From: Gregory Brown ██████████████████████
Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2015 8:15 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: Greg Brown's Weekend Reading and Other Things.... 2/22/2015

DEAR FRIEND.....

Another Disaster in the Making

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Air pollution =traffic problems, water contamination and earthquakes have occurred in communities =ear fracking sites.<=p>

The other night I was watching a documentary on t=e PBS program NOVA about Sinkholes, which is a subject that I knew little to nothing about. I was so blow= away that I decided to make it a subject of one of my Weekly Offerings and over the next week or so resear=hed sinkholes. And since one thing often leads to another I came across an article by Lori Montgomery — <=>Oklahoma worries over swarm of earthquakes and connection to oil industry =E244 based on the dramatic increase of earthquakes in Oklahoma now being attribu=ed to rapid rise of Fracking in the state.

Though mild for the most part= the Oklahoma quakes have already caused harm, and not just to people's foundations and swimm=ng pools. Around 11p.m. on Nov. 5, 2011, a magnitude 5.6 quake — the biggest in state history — hit th= small town of Prague, east of Oklahoma City. Sandra Ladra, a business manager for a state=job training center, was sitting in a recliner watching television when the qua=e toppled her two-story stone fireplace. Big rocks rained down on her legs, gashing her knees.

In August, Ladra fil=d suit, the first case in Oklahoma to try to pin liability for the quakes to the oil companies — in this case= New Dominion LLC and other producers with disposal wells near Prague. In =ctober, a trial judge dismissed the case, agreeing with New Dominion that Ladra must first go before the Corporation Commission and prove "a scientific basis" for her claim. Last month, in an unusual decision, the Oklahoma Supreme Court agreed to review that ruling. =f

the case goes to trial, Ladra's attorney, Scott Poynter, said he in=ends to convince a jury that the oil companies are at fault — a potential g=mechanger, both legally and politically.

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It's not definitive that earthquakes have =een caused by (racking wastewater injection. Thus far, the research has lacked data on sub-surface pressure, which is rarely accessible but could take the science further tha= merely noting correlations between the timing of earthquakes, the timing of wastewater injection, and the location of faults. But it is indisputable th=t Oklahoma has seen a rise in earthquakes since the fracking boom began 4)=804> right now, the state averages about 10 small earthquakes per day. According to th= Oklahoma Geological Survey, 1* documented cases of induced seism=city have ever come close to the current earthquake rates or the area over which the earthquakes are occurring."

60 Minutes reporter Leslie Stall once =escribed Natural Gas as "our ugly step-child in the nation's energy debate,Q=9D as it is now being touted as the answer to our energy problems. What's brought about the chan=e is the process of Hydraulic Fracking or just "Fracking" for extracting natural gas from shale, a dense rock formation one to two miles underground. And if you are sitting on top of it, you might have hit the shale lottery. But if the BP spill =nd other incidents have taught us anything, exploring for energy has safety risks. But that c=n get lost in all of the greed and accompanying excitement.

Shale gas is overly abundant in the United States=because in the last few years we have discovered the equalivant of two Saudi Arabias o= oil in the form of natural gas. Again.... Not one but two.... As a result, drilling for gas is now a fact of life in hundreds of communities in more than thirty st=tes across the country.

Shale formations in the United States as of 2014

Improper and insufficient cement casting can lead to leak=. Poorly constructed casting/tubing can also lead to leaks. Fugitive Methane =an also leak along the walls. Low quality concrete allows Fugitive Methane to escape. Fugitive Methane can then folio= paths into the aquifer. Fugitive Methane is released dissolving in the aqui=er where residential wells pump contaminated water into the house that is then used for drinking, food preparation, cooking, showering, cleaning, irrigati=n for landscaping, etc. There are a number sources of contamination; neglected surface pumps, unlined storage pits, insufficient or improper castings and new fracture released methane in the =orm of methane as asphyxiant and/or methane is an explosive hazard. And o=ce this in the soil and water, it poisons the ground forever.

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The M=rcellus Shale deposit (which covers parts of New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia and a bit of Tennessee contains enough gas to support the US gas needs for 14 years. But =as development here can prove to be a catastrophe in the making as toxic chemicals and methane gas seep into the drinking water and now ratio active Radium 226 in waste products.Q=A0 The gas maybe booming but what price for people. Hydraulic Fracking or Fracking threatens to destroy the environment and lives... But in the rush to drill concerns about the potential risks of Fracki=g are being swept aside. Already there are a number of communities in New York and Pennsylvania who can no longer drin= their well water do to its contamination caused by fracking wells in the area. Water is a commodity which we often take for granted but when you lose it, it is gone and then you realiz= how precious water is. In a number of areas people have been told to not drink or bathe in their well water due t= the high concentration of contaminates.

Without a doubt the fracking industry is under-re=ulated. We need to work toward limiting the amount of toxic chemicals to zero. W= need to do away with the Halliburton Loophole, which was created in 2005 under Vice President Dick Cheney (fo=mer CEO of Halliburton), completely exempted the natural gas industry..99s fracking technology from any regulation under The Safe Drinking Water Act. Thi= should be an outrage. The Vice President advocated for it and pushed Congress to insert it into the language of the bill. Whether i= is the technology or human error that is causing the earthquakes and toxic poisoning of the water, land and =ir in areas where fracking wells are being drilled and operated are the cause,=we definitely need more regulation and penalties commiserate to the long-term =ffects of the damage done. But more importantly the public needs to become aware that there is a possibility that this proc=ss could destroy large areas of the country for generations to come which far outweighs the short-term economic gains of today.

Web Link: http://youtu.be/2qxh7f3WJlc <http://youtu.b=/2qxh7f3WJlc> =/p>

style="font-size:l2pt;line-height:107%">) When how a the group oil of and neighb=rs gas industry turned came with the plans to tables the to sma=1 start on a fracki=g powerful town of things Dryden, industry didn't=C2Qturn NY — (population: and changed out 14,500<=pan the quite fracking how they game expected. forev=r. Find See the out story on the video through the web link above.

******

The World's Most Expensiv= School

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<http://10=bestschools.ru/wp-content/themes/best/images/gallery/81/rosev.jpg> =C2

Recently the Daily Mail (UK) did a piece on my favorite school in the world, the Institut Le Ro=ey — under the heading — Inside the world's most expensive sch=ol: $140,000 a year Swiss institute has its own yacht, concert hall and equestrian center and counts royalty among its pupils. Institute Le Rosey commonly referred to as Le Rosey or simply Rosey, is a school near Rolle, Switzerland. The school was founded by Paul-Emile Carnal in 1880 on the site of the 14th-century C=Steau du Rosey near the town of Rolle in the Canton of Vaud. It is one of the =ldest boarding schools in Switzerland. The school also owns a campus in the ski resort village of Gstaad in the Canton of Bern, where the student body, faculty, and staff move to during the winter months of Januar= through March. Institut Le Rosey is owned by its fourth generation of Directors, Philippe and Anne Gudin, who assumed ownership of Le Rosey in 1980. Michael Gray is the current Headmast=r of the school.

Le Rosey's main campus, near Rolle, is situated on 28 hectares (approximately 70 acres) of landscaped grounds adjacent to Lake Gene=a. It is divided into two campuses, one for boys situated on the main campus and one for girls called La Combe. The bo=rding houses contain a total of 179 bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, and all together the academic buildings contain: 53 classrooms, 8 science laboratories, 14 specially-equipped rooms= 48 apartments for Le Rosey teachers, 2 infirmaries, a library/media centre wit= about 20'000 to 30'000 literary and reference works, a theatre, 3 d=ning rooms and 2 cafeterias, an auditorium, 2 gymnasiums, and an ecumenical chapel. </=pan>

Sports =nd arts facilities at Le Rosey include: 10 clay Tennis courts, a 25-meter indoor pool and wellness centre, a 25- meter outdoor pool= 3 football pitches, 1synthetic rugby pitch, 1wood chip running track, a shooting and archery range, an open-air theatre, and a computer-regulated greenhouse. Off-campus Le Rosey owns: a private Equestrian center housing 30 horses, 1 indoor riding school, 1 Dres=age area, and a clubhouse. Also off-campus is the Le Rosey sailing center equipped with: 10 dinghies, 3 motorboats, 3 yawls and a 38-foot (12 m) yacht. In addition to 13 games and IT rooms students can also use a local 18-hole gol= course and karting track.

Le Rosey's 380 students are all boarders= The school offers a demanding bilingual and bicultural education with the language of instruction being French or Engli=h depending on the student's academic program. Students must sit either the International Baccalaureate (IB) or French baccalaureat after following an academic program with the chance to ta=e each subject in either English or French, as well as studying one, two or even t=ree further foreign languages. They live in an international community to which each student contributes through his or=her own language, culture and religion; making the campus sort of a global v=llage to share with friends.

To sustain an international atmosphere at Le Ro=ey, there exists a quota where no more than 10% of the students may come from a singl= country. The student body, ages 7 through 18, is composed of pupils from approximately 58 different countries, with 6.% of the students being European. The school's current enrollment, over 400 pupils, is Student-teacher equally divided ratio is 5:1 betwee= with the male average and female. class size The being majority less of than students 10 students, are between and the the average ages of teacher's 14 and 18. length The of stay at Le Rosey is over =en years. Students at Le Rosey are nicknamed "Roseens" (in Fren=h) or "Roseans" (in English), and former students are labeled "Les Anciens Roseens".\

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Notable alumni

With over 5,000 former students, Rosey ha= one of the most prestigious alumni registries in the world. It has educated generations of dynastic families, including Hohenzollerns, Rothschilds, Metternichs, Borgheses, Hohenlohes, and Radziwitts.=C240 The school has also famously educated royalty from around the world, including members of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty of Egy=t, Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia, the House of Gl0cksburg of Gree=e, and the House of Savoy of Italy. Le Rosey has educated several monarchs, including Aga Khan IV, King Albert II of Belgium= King Baudouin I of Belgium, King Fuad II of Egypt, King Ntare V of Burundi,=Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Persia, and Prince Rainier III of Monaco. Th= future Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Prince Guillaume, was also educated at the school.

Famous parents of past students at Le Rosey, who =ften visited the Rolle and Gstaad campuses, include: Elizabeth Taylor, David Niven, Sir Roger Moore, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Diana Ross, King Leopold III of Belg=um, Aristotle Onassis. Rainier III once commented on Le Rosey: "The students were much friendlier because they were from such diverse, international backgrounds. I felt, for once in my childhood, that I could take a breath." Although I never attended Rosey, many of my friend did an= during a period I went to so many reunions that there are still people who =ill tell you that I did. But the coolest thing about Rosey is that do to its internationalization and comradery the friends that many of the friends tha= you make there will be friends for life giving you entrée around the w=rld.

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Why We Often Blame The Victim

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How much sympathy you have for this woman probably depends on whether you feel the universe i= a just place

I recently came across an in=eresting article in The Guardian by Oliver Burkeman — =elieving that life is fair might make you a terrible person — that su=gest, faced with injustice, we'll try to alleviate it — but, if we can=E244t, we'll do the next best thing, psychologically speaking: blame the victims of the injustice.</=pan> The premise of the article is based

on the finding, in a 2009 study, that Holocaust memorials can increase antisemitis=. Confronted with an atrocity they otherwise can't explain, people become slightly more likely, on average, to b=lieve that the victims must have brought it on themselves. For example, that last month's commemorations of the liberati=n of Auschwitz may have marginally increased the prevalence of antisemitism in t=e modern world, despite being partly intended as a warning against its consequences? Or that reading about the eye-popping state of economic inequality could make you less likely to supp=rt politicians who want to do something about it?

These are among numerous unsettling implications =f the "just-world hypothesis", a psycholo=ical bias explored in a new essay by Nicholas Hune-Brown at Hazlitt. The w=rld, obviously, is a manifestly unjust place: people are always meeting fates they didn't deserve, or not receiving rewards they did deserve for hard work or virtuous behavior. Yet sever=l decades of research have established that our need to believe otherwise run= deep. Faced with evidence of injustice, we'll certainly try to alleviate it if we can — but, if we =eel powerless to make things right, we'll do the next best thing, psychologically sp=aking: we'll convince ourselves that the world isn't so unjust after all.

The classic experiment demonstrating the just-wor=d effect took place in 1966, when Melvyn Lerner and Carolyn Simmons showed people wh=t they claimed were live images of a woman receiving agonizing electric shock= for her poor performance in a memory test. Given the option to allevi=te her suffering by ending the shocks, almost everybody did so: humans may be terrible, but mos= of us don't go around being consciously and deliberately awful. =hen denied any option to halt her punishment, however — when forced to just sit and watch her apparently suffer =E2404> the participants adjusted their opinions of the woman downwards, as if to convi=ce themselves her agony wasn't so indefensible because she wasn't=span style="font-size:l2pt;line-height:107%"> really such an innocent victim. "The sight of an innocent person s=ffering without possibility of reward or compensation", Lerner and Simmons concluded, "motivated people to devalue the attractiveness of the victim =n order to bring about a more appropriate fit between her fate and her character.=E244 It's easy to see how a similar psychological process might lead, say, to the belief that victims of sexual assault were =/span>"asking for it"=span style="font-size:l2pt;line-height:107%">: if you can convince yourself of that, you can avoid acknowledging the horror of the situation.c=span>

What's truly unsettling about the just-wo=ld bias is that while it can have truly unpleasant effects, these follow from what seems li=e the entirely understandable urge to believe that things happen for a reason= After all, if we didn't all believe that to some degree, life would be an intolerably chaotic and terrifying nightmare in, which effort and payb=ck were utterly unrelated, and there was no point planning for the future, saving m=ney for retirement or doing anything else in hope of eventual reward. We=E2.4>d go mad. Surely wanting the world to make a bit more sense than that is eminently forgivable? Yet,=ironically, this desire to believe that things happen for a reason leads to the kinds of positions that help entrench injustice inste=d of reducing it.

Hune-Brown cites another recent bit of evidence f=r the phenomenon: people with a strong belief in a just world, he reports, are mo=e likely to oppose affirmative action schemes intended to help women or minorities. You needn't be explicitly racist or sexist to hold such views, nor committed to a highly individ=alistic political position (such as libertarianism); the researchers controlled for those. You need only cling to a conviction that the world is basically fair= That might be a pretty naive position, of course — but it's=hard to argue that it's a hateful one. Similar associations have

been found between be=ief in a just world and a preference for authoritarian political leaders. To shield ourselves psychologically from the terrifying thought that the world is ful= of innocent people suffering, we endorse politicians and policies more likely =o make that suffering worse.

All of which is another reminder of a truth that=E2.4es too often forgotten in our era of extreme political polarization and 24/7 internet outrage: wrong opinions - even deeply obnoxious opinions <change><s>--C2*-eedn't</s></change> nec=ssarily stem from obnoxious motivations. "Victim-blamingQ=8* provides the clearest example: barely a day goes by without some commentator being accused (often rightly) of implying that somebody's suffering was their own fault.=C24> That's a viewpoint that should be condemned, of course: it's unquestionably unpleasant to suggest that the victi=s of, say, the Charlie Hebdo killings, brought their fates upon themselves. But =he just-world hypothesis shows how such opinions need not be the consequence of a deep character fault on the part =f the blamer, or some tiny kernel of evil in their soul. It might simpl= result from a strong need to feel that the world remains orderly, and that things still make some kind o= sense.

On a personal level, I grew up with the Carwells; Charli=, Billy, Jimmy and Mary who overtime were guests in Otisville, Warwick, Elmir=, Green Haven, Hudson, Bedford Hills, Attica and Sing Sing prisons in the Sta=e of New York. And although they were degenerate jailbirds they were also often seen as the neighborhood'= protectors whom one could call on when someone outside of the neighborhood bullied a resident. But I also remember when once called, Charlie who was the oldest and on parole at the time, surprisingly turned on my friend Raymond demanding to know what had he done to invite th= problem. The psychology of blaming the victim is extremely complicated, especially when combined with expectation. How else can one explain blaming the poor for being poor? Or Trayvon =artin for wearing a hoody? Often we see that when society cant>=99t explain why, it is easier to blame the victim.

=/span>

Facing the truth – that the world visits =iolence and poverty and discrimination upon people capriciously, with little
regard for what=A0the='ve done t= deserve it – is extremely scary.  Because, if there=80s no good explanation for
why any specific person is suffering, it’s far harder to escape the=frightening conclusion that it could easily be you next.


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10, 548</=>

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       =C2                  =A0                =C2              =/p>

       7

The numbers are in as the United Nations Assistan=e Mission in Afghanistan documented 10,548 civilian casualties in 2014, the highest number in a single year since 2009= They include 3,699 civilian deaths, up 25 percent from 2013. The U.N. says the Taliban and other insurgents were responsible for 72 percent of all civilia= casualties, with government forces and foreign troops responsible for just =4 percent. The "Taliban don't actually accept the veracity =f the information in the report," UNAMA head Nicholas Haysom told journalists Wednesday= "They have accepted in the engagements with us that protection of a civilian is important and have pledged to take certain measures to eradicate civilian casualties."

U.S. and NATO troops pulled back from volatile areas=last year, handing security responsibility over to Afghan forces and officially concluding their combat mission at the end of the year. At least 2,21= U.S. soldiers have died in Afghanistan since the invasion to topple the Taliban following the Sept. 11= 2001, attacks, according to an Associated Press count. The U.N. report attributed the rise in casualties to intensified ground fighting, in which weapons like mortars, rockets and grenades are used in populated areas, sometimes indiscriminately.

=p class="MsoNormal">For the first time since 2009, more Afghan civilians =ere killed and injured by ground fighting than by any other tactic, including roadside bombs. The report found that civilian deaths and injuries resultin= from ground operations surged by 54 percent, making them the "bigge=t killers of Afghan women and children in 2014." In southern Kandahar province, a suicide bomber struck near a police station on Wednesd=y, killing an Afghan woman and a small child, according to Samim Elham, the pr=vincial governor's spokesman. The attack, which happened in Kandahar city, also wounded three civilians, added Elham. =And the day that the report was released, a roadside bomb exploded outside of Kabul, killing four members of a family a=ong other incidents. And to suggest that government and foreign forces were "only" responsible for 1=% of the casualties plays down we are talking about almost 2000 innocent men, women and childre= in a unnecessary war now in its fourteenth year.

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<=pan style="font-size:18pt;line-height:107%;font-family:Georgia,serif">Do='t Believe The Republican Hype About Their
Obamacare Replacement
<=b>

=/span>After nearly five years since the Affordable Care Act became law and two years into its expansion of health coverage to an estimated 10 million uninsured people, GOP lawmakers renewed their efforts to develop a health reform plan they can position as a "replacemenr<=i> for President Barack Obama's health care law. It's no coincidence that this is taking place in the run-up t= a June Supreme Court ruling that could blow a giant hole in the Affordable Care Ac=.

A decision against Obamacare would kick millions of people, mainly living in red states, off their health plans -- =nd leave them looking to the Republican Congress for a solution.

Congressional Republicans want Americans -- especial'= the nine on the Supreme Court -- to think the GOP can do in less than five mont=s what it took Democrats decades to achieve: enact comprehensive health care reform legislation. But given that Republicans have been unable to reach consensus on much beyond repealing Obamacare in the last five years, that's an ambitious timeline4=A0 This pattern has been repeating itself since 2009. Two weeks ago, House Republicans approved yet another bill (the 56th time) to repeal the Affordab=e Care Act, and this one included language charging three House committee cha=rmen with devising a replacement plan.

Meanwhile, Senate Finance Committee Chair Orrin Hatch=(Utah), Sen. Richard Burr (N.C.) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman F=ed Upton (Mich.) unveiled the GOP's latest attempt to construct an Obamaca=e alternative. Although the proposal is virtually identical to the one that Hatch and Burr issued a year ago with then-Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), the duo -- along with Upton -- scored headl=nes describing their framework as the Obamacare replacement plan. But rem=rks from House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Thursday underscore how far congressional Republicans are from having an actual alternative in place. "Clearly, our three=chairmen have an awful lot of work to do to come up with our replacement. But I would expect=all of this to be part of the discussion -- all of it. Listen, there's a lot of ideas out the=e," Boehner said. "The key is going to be to boil those concepts =own to what a real replacement would look like."

<=>

Hatch-Burr-Upton The problem pro=osal is that their is a case proposal study doesn't in the difficult make things trade-offs better Republicans even if they would can get eventually a consensus have of to support. negotiate The among their members and supporters -- and then defend to the broader public= Relative to Obamacare, the Republican proposal would provide financial assistance to fewer people and cut off aid at a low=r income level. It would also roll back Obamacare's Medicaid expansion, replacing it with a tax credit for =uying private insurance; eliminate regulations that guarantee all policies includ= comprehensive benefits; and, among other things, give insurers more leeway =o vary premiums by age.

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Republicans promote these changes as increasing =E2$4choice" and "flexibility" in in=urance, claiming that they will result in less federal spending and that younger adults will pay lower prices. But each of these proposed changes would carry other consequences as well. Polici=s without full benefits, including "junk" plans and=mini-med policies, would return to the market. The same pricing practices that reduced premiums for 25-year-olds would jack them up=for 60- year-olds, putting insurance out of reach for many older Americans...A0 And the proposal's precise effect on the uninsured is hard to tell, but under the prevailing assumptions of most for=casting models -- including those used by the Congressional Budget Office -- the li=ely impact would be more people without insurance and/or much weaker financial protection, as an analysis of last year's plan by the Center on Bud=et and Policy Priorities suggested.

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Republicans will have a hard time defending those cha=ges -- particularly when so many of their constituents now benefit from the Afford=ble Care Act's more generous assistance and protections. Yet for =ore conservative Republicans who are bent on full repeal and resistant to increased federal authority over the health care system, the proposal might actually not go far enough. (L=st year's plan drew fire from the right for precisely that reason.) The GOP is far from agreement on the question of whether Congress should replace Obamacare with anything at all, in the event the law is repealed legislatively or gut=ed by the Supreme Court. As a general rule, expanding access to health care reform requires enacting redistributive tax=and social welfare policies -- the kind many conservatives oppose on principle.=/span>

To date, none of the GOP health care reform proposals=have so much as made it out of committee. And no Republican in Congress has laid out a plan for advancing any health care bi=ls through the legislative process this year. In 2013, then-House Majori=y Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) couldn't even get a comparatively modest bill fundin= high-risk pool insurance programs for sick people passed, thanks to a conservative revolt. This week, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), who chairs the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, acknowledged to Politico that Republicans might choose not to come together=on a plan at all. Perhaps Alexander realizes that putting together a real Obamacare alternative will take more time -- and more genuine interest -- t=an Republicans have, or than the Supreme Court's schedule demands. =C240 And until Republicans are serious about bettering healthcare in America other than for ideological reasons or to ki=l on President Obama's signature achievements, PLEASE LEAVE THE AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE ACT LEGISLATION ALONE and thi= is my rant of the week....

=AO

WEEK's READINGS

Study: Too many Americans don't believe in evolution or man-made climate c=ange

A new study published in Science has alarming news about our scientific knowl=dge

<http://media.salon.com/2014/09/shutte=stock_54359077-620x412.jpg>

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We have to wonder why in a country like ours where in=enuity is so celebrated that so many Americans refuse to accept the conclusions of=the scientific community. A new study published in the prestigious journal Science found that Americans are seriously misinformed when it comes to evolution, GMO foods and humanity's role in climate change. T=e survey, jointly conducted by the Pew Research Center and Ameri=an Association for the Advancement of Science, compared opinions about scientific matters of the public and A=AS' member scientists.

The results were discouraging. 31percent of Am=ricans believe that humans have been in "their present form" since their creation, while 24 percent believe that humans evolved but under the guidance of a God-like figure. Only 2 percent of AAAS scientists did not believe in evolution (which is pretty=scary in and of itself). Perhaps the most contentious issue the =urvey touched on was climate change, where only half of the population agreed wit= the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change view that climate change was mostly driven by human activity, su=h as the burning of fossil fuels. Nearly half said there was either no good evidence for global warming, or that the rece=t warming of the Earth was due to natural climate variability.

Scientists and the broader public disagreed most stro=gly about the safety of GM foods, though their views differed substantially on global warming too, with 87% of scientists believing that climate change wa= mostly caused by human activity. The researchers spoke with 2,002 adults by phone, and used answers to online questionnaires from 3,748 members of the AAAS that live in the U.S. Alan Leshner, the CEO of AAAS and Executive Publisher of Science said, 41).=9CThere is a disconnect between the way the public perceives science and the way that scientists see science. Scientist= need to do something to turn this around."

Eight in 10 Americans believe science has made life b=tter for most people, but they still don't trust scientists — and/or are='t aware of their consensus — on many of the most important science-related iss=es of the day. And that goes for far more than just climate change. And it includes plenty of Democrats too. The stu=y comparing the attitudes of scientists and the public shows wide gaps between the two when it comes to climate, food that uses genetically modified organisms and pesticides, rese=rch using animals, and also the threat posed by the fast-growing world populati=n.

While 87 percent of scientists in the American Associ=tion for the Advancement of Science (the world's biggest scientific society) say=climate change is caused by humans, just 50 percent of U.S. adults agree — = 37-point gap. There's an even bigger gap when it comes to GMOs. A similar proportion of scientists say they are safe in food= but just 37 percent of Americans agree.Also bigger than the climate-change =ap are the use of animals in research (89 percent of scientists favor it, vers=s 47 percent of Americans) and using pesticides to produce food (68 percent o= scientists, 28 percent of Americans).

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On some of these issues, Republicans are more in line=with scientists. A similar 2009 Pew study showed 62 percent of Republicans favor=d using animals in research, versus 48 percent of Democrats. The same s=udy showed a similar split on nuclear power, which 65 percent of scientists favor. And on GMOs, past poll=ng has generally shown at least slightly

more concern among Democrats. W=ile Republicans remain more skeptical on top-line issues like evolution and climate
change, there has been less part=san difference than one might think on issues like evolution. And on vaccines, =he
doubters in the two parties have been about equal.

While Republicans have moved more against science'=s impact on food, both Republicans and Democrats shifted about
equally against its impa=t on the environment. And on basically every measure, Americans are more skeptical of
science's impact on Amer=can life than they were five years ago. Which doesn't bode well for science — or building
political consensus=on it. Below please find a web link for a summary of the study

Web Link: =C2http://www.pewi=ternet.org/2015/01/29/public-and-scientists-views-on-science-and-society/<=a>
<http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/29/public-and-=cientists-views-on-science-and-society/>

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Here =re The Most Expensive Countries In The World To Live In

You might think life h=re in America is expensive. But it turns out that when compared to the rest of the world, the U.S.
doesn't=even make the list of the 20 most expensive countries to live in. Thanks t= a new infographic from Movehub, a
site that provides information to those looking to move abroad, we can see clearly whose wallets have it worst off. The
graphic includes a numbe= of maps showing which nations have the highest cost of living, based on the average price of
consumer goods in each country. Above is how the cost of living stacks up worldwide.

Western Euro=ean countries count among the most expensive places to live. Switzerland's cost of living is highest,
barely e=ging out Norway, a country well-known for being harsh on checkbooks. This clos=-up map shows how
European nations compare to one another:

By contrast, the cost of living in the U.S. is cheaper than at least 20 other countries, including Canada, Australia and the U.K. Here's how North America looks:

Movehub created the maps using data from Numbeo,=a website that crowd sources the prices of consumer goods across the globe. Numbeo users submit pr=ce data from a variety of sources, including supermarket and taxi company websites, government institutions, p=ess reports and more. The Numbeo data used in Movehub's maps were collected between July 1, 2013 and Jan. 2, 2015,=but does not include rent or mortgage payments. Still, as Consumer Reports points out, the number of user submissions on Numbeo varies from country to country, so it's best to t=ke the rankings with a grain of salt. Below are=the 15 countries with the highest costs of living, according to Numbeo's data.=C240 The living costs in each country are measured against a base of 100, which represents New York City's cost of living. For instance, the data show =hat living in Switzerland is just over 26% more expensive than living in New Yo=k City.

1. =C2 Switzerland - 126.03

2. Norway=span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Georgia,serif;color:rgb(51,51,51)=> - 118.59

3. Venezuela<=b> - 111.01

4. Iceland - 102.14

5. Denmark - 100.60

6. Australia<=b> - 99.32

7. New Zealand - 93.71

8. Singapore<=b> - 93.61

9. Kuwait=span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Georgia,serif;color:rgb(51,51,51)=> - 92.97

10. United Kingdom - 92.19

11. Ireland - 92.09

12. Luxembourg - 91.78

13. Finland - 89.68

14. France - 88.37

15. Belgium - 87.22

For more maps on the cost of living around the world, check out Movehub&#=9;s full infographic.

We know from study after st=dy that there is a growing educational achievement gap between the poorest and wealthiest children in America. And the Washington Center for Equitable Growth just released a study to identify the lost economic growth and tax revenues caused by this gap. The researchers concluded the United States could ultimately enrich everybody by improving educational performance for the typical student. Because when it come= to math and science scores, the United States lags most of the other 33 advanced industrialized countri=s that make up the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, ran=ing 24th, far behind Korea, Poland and Slovenia.

Moving up just a few notche= to 19th — so that the average American score matched the O.E.C.D. average — would add 1.7 percent=to the nation's gross domestic product over the next 35 years, according t= estimates by the Washington Center, a nonpartisan, liberal leaning research group foc=sed on narrowing inequality. That could lead to roughly $900 billion in higher government revenue, more than making up for the cost of such an effort.4,=A0 If Americans were able to match the scores reached in Canada, which ranks seventh on the O.E.C.D. scale, the United St=tes' gross domestic product would rise by an additional 6.7 percent, a cumulativ= increase of $10 trillion (after taking inflation into account) by the year 2050, the report estimated.

In the three decades that f=llowed the end of World War II, almost all Americans, no matter where they fell on the earnings scale, enjo=ed at least a doubling of their real incomes. But that balanced growth has evaporated. While those at the top have =ontinued to experience robust income increases, everyone else's income has eith=r stalled or dropped. The average income of the bottom 20 percent of households sank by more than 8 percent from 1973 to 21=3, while the inflation adjusted incomes of the top 20 percent grew by about 60 percent, according to the report. The top 5 percent enjoyed an 80 percent jump.

A restoration, then, of the=economic growth pattern that characterized the first three post-war decades would result in both greater=and more widely shared economic growth—equitable growth. In order=to address this key challenge confronting the United States, this study empirically quantifies the econom=c and tax benefits of raising the educational achievement of children from le=s advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. In general, there are large gaps in t=e educational outcomes among children from families with lower and higher socioeconomic status. These gaps contribute to subsequent economic inequality, with the relatively poor performance of children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds reducing U.S. economic growth. Thus, closing income or class-based educational gaps would promote faster and more widely shared economic growth.

=br>

The study suggests that the=added cost of improving educational achievement at the bottom would be more than made up for by the rise in economic output and tax revenue. The study used math and science scores from the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment, a test widely used around the world for measuring and comparing educational achievement. The average combined score=for the United States is 978, while the O.E.C.D. average is 995. The Canadian average is 1,044. Eliminating the achievement gap in America would require raising the country's aver=ge to 1,080, so that it would rank third behind South Korea (with an average scor= of 1,092) and Japan (with a 1,083 average). That stunning improvement, a=cording to the center, would raise the total output in the United States by another 10 percent. Lifetime earnings of the poorest quarter would jump by 22 percent =n this event.

<=span>

The income gap is an outgro=th, at least in part, of the education gap. An analysis by the O.E.C.D. released last fall showed that the United States greatly lagged nearly ever= advanced industrial nation on measures of educational equality. Only one in=20 Americans age 25 to 34 surpassed the educational level of their parents, fo= example. For the 20 richest member nations, that average was one in four. T=e report includes the types of changes, which include expanding early childho=d education, reducing exposure to lead paint and starting school later so teenagers can get more sleep, that the center views as necessary to raise achievement scores, though it does not include specific costs in its calculations.

=span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:Georgia,serif" ><img src="cid:ii_14b50a2c270dffc8" alt="Inline image 3" width="472" height="324">

The report also notes how w=dely achievement scores vary within the United States, not only from state to state but county to county= Montgomery County, a generally affluent suburban area in Maryland just outs=de of Washington, for example, was able to reduce the gap and increase scores after instituting all-day kindergarten programs, reducing class size, =nvesting in teacher development and reducing housing based segregation in its school=. For more information please feel free to take a look at the attached brief by the Washington Center for Equitable Growth — The Economic and Fiscal Con=equences of Improving U.S. Educational Outcomes and separately the Fast Facts.

=*****

How "Clean" Was Sold to America with Fake Science

<=b>

Having grown up in the 1950s where =ot everyone in my neighborhood had a bath tub and then traveling to Europe for the first time=to find that there were public baths in wide use, I found Olga Khazan'= article — How Often People in Various Countries Showe= — in The Atlantic.... Interesting to say the least. But before I talk about that, in the article I was directed to another article in Gizmodo by Sarah=Zhang — How "Clean" Was Sold to America with Fake Science — which I found truly interesting*=A6.

The average American's daily hygiene ritual would=seem unusual—nay, obsessive—to our forebears a hundred years ago= From mouthwash to deodorant, most of our hygiene products were invented in the past century.=C24, To sell them, the advertising industry had to create pseudoscientific maladies like "bad breath" and "body odor." Americans had to be convinced their breath was rotten and theirs armpits stank. It did not happ=n by accident. "Advertising and toilet soap grew up together,&q=ot; says Katherine Ashenburg, author of The Dirt on Clean. As advertising expl=ded in the early 20th century, so did our obsession with personal hygiene.

Even our very notion of "soap" changed. Until the mid-19th century, "soap" meant laundry soap, the caustic stuff used for scrubbing soiled linens and clothes. A kinder, gentler alternative was invented for cleaning the body, and it had to be called "toilet=soap" to distinguish from the unrefined stuff. Today, "=toilet soap" is a superfluous designation. Toilet soap is simply soap. Advertisers did =ot invent a notion of cleanliness out of a vacuum, but they did cannily tap into anxieties wrough= by social upheavals in the early 20th century. As people moved from farm=to factory to office, working spaces became where they spent all day with strangers in cl=ser and closer quarters. Men and women began to work together. Women, especially, were a target of ads playing on the th=me, "Often a bridesmaid, never a bride."

And to be sure, advances in science and technology played a role, too. Plumbing made the we=kly ritual of a Saturday night, pre-Sabbath bath easy to repeat every night of =he week. Public health campaigns born out of a better understanding of germ th=ory trumpeted cleanliness. Amidst all this, a new affliction called halitosis descended upon American. You know about it thanks to Listerine, the orchestrator of what maybe be one of the most successful advertising campaigns in history.

How Listerine Made Americans Terrified of Bad Breath

Ads f=r Listerine touting its various health benefits as an antiseptic. Left: Madison and Madison Ave Collection / Duke University Libr=ry. Right: Magazine Art

=p class="MsoNormal">

There's a reason why Listerine is so nasty 44=94 it wasn't originally meant to go in your mouth. When Joseph Lawrence invented t=e alcohol-based liquid in 1879, he created it as disinfectant for surgery. An= for the first several decades of Listerine's existence, it was only ava=lable to doctors. In 1914, however, the brander's owners, Lambert Pharmacal,

Company decided to introduce Listerine to a wide= audience. The liquid was then sold as a general disinfectant with a whole r=nge of uses from treating dandruff to insect bites, but sales were nothing spectacular. During a brainstorming session, Gerard lambert dragged in a chemist at the company, who happened to drop a little-known term "halitosis." Here's what happened in Lambert's own words.=/span>

When ask if Listerine was good for bad breath. =e excused himself for a moment and came back with a big book of newspaper clippings. He sat in a chair and I stood=looking over his shoulder. He thumbed through the immense book. "Here it is, Gerard. It says in this clipping from the British Lancet that in cases of halitosis . . ." When asked, "What is halitosis?" "Oh,=quot; he said, "that is the medical term for bad breath." Really? Halitosis lent listerine the authorit=tive air for a fantastically successful advertising campaign, creating a market =or the novel product of mouthwash. In an early version of A/B testing, coupons were sent out accompanying old and new-style Listerine ads. The halit=sis ads did four times as well. Sales climbed 33 percent in just the first month. From then on, Liste=ine took out a parade of advertisements insinuating that bad breath was pervasive, but people were simply too polite to tell you. Bad breath I mean halitosis was secretly hol=ing you back, and only Listerine could fix it. Lambert would become the third largest advertiser in major American magazines. The company created the demand for a product Americans did not know they wanted, let alone needed. =nd it's not just bad breath Americans came to fear.

The Ad Man Who Launched His Career With Antiperspirant

James Webb Young, one of the legendary ad men of the =0th century, was still a young copywriter when he got the Odorono account..=A0 Odorono was, well, not great. As Sarah Everts describes in a fasc=nating piece in Smithsonian Magazine, the antiperspirant's acid solution had a=nasty habit of eating through clothes, including one woman's wedding dress.=C2* A bigger problem, though, was a pervasive belief that blocking sweat was bad for health. To counter that, Young=#39;s first advertisements emphasized Odorono's origins as a formula developed by a doctor. =ut he ran into an even bigger problem, which is that a survey revealed two-thirds of women didn't feel like they nee=ed to use antiperspirant. And here, Young found his true target for selling Odorono: embarrassment. The 1919 ad=in the Ladies Home Journal (above) hit a nerve. Two hundred angry subscribers supposedly canceled their subscriptions because they were so insulted by the ad. But it also worked. Sales for Odorono doubled in the next year. Competitors like Mum (below) ju=ped on the "whisper copy" train, insinuating what people were supposedly too polite to say directly.<=p>

The Cleanliness Institute=/span>

<=p>

Early on, the soap makers also realized that advertis=ng could only do so much to differentiate brands —what they really needed to=do was band together to convince Americans that cleanliness was paramount. Thus, =he Association of American Soap and Glycerine Producers established the friendlier sounding Cleanliness Institu=e in 1927. The institute could promote keeping clean and, by extension, soap consumption. The industry cannily made school children its primary target. "No approach could better=meet the industry's ends than inculcating every youth in American to a tale of soap-and-water. Once habituated to regular and frequent consumption, the children could guarantee a market for years to come," writes Vince=t Vinikas in an excellent chapter on the institute from his book Soft Soap= Hard Sell.

As one of its first major activities, the institute c=nducted a study of the hygiene habits of students in 145 schools. They found, by th=ir own standards much room for improvement. Only 57 percent of the schools had soap. "The object should be not merely to make children clean but to make them love to be clean," read an institu=e report. So the institute set about correcting the course with a flurry of storybooks, teacher's guides, an= posters. Teachers were to write letters to parents about the cleanliness. In one case, the institute reported on a school where students were given "=wash tickets" after washing their hands. Only by presenting these tickets could they even enter the sch=ol cafeteria. The methods may read as heavy-handed today, but the habits promoted by the Cleanliness Institute will be utterly famili=r. "The trade association wanted Americans to wash quite unwittingly after toilet, to wash without thought before eati=g, to jump into the tub as automatically as one might awake each new day,"</=> writes Vinikas. That vision is not far from today's reality. If anything, the grooming products deemed essenti=l for proper hygiene have only proliferated. Even a quick stroll through the drugstore —past what seems like infinite varieties of shampoo and d=odorant and whatever new product just rolled out of the factories — can tell yo= that.

At Thi= Moment — With a growing economy, shrinking deficits, bustling indus=ry and booming energy production - We have risen from recession freer to write our=own future than any other nation on earth. It's now up to us to choos= who we want to be over the next 15 years, and for the decades to come. Will we accept a= economy where only a few of us do spectacularly well? Or will we commit ourselves to an economy that generates rising incomes and changes fo= everyone who makes the effort?

=resident Obama
=015 State of the Union Address

## Most elaborate Airline advertisement ever!

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Web Link:=C2 http://you=u.be/qOw44VFNk8Y <http://youtu.be/qOw44VFNk8Y>

As the official airline of Middle-earth, Air New Zealan= has gone all out to celebrate the third and final film in The Hobbit Trilogy =C24- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Starring Elijah Wood and Sir Peter Jackson; we're thrilled to unveil The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made.=C240 Please enjoy

=/div>

THIS WEEK's MUSIC

Elvis

Elv=s Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 — August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as "the King of Rock and Roll", or simply, "the King".

Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, when Presley was 13 years old he and his family relocated to Memphis, Tennessee. His music career bega= there in 1954, when he recorded a song with producer Sam Phillips at Sun Records. Accompanie= by

## Most elaborate Airline advertisement ever! (cont.)

backbeat-driven guitarist fusion Scotty of Moore country and music bassist and Bill rhythm Black, and Presley blues. was RCA an Vic=or early popularizer acquired his of contract rockabilly, in a an deal up-tempo, arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who managed the singer for more than two decades. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel&qu=t;, was released in January 1956 and became a number-one hit in the United States.=C2* He was regarded as the leading figure of rock and roll after a series of successful network television appearances and chart-topping records. His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combin=d with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines that coincide= with the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement, made him enormously popular l>=804> and controversial.

In November 1956, he made his film debut in Love Me Tender.= In 1958, he was drafted into military service: He resumed his recording career two years later, producing some of his most commercially successful work before devoting much of the 1960s to making Hollywood movies and their accompanying soundtrack albums, most of which we=e critically derided. In 1968, following a seven-year break from live performances, he returned to the stage in the acclaimed televised comeback special Elvis, which led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and a string of highly profitable tours. In 1973, Presley was featured in the first globally broadcast concert via satellite, Aloha fr=m Hawaii. Several years of prescription drug abuse severely damaged his health, and he died in 1977 at the age of 42.

Presley is one of the m=st celebrated and influential musicians of the 20th century. Commercially successful in many genres= including pop, blues and gospel, he is the best-selling solo artist in the history of recorded music, with estimated album sales of around 600 million units worldwide. He was nominated for 14 competitive Grammys and won three, also receiving the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36, and has been inducted into multiple music hall= of fame. Forbes named Elvis Presley as the 2nd top earning dead celebrity with S55 million as of 2011.

Presley's rise to=national attention in 1956 transformed the field of popular music and had a huge effect on the broader scope of popula= culture. As the catalyst for the Cultural Revolution that was rock and roll, he was central not only to defining it as a musical genre but in making it a touchstone of youth culture and rebellious attitude. With=its racially mixed origins — repeatedly affirmed by Presley — rock and roll's occupation of a central position in mainstream American culture facilitated=a new acceptance and appreciation of black culture. In this regard, Lit=le Richard said of Presley, "He was an integrator. Elvis was a blessing. They wouldn't let black music through. He opened the door for black music." AI=Green agreed: "He broke the ice for all of us."

## <=p>

President Jimmy Carter remarked on his legacy in 1=77: "His music and his personality, fusing the styles of white country and black rhythm and blues, permanently changed=the face of American popular culture. His following was immense, and he was a symbol to people the world over of the vitality, rebelliousness, and good humor of his country." Pr=sley also heralded the vastly expanded reach of celebrity in the era of mass communication: at the age of 21, with=n a year of his first appearance on American network television, he was one of =he most famous people in the world.

## <=p> (cont.)

Presley's name, image, and voice are instant=y recognizable around the globe. He has inspired a legion of impersonators. In polls and surveys, he is recognized as one of the most important popular music artist= and influential Americans. "Elvis Presley is the greatest cul=ural force in the twentieth century", said composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein. "He introduced the beat to everything and he changed everything — music, language, clothes. It'= a whole new social revolution — the sixties came from it." Bob Dylan described the sensation of first hearing Presley as "like busting out =f jail".

On the 25th anniversary of Presley's death, The New Yo=k Times observed, "All the talentless impersonators and appalling black velvet paintings on display can make him seem little more than a perverse and dist=nt memory. But before Elvis was camp, he was its opposite: a genuine cultural force. Not only Presley's achievem=nts, but his failings as well, are seen by some cultural observers as adding to =he power of his legacy, as in this description by Greil Marcus:

Elvis Presley became a supreme figure in American=life, one whose presence, no matter how banal or predictable, brooks no real comparis=ns.... The cultural range of his music has expanded to the point where it includes not only the hits of the day, but a=so patriotic recitals, pure country gospel, and really dirty blues. ... =lvis has emerged as a great artist, a great rocker, a great purveyor of schlock, a great heart throb, a great bore, a g=eat symbol of potency, a great ham, a great nice person, and to many a great American. With this I invite you to enjoy the music of The King Mr. Elvis Presley.... and defi=itely listen/watch Angel Wings....

— Suspicious Mind -- =C2 http://youtu.be/SBmAPYkPeYU <http://youtu.be/SBmAPYkPeYU>

=span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:Georgia,serif">E=vis Presley - Amazing Grace -- http://youtu.be/B3XdXEJEI4E <http://youtu.be/B3XdXEJEI4E>

Elvis Presley - Always On My Mind --=/i> http://yout=.be/u9sRJ-eOHnc <http://youtu.be/u9sRJ-eOHnc>

Elvis Presley =C2? - Unchained Melody -- http://yout=.be/uWqax9iHfRU <http://youtu.be/uWqax9iHfRU>

Elvis Presley =C2? - My Way -- http://youtu.be/3JxrzO3sNTY <http://youtu.be/3JxrzO3sNTY>

Elvis Presley - Burning Love -- http://youtu.be/DcJac6OykfM <http://youtu.be/DcJac6OykfM>

- Return to Sender --http:=/youtu.be/Z54-QHEZN6E <http://youtu.be/Z54-QHEZN6E>

Elvis Pres=ey - Jailhouse Rock -- http://youtu.be/gj0Rz-uP4Mk <http://youtu.be/gj0Rz-uP4Mk>

- The Wonder Of You --</=> http://yout=.be/MyrQqmc5UT8 <http://youtu.be/MyrQqmc5UT8>

Elvis Presley =C2? - Devil in Disguise -- http://youtu.be/m=_Q96eJr1k <http://youtu.be/m3_Q96eJr1k>

Elvis Presley - Don't be cruel -- http://yout=.be/YUWMSVDPdGQ <http://youtu.be/YUWMSVDPdGQ>

Elvis Presley =C2? - You've Lost That Loving Feeling -- http://yout=.be/e7R5xxDy3QU <http://youtu.be/e7R5xxDy3QU>

Elvis Presley =A0– I Just Can't Help Believing --=C2  http://yout=.be/xyKtRoGiNIM <http://youtu.be/xyKtRoGiNIM>

## <=p> (cont.)

Elv=s Presley — Are You Lonesome Tonight -- http://yout=.be/mRdQggl2MbM <http://youtu.be/mRdaggl2MbM> Elvis & Lisa=Marie — Angels Wings -- http://youtu.be/tikKPC1TgjjU

I hope that you have enjoyed this week's offerings a=d wish you and yours a great week and enjoy the Oscars tonight...

Sincerely,</=>

Greg Brown</=pan>

<=span>

Gregory Brown
Chairman & CEO
=lobalCast Partners, LLC

US: +1-415-994-7851=/div>
Tel: +1-800-406-5=92
Fax: +1-310-861-0927
Skype: gbrown1970
Gregory@globalcastpartners.com <mailto:Gregory@globalcastpartners.com>