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Bow view of the battleships IOWA (BB-61), on right, and WISCONSIN (BB-64). Both ships are in MOTHBALL storage here [pennsylvania] and are slated to be returned to active service. Photo:  PHC DON SALLEE, U.S. Navy

1.2 million gallons of waste oil is on a “ghost fleet” located in the James River, Newport News, Virginia.  31 here, and about 80 of them total, scrapped in several locations since 2001.  Considering we have been in a period of increased hurricanes…they are a disaster in the making.

A worst-case-scenario report in 2002 said that if one ship loaded with oil, asbestos, lead and other toxics broke apart in a storm, 50 miles of the James River could be contaminated, including Jamestown, oyster beds and multiple natural areas south to Suffolk and Portsmouth.

“The Reserve Fleet still poses a serious and increasing environmental threat to the Hampton Roads region,” according to a resolution passed on June 17 by the Suffolk City Council. “A serious oil or gas spill from the decaying ships is no longer a possibility but a probability.” The federal caretaker of the fleet, the U.S. Maritime Administration, said a weak economy and slumping prices for recycled steel are mostly to blame for a slowdown in ship disposals that began last year.

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This three-minute video is from Common Craft. “In Plain English.”

“Common Craft is a website that features a series of short and simple videos that explain complex topics. ”

Do you want to know about issues regarding Money?  Issues involving Life?  Technology,  Going Green?  MORE?  Check out Common Craft.

Learn something new!

So, what’s new with the Swine Flu?  Do you care?  You should.  It’s not just about the Swine flu.  It’s about what has been learned from it. 

We all know the flu and other illnesses can spread on airplane flights.  There’s no faster way yo spread an illness.  Reasearchers have been studying the spread of Swine flu by flight, not only to see where it has travelled, but to observe patterns for future spread of virus outbreaks.

The research shows promise in forecasting how a new contagion might unfold, indicated one government health official who praised the work.

“We share a common interest in this issue: If we map the global airline distribution network, can we anticipate, once a virus emerges, where it is likely to show up next?” asked Dr. Martin Cetron of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He leads CDC’s division of global migration and quarantine.

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Now what?  We can track an outbreak, and because fo patterns determine where we think a virus may end up next…but what about treating it?  While we may not need a crystal ball to know where an illness is going to end up, we may need one to help discover new treatments.  We’re very much aware that people have become resistant to antibiotics over the years, mostly from overuse.  Now a Tamiflu-resistant H1N1 has been found.

ZURICH/COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Scientists have established the first case of the new H1N1 influenza strain showing resistance to Tamiflu, the main antiviral flu drug, Danish officials and the manufacturer said on Monday.

“While receiving the drug, the patient appeared to develop resistance to it,” David Reddy, Roche Holding AG’s pandemic taskforce leader, told reporters on a conference call on a case observed in Denmark. “This is the first report we have of it in H1N1.”

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Once in awhile, if I keep the television on in the background (when I’m not watching the Food Network Channel) I’ll catch a glimpse of a reality show on Bravo!.  One show that I found to be a bad accident was The Housewives of New Jersey.  Oh, please!  Are we to believe there are really women like that out there?   

Today I caught half of the first episode of a new show…NYC Prep. Half was all I cold stomach of watching the spoiled rotten, conceited teens who are from wealthy families in New York.  If this is reality and there really are teens out there who are allowed to grow up in this fashion, then I’m very lucky to be an average Jo(e).  I have nothing against having money…but does it mean your kids must be raised without your discipline?  The only way I can see these teens functioning in the real world, is by not having to ever associate with common folk. They don’t have a clue.

from the New York Times -

These six swaggering rich kids — four girls and two boys — dutifully spend and text their way around the Upper East Side like their fictional counterparts on “Gossip Girl,” only they do it haltingly. Like real-life adolescents, their arrogance is dotted with hesitation, nervous laughter and assertions put in question form.

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Treat yourself to a nightmare in New Youk…

Continue to YouTube for more of this episode…

… Since today was such a beautiful day it would have been nice to not work in my windowless box, but instead go riding to nowhere in particular, with the sun on my face and listening to a song such as this…

…But, I don’t own a convertible.

Do surroundings and influence determine a child’s preference toward that dump truck and a baby doll that wets, or is it genetic?  Will we ever really know that answer?  Reasearchers think they know.  They’ve tested babies (and monkeys).

from the Daily Mail -

One theory is that these innate preferences are linked to traditional male and female functions dating back to the dawn of the species.

Boys are thought to prefer playing with cars and balls because they involve moving objects and rough and tumble play.

These activities may be linked to their ancestors’ skills in hunting for food and finding a mate.

Girls, on the other hand, are thought to like red or pink toys because a preference for those colours enhanced their abilities to nurture infants, thus aiding their family’s survival.

For the study, led by Gerianne Alexander, researchers set up a presentation box similar to a puppet theatre and placed a doll and truck inside.

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The world is mourning the death of Michael Jackson.  We could peek into every country’s news and find an interesting story…Let’s just go to France…

On the French net, invitations to post adieu films, organize gatherings and tributes flourished. So did calls to organize giant Moonwalks, Michael’s signature dance step that was inspired by famous French mime Marcel Marceau. This Sunday, hundreds if not thousands of fans will come together in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower in a giant memorial Moonwalk.

 French Mourn Michael Jackson

 This, while people continue eating in Paris restaurant as teen girl jumps from Eiffel tower and lands on restaurant roof.

from the Daily Mail -

A waiter said after the tragedy on Thursday afternoon: ‘It was a shocking moment.

 ‘The smashing noise was like a bomb going off as the roof cracked, then everyone there very quickly realised what had happened.

‘But the most bizarre thing was, most of the customers just carried on eating. I have no idea why they did that.’

  

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BURGLARY

• Underwear, a journal and one black shoe were taken from a residence in the 3600 block of West College Avenue between 3:15 p.m. June 13 and 1 a.m. June 14.

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… Just to make sure your child receives proper documentation.  Especially if you are living on the border.

Now that everyone entering or leaving the country needs a passport, some problems have come up for residents who live near the Mexican border. You need to prove your citizenship to get a passport…not easy to do if your midwife is shady.

Since 1960, 75 Texas midwives have been convicted of fraudulently registering Mexican-born babies as American. At one point, the government assembled a list of nearly 250 “suspicious” midwives but never explained what made them suspicious.

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Immigration fraud?  Does that really happen?  It seems like an awfully hard way to make a living. 

Yet people do it.

Fallin’