-- Yahoo! News - Resume Fraud Gets Slicker and Easier by Anupama Chandrasekaran; Reuters; Mar 09, 2004; story.news.yahoo.com

-- Bush tangled in web of corporate wrongdoing

-- Bush SEC Delay Called 'Mix-Up' (washingtonpost.com) By Dana Milbank; July 4, 2002; Page A01

-- New Questions About Bush Stock Sales; Newsday

-- Bush's Fancy Financial Footwork (washingtonpost.com) By David Ignatius; August 6, 2002; Page A15

-- Bush Sold Stock After Lawyers' Warning (washingtonpost.com) By Peter Behr; November 1, 2002; Page A04

-- Harken Papers Offer Details on Bush Knowledge (washingtonpost.com) By Mike Allen and George Lardner Jr.; July 14, 2002; Page A01

-- Bush Took Oil Firm's Loans as Director Practice Would Be Banned in President's New Corporate Abuse Policy (washingtonpost.com) By Mike Allen; July 11, 2002; Page A01

-- Bush-Cheney Campaign Violated Soft Money Disclosure Law; July 26, 2002; publiccitizen.org

-- What Happened to Harken?; Fortune

-- Bush co. went offshore

-- Bush, Cheney under fire over offshore subsidiaries - July 31, 2002; CNN

-- Bush Faces Questions on Offshore Affiliates (washingtonpost.com) By Mike Allen; August 1, 2002; Page A05

-- Harvard fund poured millions into Bush-connected oil firm

-- THE GEORGE W. BUSH SUCCESS STORY citing Harper's Magazine, Feb, 2000, by Joe Concson, Kevin P. Phillips

-- Story Changes on Bush Stock Sale by Zachary Coile; 12-14-03; commondreams.org; previously published July 4, 2002 in the San Francisco Chronicle

-- Bush Violated Security Laws Four Times, SEC Report Says By Knut Royce; public-i.org; accessible online 12-14-03

-- Whitewashing the Bush boys By Stephen Pizzo; March/April 1994 Issue; motherjones.com

-- George Bush, Failed Corporate Crook by James Ridgeway; July 10 - 16, 2002; villagevoice.com

-- One-year gap in Bush's National Guard duty

"...Palast interviews retired Lt. Colonel Bill Burkett of the Texas Air National Guard (TANG), who states on camera that shortly after George W. became Texas' governor in the 1990s, he witnessed a speakerphone call from the Texas governor's office to TANG, and overheard the caller tell Guard officers to "clean [Bush's] records from his files." Palast says that after the call, Burkett "asked the officers if they'd carried out the questionable orders, and they said 'absolutely.' They pointed, and Burkett saw in the [shredding designated] trashcan George W. Bush's ... pay [and retirement points] records."..."

-- Palast the Iconoclast By Ed Rampell, AlterNet July 17, 2003

"The records show that between June 1972 and October 1973 he didn't even bother to show up for Guard duty in Texas or Alabama. At best he was AWOL."

-- Military Deserter Before Commander-In-Chief While Americans were dying in Vietnam and demonstrating in America, our hawkish President did neither. He went AWOL! By Frederick Sweet; interventionmag.com; accessible online 12-14-03

-- The Military records of George Walker Bush; users.cis.net; accessible online 12-14-03

Note that George W. Bush's father was in many different positions of considerable government and business power and influence before, during, and after the time that G.W.B. needed a way to avoid being sent into Vietnam combat, and then to subsequently have the record of his less than stellar behavior in that job 'scrubbed' to remove possibly damning evidence of unlawful conduct. Namely, the senior Bush was a Texas Representative in Congress 1967-1971; US Representative to the United Nations 1971-1973; Chairman of the Republican National Committee 1973-1974; Chair(?) of the US Liaison Office for Peking, 1974-1975; the Director of the CIA 1976-1977...and so on and so forth.

"...the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."

-- Hermann Goering, Hitler's chosen successor for ruling Nazi Germany during World War II; quote from the Nuremberg Trials 1945-1946

-- Survey shows Americans less trusting, more suspicious than ever BY GREG BURNS Chicago Tribune/miami.com; Jun. 08, 2003

-- Fear Factor Bill Maher takes on Bowling for Columbine's Michael Moore on the issues of guns, politics, the media, and America's culture of fear; found on or about 12-12-03; wga.org

"A cynic might say that the only thing Republicans have to fear is the end of fear itself"

-- Inevitably, The Politics Of Terror By E.J. Dionne Jr.; washingtonpost.com; May 25, 2003; Page B01

"[Conservative news organizations are popular]...because they feed the rage...I say that mockingly, but it's true somewhat.... While these hand-wringing Freedom Forum types talk about objectivity, the conservative media likes to rap the liberal media on the knuckles for not being objective. We've created this cottage industry in which it pays to be un-objective.... It's a great way to have your cake and eat it too. Criticize other people for not being objective. Be as subjective as you want. It's a great little racket."

-- Matt Labash, "...a senior writer with The Weekly Standard, the conservative magazine owned by Rupert Murdoch"

-- Conservative Journalists' Dirty Little Secret (apparently by Richard Blow); May 29 2003; Tompaine.com

"The right has destroyed the civility of our society. They have made it OK to be nasty, insulting, mocking and dismissive of more than half of all Americans."

-- Dave Johnson

-- Coulter's Book by Dave Johnson; Seeing The Forest; July 01, 2003

-- Fair punishment supports human altruism by James Randerson; New Scientist; 12 March 03

-- Compassion, Kindness Killed by Fear, Paranoia By Wendy McElroy; December 17, 2002; Fox News

"charitable giving is down across the country"

-- Religious charities can help by Senator Rick Santorum, Republican-Pa; Yahoo! News; Feb 20, 2003

Only around 50% of eligible US voters actually vote anymore. The decline in participation in the process has been occurring for 40 years. Voters in other western democracies apparently have more trust in their systems than Americans in their own, as turnout there is typically higher than in the US. Deteriorating quality in education and a reduction of involvement in local communities are some of the reasons experts give for this state of affairs.

-- Experts Alarmed at Declining U.S. Voter Turnout By Will Dunham; Yahoo!/Reuters; November 5, 2000

"The conservative think tanks have worked for 40 years now, developing not just language, but modes of thought that the language fit."

-- George Lakoff, professor, department of linguistics, University of California, Berkeley, and author of Moral Politics

-- Left Out By Right Rhetoric; an interview of George Lakoff by Sharon Basco; May 08 2003; TomPaine.com

Is modern society skewing the course of human evolution by way of inadequate child care?

As of the dawn of the 21st century, humanity may be facing a crisis, in that we may be suffering a historically record number of unwanted and/or inadequately cared for children. Another possible precedent is the large numbers of such children which survive to reproductive age themselves. This may result in a steadily growing portion of the population with little or no capacity to empathize with others, due to their own lack of past and present close family relationships.

A long term consequence of this trend might be a decline in human compassion across the board in future social interaction, institutions, and markets.

-- Inhuman futures, From New Scientist, 11 December 1999. Interview of Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, author of Mother Nature: a history of mothers, infants and natural selection by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, Pantheon/Chatto and Windus, $35; interview conducted by David Concar

-- Andrew Sum; Northeastern University Center for Labor Market Studies

-- Online Extra: "It's a Bart Simpson Culture" by Michelle Conlin; Businessweek; MAY 26, 2003

-- Deep thinkers missing in action csmonitor.com By Mark Clayton; January 21, 2003

-- The Renaissance of Anti-Intellectualism By TODD GITLIN; December 8, 2000; The Chronicle Review

"In the United States, there’s a hollowing out of democratic procedure and an upsurge in unthinking, or anti-thinking, mob conduct"

-- Todd Gitlin

-- How to be radical? An interview with Todd Gitlin and George Monbiot by Anthony Barnett and Caspar Henderson; 4 - 9 - 2003

"Cal Professor John Ogbu thinks he knows why rich black kids are failing in school. Nobody wants to hear it"

-- Rich, Black, Flunking BY SUSAN GOLDSMITH; May 21, 2003

"It appears that this administration is marginalizing the recommendations of major scientific organizations on the one hand, while defending artificial "research" to support political goals, or, worse still, manufacturing it."

-- The Citizen-Scientist's Obligation to Stand Up for Standards By LAWRENCE M. KRAUSS; April 22, 2003; the New York Times

-- America announces premature birth of Son of Star Wars Rumsfeld says defences will be put in place before they work but will deter attacks by Suzanne Goldenberg and Richard Norton Taylor; December 18, 2002; The Guardian

As of the dawn of the 21st century, humanity may be facing a crisis, in that we may be suffering a historically record number of unwanted and/or inadequately cared for children. Another possible precedent is the large numbers of such children which survive to reproductive age themselves. This may result in a steadily growing portion of the population with little or no capacity to empathize with others, due to their own lack of past and present close family relationships.

A long term consequence of this trend might be a decline in human compassion across the board in future social interaction, institutions, and markets.

-- Inhuman futures, From New Scientist, 11 December 1999. Interview of Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, author of Mother Nature: a history of mothers, infants and natural selection by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, Pantheon/Chatto and Windus, $35; interview conducted by David Concar

-- U.S Childcare Seriously Lags Behind that of Europe; ASA NEWS; November 18, 2002; Contact: Johanna Ebner or Lee Herring; (202) 383-9005, ext. 332; pubinfo@asanet.org

American parents, increasingly both forced to work to make ends meet, frequently have little choice but to reduce the time spent on childcare-- thus sometimes increasing the risks their children will face greater problems in both the present and future.

The average European spends 30% less time at work than an American.

It appears the percentage of Americans who must work to live is growing, while the same percentage among Europeans is shrinking.

-- Euro-Sluggishness By David Ignatius; washingtonpost.com; July 8, 2003; Page A17

-- Split-Shift Parents Cut Childcare Costs By Ann Pleshette Murphy; ABC News; found on or about December 12, 2003

Europeans enjoy far more leisure time and 'quality time' with friends and family than Americans, as over past decades Americans' average work hours rose while that of Europeans fell. Atop this, Europeans also live longer than Americans.

-- No Rest for the Productive By Lewis Braham; Businessweek; JULY 9, 2003

American parents have 40% less time for their kids today than 30 years ago.

-- Frank Talk on Free Trade by Jeff Gates, President of the Shared Capitalism Institute; SustainAbility Radar March 2000

-- Report highlights trends showing a decline in child-centeredness in American society; 18-Jun-2003; eurekalert.org; Contact: Miguel Tersy; mtersy@rutgers.edu; 732-932-7084; Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

Between the 1950s and 2000, something happened to make today's young adults and children more anxiety-ridden than they were in previous generations. During the 1980s average children possessed a higher level of anxiety than child psychiatric patients of thirty years before.

It is thought that child anxieties reflect those of society overall. If this is true, then social stresses on adults are growing. It appears that people increasingly distrust those around them, too.

Many of our young seem to feel less safe and less connected to others than previous generations.

This mounting anxiety is apparently contributing to rising rates of substance abuse and depression among the younger population.

-- Children's Anxiety at All-Time High By Suzanne Rostler, Reuters Health/Yahoo! Health Headlines, December 15, 2000, citing the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2000;79:1007-1021

Perhaps more than half of all children and teenagers circa 2000 (especially in the developed nations) are being shaped intellectually and psychologically by a lifelong saturation in a media environment which often gives the same weight to pure opinion as it does to scientific or historic fact, and encourages self-gratification, obsession, addiction, violence, exclusivity, division, greed, paranoia, and acting on impulse.

In developed nations like the USA, many corporations are exploiting the way TV, radio, videos, games, and the internet have become defacto babysitters of many children due to the frequent absence or inattention of parents stemming from both often working and being otherwise time-pressed, to use the latest child psychology information available in state-of-the-art multimedia to seduce children via violence, addictive mental hooks, and gaudy sensuality into shrill harassment of parents for the purchase of various products/services the corporations are pushing. This is leading to more than 50% of parents admittedly buying items for their children which they themselves disapprove of, but feel compelled to buy to avoid disappointing their children.

This ongoing virtual child abuse appears to be desensitizing children to violence and its results in general, perhaps leading to some of them later on inflicting great tragedies upon themselves and others as teens or adults. In short, this corporate abuse of children today may be leading, at worst, to a new 'lost' generation of violent criminals tomorrow. Or, at best, to a future generation of adults who themselves may become poor excuses for individual human beings-- and even worse parents.

The Center for a New American Dream is one group formed to combat this phenomena.

-- The nanny by Ralph Nader, Oct. 27, 1999, Ralph Nader/In the Public Interest, San Francisco Bay Guardian, sfbg.com

Over a matter of decades USAmerican audiences have become more and more entranced by violence in entertainment media, resulting in the production of ever more violent TV shows, films, and other media, in an ever-reinforcing spiral. This desensitization to violence has also affected children.

-- Original purpose of escalating violence in movies backfired, Virginia Tech film critic says, EurekAlert!, 25 OCTOBER 1999, Contact: Stephen R. Prince sprince@vt.edu 540-231-5044 Virginia Tech

-- Halloween horror movies may sabotage your social life, EurekAlert!, 25 OCTOBER 1999, Contact: James Weaver jbweaver@vt.edu 540-231-7166 Virginia Tech

In the 1960s, of every dollar of US business profits after taxes, 44 cents was paid out in dividends to shareholders, and there was an average annual turn over of 12% in all the stocks traded in the US.

By the 1990's, of every dollar of US business profits after taxes, 85 cents was paid out in dividends to shareholders, and there was an average annual turn over of 40% in the portfolios of American institutional investors, who controlled the majority of shares traded in the US markets at that time.

This drastic change in payouts and turnover reflects an alarming investment trend towards the short term, often focusing no further out than the next quarter. This results in far less capital being available to a given company to expand operations in good times, or weather bad times without drastic downsizing (or perhaps ceasing operations altogether). Thus, both investment and employment markets may be rendered more volatile, with an effective ceiling put on real expansion rates for all but the biggest players, and little if any floor provided against declines among everyone else. It could be that businesses tend to rely more on available lines of credit to make up such shortfalls in modern times. But still, it would appear this practice generally increases the vulnerability of markets to both the unexpected and adversity in general, even if it may boost efficiency in certain niche operations in the short run.

-- What Europe can teach Uncle Sam by Will Hutton; April 29, 2002; The Guardian; excerpts from book The World We're In; Little, Brown [apparently to be published in 2002]

-- Mothering Matters Do We Value Money More Than Mothering? By ELIZABETH BAUCHNER; the Ithaca Journal; April 29, 2003; elizabethbauchner.info

"...two-thirds of all corporate research and development expenditures are for short-term projects, not the long-term ones that will be the ground-shaking breakthroughs."

-- In Handling Innovation, Patience Is a Virtue By JULIE FLAHERTY; nytimes.com; Sept. 25, 2003; nytimes.com

"We are shipping overseas the only manufacturing work that still makes money for America...The only groups who really want this are investors and top management -- two groups that have the shortest time perspective, thinking no further ahead usually than the next financial quarter...By the time the long-term effects of this policy are felt, both the investors and the CEO are long gone."

-- United States a nation of financial illiterates - The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon, USA

"a lack of education that teens and college students receive about personal finances is a major factor behind the debt levels that are piling up among this age group"

-- Rising Debt Among Young Worries Experts By Catherine Valenti; ABC News; June 20, 2003

-- Many High School Grads Unprepared for College (washingtonpost.com)

"Only one in four 12th-graders and fewer than one in three fourth- and eighth-graders can write stories or essays proficiently"

-- Most students still can't write respectably By Greg Toppo, USA TODAY; 7/10/2003

-- National Survey Documents Drop in Doctoral Degrees in Science and Engineering; NSF PR 03-04 - January 6, 2003; Media contact: Bill Noxon (703) 292-8070 wnoxon@nsf.gov; Program contact: Susan T. Hill (703) 292-7790 sthill@nsf.gov

"The U.S. semiconductor industry is on the brink of losing the race to continue producing ever more powerful, smaller and cheaper computer chips..."

-- Report: Semiconductor industry in trouble By Faith Bremner, Gannett News Service/usatoday.com; 5/9/2003

"There's a reason U.S. high-tech companies are hiring an increasing number of engineers and other employees from overseas: In many cases, they are smarter than us"

-- Perspective: Explaining the tech brain drain By Michael Kanellos; February 13, 2003; CNET Networks, Inc.

-- The Air and Space Nation is in peril by Phillip S. Meilinger; DISTRIBUTION A: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited; 10 March 03; Air & Space Power Journal - Spring 2003

"The Bush administration is purging my country of its scientific culture"

-- TECHSPLOITATION: Galileo's Ghost By Annalee Newitz, AlterNet; September 23, 2002

"we are losing the lead every day"

-- Andrew S. Grove, Chairman, Intel Corp.

-- Andy Grove: "We Can't Even Glimpse the Potential"; Andy Grove interviewed by Robert D. Hof; Businessweek; AUGUST 25, 2003

"more attention should be paid to educating the U.S. workforce...India and China award more natural science and engineering degrees than we do"

-- Kathleen Madigan, BusinessWeek economist and Business Outlook Editor

-- Commentary: Outsourcing Jobs: Is It Bad? By Kathleen Madigan and Michael J. Mandel; Businessweek; AUGUST 25, 2003

It appears America is beginning a slide towards the same technological decline as seen in ultra-conservative Iran....

-- Iran: Coping With The World's Highest Rate Of Brain Drain By Golnaz Esfandiari; 08 March 2004; rferl.org

-- Greenspan says education is key to improving wages, economy By Nell Henderson; The Washington Post; February 21, 2004; seattletimes.nwsource.com

-- Greenspan Calls for Better-Educated Workforce (washingtonpost.com) By Nell Henderson; February 21, 2004; Page E01

-- U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman worries about drop in U.S. educational standards; goacom.com; citing Greenspan worries U.S. losing edge in education By Andy Mukherjee; Bloomberg News; February 18, 2004

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greenspan is a well-known Republican himself. END NOTE.

-- Deep thinkers missing in action csmonitor.com By Mark Clayton; January 21, 2003

-- The Renaissance of Anti-Intellectualism By TODD GITLIN; December 8, 2000; The Chronicle Review

"In the United States, there’s a hollowing out of democratic procedure and an upsurge in unthinking, or anti-thinking, mob conduct"

-- Todd Gitlin

-- How to be radical? An interview with Todd Gitlin and George Monbiot by Anthony Barnett and Caspar Henderson; 4 - 9 - 2003

"It's a Bart Simpson culture. Underachiever and proud of it. Cool to be stupid...We glorify male idiocy."

-- Andrew Sum; Northeastern University Center for Labor Market Studies

-- Online Extra: "It's a Bart Simpson Culture" by Michelle Conlin; Businessweek; MAY 26, 2003

"It is suicidal to create a society dependent on science and technology in which hardly anybody knows anything about science and technology"

-- Carl Sagan

-- PERCEPTIONS OF SCIENCE: Tap into Science 24-7 by Terrence J. Sejnowski; Science Magazine, Volume 301, Number 5633, Issue of 1 Aug 2003, p. 601; The American Association for the Advancement of Science

-- Ignorance of U.S. history called threat to security -- The Washington Times

-- Struggling to Get Civics Back Into the Classroom Educators Face Hurdles in Effort to Reverse Slide in Citizenship Knowledge By Michael A. Fletcher; Washington Post; July 4, 2002; Page A01

"Its potential impact on the broader university research community is devastating, affecting the ability of academic researchers to pursue new knowledge and to educate students"

-- Duke University statement on Supreme Court action in case involving academic research; Contact: Dennis Meredith; dennis.meredith@duke.edu; 919-681-8054; Duke University; 27-Jun-2003

-- Some Fear Ruin for Head Start

-- Forgive and your health won't forget csmonitor.com By Jane Lampman; December 19, 2002 edition

-- People who give, live longer: U-M study shows; EurekAlert; 12-Nov-2002; Contact: Diane Swanbrow; swanbrow@umich.edu; 734-647-9069; University of Michigan

-- Study shows that forgiveness can be taught; eurekalert.org; 7-Oct-2003; Contact: Vicki Robb vicki@jvrobb.com 703-329-3356 John Templeton Foundation

-- Duke study links forgiveness to less back pain, depression 7-Oct-2003; eurekalert.org; Contact: Vicki Robb vicki@jvrobb.com 703-329-3356 John Templeton Foundation

-- Forgiveness a factor in blood pressure 7-Oct-2003; eurekalert.org; Contact: Vicki Robb vicki@jvrobb.com 703-329-3356 John Templeton Foundation

-- Forgiveness linked to spinal cord injury rehab 7-Oct-2003; eurekalert.org; Contact: Vicki Robb vicki@jvrobb.com 703-329-3356 John Templeton Foundation

-- New scientific study finds forgiveness a factor in decreasing spread of AIDS 13-Oct-2003; eurekalert.org; Contact: Vicki Robb vicki@jvrobb.com 703-329-3356 John Templeton Foundation

-- Protesting May Be Good for Your Health ; Reuters

-- SEARCHING FOR MEANING IN LIFE MAY BOOST IMMUNE SYSTEM By Becky Ham; Health Behavior News Service; April 28, 2003

-- Bad dreams haunt right-wingers; New Scientist

-- High hostility may predict heart disease more than other risk factors such as cholesterol; EurekAlert; 17-Nov-2002; Contact: Pam Willenz; pwillenz@apa.org; 202-336-5707; American Psychological Association

-- Mellow Out, or Risk High Blood Pressure; ABC News

-- Obsessional Men Prone to Heart Disease Death; Yahoo!/Reuters Health; March 15, 2001

-- Expecting a laugh boosts stress-busting hormones; EurekAlert

A better cultivated sense of humor might be all that's necessary to help prevent many people from becoming extremists of whatever stripe, joining cults, becoming terrorists, or committing suicide or violent (or otherwise malevolent) acts against others.

-- The cult of the ultimate sacrifice by Ian Buruma; June 4, 2002; The Guardian

-- Racism Really Does Make You Stupid; HealthScoutNews; May 15, 2003; kgtv-tvhealth.ip2m.com

-- The price of prejudice: Interactions with minorities can sap mental capacity; 30-Apr-2003; eurekalert.org; Contact: Steven Schultz; sschultz@princeton.edu; 609-258-5729; Princeton University

"Evidence suggests that an antisocial lifestyle is linked to illness, injury, and premature death..."

-- Men’s health: U-M study shows how bad it is, why and what to do about it; EurekAlert!; 29-Apr-2003; Contact: Diane Swanbrow; swanbrow@umich.edu; 734-647-9069; University of Michigan

-- Men’s health more vulnerable to stressful life events; EurekAlert; 24-Sep-2002; Contact: Mika Kivimaki; mika.kivimaki@occuphealth.fi; 35-891-912-3837; Center for the Advancement of Health

-- Yahoo! News - Parkinson's Risk Higher for Men By E.J. Mundell; HealthDay; Mar 18, 2004; story.news.yahoo.com

"...traffic pollution reduces the quality of sperm in young and middle-aged men"

-- Traffic 'damages male fertility'; BBC; 30 April, 2003

-- Study links farm chemicals to low male fertility By KAREN UHLENHUTH; Kansas City Star; Jun. 18, 2003; miami.com

At least one contagion looks like it can make men shoot blanks (in terms of sperm). It may also help cause miscarriages in women.

-- Common virus linked to male infertility by Emma Young; 26 October 01; New Scientist; newscientist.com; Human Reproduction (vol 16, p 2333)

-- The facts of (modern) life Male fertility isn't what it used to be: sperm counts have halved in 50 years and disorders of the reproductive system are on the increase. What's causing the 'feminisation' of men? by Steve Connor; 04 February 2004; news.independent.co.uk

-- Boys, black children have higher risk of stroke; 21-Jul-2003; eurekalert.org; Contact: Marilee Reu; mreu@aan.com; 651-695-2789; American Academy of Neurology

"It’s no secret that autism affects boys more than girls. Males account for more than 80 percent of the million-plus Americans with autistic disorders."

-- Girls, Boys and Autism By Geoffrey Cowley; NEWSWEEK Sept. 8 issue/msnbc.com; found on or about 12-12-03

-- Fetal exposure to two chemicals cause of male reproductive disorders later in life; 21-Jul-2003; eurekalert.org; Contact: Donna Krupa; djkrupa1@aol.com; 703-527-7357; American Association for Clinical Chemistry

-- Tough Guys Men Avoid Preventive Health Care in Sickness and in Health By Jamie Cohen; ABC News; June 7, 2002

-- How loneliness and health risks of older men go unseen; 24-Mar-2003; eurekalert.org; Contact: Anna Hinds; anna.hinds@esrc.ac.uk; 017-9341-3122; Economic & Social Research Council

"In all countries, young, poorly educated males least likely to receive treatment"

-- Survey finds U.S. has high rate of mental illness, low rate of treatment compared to other countries; EurekAlert!; 6-May-2003; Contact: John Lacey; public_affairs@hms.harvard.edu; 617-432-0442; Harvard Medical School

"...environmental factors may play a greater role in the development of Parkinson's disease in men, while for women, hereditary factors may play a greater role"

-- Researchers identify differing risk factors contributing to Parkinson's Disease in men and women; Contact: Lisa Copeland; newsbureau@mayo.edu; 507-284-5005; Mayo Clinic; 19-Mar-2003

"Males are more than four times more likely to die from suicide than are females"

-- Suicide in the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; cdc.gov; on or about 12-12-03

-- New study suggests that women eating PCB contaminated fish are less likely to give birth to boys; EurekAlert!; 30-Apr-2003; Contact: Grace Baynes; press@biomedcentral.com; +44-0-20-7631-9988; BioMed Central

"Chemicals blamed for changing the sex of male fish could affect human fertility, according to scientists in the UK."

-- River 'pollution' sparks fertility fears; BBC; 17 March, 2002

-- Italian research reveals a new twist in the battle of the sexes How nature tries to compensate for the vulnerability of male babies; 26-Mar-2003; eurekalert.org; Contact: Margaret Willson; m.willson@mwcommunications.org.uk; 44-1536-772181; European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology

"...the incidence of melanoma is higher in women, but the mortality rate is higher among men..."

-- Sex matters in health promotion and disease prevention; 20-Aug-2003; eurekalert.org; Contact: Amy Hoskins; amy@womens-health.org; 202-496-5015; Society for Women's Health Research

-- Tracking premature babies: girls grow bigger than boys; 7-Jul-2003; eurekalert.org; Contact: Janice Guhl; janice.guhl@uhhs.com; 216-844-3825; University Hospitals of Cleveland

-- Strong mums more likely to bear sons by Shaoni Bhattacharya; 21 May 03; NewScientist.com

-- Pregnant women carrying boys need more energy; EurekAlert!; 5-Jun-2003; Contact: Emma Dickinson; edickinson@bmj.com; 44-207-383-6529; BMJ-British Medical Journal

-- Boys Are More Demanding, Even in the Womb By Ed Edelson; ABC News; December 12, 2003; abcnews.go.com

-- Boy babies 'boost appetite'; BBC; 5 June, 2003

-- A boy on the way could make mom eat more

-- Women are more likely to suffer recurrent miscarriages if their first child is a boy; 1-Jul-2003; eurekalert.org; Contact: Emma Mason; wordmason@aol.com; 44-0-1376-563090; European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology

"It's a Bart Simpson culture. Underachiever and proud of it. Cool to be stupid...We glorify male idiocy."

-- Andrew Sum; Northeastern University Center for Labor Market Studies

-- Online Extra: "It's a Bart Simpson Culture" by Michelle Conlin; Businessweek; MAY 26, 2003

"In the United States, there’s a hollowing out of democratic procedure and an upsurge in unthinking, or anti-thinking, mob conduct"

-- Todd Gitlin

-- How to be radical? An interview with Todd Gitlin and George Monbiot by Anthony Barnett and Caspar Henderson; 4 - 9 - 2003; opendemocracy.net

Today's educational system may be dooming an entire generation of boys to lower class status in tomorrow's economy.

-- Online Extra: "This Is a World Made for Women" by Michelle Conlin; MAY 26, 2003; Businessweek

"Cal Professor John Ogbu thinks he knows why rich black kids are failing in school. Nobody wants to hear it."

-- Rich, Black, Flunking BY SUSAN GOLDSMITH; May 21, 2003; eastbayexpress.com

-- Deep thinkers missing in action csmonitor.com By Mark Clayton; January 21, 2003

-- Degrees of Separation Gender Gap Among College Graduates Has Educators Wondering Where the Men Are By Michael A. Fletcher; Washington Post; June 25, 2002; Page A01

Males declined in work force participation between 1970 and 2000 while females made gains.

The downward slide of men in the changing economic environment looks set to exacerbate family problems, reduce the number of eligible bachelors, and over-crowd the prison system.

-- Death of the Male By Alan Zarembo; NEWSWEEK INTERNATIONAL, Sep 16 - 23 issue; MSNBC; found on or about 9-10-02

The overwhelming majority (90%) of young white male employees in USAmerica are destined to experience a smaller rise in income over their lives than their father's generation did.

-- Ninety percent of young white male workers now doing worse than they would have 20 years ago; EurekAlert!; 20-Feb-2002; Contact: Joel Schwarz; joels@u.washington.edu; 206-543-2580; University of Washington

Over 75% of unemployed US citizens say stress on their families rose since loss of their job.

-- Could Lack of Work Kill Your Marriage? By Marilyn Gardner; The Christian Science Monitor, Inc., and ABC News; June 6, 2003

Money is the foremost issue usually argued over by married couples. So, in general, the more money a married couple possesses, the fewer fights and arguments they have.

-- Study Explains Money Problems in Marriages By Lee Dye; ABCNEWS.com; found on or about 6-5-03 [this is a temporary URL maintained by ABC, with older content regularly replaced with newer items]

From 1962 to 2001, the average unemployment rate during years for which Republican presidents submitted budgets was 6.75%. The average rate for years when Democratic presidents submitted budgets was 5.1%.

-- Just for the Record Part IV; P.L.A. - A Journal of Politics, Law and Autism by Dwight Meredith; October 27, 2002; citing ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/lf/aat1.txt

From 1962 to 2001, the average growth rate in GDP (Gross Domestic Product) during years for which Republican presidents submitted budgets was 2.94%. The average rate for years when Democratic presidents submitted budgets was 3.92%.

-- Just for the Record Part III; P.L.A. - A Journal of Politics, Law and Autism by Dwight Meredith; October 27, 2002; citing http://www.bea.gov/bea/dn/nipaweb/TableViewFixed.asp?SelectedTable=1&FirstYear=2001&LastYear=2002&Freq=Qtr

"the economy needs to be growing by more than 3 percent -- and possibly well above -- for jobs to be added"

-- For Bush, Time to Mend Economy Is Running Out By Dana Milbank; April 5, 2003; Page A01; Washington Post

As of mid-2003, it appears economic growth of more than 3.5% may be required to reduce US unemployment.

-- What Postwar Pickup? By Rich Miller, Michael Arndt, Faith Keenan, and Christine Tierney; Businessweek; MAY 9, 2003

-- Missing the good old 9-to-5 job? By SETH HARRIS; Jun. 05, 2003; The Miami Herald

Bush may become the first President since Herbert Hoover to have fewer Americans employed at the end of his Administration than there were at the beginning. 3.4 million US jobs have disappeared on Bush's watch so far.

-- Bush Faulted for Jobless Rate By Dan Balz; Washington Post; July 4, 2003; Page A04

-- No Job Could Mean No Wife; AlphaGalileo; 13 August 2002; David Young, University of Ulster; pressoffice@ulster.ac.uk; 028 9036 6178

-- Wives' employment increases marital stability; Eurekalert; 24-Jun-2002; Contact: Vicki Fong; vfong@psu.edu; 814-865-9481; Penn State

-- UF study: Marriage can reduce life of crime; Eurekalert; 12-Sep-2002; Contact: Alex Piquero; apiquero@ufl.edu; 352-392-1025; University of Florida

-- Whites join slide into poverty as US incomes fall by Matthew Engel in Washington; September 26, 2002; The Guardian

-- Census: U.S. Poverty Up, Income Down (washingtonpost.com) By Steven Pearlstein; September 24, 2002

-- Census: U.S. Poverty Up, Income Down Poverty Rate Rose in 2001 for First Time in Eight Years As Household Income Fell, U.S. Says; The Associated Press/abcnews.go.com; apparent datestamp Sept. 24 2002

-- Amnesty finds race factor in US death sentences by Julian Borger; April 25, 2003; The Guardian

"an unmarried mother is 42 percent more likely to marry the father if the child is a boy"

-- What makes a difference in Mom's life? Whether it's a boy or a girl; 5-May-2003; Contact: Steven Goldsmith; sgolds@u.washington.edu; 206-543-2580; University of Washington

No other nation on Earth was known to have more people in prison in 1999 than the USA; USAmerica was spending $39 billion a year to maintain its prison population at the time.

50% of the prison population was black, although blacks made up only about 13% of the total American population then.

-- Soaring U.S. Inmate Population Sparks Debate By Will Dunham, Reuters/Yahoo! Politics Headlines, December 29 1999

One of the positive effects on daughters of having a father around is apparently a bit more protection against behavioural problems in general, and the consequences of such, like teenage pregnancy. Thus, the more fathers who are 'missing in action' due to illness or death stemming from their greater vulnerability to environmental stresses, or the greater likelihood of financial distress and/or imprisonment in nations like the USA, the more teenage girls in such countries that will find themselves suffering from a lack of education and employment opportunities, depression, and subsequent greater vulnerability to sexual predators and other types of exploitation.

-- Absent fathers linked to teenage pregnancies by Rachel Nowak; New Scientist; 15 May 03

-- Where's Poppa? Absent dads linked to early sex by daughters Science News Online by Bruce Bower; July 19, 2003; Vol. 164, No. 3

" The United States has the highest birth rate and highest rate of teenage pregnancy of any wealthy industrialized nation."

-- Political Shades of Green Clash By Miguel Bustillo and Kenneth R. Weiss; Los Angeles Times; story.news.yahoo.com; Mar 24, 2004

-- New York officials say rising number of young girls work in sex trade Associated Press/sfgate.com; December 7, 2002

More and more teen prostitutes in America are coming from middle-class homes. Average age? Thirteen. Some are much younger (like nine). Many seem to do it for excitement or cash-- sometimes both.

-- Newsweek: Law-Enforcement Officials Note Marked Nationwide Increase in Teen Prostitution; Trends Show Kids Getting Younger, More from Middle-Class Homes; found on or about Aug. 11, 2003; prnewswire.com

"Teenage prostitution among runaways is not new, but the problem has never been so severe..."

-- Police Investigate 12-Year-Old Prostitutes Working For Teenage Pimps; January 26, 2004; nbc4.tv

"What's gonna be next? It's getting crazy, and it's all down to money. Money and fame...Somehow the whole value system has been upended."

-- Spike Lee, director of "Malcolm X" and "Do the Right Thing."

-- Spike Lee blasts Jackson's Super Bowl strip; Associated Press; ajc.com; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 2/4/04

"Money has displaced every other traditional value."

-- Simulating human neurosis; Jorn Barger August 2003; robotwisdom.com

"Children are being taught to glorify materialism"

-- Gary Ruskin, executive director, Commercial Alert, Portland, Oregon.

-- Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's an ad? By Shelley Emling; July 20, 2003; Austin American-Statesman

-- Guilty until proven innocent: the new American way

-- Justice Denied at the Source Considered Guilty Until Proved Innocent by Nat Hentoff; June 20th, 2003; villagevoice.com

-- 'You Are a Suspect'; New York Times

It was after all this that the Great Depression took place, lasting for many years.

-- Encyclopedia Americana: Republican Party possibly by George H. Mayer, University of South Florida, Grolier Incorporated

Republicans controlled both the Senate and the House in Congress, as well as the Presidency, from 1921 to 1933. After the debacle of the Great Depression, they never again managed to control all three of these positions simultaneously for longer than a year or two at a time, at most (as of mid-2003).

-- The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2002, pages 92 and 545; World Almanac Books

Corruption within the ruling Republican party of 1920s USA was rampant.

-- Welcome to the Machine by Nicholas Confessore; The Washington Monthly; July/August 2003

"When they remain in power long enough, conservative Republicans can do an awful lot of damage -- by managing federal programs to the benefit of corporate interests...subverting environmental and other regulations, and passing budget-busting tax cuts that force reductions in social spending."

-- William Burger, curator emeritus, Botany Department, Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History, and author of 'Perfect Planet. Clever Species: How Unique Are We?'

Note that this tendency towards conflict which may well have helped boost our intelligence could also lead to our extinction, as our weapons become ever deadlier, and we fail to adequately curb or re-direct our violent impulses. This makes for a second way Burger's conclusion that we're likely alone in the universe could prove true-- if other intelligent races preceding us fell prey to the same vulnerability.

-- Are we alone? Quite possibly By Doug Wyatt; January 26, 2003; Savannah Morning News

"A search for intelligent life in space has drawn a blank"

-- Statistics of Deadly Quarrels by Brian Hayes; Computing Science; American Scientist; January-February, 2002

-- Humans Doomed Without Space Colonies, Says Hawking; Yahoo! Science Headlines; October 15, 2001

"We are on the cusp of the further perfection of extreme evil"
-- Sun scientist Bill Joy, WIRED April 2000

"This century may be a defining moment for the cosmos. If humans do not destroy themselves they may spread beyond the earth into a universe that could last almost forever."

-- Hermann Goering, Hitler's chosen successor for ruling Nazi Germany during World War II; quote from the Nuremberg Trials 1945-1946

"During the last century, governments given totalitarian powers killed an estimated 169,000,000 people."

-- Deconstructing the Bill of Rights By Alan Caruba; acuf.org; accessible online on or around 6-1-05

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."

-- Theodore Roosevelt, US Republican president, 1918

-- http://www.americanpresident.org/kotrain/courses/TR/TR_In_His_Own_Words.htm

"Here in America we are descended in spirit from revolutionists and rebels - men and women who dare to dissent from accepted doctrine."

-- US Republican President Dwight Eisenhower

-- Quote of the Day 4.7.03; workingforchange.com

"Remember, Franklin is thought of as a traitor in England"

-- John Alviti, collections curator for The Franklin Institute of Pennsylvania

-- Human Bones Beneath Ben Franklin House By Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News; Aug. 15, 2003

"We basically have a scorched earth policy. If we are going to lose, we...contaminate the world. If we can’t have it, nobody can."

-- The Heavy Stuff by Paul Krassner; The New York Press; Volume 16, Issue 37

The risk of madness at the top

There is one critically important factor which should definitely be included in any consideration of allowing any nation to develop or maintain 'doomsday' type weapons systems: the possibility of mental illness among powerful government and business leaders worldwide. Mental illness in this group could have catastrophic results for the world as a whole, even regarding issues far less dangerous than doomsday weapons.

Thus, it would seem only prudent that all our top leaders in both business and government be subject to regular, scientifically credible, and independent mental evaluations, and the results made available in timely fashion to the public. Indeed, it was recently recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force that all adults be tested for one particular element of mental illness on a regular basis-- depression.

Believe it or not, the President of the USA's annual medical examination does not currently, and never has, included even a routine psychiatric examination.

-- Yahoo! Groups evolutionary-psychology Messages Message 27211 of 27527 found on or about 10-15-03 [author's note: I believe this to be the original URL of the story when I came across it; however, a check on 10-15-03 showed the article to no longer be there. end note]

-- Lights, camera, Apocalypse By GAYLE MacDONALD; Globe and Mail; Jul. 19, 2003

-- America's Messianic War Cult by Matthew Hogan; The Ethical Spectacle; Oct 2002

-- Apocalypse soon by Giles Fraser; June 9, 2003; The Guardian

-- Enraptured with the rapture; townonline.com

"17 per cent of Americans -- nearly one in five -- believe that the end of the world will come in their lifetimes"

-- The end is near -- but only south of the border By MICHAEL VALPY; The Globe and Mail; April 26, 2003 - Page F8

-- Fundamentally unsound By Michelle Goldberg; Salon.com; July 29, 2002

-- Yahoo! News - Anti-abortion extremist, on eve of his execution, says he expects 'a great reward in heaven'

-- Pushing the Apocalypse How fundamentalists see scripture -- and politics-- on schedule for the end of the world; by Zach Abend; February 27, 2003; slweekly.com; Salt Lake City Weekly

"Biblical imagery nothing new for U.S. presidents But Bush critics say he's gone to far with `good vs. evil'"

-- Seeing God as `a kind of mascot' by BRUCE NOLAN; Feb. 23, 2003; Toronto Star

-- Bush and God; February 24, 2003; motherjones.com

-- When U.S. Foreign Policy Meets Biblical Prophecy By Paul S. Boyer, AlterNet; February 20, 2003

"Evangelical Christians form one of the most potent forces in American politics and society."

"An estimated 70 million Americans call themselves evangelicals..."

-- Rise Of The Righteous Army Feb. 8, 2004; cbsnews.com

"And so, with the White House, and Tom DeLay, and in the House of Representatives, the attorney general … talk radio, the conservative Fox News, all that sort of thing, these are parts of the righteous army that has finally come into its own."

"The trouble with evangelicalism of a certain stripe in America is that it's been so long from power that it is seduced by power. And once it gets it, it is very hard to distinguish secular power from spiritual power,"

-- Rev. Peter Gomes, Baptist theologian, Harvard University, 2004

-- Rise Of The Righteous Army Feb. 8, 2004; cbsnews.com

"I realize that our message is inherently offensive and divisive, especially in this new age of tolerance."

-- Jerry Jenkins, co-author of the “Left Behind” novel series

-- Rise Of The Righteous Army Feb. 8, 2004; cbsnews.com

-- Paradise Lite In heaven, you'll be thinner, happier, and smarter—or so Americans think. By Adam Kirsch; Feb. 5, 2004; slate.msn.com

-- Conflicts over religion showing a steady increase in the workplace; Associated Press; January 26, 2003; sunspot.net

"Privately, Bush even talked of being chosen by the grace of God to lead at that moment" [the hours following the terrorist acts of 9-11-01]

-- Michael Duffy, Time magazine

"Bush’s religious beliefs are emerging as a central influence to his policies and politics....For Bush....who reads his Bible every morning, faith extends beyond the national catharsis of the moment. By his own admission, his religious views shape much of who he is and, by extension, experts say, some of his most important decision-making."

-- Francine Kiefer, Christian Science Monitor

-- Chosen By God To Lead America By Rick Friedman & Stewart Nusbaumer; War, Politics, Culture; Intervention magazine; found on or about 10-10-02

"Bush believes he's on a mission from God...sees himself as the divine sword of retribution..."

"...Bush believes he was personally called by God to lead America. Tim Russert and former NYC Mayor Giuliani discussed this on "Meet the Press" last year...."

"...Bush...now operates with an absolute sense of supreme authority without qualification and without limitation. He stands poised to unleash American might full force against anyone who would dare to defy him..."

"...Some among Bush's trusted White House staff fear what they are seeing and where Bush is taking us..."

"...Bush's...sense of divine purpose scare some of his closest advisors....Even top officials from his father's administration fear the worst, and former President Bush is among them..."

-- White House Insiders: Bush is 'Out of Control' By Mike Hersh; Sep 5, 2002

"I do not need to explain why I say things...That's the interesting thing about being the President...Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation..."

-- President George W. Bush, 2002

-- Rare Glimpse Inside Bush's Cabinet November 19, 2002; from a 60 Minutes interview by Mike Wallace of Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward, author of the book Bush at War; CBS Worldwide Inc.; Nov. 17, 2002 is a second date stamp associated with this article

"Bush starts every day on his knees in prayer. He reads the Bible each morning and studies a Bible lesson daily."

"Religion infuses Bush's policies..."

-- White House staffers gather for Bible study; Voluntary meetings embrace president's emphasis on faith By Judy Keen; USA Today; found on or about 10-23-02

-- Bush Turns Increasingly to Language of Religion by David L. Greene; December 12, 2003; commondreams.org; originally published February 10, 2003 by the Baltimore Sun

-- Bush Links Faith and Agenda In Speech to Broadcast Group (washingtonpost.com) By Dana Milbank; February 11, 2003; Page A02

-- Bush's Messiah Complex February 2003 issue; progressive.org

"My sense is that this president has now taken this on with a missionary zeal that has theological roots to it. He is a man who believes...he senses that his God-given mission right now is to protect the United States...I think he feels almost a religious sense of commitment - a missionary sense - to do that."

"...George Bush is serious about dismantling much of the structure of the Great Society..."

"Reagan tended to talk right, but tended to govern towards the middle. Bush tends to talk to the middle, but govern right. His actions are far more over to the right. That's why the base of the Republican party is so wildly enthusiastic about George Bush."

"I'm coming to this view (and I may be wrong) - that increasingly it looks this way to me: That George W. Bush is either going to go down in history as a courageous, far-sighted, Commander in Chief...or he's going to go down in history as someone who pushed us, and was foolhardy, and too headstrong in thrusting us into extensions of this war into the building of a potential American Empire that we will come to regret...Our fates are tied with his."

-- noted Republican David Gergen, early 2003

-- The over-55-year-olds:; February 02, 2003; uggabugga.blogspot.com; citing the Charlie Rose Show.

"Speechwriter David Frum's bestseller about his year with the Administration helps to explain why the rest of the world is so nervous"

-- Deep Inside the Bush White House By Thane Peterson; Businessweek; FEBRUARY 19, 2003

"If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator"

-- US President-elect George W. Bush, December 2000

-- Why Bush, GOP can block all inquiries By Susan Page, USA TODAY; 8/12/2003

Of the nine Justices currently serving on the Supreme Court, seven were selected by Republican administrations.

-- Yahoo! News - Politics in the Supreme Court; The Associated Press; 9-8-03

-- Yahoo! News - Bush Cites 9-11 On All Manner Of Questions

"For five decades....the biggest bargain around...[was]....political influence. For many a year, it was far cheaper than anything to be found in the stock market."

"[If real campaign finance reform is not undertaken in the US]....we are well on our way to ensuring that a government of the moneyed, by the moneyed, and for the moneyed shall not perish from the earth."

-- Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway Inc., 2000

-- The Billionaire's Buyout Plan By WARREN E. BUFFETT; September 10, 2000; The New York Times Company

-- The Short, Unhappy Life of Campaign Finance Reform

-- Media conglomerates manipulate our views By Nick Bayard; browndailyherald.com; February 10, 2003 vol. CXXXVIII, no. 14

Liberal publications appear to be far more objective and less partisan than their conservative peers in their coverage of various Presidential administrations and their policies.

-- Persuaders or Partisans? (washingtonpost.com) By Howard Kurtz; August 5, 2003

According to Republican Congressman Ron Paul, all Americans should be very worried by the mainstream US media's recent practice of mostly unquestioning support of present US foreign policy.

-- "Neo-conned"; Congressman Ron Paul (Republican) addresses the U.S. House of Representatives, July 10, 2003

"...the growing concentration of wealth has reshaped our political system: it is at the root both of a general shift to the right and of an extreme polarization of our politics"

-- Paul Krugman

-- Plutocracy by some other name; thoughts on the eve of the apocalypse; October 20, 2002; citing this New York Times article

-- A White House Smear by David Corn; 07/16/2003; The Nation

-- Blix: I was smeared by the Pentagon by Helena Smith; June 11, 2003; The Guardian

-- As arms inspectors arrive, row erupts over US smears by Helena Smith and Ewen MacAskill; November 19, 2002; The Guardian

-- Angry Blix accuses U.S. of smear job

-- Economist Jeffrey D. Sachs, director of Columbia University's Earth Institute

-- Science to Save the World By David Appell; Scientific American; December 16, 2002

"War...is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other's children."

— from an Oslo, Norway speech by former President Jimmy Carter, after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.

"This century may be a defining moment for the cosmos. If humans do not destroy themselves they may spread beyond the earth into a universe that could last almost forever."

-- The science of eternity by Martin Rees; www.prospect-magazine.co.uk; January 2002

"The human race has only a 50/50 chance of surviving another century, says Sir Martin Rees, the Astronomer Royal..."

-- Sir Martin Rees: Prophet of doom? by Andrew Walker; BBC; 25 April, 2003

"Famed cosmologist suggests time may be running out on the human species"

-- Rees' thesis By Scott LaFee; signonsandiego.com; May 7, 2003

-- One generation to save world, report warns by Paul Brown, January 9, 2003; The Guardian

-- Scientists agree world faces mass extinction By Gary Strieker; CNN; August 23, 2002

-- Evidence points to mass extinction by JAMES REYNOLDS; The Scotsman; 18 Jun 2003

-- Shadow of extinction Only six degrees separate our world from the cataclysmic end of an ancient era by George Monbiot; July 1, 2003; The Guardian

-- Anthropologist Predicts Major Threat To Species Within 50 Years; 6/9/03; osu.edu; by Earle Holland; (614) 292-8384; Holland.8@osu.edu; Contact: Jeffrey McKee; (614) 292-4149; mckee.95@osu.edu

-- Panel warns oceans' ecosystems are on edge of collapse

-- Global warming's sooty smokescreen revealed by Fred Pearce; 04 June 03; New Scientist

-- There is no invisible hand by Joseph Stiglitz; The Guardian; December 20, 2002

-- The Other Side of Adam Smith By Christopher Farrell; Businessweek; NOVEMBER 15, 2002

-- The Role of Government: When All Else Fails by Laura Linard; HBSWK Pub.; Sep 2, 2002

"nurturing others and caring for their needs are as wired into our genes as our aggressive and competitive nature"

-- What motivates human behavior? 12-Jul-2002; Contact: Stuart Wolpert; stuartw@college.ucla.edu; 310-206-0511; University of California - Los Angeles; citing "The Tending Instinct: How Nurturing Is Essential to Who We Are and How We Live" by Shelley Taylor; Henry Holt

"aggressive behavior constitutes less than 1 percent of primates’ activities"