Apparently another tiger was sighted having invaded France on way to Paris. No one knows whether it is another of Putin's invasion force. Mystery of Putin's mad tigers with aggressive invasion tendencies continues. Is Paris tiger a forward team sent to terrorise France for not shipping helicopter carriers to Russia. Will tigers now become Russia's national symbol instead of bears. Will Russia now compensate China fir rampaging the countryside killing goats?
Scratches to Sketches
Saturday, 29 November 2014
Friday, 28 November 2014
Thursday, 27 November 2014
Wednesday, 26 November 2014
Tuesday, 25 November 2014
TERM officials clear apprehensions on cell tower radiation - The Hindu
The case of the mysterious illness in hot weather?
How Monopoly boards got second world war prisoners out of jail free | UK news | theguardian.com
What goes around comes around! Best wishes to you...
Monday, 24 November 2014
New Medical Studies on Cancer Causing Cellular Radiation Published
Hold that mobile phone away from your body ....
Received as email today:
Hello everyone,
It has been some months since we've held a formal meeting of the Lakeshore Coalition. A few of us have been kept busy with research and advocacy. I thought that you may appreciate receiving summaries of some of the most recent publications from the medical field and some informative videos which may help to explain what's happening when our bodies are exposed to the radiation from cell phones and other forms of wireless microwave radiation.
A wonderful video presentation was brought to my attention, conducted by Dr. Erica Mallery-Blythe which explains the effects of Wi-fi on children in schools. It is quite technical and very informative - hence, I thought you would appreciate watching it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNFdZVeXw7M&feature=youtu.be
There were a large number of physicians and scientists who have presented to the EESC open hearing on electrohypersensitivity in Brussels on the 4. november 2014 (European Economic and Social Committee). The presenters included in this recording include: Dr. Isaac Jamieson, UK and Dr. Olle Johansson, Karolinska Institute - Sweden. You can listen to their specific presentations if you scroll down the page a bit.
https://soundcloud.com/mastvictims/sets/eesc-hearing-on-electrohypersensitivity
You may also be interested to know that there is another medical organization closer to home which is working with Electro-hypersensitive patients in Ontario called the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Association of Ontario (MEAO):
http://lindasepp.wordpress.com/2014/09/26/support-the-ontario-centre-of-excellence-in-environmental-health-oceeh/
Additionally, in September, the Women's College Hospital hosted an informational workshop for Physicians on the topic of Environmental Sensitivities. The presentations of guest speakers Dr. Devra Davis, Dr. Riina Bray, Dr. Anthony Miller and others are available for viewing at: http://www.c4st.org/MDSymposium.
You may also be interested to know that there is another medical organization closer to home which is working with Electro-hypersensitive patients in Ontario called the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Association of Ontario (MEAO):
http://lindasepp.wordpress.com/2014/09/26/support-the-ontario-centre-of-excellence-in-environmental-health-oceeh/
Additionally, in September, the Women's College Hospital hosted an informational workshop for Physicians on the topic of Environmental Sensitivities. The presentations of guest speakers Dr. Devra Davis, Dr. Riina Bray, Dr. Anthony Miller and others are available for viewing at: http://www.c4st.org/MDSymposium.
This has been a busy month in the medical science area of Radio-Frequency Electromagnetic Field research. Two new studies have been published which clearly illustrate the link between cell phone use and brain tumours. (Of course this can soon be added to the effects of wind turbines as well because they transmit radar and are wireless-remotely controlled.) These have been forwarded to our own Lambton County Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Ranade.
First:
First:
Connection between Cell Phone use, p53 Gene Expression in Different Zones of Glioblastoma Multiforme and Survival Prognoses
2014 Aug 8
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to investigate p53 gene expression in the central and peripheral zones of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) using a real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique in patients who use cell phones ≥3 hours a day and determine its relationship to clinicopathological findings and overall survival.
Sixty-three patients (38 males and 25 females), diagnosed with GBM underwent tumor resection between 2008 and 2011. Patient ages ranged from 25 to 88 years, with a mean age of 55. The levels of expression of p53 in the central and peripheral zone of the GBM were quantified by RT-PCR. Data on p53 gene expression from the central and peripheral zone, the related malignancy and the clinicopatholagical findings (age, gender, tumor location and size), as well as overall survival, were analyzed.
Forty-one out of 63 patients (65%) with the highest level of cell phone use (≥3 hours/day) had higher mutant type p53 expression in the peripheral zone of the glioblastoma; the difference was statistically significant (P=0.034).
Results from the present study on the use of mobile phones for ≥3 hours a day show a consistent pattern of increased risk for the mutant type of p53 gene expression in the peripheral zone of the glioblastoma, and that this increase was significantly correlated with shorter overall survival time. The risk was not higher for ipsilateral exposure. We found that the mutant type of p53 gene expression in the peripheral zone of the glioblastoma was increased in 65% of patients using cell phones ≥3 hours a day.
94% of the tumors expressed a p53 mutation with a loss of normal protein function. Moreover, 65% of patients who used their cell phones more than 3 hours per day showed a significantly higher mutant p53 expression in the peripheral zone of the tumor compared to the central zone, which was in turn significantly correlated with a shorter overall survival time.
The authors concluded that these results show a relationship between cell phone use, the occurrence of p53 in the peripheral zone of GBM and overall survival time, and that further studies should be conducted.
http://1.usa.gov/13JdS89
Also see:
Carlberg M, Hardell L. Decreased Survival of Glioma Patients with Astrocytoma Grade IV (Glioblastoma Multiforme) Associated with Long-Term Use of Mobile and Cordless Phones. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2014; 11(10):10790-10805.
Abstract
On 31 May 2011 the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) categorised radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) from mobile phones, and from other devices that emit similar non-ionising electromagnetic fields, as a Group 2B, i.e., a "possible", human carcinogen. A causal association would be strengthened if it could be shown that the use of wireless phones has an impact on the survival of glioma patients.
We analysed survival of 1678 glioma patients in our 1997–2003 and 2007–2009 case-control studies. Use of wireless phones in the >20 years latency group (time since first use) yielded an increased hazard ratio (HR) = 1.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.2–2.3 for glioma. For astrocytoma grade IV (glioblastoma multiforme; n = 926) mobile phone use yielded HR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.4–2.9 and cordless phone use HR = 3.4, 95% CI = 1.04–11 in the same latency category. The hazard ratio for astrocytoma grade IV increased statistically significant per year of latency for wireless phones, HR = 1.020, 95% CI = 1.007–1.033, but not per 100 h cumulative use, HR = 1.002, 95% CI = 0.999–1.005. HR was not statistically significant increased for other types of glioma.
Due to the relationship with survival the classification of IARC is strengthened and RF-EMF should be regarded as human carcinogen requiring urgent revision of current exposure guidelines.
Open Access: http://bit.ly/1sW8KqG
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to investigate p53 gene expression in the central and peripheral zones of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) using a real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique in patients who use cell phones ≥3 hours a day and determine its relationship to clinicopathological findings and overall survival.
Sixty-three patients (38 males and 25 females), diagnosed with GBM underwent tumor resection between 2008 and 2011. Patient ages ranged from 25 to 88 years, with a mean age of 55. The levels of expression of p53 in the central and peripheral zone of the GBM were quantified by RT-PCR. Data on p53 gene expression from the central and peripheral zone, the related malignancy and the clinicopatholagical findings (age, gender, tumor location and size), as well as overall survival, were analyzed.
Forty-one out of 63 patients (65%) with the highest level of cell phone use (≥3 hours/day) had higher mutant type p53 expression in the peripheral zone of the glioblastoma; the difference was statistically significant (P=0.034).
Results from the present study on the use of mobile phones for ≥3 hours a day show a consistent pattern of increased risk for the mutant type of p53 gene expression in the peripheral zone of the glioblastoma, and that this increase was significantly correlated with shorter overall survival time. The risk was not higher for ipsilateral exposure. We found that the mutant type of p53 gene expression in the peripheral zone of the glioblastoma was increased in 65% of patients using cell phones ≥3 hours a day.
94% of the tumors expressed a p53 mutation with a loss of normal protein function. Moreover, 65% of patients who used their cell phones more than 3 hours per day showed a significantly higher mutant p53 expression in the peripheral zone of the tumor compared to the central zone, which was in turn significantly correlated with a shorter overall survival time.
The authors concluded that these results show a relationship between cell phone use, the occurrence of p53 in the peripheral zone of GBM and overall survival time, and that further studies should be conducted.
http://1.usa.gov/13JdS89
Also see:
Carlberg M, Hardell L. Decreased Survival of Glioma Patients with Astrocytoma Grade IV (Glioblastoma Multiforme) Associated with Long-Term Use of Mobile and Cordless Phones. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2014; 11(10):10790-10805.
Abstract
On 31 May 2011 the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) categorised radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) from mobile phones, and from other devices that emit similar non-ionising electromagnetic fields, as a Group 2B, i.e., a "possible", human carcinogen. A causal association would be strengthened if it could be shown that the use of wireless phones has an impact on the survival of glioma patients.
We analysed survival of 1678 glioma patients in our 1997–2003 and 2007–2009 case-control studies. Use of wireless phones in the >20 years latency group (time since first use) yielded an increased hazard ratio (HR) = 1.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.2–2.3 for glioma. For astrocytoma grade IV (glioblastoma multiforme; n = 926) mobile phone use yielded HR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.4–2.9 and cordless phone use HR = 3.4, 95% CI = 1.04–11 in the same latency category. The hazard ratio for astrocytoma grade IV increased statistically significant per year of latency for wireless phones, HR = 1.020, 95% CI = 1.007–1.033, but not per 100 h cumulative use, HR = 1.002, 95% CI = 0.999–1.005. HR was not statistically significant increased for other types of glioma.
Due to the relationship with survival the classification of IARC is strengthened and RF-EMF should be regarded as human carcinogen requiring urgent revision of current exposure guidelines.
Open Access: http://bit.ly/1sW8KqG
Second:
Low intensity radiofrequency radiation: a new oxidant for living cells
Igor Yakymenko, Evgeniy Sidorik, Diane Henshel, Sergiy Kyrylenko. Editorial. Low intensity radiofrequency radiation: a new oxidant for living cells. Oxid Antioxid Med Sci. 2014; 3(1): 1-3. doi: 10.5455/oams.240314.ed.002.
No abstract
Radiofrequency radiation (RFR), e.g. electromagnetic waves emitted by our cell phones and Wi-Fi, are referred to as non-ionizing. This means that in contrast to the ionizing radiation, which does induce ionization of water and biologically important macromolecules, RFR does not have a capacity for such effects. Unlike, for example X-rays, the energy of RFR is not enough to break electrons off the molecules. However, is RFR completely safe for public health? Traditionally, the industry and the public bodies said yes. Nevertheless, new research data change this perception.
http://www.scopemed.org/?mno=154583
Open Access Paper: http://www.scopemed.org/fulltextpdf.php?mno=154583
Excerpts
Unexpectedly, a strong non-thermal character of biological effects of RFR has been documented. As low as 0.1 μW/cm2 intensity of RFR and absorbed energy (specific absorption rate, SAR) of 0.3 μW/kg were demonstrated to be effective in inducing significant oxidative stress in living cells [27, 29]. This observation is particularly important as the modern international safety limits on RFR exposure are based solely on the thermal effects of the radiation and only restrict RFR intensity to 450-1000 μW/cm2 and SAR to 2 W/kg [30]. Moreover, studies where thermal intensities of RFR have been used could not reveal oxidative effects [31-33], which might point to the variety of molecular mechanisms of action of radiation induced by different radiation intensities.
It is indicative that many studies demonstrated the effectiveness of different antioxidants to reverse the oxidative stress caused by RFR exposure. Such effects have been reported for melatonin [34-37], vitamins E and C [24, 38], caffeic acid phenethyl ester [36], selenium and L-carnitine [39], and garlic extract [40].
It is still a question how low intensity RFR could activate superoxide-generating enzyme NADH oxidase or significantly increase the level of NO in a cell (e.g., possibly due to activation of NO synthase). But what is understood at the moment is that significantly increased levels of ROS in living cells caused by low intensity RFR exposure could lead to mutagenic effects through expressive oxidative damage of DNA [17, 27, 41]. It is also well documented nowadays that in biological systems, oxidants are not necessarily always the triggers for oxidative damage, and that oxidants such as H2O2 could actually serve as signaling messengers and drive several aspects of cellular signaling [42]. This leads to a hypothesis that overproduction of ROS/free radical species in living cells under low intensity RFR exposure can lead to disturbances in cell signaling cascades, which in turn may result in various pathologic consequences.
Whatever the particular first-step molecular mechanisms, it is clear that the substantial overproduction of ROS in living cells under low intensity RFR exposure could cause a broad spectrum of health disorders and diseases, including cancer in humans. Undoubtedly, this calls for the further intensive research in the area, as well as to a precautionary approach in routine usage of wireless devices.
No abstract
Radiofrequency radiation (RFR), e.g. electromagnetic waves emitted by our cell phones and Wi-Fi, are referred to as non-ionizing. This means that in contrast to the ionizing radiation, which does induce ionization of water and biologically important macromolecules, RFR does not have a capacity for such effects. Unlike, for example X-rays, the energy of RFR is not enough to break electrons off the molecules. However, is RFR completely safe for public health? Traditionally, the industry and the public bodies said yes. Nevertheless, new research data change this perception.
http://www.scopemed.org/?mno=154583
Open Access Paper: http://www.scopemed.org/fulltextpdf.php?mno=154583
Excerpts
Unexpectedly, a strong non-thermal character of biological effects of RFR has been documented. As low as 0.1 μW/cm2 intensity of RFR and absorbed energy (specific absorption rate, SAR) of 0.3 μW/kg were demonstrated to be effective in inducing significant oxidative stress in living cells [27, 29]. This observation is particularly important as the modern international safety limits on RFR exposure are based solely on the thermal effects of the radiation and only restrict RFR intensity to 450-1000 μW/cm2 and SAR to 2 W/kg [30]. Moreover, studies where thermal intensities of RFR have been used could not reveal oxidative effects [31-33], which might point to the variety of molecular mechanisms of action of radiation induced by different radiation intensities.
It is indicative that many studies demonstrated the effectiveness of different antioxidants to reverse the oxidative stress caused by RFR exposure. Such effects have been reported for melatonin [34-37], vitamins E and C [24, 38], caffeic acid phenethyl ester [36], selenium and L-carnitine [39], and garlic extract [40].
It is still a question how low intensity RFR could activate superoxide-generating enzyme NADH oxidase or significantly increase the level of NO in a cell (e.g., possibly due to activation of NO synthase). But what is understood at the moment is that significantly increased levels of ROS in living cells caused by low intensity RFR exposure could lead to mutagenic effects through expressive oxidative damage of DNA [17, 27, 41]. It is also well documented nowadays that in biological systems, oxidants are not necessarily always the triggers for oxidative damage, and that oxidants such as H2O2 could actually serve as signaling messengers and drive several aspects of cellular signaling [42]. This leads to a hypothesis that overproduction of ROS/free radical species in living cells under low intensity RFR exposure can lead to disturbances in cell signaling cascades, which in turn may result in various pathologic consequences.
Whatever the particular first-step molecular mechanisms, it is clear that the substantial overproduction of ROS in living cells under low intensity RFR exposure could cause a broad spectrum of health disorders and diseases, including cancer in humans. Undoubtedly, this calls for the further intensive research in the area, as well as to a precautionary approach in routine usage of wireless devices.
Third:
Could Myelin Damage From Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Field Exposure Help Explain the Functional Impairment Electrohypersensitivity? A Review of the Evidence
Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B: Critical Reviews
Volume 17, Issue 5, 2014
Mary Redmayneab* & Olle Johansson
Published online: 09 Sep 2014
Abstract
Myelin provides the electrical insulation for the central and peripheral nervous system and develops rapidly in the first years of life, but continues into mid-life or later. Myelin integrity is vital to healthy nervous system development and functioning. This review outlines the development of myelin through life, and then considers the evidence for an association between myelin integrity and exposure to low-intensity radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) typical in the modern world. In RF-EMF peer-reviewed literature examining relevant impacts such as myelin sheath, multiple sclerosis, and other myelin-related diseases, cellular examination was included. There are surprisingly little data available in each area, but considered together a picture begins to emerge in RF-EMF-exposed cases: (1) significant morphological lesions in the myelin sheath of rats; (2) a greater risk of multiple sclerosis in a study subgroup; (3) effects in proteins related to myelin production; and (4) physical symptoms in individuals with functional impairment electrohypersensitivity, many of which are the same as if myelin were affected by RF-EMF exposure, giving rise to symptoms of demyelination. In the latter, there are exceptions; headache is common only in electrohypersensitivity, while ataxia is typical of demyelination but infrequently found in the former group. Overall, evidence from in vivo and in vitro and epidemiological studies suggests an association between RF-EMF exposure and either myelin deterioration or a direct impact on neuronal conduction, which may account for many electrohypersensitivity symptoms. The most vulnerable are likely to be those in utero through to at least mid-teen years, as well as ill and elderly individuals.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10937404.2014.923356#.VHNZnNLF-bC
Fourth:
Sharp increase in patients treated for brain tumors with unclear diagnosis in Sweden
An increasing number of patients are treated for brain tumor "of unknown nature" in Sweden since 2008, but the increase is not reflected in the national cancer registry. – It is serious if the statistics on new cases of brain tumors is incorrect because the brain tumor statistics is widely being used as an argument that cell phones do not increase the risk of cancer and brain tumors, says Mona Nilsson, Chairman of Swedish Radiation Protection Foundation.
Swedish Radiation Protection Foundation has compiled statistics from the Swedish Health Board registry's database on the number of patients treated for brain tumors in Sweden as well as from the cancer registry and cause of death registry, during the last decade. The number of people receiving treatment fora brain tumor"of unknown nature" increased by almost 30% only between 2008 and 2012. At the same time, the number of patients with a confirmed brain tumor diagnosis remained at a relatively stable level.
Read the rest of the article at the link below:
Read more: http://www.stralskyddsstiftelsen.se/2014/10/increase-brain-tumors/
An increasing number of patients are treated for brain tumor "of unknown nature" in Sweden since 2008, but the increase is not reflected in the national cancer registry. – It is serious if the statistics on new cases of brain tumors is incorrect because the brain tumor statistics is widely being used as an argument that cell phones do not increase the risk of cancer and brain tumors, says Mona Nilsson, Chairman of Swedish Radiation Protection Foundation.
Swedish Radiation Protection Foundation has compiled statistics from the Swedish Health Board registry's database on the number of patients treated for brain tumors in Sweden as well as from the cancer registry and cause of death registry, during the last decade. The number of people receiving treatment fora brain tumor"of unknown nature" increased by almost 30% only between 2008 and 2012. At the same time, the number of patients with a confirmed brain tumor diagnosis remained at a relatively stable level.
Read the rest of the article at the link below:
Read more: http://www.stralskyddsstiftelsen.se/2014/10/increase-brain-tumors/
I hope you will find this information useful and will share it with others freely, to aid the understanding of Electro-hypersensitivity and the effects of wireless microwave radiation from cell phones, Wi-fi, 'smart' meters, wireless baby monitors, wireless devices and industrial wind turbines. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
L at Lakeshore Coalition
Sunday, 23 November 2014
Saturday, 22 November 2014
Why I’m pleasantly surprised with Obama’s immigration plan - The Washington Post
Not exactly a done nothing President. The problem is a weak do nothing congress...
Is Congress largely a battleground for the ownership privileged against the less fortunate?
Tuesday, 18 November 2014
Economist: Bankers Defame Capitalism - Business Insider
And, so it is than the bankers from the US achieve their due reputation.
The financial crisis saw the UK become more equal. That was nothing to celebrate | City A.M.
All said and done, the war of numbers really gets us nowhere..
Sunday, 16 November 2014
Friday, 14 November 2014
Wednesday, 12 November 2014
Tuesday, 11 November 2014
How man’s best friend could hold the key to anti-ageing | Science | The Observer
Scientists are targeting a new set of recruits to test anti-ageing drugs: pet dogs. And according to their plans, not any old pooch will do. The researchers want to concentrate their trials on large canines. Golden retrievers, labradors and German shepherd dogs will do nicely.
The researchers are particularly interested in using pet dogs to test rapamycin. Developed as an anti-rejection drug for patients who have just undergone kidney transplants, rapamycin has recently been shown to extend the lives of mice by more than 10%.
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/nov/08/anti-ageing-drugs-tested-on-dogs-cancer-heart?CMP=EMCNEWEML6619I2Monday, 10 November 2014
50% of occupations today will no longer exist in 2025: Report | Business Standard News
"A paradigm shift is expected to be witnessed in the way workplaces operate over the next 15 years, making nearly 50 per cent of occupations existing today redundant by 2025, a report has said.
Artificial intelligence will transform businesses and the work that people do. Process work, customer work and vast swathes of middle management will simply disappear, it said."
Artificial intelligence will transform businesses and the work that people do. Process work, customer work and vast swathes of middle management will simply disappear, it said."
Sunday, 9 November 2014
Capital Gazette - Our say: Newly powerful Republicans have a choice
"In a famous essay, the scholar Isaiah Berlin used a fragment from an ancient Greek poet — "The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing" — to outline a way you can categorize all human beings, politicians included. Over the next four years much will depend on whether in electing new Gov. Larry Hogan, new County Executive Steve Schuh, five new state legislators and three new County Council members, county voters have picked officials who act more like hedgehogs or more like foxes. Hedgehogs can run the most effective campaigns, but foxes are better at government."
Saturday, 8 November 2014
The Uses of Ridicule - NYTimes.com
"But Singer will get very angry if you make fun of him; in fact, he denounces reporting that points out how wrong he and others have been as the "Krugmanization" of the media, a term I'll adopt with pride. It's yet another illustration of one of the remarkable revelations of recent years, the incredibly sensitive feelings of the superrich, who are so hurt at any suggestion that great wealth does not also go with great wisdom and great virtue that they threaten to take the economy with them and go home."
Triumph of the Wrong - NYTimes.com Krugman comment.
One could take the position that the American middle class is now so weakened and dispirited that democratic approaches through voting have been rejected by too many as useless. The danger might be that of. "Poor loser" to go on a destructive rampage imitating the status quo of power. "Don't ever give the competition an inch could be disastrous for many Americans who know the competition is uneven and who might just decide a home grown American nihilistic style revolution is justified in desperation." In any event, victory may not ultimately be as sweet as it seems...
"The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet midterms to men of understanding. Or as I put it on the eve of another Republican Party sweep, politics determines who has the power, not who has the truth. Still, it's not often that a party that is so wrong about so much does as well as Republicans did on Tuesday."
Thursday, 6 November 2014
Champlain versus Rocket: bridge debate lifts off in political world | Montreal Gazette
"With Premier Philippe Couillard revising his initial position and the French president denying having meddled, the future of Samuel de Champlain's name on a bridge became an international political football Tuesday."
Wednesday, 5 November 2014
5 Reasons Chicago Is a Clean Energy Powerhouse | Amy Francetic
"Recently U.S. Department of Energy Assistant Secretary David Danielson visited Chicago and spoke at the new Chicago Innovation Exchange, a new tech incubator on Chicago's South Side. During Dr. Danielson's remarks, he declared Chicagoland an "emerging regional powerhouse" for clean energy. He has a credible perspective on this. As head of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the Department of Energy, he is responsible for $1.9 billion in federal energy investments. So when Dr. Danielson says something special is going on in Chicagoland, it is based on his deep knowledge of what's happening across the country."
Tuesday, 4 November 2014
Sunday, 2 November 2014
Russia Sending More Troops, Heavy Weapons Into Ukraine As Conflict Intensifies
So I said yeah, sure, I'll try the gravel insurance. I knew my credit card would cover the collision damage waiver, but gravel? (Turns out most insurance won't cover gravel damage.)
We inspected the car. Noted any damage, even from gravel. Then we returned to our seats in the hotel, and Mr. Rental Guy unfolded a map of Iceland.
He said, "A volcano can happen any time. There's smoke, there's fumes, you can't see anything. It's dangerous." In fact, I later learned, "smoke and ash" is another insurance option, though I wasn't offered it.
"Listen for news," the man said, referring to volcano eruptions. "Best is to ask the locals before you go anywhere," he continued, and I imagined getting to an intersection, signaling to make a left, then jumping out to ask some startled woman with a bag of groceries if any volcanoes were erupting in the direction I was planning to turn.
"Or look around you," the rental man said. "If you're the only one on the road, it's probably not good to be there."
http://www.inquisitr.com/1580820/russia-sending-more-troops-heavy-weapons-into-ukraine-as-conflict-intensifies/Saturday, 1 November 2014
Are Russian Bombers Flying Nuclear Drills Near Europe—Or Just Testing NATO’s Defenses? - The Daily Beast
"Russian bombers may be flying nuclear strike drills over the Atlantic Ocean and North Sea, current and former U.S. Air Force officers believe. At the very least, these officers tell The Daily Beast, the Russian Air Force is aggressively probing what NATO calls European airspace in an effort to gauge the reaction times of the western alliance's defenses."
World War 3: Russia Simulated Attack On Denmark, Could Be Preparing European Invasion
'Russia continues to stoke fears of World War 3 after a sharp increase in military activity in the North Atlantic and new revelations that the nation simulated an attack on Denmark this summer.
Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/1576561/world-war-3-russia-simulated-attack-on-denmark-could-be-preparing-european-invasion/
Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/1576561/world-war-3-russia-simulated-attack-on-denmark-could-be-preparing-european-invasion/
A nod to Ukraine, where the vote really matters
"Finally, one of the most significant indications of political change in Ukraine was the performance of the Communist party. For the first time since the 1917 Russian revolution, the Ukrainian Communist Party did not win a single seat in the Parliament."
http://www.delawareonline.com/story/opinion/columnists/ted-kaufman/2014/11/01/nod-ukraine-vote-really-matters/18323987/
http://www.delawareonline.com/story/opinion/columnists/ted-kaufman/2014/11/01/nod-ukraine-vote-really-matters/18323987/
Private Bank Fuels Fortunes of Putin’s Inner Circle - NYTimes.com
"ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Weeks after President Vladimir V. Putin annexed Crimea in March, an obscure regulatory board in Moscow known as the Market Council convened inside an office tower not far from the Kremlin to discuss the country's wholesale electricity market. It is a colossal business, worth 2 percent of Russia's gross domestic product, and a rich source of fees for the bank that had long held the exclusive right to service it."
Putin’s Friend Profits in Purge of Schoolbooks - NYTimes.com
"MOSCOW — The purge began in late winter. One by one, hundreds of textbooks that Russian schoolchildren had relied upon for years were deemed unsuitable for use in the country's 43,000 schools. The reasons varied, but they shared a certain bureaucratic obstinacy."
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/world/europe/putins-friend-profits-in-purge-of-schoolbooks.html?action=click&contentCollection=Europe®ion=Footer&module=TopNews&pgtype=article
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http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/world/europe/putins-friend-profits-in-purge-of-schoolbooks.html?action=click&contentCollection=Europe®ion=Footer&module=TopNews&pgtype=article
Sent from my iPad
Hungary Drops Internet Tax Plan After Public Outcry - NYTimes.com
"We are not communists, we don't govern against the people," Mr. Orban said in his regular weekly interview on Hungarian radio. "We govern together with the people. So this tax, in this form, cannot be introduced."
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/01/world/europe/hungary-drops-internet-tax-plan-after-surge-of-protests.html?contentCollection=world&action=click&module=NextInCollection®ion=Footer&pgtype=article
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http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/01/world/europe/hungary-drops-internet-tax-plan-after-surge-of-protests.html?contentCollection=world&action=click&module=NextInCollection®ion=Footer&pgtype=article
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In Air and Cyberspace, on Land and Sea, Russia Shows Muscle - NYTimes.com
"MOSCOW — The casual reader of The New York Times may be forgiven for thinking he or she had dozed off and awakened in a John le Carré novel. How else to explain the sudden increase of bombers in the skies over Europe, kidnapped spies, troop buildups in Eastern Europe and roaming submarines in the Baltic Sea?"
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/01/world/europe/in-air-and-cyberspace-on-land-and-sea-russia-shows-muscle.html?_r=0
Sent from my iPad
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/01/world/europe/in-air-and-cyberspace-on-land-and-sea-russia-shows-muscle.html?_r=0
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Sketches from scratches is a provocative blogspot that has grown out of the Wuh Lax experience. It is eclectic, which means that it might consider just about anything from the simple to the extremely difficult. A scratch can be something that is troubling me or a short line on paper. From a scratch comes a verbal sketch or image sketch of the issue or subject. Other sites have other stuff that should really be of interest to the broad reader. I try to develop themes, but variety often comes before depth.
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