• WE’RE BREATHING BETTER THESE DAYS. Air pollution in America is dramatically better than in Europe, where diesel engines are more prevalent, based on World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. WHO has developed ‘average hourly limits’ about what levels of pollution constitute “long-term health hazards” attributed to pollutants of most concern: Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Ozone, and small soot particles – any of which “can cause a variety of medical difficulties including asthma, heart disease, lung cancer and stunted lung growth in children.”  Last year, researchers found the daily daytime NO2 level in London exceeded its limit by over 40%, and in Paris, at least one of the limits was exceeded almost every day. Since Red Level reporting only occurs when the level “will cause immediate discomfort, the unwary are led to assume that air is basically safe on other days… but data suggests that current air pollution shortens the life of London inhabitants by nine to sixteen months.” Beyond our bluer skies, we do breathe healthier – a fortunate shot of good news!   [THE ECONOMIST – July 30 16]
  • GOVERNING BODIES “DON’T CHANGE GRACEFULLY – THEY CHANGE DISRUPTIVELY.” And change in governance is incredibly difficult for several consistent reasons: (1) “Those who rule, make the rules. Special interest groups and incumbents write the rules that benefit them the most and were created to support the current establishments, not possible future interests;” (2) The vast majority of existing legal systems & rules were designed decades and years ago, “before things like information technology, the Internet, mobile phones and computers even existed;” (3) The objective of rules is stability. “Most people hate change, and like waking up in the morning knowing that much hasn’t changed and the rules of the game are still in play; and       (4) self-interested parties, corruption, disagreement on ideology and cultural values create extraordinary gridlocks, preventing change… But while governing bodies are linear in nature, technology is exponential and requires agility,” ergo the frustrating dysfunction we’ll be facing regardless of any particular election process.  [PETER DIAMANDIS BULLETIN – Aug 7, 16]
  • AS IF THE HEALTH CARE SECTOR WASN’T UNDER ENOUGH PRESSURE, “CREEPING SHARIA LAW” is causing increasing conflict with hospitals and physicians. Common themes include: Muslim health care workers refusing to uphold infection control protocols (since hand sanitizer and anti-bacterial gel is alcohol-based); students refusing to study topics they deem forbidden; hospital visitors ignoring hygiene guidelines; women refusing emergency room treatment when attending technicians are male, and Muslim men attacking hospital personnel who touch their wives or need to undress a patient; demands that bed-ridden patients be ‘turned’ up to five times daily so they can pray while facing Mecca; and workers fired for refusing flu-vaccine (which contains a pork product) who then sue on civil rights grounds. Many hospitals have now adopted Muslim-biased programs like early a.m. or late night appointments during the month of Ramadan; providing prayer rugs, Qurans & exclusive prayer rooms; and “sensitivity training for medical staff who are expected to become so well versed in the array of patient needs that they can discern differences between those of a Muslim from Pakistan compared to one from Saudi Arabia.” [AMERICAN THINKER.COM – July 28, 16]
  • “THE MOST IMPORTANT SINGLE THING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MODERN WORLD, according to Pope Francis earlier this month, is that the most dynamic religion of the last hundred years has been Leftism – not Christianity or Islam, but Leftism, which has taken over the world’s leading educational institutions, news media, popular entertainment, and has influenced Christianity and Judaism far more than they have influenced anything.” [DENNIS PRAGER – Aug 9, 16 radio]     LEFTISM – aka PROGRESSIVISM – “is an insatiable thirst for control and betterment of others; the determination to build a massive, all controlling welfare state that holds the rest of us hostage to its preferences and whims; and the flirtation with totalitarianism masked by the guise of political correctness… When policies are actually implemented, they unfailingly achieve the opposite of promised results. And yet, no amount of empirical data seems to dissuade Progressives and their acolytes from embracing flawed policies the next time around, even when they can be shown to be disastrous.”  [GLENN BECK, LIARS – 2016]
  • THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK: A scam which originates from many local jails/prisons (according to snope.com) involves getting you to dial 90# from your telephone line, which gives the scammer access to place long distance calls.

     Nearly 50% of Americans now choose cremation over burials. The biggest reason is cost, but also cremation is an easier option when living away from ‘home’ and family plots.

     Thanks to processed foods high in sugar and saturated fat, while devoid of many essential elements, U.S. men are now 37th tallest on the planet at average height of 5’9”; women are 42nd tallest at 5’4”. A hundred years ago, U.S. men were 3rd & women were 4th