a photo of the author, Tom Grimshaw


Toms Tips, Links and Tidbits Newsletter


Wednesday 20th April 2011




G'day,

Hope you are having a great week.
Enjoy your long weekend!




Contents

Basic Computer User | Advanced Computer User | Health | Humour | Other




Basic Computer User


Feds extend funding for mature age training

Business, telecoms and IT courses for workers aged 50 and above. http://www.itnews.com.au/News/254243,feds-extend-funding-for-mature-age-training.aspx



Keep Your Anti-Virus Software Up To Date

FBI dams Coreflood botnet that had infected millions of computers. http://www.zdnet.com.au/fbi-dams-coreflood-botnet-339313208.htm



Oracle hangs up the gloves on OpenOffice

Oracle has announced that it will no longer offer a commercial version of desktop productivity suite 'OpenOffice', which it inherited from Sun Microsystems in 2009. http://www.itnews.com.au/News/254803,oracle-hangs-up-the-gloves-on-openoffice.aspx



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Advanced Computer User


How China and Others Are Altering Web Traffic

A proxy server is like one of those food processors you see on TV infomercials at 4am. It slices. It dices. It minces. A carrot goes in one side as a carrot, but it could come out the other side a dozen different ways. http://cryptogon.com/?p=21799



Opinion: Expect twists when untangling copper

As NBN Co and Telstra continue to nut out an agreement on replacing Australia's copper network with fibre, David Havyatt asks whether the decommissioning of copper will occur smoothly. http://www.itnews.com.au/News/254661,opinion-expect-twists-when-untangling-copper.aspx



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Health


Telomeres

Yesterday I was reviewing the data that I had compiled in my book, http://www.defeatdegenerativedisease.com. Specifically the section on Telomeres, the caps on the ends of your DNA strands that reflect the speed at which you age, after I came across this bit of data:

A study led by Eli Puterman, PhD, found that non-exercising women with histories of childhood abuse had shorter telomeres than women who did not experience such abuse. Interestingly enough, abuse victims who exercised vigorously at least three times a week showed NO such link! It appears that regular exercise effectively negated the detrimental effects of childhood abuse trauma on their telomeres.

And once again it was brought home to me how important exercise is to our overall well being, health and longevity.

I now have 5 persoanl trainers I know who are passionate about genuinely helping you enjoy optimal health. Here are their contact details:

Michael Wilson 0413 344 948 (Glebe\Ultimo\Pyrmont\Broadway) http://www.enlivenfitness.com.au/

Alex Bastianon 0402 815 131 and Ryan McTeigue 0438 696 341 (Caringbah)

Rob Charlwood 0418 225 200 (Petersham\Marrickville\Newtown) http://www.azzurrawellness.com.au

Rudi and Tracey Marashlian (Los Angeles) http://www.gofitnow.com

Bumped into Michael this morning and he told me he has an insane special on at present, 10 weeks training and a personal consultation for $20! How could you not? He has arranged this at http://ezdeals.com.au/ but their site is down for maintenance at present so just give him a call and chat to him personally.



Smile Broadly - It Adds 7 Years to Your Life

Smile and you'll live longer.

BIG smile? Longer still.

Wayne State University researchers, in the US, collected photos of 230 Major League Baseball players who started their careers before 1950. Independent reviewers, who were not aware of the study's purpose, categorized the photos, sorting each into one of three groups: non-smilers, smilers, and big smilers.

When the smile rankings were matched against each player's lifespan, researchers found a very strong link between smiling and longevity.

These were the average lifespans:

  • Non-smilers: 72.9
  • Smilers: 75
  • Big smilers: 79.9

Of course, this doesn't offer proof that a frequent smile will actually help you live longer. But consider this: Some Zen Buddhists believe that starting every morning with a good long laugh is equal to the calming effect of several hours of meditation. And studies have shown that smiling or laughing prompts the release of endorphins and serotonin — brain chemicals that improve mood.

No guarantees a smile will add seven years to your life, but you know what they say: at least people will wonder what you've been up to.

From a Health Sciences Institute newsletter.



Misleading Medicine

Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly is promoting Sarafem as a miracle pill for women suffering from PMDD, a ‘mental disorder’ not yet proved to exist. What’s more, Eli Lilly admits that Sarafem has the same active ingredient as Prozac, complete with the same dangerous side effects. http://www.antidepressantsfacts.com/misleading-medicine.htm



Lessons From a Doctor in Afghanistan

Physician Kevin Patterson noticed something during his work as an internist-intensivist at the Canadian Combat Surgical Hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The Afghan soldiers, police and civilians he treated had very different bodies from those of the Canadians he treated in his home country. Patterson has become convinced that the effects of urbanization are making people everywhere in the world both fatter and sicker. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/04/15/how-western-diets-are-making-the-world-sick.aspx



Weight Loss Tips

Some great tips on foods that aid weight loss. http://www.care2.com/greenliving/4-surprising-fat-burning-foods.html



Conflicts of Interest Not Revealed in Call for $3.5 Billion More for Mental Health Funding

While “The Independent Mental Health Reform Group” calls for an extra $3.5 billion to be spent on mental health in its "A blueprint to Transform Mental Health," concerns were raised over the inappropriate use of the term “independent” in the name of this group. Even a cursory inspection of the main group members, who are part of a high profile promotional media campaign to take a larger slice of the health budget, revealed conflicts of interest with drug companies who also profit from increased budgetary allocations. Some group members already directly advise the Federal Government. Present/past conflicts of interest of this “independent group” include:

Ian Hickie has served on professional advisory boards convened by Bristol-Myers Squibb & Eli Lilly. [1] Hickie received $70,000 from Bristol Myers Squibb to develop the depression checklist for the depression-training program for GPs, called SPHERE which he founded. Pfizer also fund SPHERE. Wyeth, Servier and AstraZeneca have also funded Hickie. [2]

Patrick McGorry has received unrestricted research grant support from Janssen- Cilag, Eli Lilly, Bristol Myer Squibb, Astra-Zeneca, Pfizer, and Novartis. He has acted as a paid consultant for, and has received speaker’s fees and travel reimbursement from, all or most of these companies. [3]

Sebastian Rosenberg, former CEO of the Mental Health Council, is currently the Director of the mental health business ConNetica, whose website lists one of its "Private Sector Customers" as Eli Lilly. [4] Rosenberg worked for the Mental Health Council between 2005 and 2010. The Mental Health Council in 2004 signed a Memorandum of Understanding with 5 drug companies. This agreement has continued every year. The 2009/10 Annual Report lists out Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Wyeth and AstraZeneca as the drug companies currently on this Memorandum of Understanding. [5]

John Moran and Mathew Hamilton work for Orygen (youth mental health organization) with McGorry. Orygen acknowledge Bristol Myers Squibb Australia, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Janssen-Cilag on their website for funding support of research and service development activities [6] and Pfizer lists Orygen as receiving funds for educational events in 2010. [7]

The most recent call for funds includes over $1 billion for 15 Early Psychosis Centres and expansion of headspace - both part of McGorry’s Orygen who has conflicts of interest with drug companies. [8] [9]

The demand for further funds comes with the startling admission that Australia cannot produce any outcome reports for the billions already spent from past mental health budgets, a inability which doesn’t seem to plague other areas of health.

In the report "A blueprint to Transform Mental Health," the authors state: “Australia is currently outcome blind in mental health, unable to assess the real impact of current $5.5bn annual spending”. This highlights the considerable controversy within the psychiatric profession over the efficacy of current programs in place. The calls for increased funding when mental health funding is at a highest ever, site “lack of money” as the excuse of lack of documented outcomes. This must prompt politicians to start looking at the programs themselves and to look at who is profiting from constant increased funding with no discernable improvement.

An immediate investigation and audit needs to be conducted into any mis-management, lack of efficacy of programs despite millions being poured into them and the sheer waste of funding on programs that cannot show any outcome. If current spending were effectively being used, mental illness rates would be falling not increasing.

CCHR’s Shelley Wilkins says, “Pharmaceutical company conflicts of interest do not serve the people who need help. No-one with any drug company conflicts of interest should be on any committee which advises the government. There are many highly qualified mental health consultants with absolutely no drug ties that could be listened to.”

The Church of Scientology and Professor of Psychiatry Dr Thomas Szasz established CCHR to expose psychiatric violations of human rights.

[1] “Is Depression Over Dagiagnosed? No,” Prof. Gordon Parker and Ian Hickie, BMJ, 18 Nov. 2007. Also on http://sydney.edu.au/bmri/news/BMJ2007_Hickie.pdf
[2] http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/191_07_051009/hic109639_fm.html
[3] http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/337/aug04_1/a695
[4] http://connetica.com.au/about
[5] http://www.mhca.org.au/documents/MHCA%20AR10%2029-11.pdf Page 21
[6] http://rc.oyh.org.au/ResearchCentreStructure/otherfunding
http://rc.oyh.org.au/sites/all/files/2007%20ORC%20Report.pdf Page 58
[7] http://medicinesaustralia.com.au/files/2010/06/20100618-EER-rep-Pfizer-Jan-Mar-2010.pdf
[8] http://www.eppic.org.au/
[9] http://www.headspace.org.au/media/101064/coe3461_es_bpdtreatment_v2.pdf



Honey Bees Recovering in California

California honeybee populations are at their highest in seven years. http://www.care2.com/greenliving/honey-bees-recovering-in-california.html



How To Slow The Aging Process

Great article on telomeres. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/04/18/is-this-the-key-to-living-longer-than-150-years-old.aspx



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Humour


Never Lie To A Woman!

A man called home to his wife and said, " Honey I have been asked to go fishing up in Canada with my boss & several of his friends. We'll be gone for a week. This is a good opportunity for me to get that promotion I've been wanting, so could you please pack enough clothes for a week and set out my rod and fishing box, we're leaving from the office & I will swing by the house to pick my things up."

"Oh! Please pack my new blue silk pyjamas."

The wife thinks this sounds a bit fishy but being the good wife she is, did exactly what her husband asked.

The following weekend he came home a little tired but otherwise looking good.

The wife welcomed him home and asked if he caught many fish?

He said, "Yes! Lots of Salmon, some Bluegill, and a few Swordfish. But why didn't you pack my new blue silk pyjamas like I asked you to?"

You'll love the answer...

The wife replied, "I did. They're in your fishing box..."

Never Lie To A Woman...!!!



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Other


2,000 strong Virtual Choir

Unbelievably awesome! Pure theta! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NENlXsW4pM&feature=player_embedded



Carbon Tax Scam

This talk blows the scam right out of the water. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtbuM3OuTZg&feature=player_detailpage



Your weekly dose of "feel good"

Deer friend protects nesting goose in cemetery http://www.buffalonews.com/city/communities/buffalo/article388435.ece



Rebels Hijack Gadhafi’s Phone Network

This is a joint CIA/NSA operation, but the Wall Street Journal isn’t going there this morning. http://cryptogon.com/?p=21783



Smile to the Dial Time

Piano Playing and Singing Poodle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcQai--9AHQ&feature=share



Here's a Novel Thought, Hold the Incompetents Responsible for Wrecking Lives Across the Globe

Last month, the International Monetary Fund's Independent Evaluation Office issued a remarkable report. The report quite clearly blamed the IMF for failing to recognize the factors leading up to the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and to provide warning to its members so that preventive actions could be taken. http://counterpunch.org/baker04142011.html



China accused of stealing 'terabytes' of U.S. data

In a cable obtained by Reuters, U.S. investigators expressed fears about the theft of usernames and passwords for State Department computers to designs for multi-billion dollar weapons systems. http://www.itnews.com.au/News/254647,china-accused-of-stealing-terabytes-of-us-data.aspx



Iceland Defies International Bankers Fraud Request

On April 9, the fiercely independent people of island-nation defeated a referendum that would have bailed out the UK and the Netherlands who had covered the deposits of British and Dutch investors who had lost funds in Icesave bank in 2008. http://netrightdaily.com/2011/04/iceland-declares-independence-from-international-banks/



Help End Bear Bile Farms

Right now over 1,400 bears suffer on bear farms in South Korea. These bears are reared in cramped, barren cages until the age of ten, when they are slaughtered for their bile. http://e-activist.com/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=24&ea.campaign.id=8507&ea.param.extras=Source:Care2



This morning I received this and thought it worth passing on in its entirety

It will take around 40 seconds to read this but it may change your thinking for ever.

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. With his illness, the other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation and so much more.

Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window and the man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods, where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Mothers walked their babies in prams. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by and although the other man could not hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with such descriptive words.

Days, weeks and months passed and one morning the day nurse arrived to bring water for their bed baths. Good Morning' she said as always, 'and how are you two this fine day?' But today, only one of them replied.

She went to the bed by the window and discovered that the man must have died peacefully in his sleep for he appeared to be smiling. Saddened, she called the day staff and quietly and with respect, they took his body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window and the nurses were happy to make the switch. After making sure he was comfortable, they left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, feeling a little giddy from the exertion, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn and look, then shocked, he pressed the panic button to call the nurse.

It was the same young nurse that entered and he said 'Nurse, I do not understand. This window, it faces a blank wall.' He asked what could have compelled his deceased friend to describe such wonderful things going on outside this window.

The nurse replied that the man was blind and could not even see the window. 'Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you,' she said.

---------------

For me, there is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief halves the sorrow, but when happiness is shared, it is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.

There is a phrase I once read and I rather like it. 'Today is a gift, that is why it is called The Present.'

The origin of this letter is unknown but on a track on their White Album the Beatles sang, 'And in the end, the love you get is equal to the love you give.'

Enjoy the moments.

Feel free to pass this on to others.

David



A COLOSSAL COVERUP

It is one of the biggest cover-ups in US history.

The oil is still gushing in the Gulf.

All available data indicates that the original wellhead was never capped: the latitude and longitude of the camera through which we were all watching the oil spew from the wellhead actually changed to a wellhead 7 miles away, and that is the one they capped. No mention has ever been made of the original wellhead since then. That’s right, they plugged another well and showed a picture of that one.

So that is lie number one.

In addition, it is a known certainty that the seabed was fractured so badly for miles around the original well that oil has continued to spew uncontrollably from the sea floor, with no way to plug it.

This has been withheld from the public. Number two.

If oil is pouring from a well and cracks in the ocean floor, why the Hell can’t we see it?

The answer to this is two-fold.

First and foremost, someone is continuing to spray the Gulf with the chemical “dispersant” called Corexit. Corexit breaks up the oil so that it quickly sinks below the surface and is hidden from view. Once there, it spreads the mutant concoction throughout the water creating a toxic environment from which the marine life cannot escape. It eventually sinks it to the bottom of the ocean where it continues to do long-term damage to the entire marine eco system – but that’s not all.

The EPA has stated that Corexit ceased being used on July 19th, 2010. But unmarked, military-type aircraft (C-130s and C123s) have been flying sorties over the Gulf in the dead of night, spraying the poison over the now-toxic ocean to conceal the fact that voluminous amounts of oil are still spewing into the water. The amount of oil reaching the surface has become so evident that they are now risking being photographed spraying during daylight. Lie number 3.

C130 spraying on March 15th, 2011 Rednour

Photo of Corexit being sprayed next to the beach at Long Beach, Mississippi on March 15th, 2011

The dispersant may hide the oil but it is doing massive damage to the eco-system – massive. Moreover, Corexit has one other little problem – it is carcinogenic.

In fact, this chemical is so toxic, that people handling it are instructed by the manufacturer’s product handling information to wear Haz Mat suits and full-blown respirators. Unfortunately for thousands of cleanup workers, BP wouldn’t allow them to wear the suits because they didn’t want it to look like there was any danger attached to the cleanup - it might increase their liability.

Not only is the seafood from the Gulf now laced with this stuff (despite the government’s statement to the contrary - #4), the relentless spraying has initiated a massive human health crisis.

According to one study, a staggering 50% of the people in the Gulf are experiencing the toxic effects of the Corexit-laden atmosphere. Moreover, there is a report from one of the gulf oil cleanup workers that, “Thousands of Gulf Oil Spill clean-up crew are dying.”

These workers are experiencing symptoms such as severe neurological damage, kidney and liver failure, paralysis, internal bleeding, "flu" symptoms that won't go away, and death.

You can see the story of one woman who has documented her own case and that of many others. (It’s not pretty. Don’t watch if you have a weak stomach.)

http://current.com/news/93090046_thousands-of-gulf-oil-spill-clean-up-crew-are-dying-video-of-the-dying.htm

This isn’t just another health problem: this is an apocalyptic and immediate health crisis.

So, while we are now engaged in a third “war” against a dictator in Libya for human rights abuses against his own people, BP, the EPA and other government entities are engaged in a cover up of an ecological disaster by secretly spraying a virulent poison into the Gulf that is destroying the eco-system, the fishing industry and the lives of people that live and work there.

A deadly hypocrisy.

A hypocrisy that is hidden in plain sight.

I said there were two reasons that you couldn’t see the oil. The other “reason” is…you can see it. The oil is now coming up in such massive amounts that it is overwhelming the ability of the Corexit to hide it. And, as mentioned above, the C-130s are now taking the extraordinary step of spraying in daylight.

These pictures were taken over the Gulf on March 19, 2011 by a professional aerial photographer from a private plane.

Just a little odd when BP and the EPA say the well was capped on July 19th, 2010 and that there was no more evidence of oil. Per journalist Harlan Kirgan, who attended a press conference held by Mike Utsler, chief operating officer of BP’s Gulf Coast Restoration,

“Utsler said, ‘We are actually very encouraged. And, I say we collectively as federal, state, local and trustees and landowners at the progress that has been made in the state of readiness for the upcoming tourism season.'

“Utsler said the overwhelming body of peer-reviewed science that has been published has shown there is no longer an oil plume.”

Lie #5.

Unfortunately for Big Mike’s credibility, 5 days later, the Grand Isle and Fourchon beaches in Louisiana underwent a military-type takeover to shut them down completely and prevent anyone from getting anywhere near them, especially independent scientists who wanted to take samples of the massive oil plume rolling in.

If you want to see more current pictures of the oil in the Gulf, including pictures of fishing boats fishing in the middle of masses of oil, go here:

So why am I telling you this shocking and tragic story?

Because something needs to be done about it and there is a solution.

I have done something here, which I don’t normally do. And that is, I am forwarding information from my wife’s work.

Those of you that are also on her email list know some of what I have told you above. And some of you know Barb. But for those that don’t, she is the International President of The Earth Organization http://www.TheEarthOrganization.org, an independent, international conservation and environmental organization.

So, here’s the deal: Barb and the US staff of The Earth Organization have been working on this situation flat out for several months –night and day, 24/7; New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Florida. They came across a solution – a product that dramatically speeds up Mother Nature’s natural processes of cleaning up the oil in a non-toxic way. Whereas, nature would take over a century to clean up the massive amounts of oil in this spill, this method would do it in a matter of a few weeks - and with absolutely no adverse side effects.

The product has been used to clean up more than 16,000 oil spills planet-wide over the last two decades. I repeat, 16,000.

What is the reaction of British Petroleum and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency when informed about the toxic nature of Corexit (which they already knew) and the eye-popping results of the natural product, which they also were aware of? A product which has been used over 100 times by the US Navy to clean up oil spills just in San Diego Bay?

They won’t let the product anywhere near the Gulf.

Huh?

“Impossible!” you say. “How could a government agency whose purpose is to clean up the environment and protect the public’s health, permit an oil company to poison the eco-system and thousands of Americans?”

You could just as easily ask how the FDA, an agency charged with protecting the public’s health, can approve drugs that cause heart attacks, suicides and death, while stopping or curtailing non-toxic health solutions that are nutritionally beneficial.

There are plenty of other examples. I’m sure you know of some. But my purpose here is not to investigate all of the evil on the planet; my purpose here is to let you know that a national tragedy is occurring right under our noses and there is a solution available.

Barb and her team have investigated this catastrophe and its solution relentlessly. She is working with world class scientists, professional investigators, state and federal legislators, activists and manufacturers of a product that can clean up the oil spill in a beneficial and non-toxic way.

Neither she nor The Earth Organization have any financial interest in the product; their sole intention is to halt the environmental catastrophe still occurring in the Gulf, return the waters to even better than their pre-blowout condition, and save the lives of millions of people living and working there.

Last week, she took evidence of the situation to key members of the United States Congress in an effort to get the EPA to cease allowing the spraying of Corexit in the Gulf and permit natural solutions to be implemented.

She had several meetings. They went extremely well. Key congressional committee staff have asked for some additional information, which her team is in the process of gathering. But they are up against one of the biggest oil companies in the world with 96,000 employees and revenues of $297 billion, and a rogue government agency that is supporting the poisoning of the environment and citizenry in the Gulf on a colossal scale.

Which actually makes it a pretty even fight; but it’s costly, folks.

The Earth Organization is a registered nonprofit. They rely on the donations of members and supporters. This last cache of information requested by congressional staff is available, but a number of high-priced professionals are needed to scientifically document certain aspects of this, and to bring the necessary pressure to bear to get this situation turned around.

So I am writing to you to give her a hand.

We all devote a great deal of time, money and effort to make this a better world. This project, brought to a successful conclusion, will not only save an enormous area of environment, massive numbers of marine life and wildlife, but countless human lives.

I don’t mean to be gruesome, but people poisoned by the Corexit there are suffering agonizing deaths.

What do you say, can you give Barb and The Earth Organization a hand in bringing an ethical solution to the toxic holocaust now occurring in the Gulf.

God will smile.

Click the link below to donate. If you cannot donate, please pass this message on. Someone down the line will.

And thanks for your help!

http://www.earthorganization.com/Join2.aspx

Best,

Bruce Wiseman



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Until next time, dream big dreams, read widely, think well of your fellow man, eat food that's good for you and do the important things that make a difference - they are rarely the urgent ones!

Tom




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