Céad Míle Fáilte Beltaine!

One of my favorite days since childhood; May Day or Beltaine if you prefer. I found this thought for this special day from one of my favorite astrologers , Jon Cainer: This weekend, we ought to be upholding a great tradition. These days though, if we think of it at all, we remember the ancient fire festival of Beltane as a time of May Queens, Maypoles and Morris dancers. These though, are just the quaint and quirky remnants of a once raucous, ribald celebration. As flowers bloomed and trees burst into blossom, fires would be lit, crowds would gather and couples would be openly encouraged to consummate courtships. Public gestures of love and lust were considered to be in perfect sympathy with the spirit of the season. Primitive? Perhaps. But we should not be too disapproving of our ancestors exuberance. Without it... you and I we might not be here! And there's another reason to respect this part of our heritage. Beltane belongs to a time when people didn't see themselves as quite so separate from the rest of nature. Our world today might be a better place in many ways if we could only revive that sense of connection. A joyous time of renewal and hope is upon us and I hope all who read here honor this day... more to come tomorrow.

Gaughan Kicks Off Campaign For Mayor

Kevin Gaughan Kevin Gaughan announced his candidacy for mayor of Buffalo, NY this morning at 6:45 am on the corner of Niagara and Tonawanda streets. Gaughan cited a return to "change, growth, hope and propsperity" during his speech and pledged " we ain't never goin' back". Gaughan responded to a remark about being a political outsider by saying " I intend to be mayor, I have no interest in becoming a politician". Gaughan also stated he does not believe that having the support of Buffalo's civil service unions is fundamental to winning the office of mayor. Waxing poetic, Gaughan mused "one day soon we can all greet the Spring as one people". -KT

Happyville?

Buffalo, New York Maybe it was all those years of futility for the Phillies. Or the shadows cast by New York City to the north and Washington, D.C., to the south. Whatever the reasons, Philadelphia has earned the melancholy distinction of being America's most depressed city, followed closely by Detroit and St. Petersburg, Florida. Men's Health compiled this list based on antidepressant sales, courtesy of NDC Health; suicide rates, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); and the number of days inhabitants reported being depressed, based on the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, accessed through bestplaces.net. Where can you find happiness? Texas, that's where. Three of its cities placed in the top four: number one, Laredo; number two, El Paso; and number four, Corpus Christi. The 20 Happiest Cities 1. Laredo, TX: A+ 2. El Paso, TX: A+ 3. Jersey City, NJ: A+ 4. Corpus Christi, TX: A+ 5. Baton Rouge, LA: A 6. Honolulu, HI: A- 7. Fresno, CA: A- 8. San Jose, CA: A- 9. Lincoln, NE: B+ 10. Bakersfield, CA: B+ 11. Buffalo, NY: B+ 12. Anchorage, AK: B+ 13. Stockton, CA: B+ 14. Shreveport, LA: B+ 15. (3-way tie) Madison, WI: B, Montgomery, AL: B, and Des Moines, IA: B 18. Wichita, KS: B 19. (tie) Sacramento, CA: B and Omaha, NE: B The 20 Most Depressed Cities 1. Philadelphia, PA: F 2. Detroit, MI: F 3. St. Petersburg, FL: F 4. St. Louis, MO: F 5. Tampa, FL: F 6. Indianapolis, IN: F 7. (3-way tie) Mesa, AZ: F, Phoenix, AZ: F, and Scottsdale, AZ: F 10. Cleveland, OH: F 11. New York, NY: D- 12. Salt Lake City, UT: D- 13. Atlanta, GA: D 14. (3-way tie) Yonkers, NY: D, Pittsburgh, PA: D, and Kansas City, MO: D 17. (3-way tie) Long Beach, CA: D, Los Angeles, CA: D, Nashville, TN" D 20. Portland, OR: D

Much Needed Research

Please take a second to read what the site says and take action! It is estimated that one in eighty boys in the U.S. is autistic. My nephew is one of them and we cannot afford to waste any more time. Thanks.

The Whistle Is Blown

RFK Jr Bill would insulate pharmaceutical firms from liability Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has buried a provision in the "Protecting America in the War on Terror Act" to insulate the pharmaceutical industry from liability for venal actions that may have poisoned an entire generation of Americans. Mounting evidence suggests that Thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative in children’s vaccines, may be responsible for the exponential growth of autism, attention deficit disorder, speech delays and other childhood neurological disorders now epidemic in the United States. Prior to 1989, American infants generally received three vaccinations. In the early 1990s, public-health officials dramatically increased the number of Thimerosal-containing vaccinations without considering the cumulative impact of the mercury load on developing brains. Thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative in children’s vaccines, may be responsible for the exponential growth of autism. Warning Issued In a 1991 memo, Dr. Maurice Hilleman, one of the fathers of Merck’s vaccination programs, warned the president of the company’s vaccination division that 6-month-old children administered the shots on schedule would suffer mercury exposures 87 times the government safety standard (400 times the current U.S. government’s safe level). He recommended that Thimerosal be discontinued, "especially when used on infants and children." Merck ignored Hilleman’s warning and, for eight years, government officials added seven additional shots for children containing Thimerosal. Mercury is a known brain poison, and autism rates began rising dramatically in children who were administered the new vaccine regimens. A decade ago the American Academy of Pediatrics estimated the autism rate among American children to be 1 in 2,500. Today, the CDC places the autism rate at 1 in 166, or one in 80 boys. Additionally, one in every six children is now diagnosed with a related neurological disorder. In 1998 the CDC’s lead Thimerosal researcher, Dr. Thomas Verstraeten, complained to his colleagues in a secret memo that, despite rerunning and rethinking the research, the links between Thimerosal and autism "just won’t go away." Secret Meeting In 2000, CDC, FDA and pharmaceutical companies called a secret meeting to review Verstraeten’s findings. According to transcripts, participants were alarmed about the undeniable link between the mercury preservative and autism. Dr. Bill Weil told the group, "You can play with (the results) all you want. They are statistically significant." Dr. Richard Johnston acknowledged he feared his grandchild getting vaccinated. But the group was most concerned with keeping the findings secret. Numerous animal, DNA, epidemiological and other studies point to Thimerosal as the culprit in America’s epidemic of neurological disorders. Autistic children have been shown to have higher mercury loads than nonautistics, and there have been reports of significant improvements in some brain-injured children by removing mercury from their bodies. Most of the symptoms of autism are similar to the symptoms of mercury poisoning. Recently, scientists have been able to induce autism in certain mice by exposing them to Thimerosal. In a recent study, former FDA scientist Dr. Jill James uncovered a scientific link that helps explain why Thimerosal injures some children and not others. That study found that many autistic children are genetically deficient in their capacity to produce glutathione, an antioxidant generated in the brain that helps remove mercury from the body, a harmless difference until the child is exposed to large quantities of mercury. Porter Bridges’ experience is typical. In 1993, this healthy 4-month-old slipped into a coma hours after receiving his vaccines. Today, 11-year-old Porter is autistic, hyperactive and severely brain damaged. He requires minute-to-minute supervision, is frequently afflicted with violent seizures and is not yet toilet-trained. After a seven-year legal fight, the U.S. government acknowledged that Porter was damaged by his vaccines. There are now 520,000 autistics in the United States with 40,000 new cases each year. High Cost of Care The cost of caring for autistic children is conservatively $40,000 annually. Families with children with autism and other neurological diseases have filed more than 4,200 claims in the special federal "Vaccine Court." Some plaintiffs have also filed in trial courts. Some Drug Makers Act Thimerosal defendants include Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, Aventis, Weyeth and Eli Lilly. Frist’s newly proposed "anti-terror" legislation would create insurmountable burdens of proof for plaintiffs in these cases and forbid states from banning Thimerosal. Drug makers wary of liability have reduced Thimerosal in children’s vaccines in recent years, with the exception of Chiron and Aventis’ pediatric flu vaccine. Mercury-laced vaccine stocks were given to children until the end of 2003. Thimerosal’s inventor, Eli Lilly, donated $226,000 to Frist’s national Republican Senate Campaign Committee in 2002 and bought 5,000 copies of Frist’s book on bioterrorism. Congress will vote on Frist’s bill in the near future. Instead of demanding the immediate removal of Thimerosal from all vaccines, and making the drug industry help defray the public and private costs of caring for injured children, Frist’s bill would give the industry a free ride at public expense. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the chief prosecuting attorney for Riverkeeper and a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council. 2005 Knight Ridder by : Robert F. Kennedy Jr Saturday 16th April 2005

New Tech-Support Caste Arises In India

NEW DELHI—Thanks to widespread outsourcing of telephone-service jobs, a sixth caste has blossomed in India: the Khidakayas, a mid-level jati made up of technical-support workers. "I am happy to be a Khidakaya," said technical-support agent Ranji Prasat, who speaks English with a flawless American accent and goes by the name "Ron" at work. "While we rank below members of the reigning order, those of us responsible for helping Americans track their online purchases and change their account PINs share many privileges not enjoyed by the merchant class below us." Prasat said he expects to marry another tech-support worker.

Happy moments 'protect the heart'

Every moment of happiness counts when it comes to protecting your heart, researchers have said. A team from University College London said happiness leads to lower levels of stress-inducing chemicals. They found that even when happier people experienced stress, they had low levels of a chemical which increases the risk of heart disease. The research is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This shows that people who are happy and unstressed are likely to have less potentially dangerous stress chemicals in their bodies Professor Peter Weissberg, British Heart Foundation It showed that those who were happy less often had higher levels of a bloodstream chemical called plasma fibrinogen, which shows if there is inflammation present. It is an indicator of how great a risk a person has of developing heart disease in the future. Daily happiness Researchers tested 116 men and 100 women who were taking part in a major study of thousands of London-based civil servants recruited between 1985 and 1988 when 35-55 years old to investigate the risk factors for coronary heart disease. They carried out tests on people at work, during leisure periods and in the laboratory. People were also asked whether or not they were happy at 33 moments during the day. The researchers then evaluated how often people were happy in the course of the day. Leisure was, unsurprisingly, linked with more happy moments than work. It was found that some people reported they never felt happy, while others reported feeling occasional happiness and those who felt happy most of the time. The results were adjusted for gender, age, employment status, weight, smoking habits and psychological distress. Levels of cortisol - a stress hormone - were 32% lower in people who reported more happy moments. Cortisol has been related to abdominal obesity, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and autoimmune disorders. The researchers also discovered happy people have had lower levels of fibrinogen when they were stressed. Emotional state Professor Jane Wardle, who worked on the study, said: "All the research to date has been on unhappiness, rather than happiness. "This research suggests we should aim to maximise the happiness of the population." Professor Andrew Steptoe, who led the study, said: "It has been suspected for the last few years that happier people may be healthier both mentally and physically than less happy people. "What this study shows is that there are plausible biological pathways linking happiness with health." He added: "What we find particularly interesting is that the associations between happiness and biological responses were independent of psychological distress. "We already know that depression and anxiety are related to increased physical health risk. This study raises the intriguing possibility that the effect of happiness may be somewhat separate." Professor Peter Weissberg, Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation said: "The results of this study build upon this team's work, which we are delighted to have supported. "Evidence that emotional state is important for good heart health is growing and this shows that people who are happy and unstressed are likely to have less potentially dangerous stress chemicals in their bodies."

Mythology Encyclopedia

Fabulous site if you're just browsing the web or for that annoying Times crossword clue or if you are lucky enough to have the time to peruse and ponder, The Probert Encyclopaedia of mythology provides a comprehensive Who's Who of the world's mythologies, arranged by tradition for easy reference and also information on related subjects, such as amulets.

The New BuffaLOG

This Blog Has Flown... a daily read of mine and the new site looks great!

Kevin Gaughan For Mayor?

Is Kevin Gaughan Running for Mayor of Buffalo?

On the onebuffalo.com website there is no mention of this but on the kevingaughan.com website which is pretty much identical to the first, there is a button to click to contribute to Kevin's campaign fund. I've grown disillusioned with the city-county merger stuff lately. I don't think it would be necessarily a harmful thing in the short run and might even save a few bucks, it just won't get this area to the place it needs to be 5,10-20 years from now and we cannot afford to be short-sighted any longer. I like Jim Ostrowski's reversed pyramid approach to government and believe tax reforms are the only thing to save this area. Still, Kevin would make a great candidate and I hope someone throws him a line somewhere. Maybe Primary Challenge would be an answer.

UPDATE:( Saturday 4/16/05) According to the Buffalo News in an article published today, Kevin Gaughan stated he will run for mayor but not seek any party's endorsement saying, " "I respect the process," Gaughan wrote Democratic Committee Chairman Leonard R. Lenihan. "However, I feel that the reforms I shall seek as mayor are best achieved if I gain the office in the same manner I've served my community - without obligations owing to anyone." Cool but how will you pull this rabbit out of the hat?

School Day Memories

When I read the following article I laughed and remembered the boys in my seventh grade class. They would ask those of us with long hair if they could have a strand. If we were of the mind we'd give pluck a hair from our head and give it to them. They would tie one end of the strand onto the silver clip part of a pen. Next they would capture a fly in the cupped-hand swooping motion. Then they tied the free end of the strand carefully around the fly's head. They would then have a 'fly on a leash' , as the fly would buzz around within the confines of their [hair] leash. I am certain one of the scientists in this story did something similar in his youth and this is how we have come to reomote controlled flies. (AP)Yale University researchers say their study that used lasers to create remote-controlled fruit flies could lead to a better understanding of overeating and violence in humans. Using the lasers to stimulate specific brain cells, researchers say they were able to make the flies jump, walk, flap their wings and fly. Even headless flies took flight when researchers stimulated the correct neurons, according to the study, published in the April 7 issue of the journal Cell. Scientists say the study could ultimately help identify the cells associated with psychiatric disorders, overeating and aggressiveness. Biologists have long known that an electrical stimulus can trigger muscle response, but this approach used focused beams of light to stimulate neurons that would have been impossible to study using electrodes. Gero Miesenbock, associate professor of cell biology at Yale, said if the process could be duplicated on mice, researchers might be able to better understand the cellular activity that leads to certain behavior. "Ultimately, that could be important to understanding human psychiatric disorders," Miesenbock said. "That's really futuristic stuff." Futuristic? Hardly.

Must-See Internet ( fuel cost calculator)

Something else to cringe about...

No wonder they hate us... http://media.ebaumsworld.com/bk_911_tape.mp3