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Monday, April 30, 2018

Some More Crime Prevention Tips

Stop the Violence -- Promote Your Community
Every 17 seconds, a violent crime - murder, rape, robbery or assault - is reported to law
enforcement somewhere in this country. And fewer than half the violent crimes that take place
actually get reported. Nationally, more than 5,000 children are victims of violent crime each day. . . Somebody's child. Maybe a child you love.

People in even the toughest circumstance have turned the tables on violent crime and created
safer neighborhoods and schools.

You can, too, by protecting yourself and your children and getting involved in the community.

Violence ruins individual lives, tears apart the fabric of our communities, and makes the costs of  law enforcement and emergency care soar. Many calls to 911 can be traced back to signs of
trouble, trouble that was allowed to continue: the rape that could have been prevented by better
street lights, the domestic violence that could have been deterred by family counseling, a child
brutally bullied who could have been protected by a concerned parent; a rash of burglaries that
could have been prevented by an active community watch program.

Creating a community that will not tolerate violent crime means bringing together vision, energy, confidence and commitment. You need to reduce your family's risk of becoming crime victims.

In order to go to work, attend school or church, or get together with friends, with reasonable
safety, you need a neighborhood - not just a home - that's secure against crime. Your goal must
be to build a strong community in which kids can be kids and adults can freely participate in
neighborhood activities.

What can you do? Here are specific ways to strengthen your community and stop the violence.
Some can be done right away. Others take time. Some don't require any help, while others
require advice or help from others.

Tips for Kids:
• Settle arguments with words, not fists or weapons. Don't stand around and form an
audience when others are arguing. A group makes a good target for violence.
• Learn safe routes for walking in the neighborhood, and know places to go when seeking
help. Trust your feelings, and when there's a sense of danger, get away.
• Report any crimes or suspicious actions to law enforcement officers, school authorities
and parents. Be willing to testify if needed.
• Never go anywhere with someone you don't know and trust.
• If someone tries to hurt or abuse you, say no, get away, and tell a trusted adult.
Remember, violence and abuse are CRIMES, and are not the victim's fault.
• Don't use alcohol or other drugs, and stay away from places and people associated with
them.
• Stick with friends who are also against violence and drugs, and stay away from known
trouble spots.
• Get involved to make your school safer and better - participating in crime prevention
programs, settling disputes peacefully. If there's no program, help start one!
• Help younger children learn to avoid being crime victims. Set a good example, and
volunteer to help with community efforts to stop crime.

Tips for Adults:
• Teach children how to reduce their risk of being victims of violent crime. Insist on
knowing at all times where your kids are, what they are doing, and who they are with.
• Get involved. Volunteer to help in community anti-crime and other improvements efforts.
Encourage established groups to become involved in crime prevention efforts.
• Use common-sense tips to reduce your risk of becoming a crime victim. Stay in well-
lighted, busy areas; travel with a friend; walk in a confident, assured way. Avoid known
trouble spots.
• Report crimes and suspicious activities to law enforcement officers. Agree to testify
when necessary. Stand up for what you believe in - maintaining a safe community.
• Get to know your neighbors and agree with them to look out for one another. Get
organized - work with law enforcement agencies - they'll welcome your interest.
• Find ways to settle arguments without violence. If you resort to violence to settle
disputes, you will teach your child to do the same. Be a good role model.
• The vigilant use of common courtesy helps ease tensions that can otherwise lead to
violence. Teach your children that good manners ARE important.
• Don't carry a weapon illegally. You lose, whether you use the weapon, or if it's used on
you.
• Don't support illegal activities, like buying stolen property or using illegal drugs. This
sends the wrong message to children, and by definition involves you and your family in
criminal activity.
• Volunteer your home as a reliable source of help for kids who are scared or need
assistance.

Tips for Neighbors and Communities:
• Work with public agencies and other organizations to solve common problems.
• Make sure that all the youth in the neighborhood have positive ways to spend their spare
time, through organized recreation, tutoring programs, and volunteer opportunities.
• Set up a Community Watch program, working with local law enforcement agencies.
Make sure your streets and homes are well-lighted.
• Build a partnership with law enforcement, focused on solving ongoing problems, instead
of reacting to crises.
• Take advantage of safety in numbers to show you're determined to drive out crime and
drugs.
• Clean up the neighborhood! Involve everyone. Tell criminals that you do care about
where you live. Ask for assistance in cleaning up the neighborhood.
• Ask local officials to use new ways to get criminals out of your community. These include
enforcing housing, health, and fire codes, and putting drug-free clauses in rental leases.
• Support victims and court witnesses.
• Work with schools to establish drug-free, gun-free zones.
• Develop and share information with local organizations that can provide other services
that neighbors might need.

Remember that your local police departments employ trained crime prevention specialists.

Working together with law enforcement, and combining the citizen's knowledge of the community with the officer's professional crime prevention skills, enormous progress can be made toward stamping out crime.

Protect Your Child From Abduction and/or Abuse
• Every year thousands of children are kidnapped, by strangers, acquaintances, family
friends, or even by their own parents, beginning a tragic ordeal of life on the run, abuse,
or worse.
• The following tips may help keep your child safe from abduction:
• When in public, keep your child in sight at all times. When your child is away from you,
know who is with the child and where they are located.
• Teach your child not to wander off, to keep you in sight at all times, and to avoid lonely
places.
• Establish strict procedures for picking up your child from school, at a friend's or after a
movie. Don't let your child accept rides from anyone with whom you haven't made prior
arrangements - even if they say they're a friend of the family.
• Teach your child never to go anywhere with anyone who doesn't know a family code
word. Make sure this word is something that the child is familiar with and is known only
to the family members.
• Teach your child his full name, your full name, address, and telephone number. Teach
your child how to make local and long distance phone calls. Even a small child can be
taught to dial 911 for help, or 0 for operator.
• Tell your child about the abduction problem in a calm and simple way - as if you were
teaching any other important coping skill.
• Listen attentively when your child talks about a man or woman your child met in your
absence.
• Teach your child that it's OK to run away or scream if someone makes or attempts to
make your child do something the child doesn't want to do, or that makes the child feel
uncomfortable.
• Take head and shoulder photographs every six (6) months for children six (6) years and
younger, annually for older children. Make note of birthmarks and other distinguishing
features.
• As a community function, invite all of the community children to a community building or
home for a safety program. McGruff, the national Crime Prevention mascot, may visit if
possible.

Also, arrangements should be made for making photos of children for parents.

Safety Tips for Travelers
• Even though trips and vacations are often opportunities for relaxation, all citizens should
practice good safety habits, even when on the road.
• Don't answer the door in a hotel or motel room without verifying who it is. If a person
claims to be an employee, call the front desk and ask if someone from their staff is
supposed to have access to your room, and for what purpose. An opened door is an
invitation to enter, whether you tell the person to come in or not.
• When returning to your hotel or motel late in the evening, use the main entrance of the
building. Be observant and look around before entering parking lots.
• Close the door securely whenever you are in your room, and use all of the locking
devices provided.
• Don't needlessly display guest room keys in public, or carelessly leave them on
restaurant tables, at the swimming pool, or in other places where the keys may be easily
stolen.
• Do not draw attention to yourself by displaying large amounts of cash or expensive
jewelry. Leave a record of the credit cards that you will be taking with you on your trip.
Be careful not to needlessly display the cards, or to carelessly leave the cards at a
vendor's desk.
• Don't invite strangers to your room.
• Place all packages and valuables, if possible, in your vehicle's trunk. Make sure all doors
to your vehicle are locked. At night, park your vehicle, if possible, under a light, relatively
near your room.
• Place all small valuables in the room safe, or in the hotel's or motel's safe deposit box.
• Check to see that any sliding glass doors or windows and any connecting room doors
are locked.
• When out of your room, leave the television or radio playing low. This makes your room
sound occupied. At night leave your room lights on, as well as the television or radio
playing.
• If you see any suspicious activity, promptly report your observations to the management.

Guarding Against Home Improvement and Repair Fraud
• There are many honest, hard-working people in the field of home improvement.
Nevertheless, citizens should watch out for dishonest home repair firms and practices.
• Some tips on how to avoid home improvement and repair fraud:
• Be suspicious if someone offers to do an expensive job for an unusually low price. The
old saying, You get what you pay for, is usually quite true.
• Always get several estimates for every repair job, and compare prices and terms. Check
to see if there is a charge for estimates before asking for one.
• Ask your friends, neighbors, and co-workers for recommendations, or ask the firm for
references, and check them out.
• Before signing any type of contract, take your time and read the contract very carefully.
After you have read the contract, invite a friend or relative to read the contract. Make
sure you understand all parts of the contract. If you feel pressured to sign the contract,
remember there are other firms that would be delighted to work with you.
• Be wary of high-pressure sales tactics. When faced with such tactics, heighten your
scrutiny of the contract documents. Often the time constraints asserted by the
salesperson are relatively minor or even illusory.
• Pay by check, never by cash. Arrange to make payments in installments, one-third at the
beginning of the job, one-third when the work is nearly completed, and one-third after the
work is done.
• When you find a home repair firm you trust, stick with them and tell a friend! Reward
good business practices.
• Make note of the employees working with the company and vehicles being driven by the
workers. Occasionally, even the best firms have difficulties with problem employees. Be
on guard.

Often, a victim does not know he has been cheated until it's too late. A few fraudulent
individuals make the rest of the business community, businesses and consumers alike, suffer. If
you don't report fraud, you're only helping the crooks, and that's just what they want. You should  report any type of business-related fraud your local law enforcement agency to report the crime, and provide as many details as you can.

The following web sites contain valuable information on personal, neighborhood and work
safety as well as information on alcohol, drugs, prescription medication, gangs and many more
topics that effect communities.

National Association of Town Watch: http://www.nationalnightout.org/natw/


Center for the Prevention of School Violence: http://www.ncdjjdp.org/cpsv/index.html

The above web sites also provide many publications and brochures that may be printed and copied.

As always, stay safe !

-Bird

***





Sunday, April 29, 2018

Leading scientists warn about the toxic chemicals in our food, plastic and air

Leading health and science organizations in the US call for chemicals to be banned at the first sign of danger rather than waiting 'unequivocal proof'.

There is overwhelming scientific evidence that toxic chemicals in food, everyday products, the general environment and even the air are poisoning our children, a leading group of US scientists, medical experts and health organizations have said.

Issuing a “call to action”, the researchers warned pregnant women had been found to be contaminated with dozens of potentially harmful substances such as organ-o-phosphate pesticides, PBDE flame retardants and phthalates found in plastic.

Such toxins can interfere in the development of the brain with unborn children being particularly vulnerable. In paper in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, the group said: “We are witnessing an alarming increase in learning and behavioral problems in children. 

“Parents report that one in six children in the United States, 17 per cent more than a decade ago, have a developmental disability, including learning disabilities, ADHD, autism, and other developmental delays.  As of 2012, 1 in 10 (or more than 5.9 million) children in the US are estimated to have ADHD. As of 2017, 1 in 68 children in the US has an autism spectrum disorder.”

They said that many chemicals could interfere with the development of the brain at “extremely low levels of exposure”. 

“Research in the neurosciences has identified ‘critical windows of vulnerability’ during embryonic and fetal development, infancy, early childhood and adolescence,” the paper said. “During these windows of development, toxic chemical exposures may cause lasting harm to the brain that interferes with a child’s ability to reach his or her full potential.” 

They pointed to a previous study that found 90 per cent of pregnant women in the US had detectable levels of 62 chemicals in their bodies, including phthalates, lead and mercury.

However the group said that such harmful chemicals “likely represent the tip of the iceberg” with only a “tiny minority” of the thousands of substances currently in use having been tested for their effects on the brain.

“Our failures to protect children from harm underscore the urgent need for a better approach to developing and assessing scientific evidence and using it to make decisions,” the paper said.

“We as a society should be able to take protective action when scientific evidence indicates a chemical is of concern, and not wait for unequivocal proof that a chemical is causing harm to our children.”

Another problem, they wrote, was when a chemical is banned because it is shown to be harmful, manufacturers “often substitute similar chemicals that may pose similar concerns or be virtually untested for toxicity”.
“When the [US] federal government banned some uses of OP [organ-o-phosphate] pesticides, manufacturers responded by expanding the use of neonicotinoid and pyrethroid pesticides,” the paper said.

“Evidence is emerging that these widely used classes of pesticides pose a threat to the developing brain.

“When the US government reached a voluntary agreement with flame retardant manufacturers to stop making PBDEs, the manufacturers substituted other halogenated and organophosphate flame retardant chemicals. 

“Many of these replacement flame retardants are similar in structure to other neurotoxic chemicals but have not undergone adequate assessment of their effects on developing brains. 

“When the federal government banned some phthalates in children’s products, the chemical industry responded by replacing the banned chemicals with structurally similar new phthalates. These replacements are now under investigation for disrupting the endocrine system.”

The signatories of the paper included Professor Deborah Bennett, of University of California, Davis, Dr David Bellinger, of Harvard Medical School, Dr Linda Birnbaum, director of the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and director of the National Toxicology Program and Dr Alycia Halladay, chief science officer of the Austism Science Foundation.

Several leading medical organizations also signed, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the International Neurotoxicology Association, and the US National Medical Association.

As always, stay safe !

-Bird

***



The Top Ten Worst Possible Hereditary Conditions

Acne
Go ahead and fault your parents for your pimples. Studies have shown that many school-age boys with acne have a family history of the skin condition. As well, having parents who endured a bad case of zits makes one more likely to suffer from severe acne too.

Alcoholism
Children of alcoholics are not destined to be alcoholics too. But recent research reports about 50 percent of the risk for alcoholism is genetically determined. The environment accounts for the other risky half. The disease is considered genetically complex, meaning that several genes come into play and they can affect individuals differently.

Baldness
Although baldness is common in men, scientists don't understand much about why so little is going on up there. Genes do play a role, but your mom is not the only one at fault. Baldness is likely due to abnormalities in several genes from one or both parents. People with a rare type of permanent baldness called alopecia universalis, lose hair all over their bodies and carry defective 'hairless' genes.

Breast Cancer
The cause of most breast cancers is still a mystery, however researches have discovered that mutations in particular genes, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2, cause some cancers. Women who inherit the mutation tend to get cancer early in life and in both breasts. Men with BRCA1 have an increased risk of prostate cancer, while BRCA2 increases the likelihood of cancers in the male breast, prostate, pancreas, and elsewhere.

Bullying
Next time you're in the principal's office with a pink slip for roughhousing on the playground, point the finger at your family. A gene that increases an individual's risk for violence has been discovered. Researchers have also found aggressive behaviors in boys are more likely to be inherited than non-aggressive antisocial behaviors like stealing someone's lunchbox. But genes play a bigger role in female thieves.

Color Blindness
Ten million men in the U.S. cannot distinguish red from green. Yet the disorder only affects less than 600,000 American women. Why? The genes for red and green receptors sit near each other on the X-chromosome. Men only have one X-chromosome, which they inherit from their mother. Meanwhile, women have two, and a normal gene can often balance out a defective one.

Having Twins
Although identical twins are random events, fraternal twins pop up in families again and again. A mother doing double diaper duty carries a gene that makes her release multiple eggs during ovulation, called hyperovulation. Although a man who carries the gene will probably not father twins, passing the family trait to his daughter could make him a grandfather of twins. This is why twins sometimes appear to skip generations, even though there's no evidence that twins are more likely to occur every other generation.

Heart Disease
A family history of heart disease, diabetes, stroke or high blood pressure isn't good for your heart. Children of parents with heart and blood vessel diseases are more likely to develop them too. Plus, a person with a congenital heart defect is slightly more likely to have a baby with a heart defect.

Lactose Intolerance
The Chinese distaste for milk was thought to be a cultural one, until scientists in the 1960s discovered lactose intolerance in Asians, Africans, and southern Europeans. Within the past 10,000 years, a genetic change allowed the ability to digest milk to evolve, but only where dairy farming was the norm. If you can't tolerate milk, your relatives probably left cow udders alone.

Obesity
Super size fries and a heavy set of genes is a recipe for obesity. One scientific theory suggests the same genes that helped our ancestors survive famines are now working against people living in places where food is plentiful. Genes have been shown to be the cause of obesity disorders such as Bardet-Biedl syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome. Many of today's bulging waistlines have only to do with eating too much of the wrong foods, however.

As always, stay safe and be happy !

-Bird

***








Thursday, April 26, 2018

Top 10 Poisons that are the lasting legacy of Monsanto:

1. Atomic Bombs, Nuclear Weapons and world domination
During WW2, Monsanto was involved in Manhattan project and production of the first nuclear bomb that was later on dropped on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Although, the history written by the powerful and rich claims that dropping atomic bomb was the ONLY way to end the war with Japan, the documentary by Oliver Stone called “the untold history of US” clearly shows that this isn’t true at all and America had already won the war. Oliver Stone in his documentary shows how the war was over and there was no need for the mushroom cloud over Hiroshima and Nagasaki which later on President Harry Truman regarded as “an overwhelming successful experiment.”   As Oliver Stone in this documentary says “A nation dominating the world by its technology will soon become a tyranny that will be hated by those who are tyrannized. The bomb has allowed us to win by any means necessary, which makes us believe because we win, we are right and because we are right, we are therefore for good. As secretary of state Madeleine Albright said but if we have to use force, it is because we are America; we are an indispensable nation. But because we can and have threatened the humanity with our bombs, are our mistakes forgiven and our cruelty justified? But domination doesn’t last. Five major empires have collapsed in the lifetime of a person born before WW2, Britain, France, Germany, Japan and the Soviet Union.... ...Henry Wallace worried that if the US treated the Soviets so badly when US was riding high economically and militarily, how would the Soviets treat the US when and if the situation was reversed.

2. Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH)
The Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) is injected to livestock for faster growth and production of more milk. rBGH growth hormones can cause painful udder infections in livestock which forces large commercial dairy farmers to give cows injection of antibiotics routinely. Human beings are exposed to rBGH growth hormones and antibiotics when they consume meat or dairy of livestock that are injected with hormones. Based on many studies rBGH growth hormones are related to breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men. Hormones are also related to a wave of chronic diseases including colon cancer, diabetes, heart diseases and obesity. Both European Union and Canada have banned the use of growth hormones in livestock. During George W bush’s presidency, the French who have zero tolerance for using hormones, pesticides and carcinegens - rejected to buy cows grown in America. Probably most people remember George Bush’s famous quote "... that either you are with us or with the enemy". Since no act of rebellion against the pesticide empire remains unrewarded, the Bush administration retaliated by increasing steel import tariff’s during GATT talks to punish the French government and accused them of being anti-American.

3. DDT
In 1944, Monsanto among 15 other companies started manufacturing DDT as a pesticide for killing weeds. Despite all the claims of Monsanto that DDT was safe, the research in 1970s confirmed that DDT was toxic and due to public pressure DDT were banned in 1972.

4. Dioxin and Agent Orange:
Monsanto and Dow were the main producers of dioxin that was a byproduct of 2,4,5-T herbicide. 2,4,5-T herbicide was used as an agriculture herbicide before 1950s. Since 1940s more than 300 million pounds of dioxin laden 2,4,5-T has been sprayed on more than 400 million acres of famers and agricultural property in US. Later on, 2,4,5-T dioxin-containing herbicide was mixed with 2,4-D to create the chemical warfare called “Agent Orange” against the Vietnamese. Both Monsanto and Dow were primary manufactures of Agent Orange, although Monsanto’s formula had higher levels of dioxin than Dow. 72 million liters of dioxin produced by Monsanto were dumped on more than 4.8 million Vietnamese. Agent Orange killed more than 400,000 Vietnamese while half a million children were born with birth defects and up to million people were disabled and suffered from chronic diseases. More than 3 million American troops and their offspring were also the victims of Agent Orange. Many scientists have regarded dioxin as the most toxic and poisonous small molecule on the planet. But if enough people hadn’t protested against dioxin, Monsanto and Dow would be still selling their leftover Agent Orange stocks.

5. Genetically Modified crops
Monsanto’s American dream to genetically modify our seeds and food supply has turned into a nightmare for everyone including US farmers, consumers and the economy. Although many independent studies of concerned scientists have linked GMOs to obesity, infertility, cancer and even autism, Monsanto has been able to fully dominate and control our seeds and food supply. The devastating results of GMO crops have cause more than 250,000 deaths of Indian farmers in the last decade. Most disturbingly, these farmers commit suicide by drinking Monsanto’s insecticide “Roundup” that was shipped to them. GMOs have also caused 99% loss in export of US agricultural products to Europe and according to the report by Washington State University, the use of pesticides have grown by 404 million pounds from the time they were introduced in 1996 through 2011. GM crops do not grow on their own are just an expression of the willpower and control of the biotech industry. Now Monsanto owns the seeds, owns the best selling herbicide called “Roundup” and owns our food supply. Monsanto supporters and its financially beneficiary have also done an excellent job of spreading lies and misinformation to bash and manipulate the truth. Although the biotech industry claims that GMOs are safe, the American public are waking up and finally standing up for their rights. 30 other states have already required GMO labeling and are fighting for the right of consumers to know if their foods have been genetically modified.

6. Influence and domination of Monsanto over our foods and seed supply More than 75% of processed foods are genetically modified and more than 90% of all soy and corn grown in US are GMOs. 50% of US farmlands are used to grow GMO corn and soy whereas only 3% of farms are used to grown fruits and vegetables.Monsanto has been dominating our foods and seeds for too long. One would wonder how a corrupted company like Monsanto with its dark history can be in charge of our foods and seeds. Even Obama, despite his promises to label GMOs appointed Mike Taylor as head of FDA. He also appointed Roger Beachy, the former director at Monsanto as head of USDA, Tom Vilsack and creator of Governors' Biotechnology Partnership as the commissioner of USDA. He promised to label GMO foods, but instead he signed Monsanto Protection Act that will give Monsanto ultimate protection from both the legal system and the government.  Also despite all the sanctions against Iran, the US has been selling Iran GMO wheat. This is when the US doesn't even sell Iran commercial airplanes when hundreds of innocent civilians die every year because of plane crushes.

7. Low calorie sweeteners (Nutrasweet) including both Aspartame and Saccharin
In 1985, Monsanto bought Searle Company that was the main producer of artificial sweetener called aspartame used in carbonated beverages. Nutrasweet products are low calorie sweeteners that have been linked to cancer, craving for sugar, obesity, diabetes and chronic neurological disorders. This is when Monsanto among many other powerful corporations in America donates millions of dollars to research centers and facilities including the American Diabetes Association.

8. PCBs
In the late 1920s, Monsanto become the largest producer of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) used as hydraulic fluid, cutting oil and lubricant for electric motors, capacitates and transformers. PCBs were banned in 1970s but the remaining of it still exists along Dead Creek in Sauget where Monsanto had its first PCBs plant. Monsanto’s first PCBs plant was in the state of Illinois that has one of the highest rates of immature death and birth defects. Now PCBs are widely banned and known as one of the most dangerous chemicals related to cancer, immune system disorder, birth defects and even death. Keep in mind that a recent study by University of California in San Francisco shows that Monsanto’s PCBs still remains in the blood of pregnant women. http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2011/01/8371/ucsf-study-identifies-chemicals-pregnant-women

9. Polystyrene
In 1940s, Monsanto focused on oil-based plastics including synthetic polystyrene which is still widely used in food packaging in US. Polystyrene foam is non-biodegradable and an environmental disaster. Monsanto was involved in building several Disney land’s attraction entirely built by non biodegradable plastic. When Disney decided to tear them down they couldn’t even break the remaining pieces of the building by chain saws or shovels so they had to squeeze big pieces of these non biodegradable plastic into a truck.

10. Roundup
Soon after DDTs were banned in 1973 Monsanto developed another toxic pesticide called Roundup (even more toxic than DDT). The active ingredient in Roundup is glyphosate molecule used for killing weeds and roots. Glyphosate has been linked to birth defects, reproduction failure and deformities in animal laboratories. Roundup is now widely used as a common weed killer and is marketed to 115 countries worldwide. After selling Roundup, Monsanto’s sales grew by 20% and from 1980s to 1990s Roundup has made up for 45% of the company’s income. Many concerned scientific community and researchers among them Dr. Huber have warned the officials about toxicity of Roundup. In fact, Dr. Huber wrote a letter to Tom Vilsack, the secretary of agriculture and the former governor of Iowa who was awarded by biotech industries as the governor of the year and described his concern that there is a link between Roundup and a mystery organism. He explained how the mystery organism is causing birth defect and infertility in laboratory animals. In his letter Dr Huber writes

 “For the past 40 years, I have been a scientist in the professional and military agencies that evaluate and prepare for natural and manmade biological threats, including germ warfare and disease outbreaks. Based on this experience, I believe the threat we are facing from this pathogen is unique and of a high risk status. In layman’s terms, it should be treated as an emergency.”
Dr Huber also asked the secretary of agriculture not to approve GMO alfalfa that can contaminate organic and non-GMO crops (since it’s pollinated by insects). However both FDA and Department of Agriculture ignored and didn’t respond to any letters of Dr Huber.

And nowthat we are  looking back at the American century, one would ask if we have acted wisely and humanely in our relations to the rest of the world?  And that answer would be , unfortunately a Negative.

A world which the richest few hundred or a thousand or couple of thousand have more wealth than the poorest three billion?”

******

As always, stay safe !

-Bird

***


Five crimes committed by cops who was in charge of solving them

Every day, thousands of the bravest and best folks humanity has to offer go out and selflessly put their asses (and legs, and torsos, and every shoot-able part of their bodies) on the line for the rest of us. This article isn't about them. This is about the law enforcement officers who looked at the worst criminals in the world on a daily basis and said to themselves, "I can top that."
They may be horrible people, but you've got to admire the balls it takes to pull off stunts like ...

1. America's top sheriff is arrested for meth, and is jailed in the same jailed named after him:
In 2001, Arapahoe County Sheriff Patrick T. Sullivan was named National Sheriff's Deputy of the Year, and when he retired in 2002 (after 30 years in law enforcement), the county loved him so much that they renamed the local jail in his honor. That's how good this guy was at sheriffing.
Sullivan went on to join a legislative task force for the state of Colorado and helped to form a lot of the policies and laws that local law enforcement agencies use to prosecute drug offenders in general, and meth users in particular. And just in case you still need proof that this guy was awesome, here's footage of Sullivan in the '80s running his truck through a fence to save some officers during a shootout.

But at the Same Time ...

Retirement can be hard for some people: Some stay home every day and sulk, some take up fly fishing, and some try to deal meth and end up serving time in the jail named after them.
Apparently, after decades of being up to his armpits in meth-crazy, Sullivan decided to see what life was like on the other side of the fence, so he dived in head first. The former sheriff became a connoisseur of meth and what some folks colloquially refer to as "rough trade." Sullivan became infamous among young male prostitutes in Aurora County for using his position to, umm, get into other positions. Sexy positions.
In 2012, local cops finally caught on and arranged for a sting operation, and Sullivan was videotaped trying to trade meth for sex with a cop informant. He was arrested, interviewed, and asked whether at any time he had engaged in sex with a minor. Sullivan told cops that he couldn't honestly answer that question, as he was way too fucking high most of the time. Hey, we've all been there, pal.
Sullivan was then booked into the Patrick T. Sullivan Correctional Facility ...
... which has been since renamed.  In all seriousness, if he didn't at least try to declare himself King of the Jail the moment he was ushered into his cell block, then we have to question if all of this was even worth it.

2 An anti-drug agent that moonlights as a drug lord
Drug Enforcement Agency officer Darnell Garcia's entire life was like something out of an '80s action flick. Several of them, in fact -- not only did Garcia train with both Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee, but he apparently knew enough about how to tear an opponent's head off to author a book on the subject, which he also did. It's called The Fighting Art of Tang Soo Do.
After retiring from the karate championship circuit, Garcia came up through the ranks of the LAPD and joined the DEA in 1981. Along with fellow agents Wayne Countryman and John Jackson . Garcia spent the '80s living the plot of a Miami Vice episode every single day.

But at the Same Time ...

Except for the part where he was actually the villain. He was anti-drug agent by day and pro-drug kingpin by night. It was like Dexter, only somehow less plausible.

At some point Garcia and his pals realized that ripping off drug dealers was a lot more profitable (and fun) than simply stopping them. Their first few heists were relatively small, netting only $16,000 in cash and 2 pounds of heroin. Then they decided to stop playing around in 1985 and stole 400 pounds of cocaine from a Pasadena stash house, effectively becoming millionaires overnight.

Garcia didn't stop there either. Garcia, Jackson, and Countryman set up Swiss bank accounts and distribution networks operating out of both New York and Los Angeles. Garcia then rounded up several fugitive drug dealers and instead of arresting them, he placed them in DEA safe houses to handle the sales end of his operation.

When Countryman and Jackson were finally arrested in 1988, Garcia fled the country and led both the FBI and Interpol on an international manhunt. When they finally caught up to him in Luxembourg a year later, his official defense was that he had come by those millions of dollars in his Swiss bank account totally legitimately ... by smuggling jewels for an Italian syndicate.

3 Mafia Ttsk force detectives turned mafia hit man
NYPD Mafia Task Force detectives Stephen Caracappa and Lou Eppolito were almost complete opposites in every way. Eppolito was a seasoned street cop who looked kind of like a silverback gorilla, only with slightly more body hair. Caracappa, meanwhile, was smaller and bookish, favored dark silk suits, and had a cadaverous complexion. Together, they fought crime.

But at the Same Time …

Also, they did crime. Because they were also Mafia hit men. On more than one occasion, the two would whack a mark in a certain neighborhood and end up interviewing potential witnesses in the same area for their other job.

Caracappa and Eppolito carried out at least eight hits under direct orders from known gangster Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso. The hits themselves were masterpieces of simplicity -- they used NYPD cars and pulled over their intended victims, presumably under the guise of a traffic stop, and then shot them.

The hits alone are bad enough, but there's more. Caracappa worked for the Major Cases Unit, which gave him access to all sorts of classified information about, among other things, the Mafia. The same Mafia he was working for.
Caracappa also knew all of the safe houses in New York, so if an informant was moved, that info passed right through his office and from there to Casso. He was the wet dream of any mob boss.

And they may have gotten away with it, too ... if Eppolito hadn't written a book about his rise from Mafia family kid to totally honest non-Mafia cop, which he then promoted across national television.

At this point a few people finally stepped forward and said, "Hey, remember that murderer we saw? He's on Sally Jesse Raphael right now." Eppolito and his partner were arrested.

4 The head of a kidnapping squad is the one responsible for the kidnappings
"Big" Tom Brown was the chief of police in St. Paul, Minnesota, in the early 1930s, a time when the notorious bank robbers of the Depression era had started moving on from stealing rich people's money to just stealing rich people (and then demanding a ransom). During that time, Brown was put in charge of the kidnapping squad: It was his job to dispatch officers to protect the city's wealthiest citizens. Just having Big Tom around would make anyone feel safer.

But at the Same Time …

Big Tom was a member of another kidnapping squad -- as in, one that literally kidnapped people. While he was protecting the fat cats from being snatched away, he would also feed information about them to the Barker Gang, the criminals behind the most daring St. Paul kidnappings of the '30s, and getting a juicy cut of the ransom in exchange.

On June 15, 1933, the Barkers snatched up William Hamm, scion of Hamm's Brewery, and held him for four days while demanding a ransom of $100,000. Hamm's mother ignored the gang's instructions to not get the cops involved and called the authorities ... who, of course, referred her to the guy in charge of that department, Chief Tom Brown. Brown acted as a go-between for Hamm's family and the kidnappers, dropping off the $100,000 payment, a quarter of which went to his own pocket for helping set up the whole operation.

Big Tom would also tip off gangsters when detectives were coming to raid their hideouts -- he was so beloved within the criminal community that members of the Dillinger gang contributed generous donations to his campaign to be elected county sheriff.

Brown and the Barker Gang tried the same thing about a year later: This time they picked Edward Bremer, whose father, Adolph Bremer, owned several banks and was a close personal friend of FDR. The members of the Barker Gang were eventually caught and/or killed by the feds ... but Brown got away with it. By this time the FBI had stepped in, knowing that Brown was dirty but unable to prove it. Or they could prove it, they just couldn't decide who would go up to Brown and try to arrest him, so they just let him go free.

5 A robbery detective does a bank-robbing spree
Andre Stander was born to be a cop: His father was a general in the South African Department of Correctional Services, and he graduated at the top of his class at Pretoria Police College. Stander enjoyed a rapid ascent through the ranks and held the post of captain by the age of 31. The guy became such a legend that he was recently portrayed by Thomas Jane in a movie of his life, Stander.

But at the Same Time ...

Of course, most of the movie concerns his other job ... as a bank robber. Stander would sometimes rob banks on his lunch break and then go back in the afternoon to investigate.
It all started in 1977, when Stander hopped on an early morning flight to another city, rented a car, and, donning a wig, mask, and sunglasses, proceeded to rob a bank. He caught another flight back that afternoon and finished his shift at the Kempton Park Station. And then he did it again, and again, and again. For several years.

After the first robbery, Stander stopped renting cars and simply stole them. Even when he started robbing banks in his own jurisdiction, he was so good at disguising himself that no one ever recognized him.

In fact, after three years, the only reason anybody even caught on is because Stander actually approached another cop and basically said, "Hey, guess who has two thumbs and likes to pillage Johannesburg? This guy!" Stander's hope was to persuade his longtime partner in the Robbery Task Division to join the Dark Side of the Force. Carl Van Deventer, Stander's would-be accomplice, set up a sting instead.

Stander was caught and sentenced to 75 years in a South African prison. He served three of those years before he decided he'd had enough. Taking a nurse hostage, Stander pulled off a jail break.

For the next year, Stander went on an international crime spree. He spent a year robbing up to four banks a day, spanning the globe from Cape Town to Greece, then to Spain, then back to Africa so he could steal a yacht, and then to the U.S. Stander was finally gunned down in Fort Lauderdale after a botched attempt at fencing a boat worth almost half a million dollars.

Even those who took the oath to protect, can commit crimes against people.

As always, stay safe !

-Bird


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