1.5 billion people are still living in darkness: New climate deal must tackle energy poverty

Dear colleagues and friends,

As world leaders enter into final negotiations ahead of the Copenhagen climate talks, three billion people, almost half of humanity, still rely on solid fuels – which means traditional biomass and coal - because they don’t have access to modern energy services. Almost a quarter of the global population —1.5 billion people— lives without electricity, 80 percent of them in the least developed countries (LDCs) of South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. That’s according to figures from a new UNDP/WHO report that shines a light on the plight of the three billion people without access to modern energy services.

The report entitled "The Energy Access Situation in Developing Countries, A Review Focusing on the Least Developed Countries and Sub-Saharan Africa", now available at www.undp.org/energy, was produced in partnership by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Health Organization (WHO), with support from the International Energy Agency (IEA).

According to the report, to halve the proportion of people living in poverty by 2015 —the first of eight, internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals— 1.2 billion more people will need access to electricity and about two billion more people will need access to modern fuels like natural gas or Liquefied Petroleum Gas.

Two million people die every year from causes associated with exposure to smoke from cooking with biomass and coal—and 99 percent of those deaths occur in developing countries. In LDCs and sub-Saharan Africa, half of all deaths from pneumonia in children under five years, chronic lung disease and lung cancer in adults --are attributed to the use of solid fuel use, compared with 38 percent in developing countries overall.

Additional to the report, a one page brief and a powerpoint presentation on the report can be downloaded from www.undp.org/energy

Many thanks and regards,

Sarwat Chowdhury, PhD
Consultant on Access to Sustainable Energy for the Poor
Sustainable Energy Programme
Environment and Energy Group
Bureau for Development Policy
UNDP, NY

Superstar CBS Reporter Blows the Lid Off the Swine Flu Media Hype and Hysteria

Sharyl Attkisson is a CBS News correspondent and investigative reporter. She’s covered Capitol Hill since February 2006 and has been a Washington-based correspondent there since January 1995. She was also part of the CBS news team that received the Edward Murrow Award in 2005 for overall excellence. Additionally, she received an Outstanding Investigative Journalism Emmy in 2002 for a series on the Red Cross.

In case you didn't realize it, Sharyl Attkisson is the investigative reporter behind the groundbreaking CBS News study that found H1N1 flu cases are NOT as prevalent as feared.

In fact, they’re barely on the radar screen.

How did this startling information come about, and why is the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) painting a different picture entirely? I spoke directly with Sharyl Attkisson to find out.
Two Videos

The first video is an amazing interview I did with Sharyl about ten days ago and what the bulk of this article is based on

The second video is brand new and was done at noon yesterday in which I was videoed in the CBS studio in downtown Chicago. Sharyl was gracious enough to invite me to be on with Dr. Bernadine Healty, the former direction of the NIH. We both were in agreement about the swine flu and opposed to the stance the CDC is taking, but we had different views on mammograms.

Please also watch the second interview as it is very entertaining.

Getting Started on the Swine Flu Trail
Ms. Attkisson says:

“The reason I looked into this is a couple of months ago, I got tips from three or four different segments of public healthcare, with folks telling me the CDC has recommended that they go ahead and stop testing for and counting swine flu cases.

Each different entity that contacted me was concerned, thinking that this should not be happening. They really felt that it was necessary for the swine flu to continue to be tracked in some details. So I went about trying to find out why this decision was made and what the ramifications would be.

… I started by contacting the CDC and the HHS and asking some basic questions. I felt like I pretty much got stonewalled with some of the information I really needed to get at, especially what I needed from the states data, and information on the rationale behind this decision to stop counting and testing for swine flu.”

Because the CDC did not initially respond to Attkisson’s requests, she contacted all 50 states directly, asking for their statistics on state lab-confirmed H1N1 prior to the halt of individual testing and counting in July. She also asked states, one by one, to help explain the rationale behind the CDC’s decision to stop tracking H1N1 cases.

Attkisson continues:

“One of my good sources within the government said to me that they’re either trying to, in his opinion, over-represent the swine flu numbers or under-represent by not counting them anymore. He said, “You need to find out which it is.” And so to find out which it might be, I really wanted to see the data that the CDC had at the time it made the decision to quit counting the cases.”

What Her Investigative Report Reveals

If you listen to most media outlets and even to government agencies, you get the impression that virtually every person who has visited their physician with flu-like symptoms in recent months has H1N1, with no testing necessary because, after all, there's an epidemic.

We are all being led to believe that every case diagnosed as “swine flu” or even as “flu-like illness” is, in fact, swine flu.

But Attkisson’s investigation revealed a very different picture right from her first contact with individual states. She explains:

“Across the country, state by state, they were testing [for H1N1] until CDC told them not to bother. They were testing, in general, the cases most likely to be believed to have been swine flu based on a doctor’s diagnosis of symptoms and risk factors such as travel to Mexico.

These special cases were going to state labs for absolute confirmation with the best test -- not the so-called “rapid testing,” but the real confirmation test.

Of those presumed likely swine flu cases out of approximately every hundred of what was tested, only a small fraction were actually swine flu. In every instance, perhaps the biggest number of cases that were swine flu was something like 30%. The smallest number was something like 2% or 3%.

Maybe there’s one state where it was just 1%.

The point is, of the vast majority of the presumed swine flu cases recognized by trained physicians, the vast majority were not flu at all. They weren’t swine flu or regular flu; they were some other sort of upper respiratory infection.”

And here is the clincher that it seems the CDC just doesn’t want the American public to know …

“The CDC explained that one of the reasons they quit counting was because of all the flu that’s out there, most are swine flu. Well, that’s true. Most of the flu that was out there was indeed swine flu, but they failed to say that most of the suspected flu was nothing at all. And I think that’s the caveat the public just didn’t know,” Attkisson explains.

She gives even more striking examples of the numbers the investigative report revealed. For instance:

In Florida, 83 percent of specimens that were presumed to be swine flu were negative for all flu when tested!
In California, 86 percent of suspected H1N1 specimens were not swine flu or any flu; only 2 percent were confirmed swine flu.
In Alaska, 93 percent of suspected swine flu specimens were negative for all flu types; only 1 percent was H1N1 flu.
Freedom of Information and Getting the Truth Out

It is not easy for journalists to access this type of information, and they often have to wait weeks, months or even years for information from the CDC and the FDA -- information that is readily available and supposed to be clearly public.

Attkisson expands on the difficulties she faced in trying to get simple data regarding swine flu cases in the United States:

“They [CDC’s public affairs] quit communicating with me when I pressed on why I couldn’t get certain information. They just wouldn’t answer my emails anymore. So I had to file a Freedom of Information request, which is usually my last choice because I know I was going into a deep black hole many times and I’ll never get an answer.

But in this case, I got an interesting response on October 19 from the CDC when I had asked for some simple, public documents that would have been easy for them to obtain too quickly.

Journalists are allowed to ask for expedited processing of their Freedom of Information request because, for obvious reasons, they’re working on a story that may have public impact or be of public interest. The agencies are not supposed to use the Freedom of Information Law to obstruct or delay the release of this information.

This may be the first time I was denied that expedited processing from Freedom of Information that we’re entitled to as members of the press; a letter from HHS or Health and Human Services (the CDC is under HHS) said to me that one of the reasons they’re denying my expedited processing is because this is not a matter of “widespread and exceptional media or public interest.”

In other words, the CDC doesn’t think these questions about swine flu prevalence and these other things that we’ve been asking are, at least in their opinion in this letter, not a matter of widespread and exceptional media or public interest.”

Yet, while the CDC expressed that questions about swine flu prevalence were not a matter of widespread media or public interest, the President had declared the swine flu a national public health emergency!

The inconsistencies at the CDC are nearly incomprehensible.

The Ramifications of the Swine Flu Policy

According to Attkisson’s CBS News study, when you come down with chills, fever, cough, runny nose, malaise and all those other "flu-like" symptoms, the illness is likely caused by influenza at most 17 percent of the time and as little as 3 percent! The other 83 to 97 percent of the time it's caused by other viruses or bacteria.

So remember that not every illness that appears to be the flu actually is the flu. In fact, most of the time it's not.

Curiously, the CDC still advises those who were told they had 2009 H1N1 (and therefore should be immune to getting it again) to get vaccinated unless they had lab confirmation.

But because very few people have actually had a lab-confirmed case of H1N1 (and in most cases those people told they had swine flu probably did not), this means nearly everyone is still being advised to get the swine flu vaccine.

Attkisson has been one of the few to speak out against this flawed system and point out the serious ramifications that come when a public health agency is secretive about their health data.

Attkisson says:

“From a public and journalistic standpoint, I believe the mistake comes when you don’t fully disclose to the public as you go and discover the mistakes. Try to disclose and fix things that come up.

Everybody understands that there isn’t a perfect system, but I think you need to be upfront with them, explain what you’re doing, and explain what you’re discovering. If you’ve made a mistake or you feel like you need to correct something, say that, too, but don’t just try to keep information from the public.”

I couldn’t agree more, and Attkisson’s CBS News report has stood out like a bright light of truth among all the clouds of misinformation.

If you’d like to learn more about the report and its findings, you can read all the details in the past article CBS Reveals that Swine Flu Cases Seriously Overestimated.

Scientists Concerned For Academic Freedom

Open Letter to Premier of Western Australia

Now signed by more than 70

Background

Dr. Judy Carman, senior scientist working in the field of
epidemiology in Australia and awarded a government grant to
study the safety of GM feed, has been subjected to a
sustained campaign of vilification by individuals associated
withthe biotech industry, with the clear intention of
preventingher from carrying out the research. Political
pressure is nowbeing brought to bear on her research by the
current Agriculture and Food Minister of Western Australia.

Dr. Carman is not an isolated case. A long string of
scientists beginning with Arpad Puszati, Susan Bardocz, Shiv
Chopra, Ignacio Chapela, Irina Ermakova, and more has
suffered the same attackswhen their research or laboratory
findings are deemed unfavourable to thebiotech industry;
they have also lost their grants or their jobs as a result.

It is important for scientists to make a stand for real
science,and for the right of scientists to do research
without being harassed and intimidated, or losing their
grants or positions. The public will not be well-served
unless this academic freedom to do research independent of
industry or the whims of government is guaranteed.

Please add your name and affiliation to the letter below by
sending an e-mail message to m.w.ho@i-sis.org.uk

Please forward for more signatures


Comment from Dr. Shiv Chopra, Canada

The same or worse is happening all across the world. For
instance, a workshop at which I and another scientist were
invited last week to discuss the pros and cons of vaccines
at the First Nations (Aboriginal) conference in Ottawa was
abruptly cancelled, apparently under threat from Health
Canada officials. The same is happening with regard to the
new consumer protection bills, presently under consideration
of the Canadian and US politicians. In June 2009, I heard
of much the same happening during my visit to Australia and
New Zealand and, of course, even worse during my last
several visits to India.


Comment from Dr. Mira Shiva, India

Thank you so much for sending this letter. Many of us feel
extremely agitated about the harassment of independent
researchers and scientists whose findings are not in the
interest of corporations. We have seen it in the
pharmaceutical industry, and witnessed it with regard to
food and agriculture.

I am committed to our right to safety and right to
information as much as I am disgusted at the misuse of power
to block the conduction of pro- public health, public
interest research by independents researchers and scientists

I am also deeply concerned about researchers totally
changing their conclusions under inducement. For those who
have stood up for their research and faced pressures, we
offer our deep appreciation and respect, and assurance of
our continued solidarity.


Comment from Dr. Allison Bleaney OBE

The integrity of science itself is in doubt if independent
objective research cannot be assured.

This is a major issue and of concern to us all; the
undermining of the researcher and their work along withthe
deliberate policy of the ‘undone science’. Thank you for highlighting it publically.

Read the rest of this report
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/scientistsConcernedAcademicFreedom.php

Floods devastate UK Lake District, much of Ireland

By SCOTT HEPPELL, Associated Press Writer – Fri Nov 20, 6:22 pm ET
COCKERMOUTH, England






Raging floods engulfed northern England's picturesque Lake District on Friday following the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in Britain, killing a police officer and trapping dozens in their swamped homes.
Military helicopters winched dozens of people to safety and emergency workers in bright orange inflatable boats rescued scores more after an unprecedented deluge.
British soldiers conducted house-to-house searches for those trapped by floods as deep as 8 feet (2.5 meters). Troops also dropped down on lines from Royal Air Force helicopters, breaking through rooftops to pluck people to safety.
Constable Bill Barker, 44, died as he joined rescue attempts, swept into the surging waters when a major bridge collapsed. Emergency services said more than 200 people were rescued in the hardest-hit town, Cockermouth and about 1,000 homes were flooded.
In a message to local officials, Queen Elizabeth II said she was "deeply concerned and saddened by the dreadful flooding across Britain." British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Barker "was a very heroic, very brave man."
Britain's Met Office said a record 12.3 inches (314.4 millimeter) of rain fell in 24 hours in the area — the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in the U.K.
Cockermouth, a market town 330 miles (530 kilometers) northwest of London, lies at the junction of the Cocker and Derwent rivers and is known as the birthplace of poet William Wordsworth. The flood was "of biblical proportions," local House of Commons lawmaker Tony Cunningham said.
Heavy rain and gales also brought widespread flooding to Ireland, as more than 3 feet (1 meter) of water shut down the center of the country's second-largest city, Cork, and more than a dozen towns and villages. The Irish army was used to rescue the stranded from waist-deep floodwaters and a helicopter winched to safety a County Galway family of five, including the 87-year-old grandmother.
Floods caused transport chaos along Ireland's western coast. At the Lake Hotel, on the shores of the fabled Killarney Lakes in County Kerry, about 170 guests at the Victorian period building were evacuated by tractor, as staff carried period furniture upstairs.
Irish weather forecasting service Met Eireann said parts of southern and western Ireland suffered their most intense and sustained rainfall in 30 years.
___
Associated Press Writers Shawn Pogatchnik in Dublin and Jill Lawless, Danica Kirka, Bob Barr, Jennifer Quinn and David Stringer in London contributed to this report.

Efren Penaflorida

Putting back the Filipino into the right perspective.

Club 8586 - has started its' campaign and selfless crusade to educate the children of the poorest of the poor in the slums of Cavite City. A Marginal sector that very few have dared trek.

Whenever I asked some religious cleric or lay person why the church havent made any enthusiastic or passionate attempt to reach out to these bottom of the stack sector... they answered - it's impossible, they keep saying that - these people will not listen - they need to be fed first before you get their attention, and their attention and retention span is not that long - so the target remains only to those who are already productive people of society.

This club where Efren belongs to is not craving for publicity - nor do they enjoy being in the limelight, they are merely more object centered... their object, to imitate Christ in the modern times... bringing education to the leat priviledge of the society like prisoners and children of the streets, I believe they are also catering to Widows.... at any rate, helping the needy by empowering them thru education.

Efren is one of the first beneficiaries of the club, he would have ended like any other young kid who grew up in that environment as either in prison, rehab or the grave. Bear in mind, Cavity City is known to have these Drug infested areas where Drugs like Ampethamine Crack is being used as livelihood - It is quite ironical, but just like any other movie... the villain is closely related to the heroe.

Who are the villain of the story?... Politicians that basically drained the economy of this city to what it is now. From being the richest city in Asia in 1963 - to now a 3rd class city category of a poor city in the Philippines. A trendline of progress going to a sharp descent.

At any rate - this is the drama of life... after all, how can heroes emerge if there are no villains in the first place?

Personally, I would rather have no villains at all and keep a rich city in prosperity... with this utopic vision, we will not be needing heroes anymore - since everyone will be able to see in oneself - they are all heroes.

Heroes are not born, they are merely an effect.

Pacquiao is no other than a modern day gladiator - definitely - no heroe in my category. Pacquiao doesn't change lives - he actually siphoned everyones time, money and productivity - reflect on this. A real heroe inspires, and makes one productive and most of all... a better human being, mind, body and spirit.

I have known Efren since he was still a young kid from the club 8586... as a matter of fact, I was a member of this club myself, not by choice... but of fate.

Let's all take inspiration from the stories of Efren and the Club and hopefully, get to see the poorest sector of society under a new light.

Saving the Planet is not just about being green... but saving humanity within.

First Positive AIDS Vaccine Illusory

I felt it necessary to post any threat to human life articles in this blog since Saving the Planet involves everything in it, not only the geographic aspects but also the demographic aspects which constitutes - humanity.


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US Army researchers accused of giving positive spin to a
vaccine trial that was predicted to fail because the
strategy is wrong. Dr. Mae-Wan Ho

Another AIDS vaccine failure given a positive spin

A large clinical trial of an AIDS vaccine carried out by the
US Army and its collaborators in Thailand showed that the
vaccine offered protection against HIV infections by about a
third. The announcement, made at press conferences on 24
September 2009, raised hopes that a positive AIDS vaccine
will finally become available.

But since then, two published accounts have dashed these
hopes. Researchers given confidential briefings on the trial
data, revealed that the results were weaker than even the
modest success claimed [1]. In particular, when the results
were analyzed according to protocol – when only those who
got all six vaccine shots at the right time and were
followed up to the end of the trial were included - no
statistically significant protection was found.

The public announcement was based on the result obtained by
including every participant in the trial. Anthony Fauci,
director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases defended the announcement, and rejected the
accusation of a cover-up.

As reported by Jon Cohen in Science magazine [2], of those
who had received any doses of the two vaccines used in
combination, 51 had infections, compared to the 74 that
became infected in the placebo group. This difference
represented an efficacy of 31.2 percent, statistically
significant at 4 percent probability. When only the
participants in both groups that had rigorously followed the
protocol were included, the efficacy was reduced to 26
percent, and the difference between vaccine and placebo
groups was not statistically significant.

Researchers were critical of the way the announcement was
made to the press. One leading HIV/AIDS investigator, who,
like others, wished to remain anonymous, told Cohen [2]:”The
press conference was not a scholarly, rigorously honest
presentation. It doesn’t meet the standards that have been
set for other trials, and it doesn’t fully present the
borderline results. It is wrong.”

Read the rest of this report here
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/firstPositiveAIDSVaccine.php

Or read other articles about HIV and AIDS here
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/HIVandAIDS.php