Reuters

BELFAST — Delegates to the annual World Toilet Summit in Northern Ireland's capital Belfast could be forgiven for feeling flushed this week after sitting down for a three-day debate on the finer points of public sanitation.

Some 350 experts at the summit, which ended Thursday, discussed such pressing subjects as anti-social behavior in rest-rooms, portable toilets, and facilities for the blind.

"A lot was achieved, including the finalization of a protocol setting out global standards for the provision and hygiene of public toilets," Raymond Martin, director of the Irish Toilet Association, told Reuters.

Other highlights of the summit included the launch of a "Bog Standard Campaign" to push for better toilets in UK schools, and the unveiling of Belfast's first public UriLift toilet, a stainless steel urinal that rises hydraulically out of the ground at night to facilitate male revelers.

In terms of public toilet excellence, it was generally agreed that Singapore was a model for the rest of the world, with the UK somewhere around the middle of the league table.

Martin said that with hundreds of toilet experts gathered in one place lavatorial humor was unavoidable.

"But what you actually find is that when the punning and joking is over people actually take toilets very seriously. It's a subject that's close to everyone's heart.".

Related: WorldToilet.org

Associated Press

NEW YORK — The fire department's new Muslim chaplain abruptly resigned Friday after saying in a published interview that he believes something other than al-Qaida hijackers brought down the World Trade Center.

"It became clear to him that he would have difficulty functioning as an FDNY chaplain," Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta told reporters an hour before Imam Intikab Habib was to be officially sworn in. "There has been no prior indication that he held those views."

Habib told Newsday in an interview published Friday that he was skeptical of the official version of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, which killed 343 firefighters.

"I've heard professionals say that nowhere ever in history did a steel building come down with fire alone," he told the newspaper.

"It takes two or three weeks to demolish a building like that. But it was pulled down in a couple of hours," he said. "Was it 19 hijackers who brought it down, or was it a conspiracy?"

The 30-year-old Guyana native joined the department as chaplain on Aug. 15 after the FDNY's Islamic Society recommended him for the part-time position, which pays $18,000 a year.

Scoppetta said Habib, who was educated in Islamic law in Saudi Arabia and preaches at a New York mosque, had appeared qualified and passed a background check.

Habib made his comments after Newsday asked him whether he thought firefighters would object to a chaplain trained in Saudi Arabia. The country was home to 15 of the 19 men who hijacked four jets on Sept. 11, 2001, crashed two of them into the trade center towers and one into the Pentagon. The fourth crashed in Pennsylvania.

"There are so many conflicting reports about it," the newspaper quoted Habib as saying. "I don't believe it was 19 ... hijackers who did those attacks." He said he didn't know who was responsible for the attacks.

"It's sad," said Kevin James, a spokesman for the Islamic Society of Fire Department Personnel. "We had no idea those were his views. He's entitled to his opinion but he's not the right person for the chaplain."

Mayor Michael Bloomberg welcomed Habib's resignation.

"The remarks were offensive and the mayor is satisfied that the chaplain has resigned," mayoral spokesman Ed Skyler said.

Some have blamed the destruction of the trade center on a U.S. or Israeli plot designed to whip up support for attacks on Muslim countries. In 2003, New Jersey eliminated Amiri Baraka's position as poet laureate after he wrote a poem suggesting Israel had advance knowledge of the attacks.

By Darren Weeks

Was the United States government planning to declare Martial Law in America sometime in 2005, as a synthesis of emergency management?

A report we've discovered today seems to suggest that the answer to that question is yes.

The Congressional Research Service, a self-described "congressional support agency" published a report entitled Martial Law and National Emergency (pdf format), in which are explored both the history of Martial Law in America and the public's reaction to it.

The report was published on January 7, 2005.

So significant was the information in the report, that it garnered the attention of the spooks at the United States Department of State, which link to it on their official website.

Let us not forget that it is the U.S. State Department that houses the Bureau of Arms Control and is charged with the task of disarming every citizen of the country and the world.

After Martial Law was declared in New Orleans, disarmament of the people followed.

Perhaps the declaration of Martial Law in Lousiana, the subsequent seizure of firearms in that same area, and the declaration of numerous states of emergency in various states in the same year of the publication of the report are merely coincidental.

However, given the timing of the report, our knowledge of weather manipulation, and our knowledge of the State Department's purpose of disarmament, we have to ask, Why would the State Department be interested in a report detailing Martial Law, if they didn't plan a Martial Law declaration?

We've told you that the ultimate goal is to use these hurricanes to destroy, in order for these cities to be rebuilt sustainably. Here is an advocate for rebuilding "green". -D.W.

What New Orleans could look like the second time around

By Timothy Lange
Grist Magazine
September 15, 2005

I heard that George Bush told New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin the city could be remade into "a shining example for the whole world." If Bush did say that, it surely wasn't an environmentally sound renaissance he had in mind. But that is precisely what is needed.

Call it Eco New Orleans. It should encompass not just the city, but the other places blasted by Katrina and by FEMA's impressively incompetent response. The Eco New Orleans I'm talking about should extend scores of miles in every direction. It should be a place attuned to the definition of sustainable development put forth by the U.N.'s Brundtland Commission: "Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

Some estimates put the cost of rebuilding the city and its neighbors at $150 billion -- seven times more than the total amount the feds spent on the nation's 10 most expensive previous natural disasters. Eco New Orleans would cost even more, take longer, and require forming a plethora of public-private enterprises and overcoming immense ideological obstacles. But if we as Americans are unwilling to spend the time and money to rebuild New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast with environmental concerns taking a front seat, then we're as self-interestedly myopic as the administration that couldn't pry itself out of vacation mode to save people's lives.

I'm not saying we can, or should, start tomorrow -- the ongoing human disaster caused by Katrina must be taken care of first. Nor do I seek imposition of a utopian ideal that ignores the region's unique culture, history, and atmosphere. Building Eco New Orleans would demand an innovative politics not only to educate communities about the benefits of an environmentally sound approach, but also to spur them to provide input into how exactly to implement it. It would call for, to use a phrase from my youth, "participatory democracy."

Much can be done to shape the damaged Gulf Coast into a model for others to emulate, modifying it for their own circumstances. I have no blueprint, just an outline of ideas that other people have been thinking about far longer than I. Here are a few places to start:

Fully fund "Coast 2050." This wish list of restoration projects, first put together in the late 1990s, carries an estimated price tag of $14 billion over 30 years. The Bush administration has reliably opposed funding for it.

Because wetlands act as a storm buffer, those already lost to erosion and subsidence probably worsened Hurricane Katrina's destruction. About 90 percent of America's coastal wetlands loss each year occurs in Louisiana: 1,900 square miles since 1932, an additional 700 square miles by 2050, scientists say. If these resources disappear at even a fraction of this pace, immense harm will be caused to human populations, infrastructure, the seafood industry, fisheries, and wildlife.

Coast 2050 is no radical proposal, even though the motivation behind it is grim. Like any plan assembled by diverse stakeholders, it's a compromise. As its creators say: "Because natural processes created the highly productive wetlands in coastal Louisiana, reestablishment of these processes is essential to achieve sustainability. Reestablishment does not imply controlling nature ... [or] a return of the coastal system to a pristine condition, because too much has changed for that to occur. The intent is to design restoration strategies based on ecological principles so the future coast will have the productivity and other desirable features of a highly valued natural system."

Upgrade oil refineries. Several refineries have been temporarily shut down by Katrina, but they'll be back. When operational, these facilities are environmental disasters, founded on outdated technology and producing a heavy output of pollution.

No hydrocarbon refining process can ever be truly green. But greener refineries would install shielded pipes and conduits; isolated and double-barrier-protected towers, tanks, and reservoirs; and multiple pressure-relief and blowout prevention devices. Greener refineries would initiate more efficient processing and capture effluents and reaction products better. Greener would require better scrubbing and filtering. Greener would involve better oversight, maintenance, training, and siting.

Never keen on enhancing environmental controls of any sort, President Bush has proposed that new refineries be constructed on closed military bases with no such modifications. Getting the administration to press even minor upgrades for existing refineries would be no easy matter.

Curtail oil and gas drilling in the Delta. Since Katrina struck, many people have taken note of last year's almost supernaturally prescient piece "Gone With the Water" in National Geographic. Joel K. Bourne Jr. described a New Orleans-area catastrophe that could have been yanked from the recent headlines.

He also outlined the conclusions of Bob Morton, a former petroleum geologist now with the U.S. Geological Survey. Morton noticed Louisiana's wetland losses reached a peak during or just after the period of intensive oil and gas production in the 1970s and early 1980s. He believes that removing millions of barrels of oil, trillions of cubic feet of natural gas, and the huge amounts of saline water found within petroleum deposits caused subsurface pressure to drop, which in turn caused nearby faults to slip and the land above them to subside.

"When you stick a straw in a soda and suck on it, everything goes down," Morton told Bourne. "That's very simplified, but you get the idea." The oil industry argues against Morton's theory, but neither it nor its consultants have been able to disprove it.

Support renewable energy. Louisiana (and Alabama and Mississippi) could all benefit from retooling their practically invisible state energy departments. Although each gives lip service to conservation, few moves have been made toward developing a renewable-energy, conservation-oriented mind-set among citizens, or assisting those citizens who already "get it."

Using the experiences of other states and going a few steps farther, Eco New Orleans should be outfitted with solar-power systems, gas microturbines, combustion turbines, wind turbines, fuel cells, and cogeneration systems, so the region can begin the march toward independence from fossil fuels that is essential for the planet's long-term health. Much of this could be accomplished with tax breaks to consumers, manufacturers, and developers. Eco New Orleans should also put considerable effort into community outreach to teach people to become energy smart. Less affluent consumers should have access to subsidies so they can make the change along with everyone else.

Adopt "smart growth" concepts as regional policy. The smart-growth movement focuses on environment in the broadest possible way: quality of life, design, economics, health, housing, and transportation. Principles guiding smart growth include developing a range of housing types; creating walkable, architecturally distinctive neighborhoods; encouraging community participation in decision making; opting for mixed land uses; making development decisions "predictable, fair, and cost-effective"; preserving farmland and open space; providing for a variety of transportation modes; adopting compact building styles; and directing development toward existing communities.

The key to making smart growth work in Eco New Orleans would be making sure it doesn't merely mean gentrification, a greened-up version of urban renewal that forces out the poor.

Rebuild with Green Communities in mind. Green Communities, a partnership between the Enterprise Foundation and the Natural Resources Defense Council, is a five-year, $555 million program dedicated to building more than 8,500 environmentally healthy dwellings for low-income residents nationwide. Rehabilitation of rental and owner-occupied dwellings is also part of the agenda. Support for the projects -- like Seattle's new 50-unit Denny Park Apartments -- comes from housing authorities, corporations, and private foundations, as well as the Enterprise Social Investment Corporation.

Before Katrina, New Orleans was the fifth most densely populated city in America, filled with impoverished neighborhoods that would benefit from an expansion of the Green Communities program, or at least an imitation of it. In addition to those 8,500 green units nationwide, why not 85,000 units for Eco New Orleans?

Establish green building standards. More affluent dwellings in Eco New Orleans should also be built or rehabilitated with more than a modest concern for environmental effects. Regulations based on a system similar to LEED that assigns "points" for, among other things, energy efficiency, use of green materials, siting angles, landscaping, window glazing, and the like could make a big difference region-wide. New housing and rehabs that reach a minimum-point threshold would be the only ones approved, but nobody would be required to follow a strict architectural formula.

None of this is simple. For one thing, I've left out a lot of issues, both big and small: Cancer Alley, mass transit, park development, sewage treatment, and zoning issues, to name a few. And Eco New Orleans cannot, obviously, spring up full-grown. No great changes are ever accomplished overnight. But someday all cities must be "eco," or they will be dead. New Orleans and its battered neighbors have a chance to be pioneers.

By Darren Weeks

Professor James McCanney joins me tonight on the broadcast to talk about artificial weather manipulation.

We'll explore Hurricane Katrina, global warming, and much more.

Join me at 10 PM Eastern on the First Amendment Radio Network.

By Michael Schirber
LiveScience Staff Writer
March 16, 2005

Scientists issued a fresh warning today: The northern Caribbean may be at a high risk for a major tsunami, based on historical records that date back to Columbus' arrival in 1492.

A tsunami in this region could affect more than 35 million people on the islands of the Greater and Lesser Antilles and along the east and Gulf coasts of the United States. The danger has been highlighted in previous research.

The major source for past tsunamis in the northern Caribbean has been movement along the boundary between the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates. This fault line stretches 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) from Central America to the Lesser Antilles, brushing up against the north coast of Hispaniola (the island of Haiti and the Dominican Republic).

Nancy Grindlay and Meghan Hearne of the University of North Carolina and Paul Mann of the University of Texas identified 10 significant tsunamis that have resulted from movement along this plate boundary. Six of these caused loss of life.

In 1692, a tsunami destroyed Port Royal, Jamaica; another killed at least 10 Jamaicans on the island's south coast in 1780. The most recent tsunami in 1946 was triggered by a magnitude 8.1 earthquake in the Dominican Republic. It killed around 1,800 people.

Jian Lin of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution believes that this sort of historical analysis can indicate how frequent big tsunamis are in a geographic region. It also gives an estimate of how large such events can potentially be.

"The tectonic setting of the northern Caribbean is very similar to the Indian Ocean – except that the subduction zone is not as long," Lin told LiveScience in a telephone interview.

The subduction zone is where one plate dips below another. Lin, who was not involved in the recent research, explained that the longer a subduction zone is, the larger the earthquake that the zone is capable of producing.

"The [historical analysis] shows that the Caribbean zone is long enough to have greater than a magnitude 8.0 earthquake," Lin said.

In comparison, the Sumatra earthquake that unleashed last year’s tsunami in the Indian Ocean had a magnitude of 9.3.

Besides the direct threat from plate movement, other research has shown that underwater landslides in the region – or even in the middle of the Atlantic – could trigger a giant tsunami.

"The recent devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean has raised public awareness of tsunami hazard and the need for early warning systems in high-risk areas such as the Caribbean," Grindlay said in a statement.

There are meetings scheduled later this year to implement an Intra-Americas Sea Tsunami Warning Project, as approved by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. Such a warning system has been set up in the Pacific Ocean, and one is planned for the Indian Ocean. The United States has also proposed a global warning system.

A report by Grindlay and her colleagues will appear in the March 22 issue of Eos, the newspaper of the American Geophysical Union.

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation and the University of Puerto Rico SeaGrant program.

By Robin Lloyd
LiveScience
January 3, 2005


There are only two places in the United States where colliding tectonic plates could cause a major tsunami, and new studies show a new earthquake in at least one of these locations could be imminent.

The Cascadia subduction zone, a 680-mile fault that runs 50 miles off the coast of the Pacific Northwest -- from Cape Mendocino in California to Vancouver Island in southern British Columbia -- has experienced a cluster of four massive earthquakes during the past 1,600 years. Scientists are trying to figure out if it is about to undergo a massive shift one more time before entering a quiescent period.

"People need to know it could happen," said U.S. Geological Survey geologist Brian Atwater.

The historical record for this zone, which has the longest recorded data about its earthquakes of any major fault in the world, shows that earthquakes occur in clusters of up to five events, with an average time interval of 300 years between quakes, said Chris Goldfinger, a marine geologist at Oregon State University. Goldfinger and other scientists have been studying this subduction zone for many years.

The two most recent quakes on this fault occurred in the year 1700 (a magnitude 9 event) and approximately the year 1500. It has now been 305 years since the last event. So is the Cascadia subduction zone finished for now or on the brink of event number five?

"We know quite a bit about the periodicity of this fault zone and what to expect," he said. "But the key point we don’t know is whether the current cluster of earthquake activity is over yet, or does it have another event left in it."

The Cascadia subduction zone occurs where the relatively thin Juan de Fuca plate moves eastward and under the westward-moving North American Plate. When that collision results in a rupture, massive earthquakes occur. The other active subduction zone capable of producing a major earthquake-tsunami sequence is in Alaska, the site of a giant earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 1964.

Scientists say a rupture along the Cascadia fault would cause the sea floor to bounce 20 feet or more, setting off powerful ocean waves relatively close to shore. The first waves could hit coastal communities in 30 minutes or less -- too rapidly for the current warning systems to save lives.

A tsunami along the Atlantic Coast is considered extremely unlikely.

Tsunamis are the result of sudden rises or falls in a section of the earth’s crust under or near the ocean, usually caused by earthquakes, volcanic activity or landslides. Earthquakes at subduction zones (rather than at other types of faults such as thrust faults) produce the highest energy tsunamis, especially when they occur in deep water. The seismic activity displaces sea water, creating a rise or fall in the level of the ocean above. This rise or fall in sea level initiates the formation of a tsunami wave. The wave’s height increases in shallower water.

Geologists can track earthquakes back in time by radiocarbon dating deposits of sand called turbidites, which come from undersea landslides.

Major studies on the Cascadia fault zone have identified 19 to 21 major earthquake events during the past 10,000 years. During at least 17 of these events, the entire fault zone probably ruptured at once, causing an earthquake around magnitude 9 and major tsunamis, such as those which savaged East Asia last week.

The Asian event happened where the India plate was subducted beneath the Burma microplate. It ruptured, for the first time since 1833, along a 600-mile front just about the same length as the Cascadia Subduction Zone.

The Asian event may provide a shocking demonstration of the geologic future of the Pacific Northwest, Goldfinger said. For hundreds of years, subduction zone plates remain locked in place, releasing little tension. Every few centuries, in a few minutes of violence, forces are released as the upper plate moves seaward, producing a massive tsunami following earthquake shaking.

"In the case of the Cascadia Subduction Zone, you could have an area of ocean floor that’s 50 miles wide and 500 to 600 miles long suddenly snap back, causing a huge tsunami," Goldfinger said. "At the same time, we could expect some parts of the upper, or North American, plate to sink one to two meters. These are massive tectonic events. Subduction zones produce the most powerful earthquakes and tsunamis in the world."

The question is not whether, but when the Cascadia Subduction Zone will break again.

"One possibility is that we could be done with this cluster and looking at a period of many hundreds of years before the next earthquake," Goldfinger said. "The other distinct possibility is we could still be in a cluster of events. If that’s the case, the average time interval between earthquakes within a cluster is already up. We would be due just about any day."

By Robert Roy Britt
LiveScience Managing Editor
September 13, 2005

An important seismic event imperceptible to humans has begun in the Pacific Northwest as predicted, according to the government agency Geological Survey of Canada.

The chance of a major earthquake is 30 times higher now for a roughly two-week period, but the odds are still remote, scientists say.

The event is called episodic tremor and slip (ETS). It involves a slow movement of the Juan de Fuca and North America tectonic plates along the Cascadia margin of southern British Columbia. Faults associated with the plates have been the sites of major earthquakes -- akin to the colossal tsumani-causing quake last December in Indonesia -- every 500 years or so, the geologic record shows. The last such temblor in the area struck on Jan. 26 in the year 1700.

Slow creep

The movement is slower than a traditional earthquake but more rapid than the normal creep associated with the fault. It runs in the reverse direction of the normal creep.

The movement was predicted. Scientists recently learned that these ETS events recur about every 14 months. It has been detected by Global Positioning System instruments.

The event does not mean an earthquake is imminent, but geologists are eager to study it and learn more and they say sooner or later an ETS event is likely to trigger a major quake.

"Compared to the steady year-round stress accumulation, this more rapid stress increase implies that a large subduction earthquake is more likely to happen during the time of an ETS event," the Canadian geologists write.

The slippage and associated minor tremors "are directly related to megathrust (Sumatra-like) earthquake potential," lead geologist John Cassidy and a colleague said in Tuesday's statement. "Neither the tremor nor the slip can be felt."

Odds go up

The slip began Sept. 3 on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State and has migrated north to the Vancouver Island area, Cassidy wrote. Victoria moved 0.12 inches (3 millimeters) to the West over the course of two days. The events are thought to last six to 15 days.

Cassidy's colleague, Stephane Mazzotti, has done some calculations on the odds of a large temblor.

"The probability of occurrence of a megathrust earthquake is about 30 times higher during this approximately two-week window, than during the rest of the 14.5 month cycle," Cassidy told LiveScience. "Having said that, 30 times a small number is still a small number."

Geologists simply don't know when one of these events will trigger a major quake, Cassidy said.

The immediate importance of the event is that it occurred as predicted and can now be used to improve understanding of the region's seismology.

"By better understanding these events, we will be able to better predict the effects (and perhaps timing) of future magnitude 9 earthquakes along the West Coast," Cassidy and his colleague write.

A separate study recently concluded that a major earthquake along the fault could be overdue, given clusters of the events seen in the geologic record. Because the fault is offshore, scientists say its rupture could create a devastating tsunami.

By Eric Hand
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
September 12, 2005

Bozo the baboon grabs a small plastic cage, filled with cabbage and green beans, and heaves it across his pen. His fluffy, gray hair bounces as he trots after it.

Four female baboons have figured out how to unlatch their food cages. They sit on their crimson bottoms and munch the vegetables. Bozo keeps flinging his cage until it bursts open.

"He's not the brightest bulb," said St. Louis Zoo primate keeper Ingrid Porton.

The scene amuses a family, but it's not for their benefit. The cages are supposed to amuse the baboons. Don't call the cages toys, however. They are "enrichment," according to Porton, who will host a public lecture on the topic at 7:30 tonight at the Zoo.

Zoos used to be content with being humane. Now, they have to entertain. Since 2002, the American Zoo and Aquarium Association has required its 211 accredited members to have an enrichment program. The practice reflects a growing body of research that says bored animals are unhealthy animals.

But how can an insect be bored?

"It's kind of hard to define animal boredom," said Denise Leonard, a doctoral student in animal behavior at St. Louis University. "We can't ask the animal."

David Shepherdson, a researcher at the Oregon Zoo, adds that there's a danger in presuming that animals will enjoy what humans enjoy - or that animals can "enjoy" anything at all.

What zookeepers do know is that stimulated animals seems to be healthier. Without stimulation, they say, animals show "stereotypic behavior." Birds pluck themselves. Big cats chew their tails. Primates pick a wound for no reason.

Some animals even vomit to break up the monotony, Porton said.

"We had a gorilla that was a champion for R and R," she said - "R and R" meaning regurgitation and reingestion.

Shepherdson said he has found high stress hormone levels in polar bears that pace back and forth. Now, studies are showing that enrichment - whether a food puzzle or a change in the animals' pens - can help reduce that stress.

Nadja Wielebnowski, an ecologist at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, has studied 74 captive clouded leopards. The clouded leopard is a secretive cat that likes to climb. Wielebnowski found higher levels of stress hormones when pens were smaller and less elaborate.

Wielebnowski then added hiding and climbing spaces to leopard pens in six of the zoos she studied. Stress levels dropped, she said.

The science backing up enrichment may just be emerging, but zoos have been doing it for years. Porton said the St. Louis Zoo began its enrichment program in 1996.

"We've seen a complete evolution," she said. "Older keepers just wanted to do the routine. Now the keepers think it's wrong if you don't do" enrichment.

At zoos, the question now isn't so much whether enrichment is good. It's what type of enrichment works best.

Leonard is studying enrichment for African wild dogs at the Wild Canid Survival and Research Center in Eureka, Mo. She gives them Kong toys - hard, hollow, rubbery dog toys.

She stuffs some with pig ears, some with gauze soaked in deer urine and others with jingle bells. Then she measures how interested the dogs are. So far, she says, a food toy is the most enriching, followed by sound, then scent.

With small budgets, zoos are finding ways to make enrichment creative and economical.

At the National Zoo in Washington, an octopus gets to unscrew a jar filled with shrimp. The Oregon Zoo gives its polar bears whole salmon frozen in a five-gallon bucket of ice.

At the St. Louis Zoo, a purple hyacinth macaw chews on the end of a long cardboard tube that sometimes has bananas in it. A 42-year-old caracara, a scavenging raptor, peers into a papier mache hive and gobbles up the dead mouse hidden within.

There's enrichment even in the insect house, though invertebrate keeper Bob Merz acknowledges that sometimes his insects are the enrichment for other zoo animals.

Merz acknowledges that insects don't have a mental life - that the banana slug doesn't enjoy its special cucumber treat, or that the jade-headed beetle doesn't get excited for its sweetly decomposing banana. But there are real effects on an insect's health if its environment isn't enriching, he said. A meal will rot within a scorpion, for example, if it's not stimulated to move around within its exhibit.

With other exhibits, however, the enrichment is more for the visitors than the insects. Behind glass, a buzzing community of paper wasps has made a rainbow-colored nest from scraps of red, orange and green paper.

"That's for us, mainly," Merz said.

The Australian
September 14, 2005

VISITORS to Zagreb zoo can now experience what it feels like to be a caged animal, zoo management announced overnight.

People will be able to walk through two cages and feel what it's like to be held in captivity as well as learn why humans are "the most dangerous species on the planet".

"It is an action aimed at mobilising people against bad treatment of animals and encouraging them to protect the environment," zoo head Mladen Ancic said.

The cages, previously home to foxes and martens, are no longer in use as living conditions for the zoo's animals had been significantly improved, said Ancic.

Entry to the cages will be through a so-called "path of conscience" where information panels will detail how human's contribute to the destruction of wildlife and the environment.

One cage will be filled with plastic and metal waste to highlight how people pollute the environment.

The 'human's cage' is next to the wolves' compound, allowing visitors to get up-close and personal with some of the zoo's other 'inmates'.

Homo sapiens put beside primates
By Cassandra Vinograd
The Associated Press
August 27, 2005

LONDON - At London Zoo, you can talk to the animals - and now some of them talk back.

Caged and barely clothed within a rocky enclosure, eight British men and women monkeyed around Friday for an amused, bemused crowd behind a sign reading "Warning: Humans in their Natural Environment."

The captives in the Human Zoo exhibit sunned themselves on a rock ledge, clad in bathing suits and pinned-on fig leaves. Some played with hula hoops, some waved. A signboard informed visitors about the species' diet, habitat, worldwide distribution and threats.

Visitors stopped to point and laugh, and several children could be heard asking "why are there people in there?"

London Zoo spokeswoman Polly Wills said that's the question the zoo wants to answer.

"Seeing people in a different environment, among other animals ... teaches members of the public that the human is just another primate," Wills said. It also, she said, lets them "have a gawk at people."

The exhibit, which opened Friday, puts the three male and five female Homo sapiens beside their primate relatives - though separated from them by an electric fence. While their neighbors might enjoy bananas and a good scratch, these eight - chosen from 30 applicants who entered an online contest - have diverse interests, including a chemist who hopes to raise awareness about apes, a self-described actor/model and fitness enthusiast.

Visitors' reactions to the spectacle varied Friday. Pointing at one heavily muscled and gleaming body on the ledge, a visitor joked that the zoo should consider a breeding program.

Melissa Wecker, 21, was disappointed that the humans were wearing swimsuits. "They're not doing anything. It looked lots better on the news," she said.

The human captives were kept well-fed and watered by zoo staff, who took care to ensure they did not grow bored. A supply of board games was on hand, and some said they were looking forward to tuning into the England-Australia cricket match on the radio.

The participants are allowed to go home each night at closing time. The event runs until Monday.

View London
August 26, 2005

A group of wannabe-caveman have decided on an original way to spend their Bank Holiday weekend.

Eight people have agreed to become part of the attraction at London Zoo, and will spend three days being treated as animals.

Covered by some strategically placed leaves, the Human Zoo aims to demonstrate the primitive nature of man and the impact that our species has on the animal kingdom.

The outdoor dwellers were selected through an internet competition of 30 hopefuls and are looking forward to their novel experience.

"I'm a veterinary student so the idea of working for a zoo was something that appealed to me," said volunteer Simon Spiro, 19, from New Malden in Surrey.

"I thought it would be fun and interesting because I'm an outdoorsy kind of person," he commented, adding that he's taking pocket scrabble "in case we're bored".

Brendan Carr, 25, from Aylesbury, southern England, wrote a poem in his bid to get on the mountain.

"I'm funky like a monkey and as cool as a cat, talk more than a parrot, up all night like a bat," it went.

"I got a laugh like a hyena but get the hump like a camel, so cover me in fig leaves as I'm the ultimate mammal."

The volunteers will be allowed home for the night, providing them with a few hours escape from inquisitive eyes during their three-day camp.

By Darren Weeks

Against the backdrop of Disney's trademark fairytale castle, stood the Chinese second in command Zeng Qinghong, along side of Disney executives Michael Eisner and Bob Iger.

The event was a ribbon cutting ceremony for Disney's new Hong Kong location — a $3 billion theme park, the primary sponsor of which is the communist government.

The park, which serves mostly Chinese food and features attractions that reflect the local culture, is expected to draw $19 billion over the next 40 years.

Chinese government officials and Disney executives were all smiles at Monday's ribbon-cutting ceremony, which featured a lion dance and appearances from the usual Disney characters. There were children's songs in three different languages.

If sales meet expectations, plans will commence to build an additional park in Shanghai in a few years.

The prostitution of corporate America continues.

By Robert Roy Britt
Senior Science Writer
Space.com

An ongoing series of major solar flares, including one late Friday, could disrupt communications on Earth and generate colorful sky shows for people at high northern latitudes over the weekend.

Even more serious effects are possible next week.

The spate of activity from the Sun is being generated by a large sunspot named 798. Sunspots are cooler and darker regions of pent-up magnetic activity. When they unleash their energy, it's a bit like the top coming off a shaken champagne bottle.

Solar flares send radiation to Earth in about 8 minutes. Hours later, clouds of charged particles can engulf the planet. If the magnetic field of a storm is oriented opposite to our planet's protective magnetic field, gaps are created and radiation leaks to the planet's surface, potentially threatening astronauts aboard the International Space Station, sometimes shorting out satellites, and even causing terrestrial power grids to trip.

Solar activity is at "very high levels," according to NOAA's Space Environment Center (SEC).

There have been five major flares in recent days, including a tremendous X-17 eruption Wednesday. The most recent event Friday evening was an X-6. Even an X-1 can cause severe disruptions.

The largest flare in modern times was recorded in November 2003 and was estimated to be an X-40. It, too, was on the limb of the Sun and so its full impact was not felt on Earth. That flare was part of an unprecedented series of 10 major flares within two weeks.

Each storm is different, and often solar activity goes unnoticed on Earth, depending on whether a storm hits us square or makes a glancing blow and what the magnetic orientation is.

If enough storms erupt, the odds go up that there will be effects here.

There is a 75 percent chance of more X-class flares through Monday, the SEC says.

The sunspot is just rotating into view, so its energy has been directed sideways and not directly at Earth. In coming days, if more major flares erupt, they'll head right at us and radio blackouts, cell phone dropouts and other communications disruptions are more likely, scientists said.

On Friday, a space radiation storm was captured in an image from the SOHO spacecraft, which monitors the Sun.

The Sun is currently at a low point in its 11-year cycle of activity. While sunspots and flares are less common now, astronomers say they can pack plenty of punch when they do occur.

By Alex Berenson, and Timothy Williams
New York Times

NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 8 - Waters were receding across this flood-beaten city today as police officers began confiscating weapons, including legally registered firearms, from civilians in preparation for a mass forced evacuation of the residents still living here.

No civilians in New Orleans will be allowed to carry pistols, shotguns or other firearms, said P. Edwin Compass III, the superintendent of police. "Only law enforcement are allowed to have weapons," he said.

But that order apparently does not apply to hundreds of security guards hired by businesses and some wealthy individuals to protect property. The guards, employees of private security companies like Blackwater, openly carry M-16's and other assault rifles. Mr. Compass said that he was aware of the private guards, but that the police had no plans to make them give up their weapons.

Nearly two weeks after the floods began, New Orleans has turned into an armed camp, patrolled by thousands of local, state, and federal law enforcement officers, as well as National Guard troops and active-duty soldiers. While armed looters roamed unchecked last week, the city is now calm. No arrests were made on Wednesday night or this morning, and the police received only 10 calls for service, a police spokesman said.

The city's slow recovery is continuing on other fronts as well, local officials said at a news conference. Pumping stations are now operating across much of the city, and many taps and fire hydrants have water pressure. Tests have shown no evidence of cholera or other dangerous diseases in flooded areas, though health officials have said the waters contain unsafe levels of E. coli bacteria and lead.

Efforts to recover corpses have also started.

But there were still signs of confusion and uncertainty over government plans. FEMA's director, Michael D. Brown, had said his agency would begin issuing debit cards, worth at least $2,000 each, to allow hurricane victims to buy supplies for immediate needs. More than 319,000 people have already applied for federal disaster relief, and many evacuees began lining up at the Astrodome, in Houston, early today in hope of getting cards.

"The concept is to get them some cash in hand," Mr. Brown had said, "which allows them, empowers them, to make their own decisions about what they need to have to restart their lives."

But this afternoon, FEMA announced that it no longer planned to issue the cards. An agency spokesman, David G. Passey, said that he did not know why the program was scrapped but that now "we believe that our normal methods of delivery - checks and electronic funds transfer - will suffice."

In Washington, the House an Senate overwhelmingly approved $51.8 billion for relief efforts, the second disbursement since the storm devastated the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29. The funds include $50 billion for FEMA, $1.4 billion for the Department of Defense and an additional $400 million for the Army Corps of Engineers. The request follows a $10.5 billion package that President Bush signed on Friday and that is intended to address the immediate needs of survivors.

Hundreds of miles to the east, Ophelia, a tropical storm off the Florida coast, was upgraded to hurricane status this afternoon after its winds reached speeds of 75 miles per hour. Forecasters have predicted that Ophelia will turn east into the Atlantic Ocean during the next few days, although its path remains unclear.

With pumps running and the weather here remaining hot and dry, water has receded across much of New Orleans. Formerly flooded streets are now passable, although covered with leaves, tree branches and mud.

A spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers, Dan Hitchings, said 37 of the city's 174 permanent pumps were working this afternoon, removing about 11,000 cubic feet of flood water per second. The city's 174 pumps have the capacity to remove about 81,000 cubic feet of water each second when they are all operational.

While Mr. Hitchings would not try to quantify how much the water level in the city had dropped, he did say that "it's going down."

The Army Corps of Engineers continues to try to plug two levee breaks, Mr. Hitchings said, on London Avenue, and at the end of the Harbor Navigation Canal.

Many neighborhoods in the northern half of New Orleans remain under 10 feet of water, and Mr. Compass said today that the city's plans for a forced evacuation remained in effect because of the danger of disease and fires.

Mr. Compass said he could not disclose when New Orleans residents might be forced to leave en masse, but other police officers and law enforcement officials said the city planned to start as early as tonight.

The city's Police Department and federal law enforcement officers from agencies like the United States Marshals Service will lead the evacuation, Mr. Compass said. Officers will search houses in both dry and flooded neighborhoods, and no one will be allowed to stay, he said.

Many of the residents still in the city said they did not understand why the city remained intent on forcing them out.

"I know the risks," said Renee de Pontchieux, as she sat on a stool outside Kajun's Pub in the working-class Bywater neighborhood east of downtown. "We used to think we lived in America - now we're not so sure. Why should we allow this government to chase us out and allow people from outside to rebuild our homes? We want to rebuild our homes."

But Ms. De Pontchieux said she was resigned to being evacuated if the police insisted. "It would be foolish" to fight, she said.

This afternoon, President Bush announced a series of measures intended to make it easier for evacuees to receive state and federal assistance, like Medicaid and food stamps, to make the aid as "simple as possible to collect."

"There will be many difficult days ahead, especially as we recover those who did not survive the storm," he said, adding that he was declaring Sept. 16, next Friday, a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance.

Vice President Dick Cheney, accompanied by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and the secretary of homeland security, Michael Chertoff, surveyed damaged neighborhoods in the Gulf Coast region today, and pledged that the federal government would help rebuild the devastated area.

Mr. Cheney visited Gulfport, Miss., and New Orleans, where flood waters are growing increasingly fetid and thousands of people are still insisting on staying, despite the evacuation order.

"The president asked me to come down to take a look at things, and to begin to focus on the longer term, in terms of making certain obviously that we're getting the search-and-rescue missions done and all those other immediate things," Mr. Cheney said after touring a neighborhood in Gulfport. "The progress we're making is significant."

Mr. Cheney's visit follows a visit earlier this week by President Bush, his second since the storm hit, following much criticism last week that the administration and federal agencies had been slow in responding to the disaster.

An estimated 5,000 to 10,000 people remain inside New Orleans more than a week after Hurricane Katrina hit, many in neighborhoods that are on high ground near the Mississippi River.

But the number of dead still remained a looming and disturbing question.

In the first indication of how many deaths Louisiana alone might expect, a spokesman for the State Department of Health and Hospitals, Robert Johannessen, said on Wednesday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had ordered 25,000 body bags. The official death toll remains under 100.

In Washington, House and Senate leaders announced a joint investigation into the government's response to the crisis. "Americans deserve answers," said a statement by the two top-ranking Republicans, Speaker J. Dennis Hastert and Senator Bill Frist, the majority leader. "We must do all we can to learn from this tragedy, improve the system and protect all of our citizens."

Democratic leaders, however, said they would not participate, citing a preference for an independent inquiry.

The government continued its efforts to help evacuees. At the Astrodome in Houston, where an estimated 15,000 New Orleans evacuees found shelter over the weekend, the number had dwindled to only about 3,000 on Wednesday as people were rapidly placed in apartments, volunteers' homes and hotels that had been promised reimbursement by FEMA.

With the overall death toll highly uncertain, Mr. Brown, the FEMA director, said in Baton Rouge that the formal house-to-house search for bodies had begun at midmorning. He said the temporary mortuary set up in St. Gabriel, La., was prepared to receive 500 to 1,000 bodies a day, with refrigeration trucks on site to hold the corpses.

"They will be processed as rapidly as possible," Mr. Brown said.

As it worked to remove the water inundating the city, the Corps of Engineers said that one additional pumping station, No. 6, at the head of the 17th Street Canal, had started up, and that about 10 percent of the city's total pumping capacity was in operation. But the corps added that it was dealing with a new problem: how to prevent corpses from being sucked to the grates at the pump inlets.

By Darren Weeks

I'm currently monitoring CBS News. Seconds ago, they ran a promo for their broadcast news magazine 60 Minutes which asked the question: "How will they create order out of chaos in New Orleans?"

"Order out of Chaos" or the latin "Ordo Ab Chao" is the phrase the defines the Hegelian Dialectic — the tactic used by the controllers to condition the population, through crisis, into accepting certain undesirable ideas they would ordinarily reject without the crisis situation.

The CBS (controlled network) use of the phrase "order out of chaos" in their network promotion is very telling. The controllers love to make fun of their victims and communicate secret messages through their works. By using that phrase, it is a fingerprint they leave for other insiders to understand. But for those of us who have done the necessary research into their diabolical activities, we understand the messages, and the fact that they are the facilitators of the many crises of mankind.

I have captured the CBS audio and will play the network promo on the Friday broadcast. I encourage all of you to listen to the Friday broadcast at 10 PM Eastern, as I'll also have more on eco-villages (called sustainable communities), and information on earth worship, which is the new religion they intend to force upon us all.

We haven't seen the last of these so-called "natural" disasters. The global elite have spent the last half-century perfecting their weather modification abilities.

Just as they did with the Asian tsunami on December 26, 2004, and now the New Orleans crisis, they will destroy more communities with the purpose in mind of rebuilding them in accordance with the principles of sustainability, as defined in Agenda 21.

If anyone thinks that what you see here is crazy, feel free to disagree with me. I only ask that you do so after a thorough investigation and research into Agenda 21. You MUST do your own research in order to understand.

This is evidence of the Wildlands Project, rewilding my local area. This article comes from my local paper. My wife and I spent a while out behind our house, looking at cougar tracks that lead back into the woods. It's my children I fear for the most. How can we let them play outside?

-Darren Weeks

By Pat Rombyer
Jackson Citizen Patriot

Wendy Chamberlain braked her car and stared -- staring back at her was a full grown cougar, standing in the middle of Callahan Road.

"I couldn't believe my eyes," she said Friday, rubbing away the goosebumps on her arm.

The sighting occurred Thursday morning, the day after a horse was killed in Parma Township, the victim of a cougar attack.

As the Parma Township supervisor watched in stunned silence, the large cat lumbered slowly off the road and disappeared into the weeds. It only added to her concern. "There's a cougar and people need to know," she said.

There have been five reported cougar sightings in Jackson County in recent weeks, county animal control officers said.

Patrick Rusz, director of wildlife programs at the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy who has been researching cougars in Michigan for the past six years, said Michigan's habitat and large deer population make it a natural place for cougars.

Rusz came to Parma Township Friday to investigate the horse's death. He had the body exhumed and examined the bite marks and other injuries.

"It was classic cougar," Rusz said, explaining that the 26-year-old registered Arabian died from a bite at the base of the skull. The horse had numerous other puncture marks on the head and neck from the cougar's 21/2-inch fangs.

"It was as neat a case as I've ever seen," he said.

Machelle Dunlap, an officer at the Jackson County Animal Control, was the first to suspect a cougar when she was called to the farm on Wednesday.

"The owner thought maybe it had been shot, which would be a cruelty case," she said.

Family members told her their dog began barking incessantly at about 1:30 a.m. and they could hear their horses whinnying, Dunlap said.

The family's name is not being released to avoid attracting sightseers or hunters who may try and capture the wild animal.

Cougars are protected under the Endangered Species Act and may not be killed without a special permit.

Once she ruled out gunshots or other wild animals as the cause of death, Dunlap contacted Rusz, who confirmed her suspicions.

Dunlap, Chamberlain and a Michigan state trooper also explored the area off Callahan Road where Chamberlain saw the cougar. It was a little more than a mile from where the horse was killed.

They found prints, smelled urine and found a utility pole that appeared to have been used as a scratching post by the cat.

Associated Press

TOKYO - Japanese automaker Toyota has developed a safety technology that it says will keep the driver's eyes on the road.

An image-processing computer system developed by Toyota Motor Corp. and a Toyota affiliate uses a camera near the steering wheel to detect when the driver stops looking straight ahead.

The system flashes a light on the dashboard display and emits a beeping noise when the eyes start to wander. If the driver still doesn't respond, brakes kick in, Toyota said Tuesday.

The feature will be offered in Lexus luxury models set to be sold in Japan in spring next year. Toyota won't comment on whether it will be offered in models sold abroad, company spokeswoman Keiko Nakajima said.

Research shows that most accidents happen because the driver isn't paying attention, according to Toyota.

By Sherri Reese

Katrina.

Anarchy, chaos, looting, rape, murder, gangs, thugs, cop-killing, politics, racial wars, and opportunists that exploit tragedy. America? Yes, and NO.

Blame has been dumped on everything from global warming, racial hate, corruption, and of course the eeevil Bush administration. I have been reading blogs, emails from friends in Mississippi, and watching the news for days. I have actually read a woman's story about wanting to stop and help another woman stranded on the side of the road with a young child, but changed her mind when she saw a "W" sticker on this mother's minivan. I have seen some call on everyone to pull together. Political ideology has destroyed the character of our society as a whole. I have heard the "n" word in some places being used more than the word "the." INSANITY!

How did we get here? I have a few ideas, but none better than the example I am about to give.

I was watching my son play football the other day. I got to chatting with a woman there watching her son. I found out that she is a teacher, a single mother, and a Christian. I was enjoying our conversation until.............
Yup, she started on how terrible America is. In a nutshell, "9/11, what do we expect? Look how we treat the rest of the world and EACH OTHER." It was obvious we grew up in two different countries. WHY? Because I am white, and she is black? NO- this is ridiculous. We grew up in two different America's because of the people in our lives and what they taught us and showed us.

She sees herself as not abandoned, but targeted. America keeping her down. America out to punish people and hate people because of skin color. Sadly, this image is not at all what I saw. I saw a classy, intelligent woman. A mother committed and dedicated to her children, sitting in the stands after a hard day's work hoping to see her son get on the field at least once. I saw a woman not only dedicated to her own children, but to all of the children in her community. Let's face it, teachers don't sign up for the job for the dough. I saw a mother working hard to give her children all she could. But then the hate slipped out. The image I had of her was shattered.

My heart broke for her. How miserable this must be. No doubt she loves her children. Now I saw a woman that has been cheated, not cheated of opportunity to achieve physically, but cheated mentally and emotionally. I fear this is a family heirloom passed down generation after generation. It is a martyrdom clung to. I honestly believe the hate is clung to with the intention of making them strong. The purpose is to teach their children to never let the white man disrespect them. The result it DEVASTATING.

Imagine this scenario: My son walks off the field after the game frustrated and angry because he didn't get to play. I proceed to tell him that he is being cheated. Sports are corrupt, full of coaches out to make a name for themselves, basking in adoration, and they don't give a hoot about him. The only thing the coach cares about is the numbers placed in the WIN - LOSS column. He favors the kids whose parents he hangs out with and raise lots of money for the team. Then I decide to go pitch a fit on the coach. I whine and moan. I tell my son the coach hates short people. You are short, get use to it. The world is not a friendly place for short men. Don't take it, fight back against this injustice at every turn. "SHORT POWER."

What have I just done? I have told my child that he is a victim. I have told him he has NO POWER. I have SHOWN him that blaming others, accusing them of discrimation, and acting like a child told "no" is the way to handle things. I have CONVINCED him that it doesn't matter how hard he works, or how talented he is, the system is against him, and there is only one way to deal with it- take NO responsibility, and let the world know you are a victim and the system is eeevil. What a great lesson. What a GREAT gift to give my child. How strong is my love for my child when supporting him and giving him the tools to succeed in life take a back seat to my hate and anger.

In reality what is happening is that my heart is breaking. It is painful to see your child not get what he wants, or what I feel he deserves. But rather than deal with this pain on my own, rather than possess my pain and be the adult, I take the pain and shove it back on him. Make him deal with it and make myself look like his number one advocate.

I love my son. My love for him is so strong, I want HIM to succeed and have more in life. I want him to live with peace in his soul and be a man that others look up to. This is what I told my son:

You are just as much a part of that team as the star quarterback. You have a great purpose. You may not be in the spotlight for making big plays, but you have other talents. Take YOUR talents and SHINE with THOSE. Son, people love to be around you. You are the one encouraging your friends when they are down. You know how to pump people up. I am thrilled just to see you wear that jersey. You are brave beyond measure. It takes a lot of heart and great character to make sure you give all you can to the team instead of sitting on the sidelines worrying about your chance to show-off. It takes courage to stand on that field when these guys are twice your size and weight. It's easy to be a positive part of the team when you are making catches and running the ball into the endzone. It's TOUGH to stand on the sidelines and cheer and support the kids that pick on you just to make themselves feel better or look cool. You are head and shoulders above them. You have what it takes to be a great husband and a great father, and when all is said and done, this is what people will remember. Make it your mission to be the best encourager of the guy on the team with the biggest ego and worst attitude. Don't waste your time getting angry about where you fall short, put your energy into your OWN STRENGTHS. Figure out what you can offer this team that no one else can, and then give it with all your heart and soul. Be the one that people can count on to hold the team together. Be the one that people WANT to be around. If you do this, 2 things will happen. Number one- YOU will enjoy your time spent on this team MUCH MUCH MORE! You are going to be there- make it count. Make it the BEST you can make it. Number two- YOU will learn more from this experience than you ever imagined. You will be the better person. You will leave your high school career knowing that you were a positive part of this team. You will go into life with the skills you need to succeed no matter what the odds. YOU have the power to become a VICTIM or a VICTOR. It is YOUR choice.

Bottom line is this. The rest of the world will give him plenty of chances to be a victim and blame others for all his unhappiness and disappointments. I have decided to GIVE HIM THE OPPORTUNITY TO KNOW HE HAS THE POWER TO SUCCEED AND THE CHARACTER TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. My job as a parent is not to worry about how much time he gets on the field. It is my job to nurture him in a way that will serve him best in his life. It is my job to give him the chance to know HE CHOOSES his destiny. It is my job to bear the brunt of the pain and disappointment and give him HOPE and POWER over his own life.

As the talking heads and political pundits play games and play on your emotions to further their own agenda, put your efforts into making America better. I am going to take the last piece of my own advice that I gave my son. "When you catch others on the team causing strife and tearing the coaches or other players down, tell them you aren't interested in wasting your time hurting the team. Tell them it is the coaches call on who plays and who doesn't. It is your call on weather you build the team up or tear it down. Tell them you choose to do what you can do to make the team better." So I am not going to waste my breath on who called who. Not wasting my time on weather the Governor, the Mayor, or the President dropped the ball. Even an investigation into what went wrong would only become a political CYA session. After everyone is safe, the Mayor, the Governor, and the President need to sit down behind closed doors and hash it all out. Then they should EACH release a statement about where they could have done BETTER. No one should mention a word about what the others should have done. They need to concentrate on their own roles and offer what they learned in order to help others learn from the mistakes made so we can ALL be better prepared in the future.

This is about saving lives. This is not about elections. This is about using this tragedy to make us weaker or stronger. OUR CHOICE!