WHY IS THIS NOT IN THE NEWS?

(NaturalNews) The year 2011 is shaping up to be one of the most treacherous years in recent history, at least as far as the nation's weather patterns are concerned. While much of the Midwestern US continues to get drenched by record rainfall and torrential flooding, the Southern US is experiencing tremendous heat and drought conditions that, combined with flood conditions to the north, will have devastating effects on the nation's food supply.

Extreme heat threatens US agriculture

For several weeks now, extreme heat conditions have afflicted much of the Southern and Midwestern US. According to the National Weather Service, Heat Advisories and Excessive Heat Warnings have been issued in 17 different states, with temperatures soaring over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (F) in many areas, and heat indexes topping 115 degrees F (http://www.examiner.com/weather-in-...).

The 17 states under heat advisories or warnings include Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. And cities that have reached record highs include Oklahoma City, Okla., at 105 degrees F, Tulsa, Okla., at 107 degrees F, Medicine Lodge, Kan., at 111 degrees F, and Columbus, Miss., at a scorching 116 degrees F (http://www.examiner.com/weather-in-...).

Besides threatening human life, these extreme heat conditions have contributed to the widespread destruction of US food crops. Back in June, WATE in Knoxville, Tenn., reported that crop fields in the eastern part of the state were wilting from extreme heat conditions (http://www.wate.com/story/14899573/...).

Similar crop failures have also taken place as a result of extreme heat in Alabama (http://www.whnt.com/news/whnt-heat-...), North Carolina (http://www.whnt.com/news/whnt-heat-...), and various other southern states as well.

And crops are not the only thing being harmed by the heat, either. Livestock across the Midwest and South are threatened by extremely hot and humid conditions that are either limiting production of their feed, or flat-out killing them.

"High temperatures, high humidity, low wind speed -- those are the three things that really create problems for cattle in confinement," said Todd Donner, spokesman for the Kansas Livestock Association, to The Kansas City Star in a recent interview. Both crops and livestock across the state face devastation as a result of such conditions.

"My biggest concern with the heat and wind is the fact we are already dry and our pastures need rain," added Ken Grecian, a Kansas rancher who has already had to cull back his herd by as much as 15 percent due to lack of adequate feeding grass, according to reports. "Our grass is less than half the growth we would normally expect due to the dry weather. I am concerned we are going to be running out of grass if we don't have precipitation out here in the next week or so" (http://www.kansascity.com/2011/06/2...).

Extreme drought threatens US agriculture

To make matters even worse, many of the areas being hit by scorching heat are also experiencing devastating drought conditions that have left land parched and unusable.

A recent report in The New York Times (NYT) explains that at least 14 US states, stretching from Florida all the way to Arizona, are experiencing Dust Bowl-type conditions. Some of the worst drought areas happen to be in Texas, which NaturalNews reported back in March was experiencing its worst drought situation in over 44 years.

Texas, of course, is the nation's largest cattle producer, and the second-largest producer of winter wheat (http://www.naturalnews.com/031853_T...), and every single one of its 254 counties has been declared a "natural disaster area" as a result of extreme drought conditions.

"It's been horrible so far," said Mike Newberry, a Georgia farmer who grows cotton, corn, and peanuts, to the NYT concerning his crop failures. "There is no description for what we've been through since we started planting corn in March."

The same NYT piece explains that Oklahoma, which is hardly faring much better than Texas, is 72 percent short of its normal summer rainfall at this point in time. In other words, the state has only experienced a little over 25 percent of its normal rainfall, which in practical terms is utterly devastating the state's agriculture.

Extreme flooding threatens US agriculture

To top it all off, the extreme flood conditions that have devastated portions of many states along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers have also destroyed millions of acres of farmland in Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, and various other areas (http://www.naturalnews.com/032366_M...).

And the situation is only set to get worse as built-up snowpack in the northern Midwest and Canada continues to melt throughout the summer, increasing pressure on the levees and dams along the rivers (http://www.naturalnews.com/032870_F...).

This deadly combination of heat, drought, and flooding will eventually cause food prices to increase sharply as supply diminishes and demand increases. And despite the fact that the mainstream media is largely downplaying or ignoring the situation, its very real consequences will soon manifest themselves -- so now is the time to get prepared.

Sources for this story include:

http://www.examiner.com/weather-in-...

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/12/u...

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/032994_food_supply_extreme_weather.html#ixzz1SZTiIRZM

 

Record heat, drought,

IS AMERICA LOSING IT'S SOUL?

I don't mean in a religious sense. But clearly, something is fading away. Call it soul, spirit, heart, ideals, self....We are adrift and no none seems capable of finding a course. Politics is in chaos. The economy is a joke. Education just isn't. Help thy neighbor is a dirty phrase. We are destroying the environment, caving in on stupid political and economic demands, and Wall Street rules.

The latest deficit plan by the Tea Party simply pushes ahead their social agenda as it will result in the elimination of help for anyone. Requiring a balanced federal budget is absurd when times of crisis arise and, as always, it will be the average person that gets screwed if money needs to be spent on something-like war. We are gutting financial and environmental regulation because it might hurt the rich. We are even going to allow the polar caps to melt because there is lots of oil there. Is this what America has been all about? Step on the small guy so the few can attain even greater wealth and power?

It makes no sense, people. The decisions we are permitting to be made will be our swan song. This is truly the last dance. The orchestra has left the hall and we are still on the floor spinning to memories. How have we reached this level where we are but simple prey of advertising propaganda, political idiocy and news manipulation? So many have warned us of this moment and so few have listened.

I do not believe in religious Armageddon. But I do believe that the likes of the Mayans, Nostradamus, The Tarot Code, the Hopi,DaVinci and others gave us clear signs of the times we are now in. The choices we are making, either consciously or by proxy,will not be pleasant. Keep in mind, what is happening right now, in politics, the economy, the climate, etc., is the fruition of seeds that WE have planted. I hope you are concerned over what the next crop will bring.

BANK EXORCISM

CLIMATE

HARD LINE SELF HELP

GUEST BLOG-WE NEED ALL OF THE HELP WE CAN GET!
A Roundabout Way to Self Help
Paula Renaye




Before I start telling my story about how I started writing, there are two things about me that you should know: one, I couldn't diagram a sentence if my life depended on it, and two, I have won dignified literary awards anyway.

Now, I've loved books since I was old enough to hold one, but what really set me on a path to writing them—eventually—was the combination of a retired colonel, a high school English class and a romance novel. Serioulsy!

After retiring from the Air Force, Colonel Bob White, for reasons known only to him, decided to come to the little town in Texas where I lived and teach English for a couple of years. Looking back, I'm not sure whether he deserved a medal or a mental health exam.

Whatever the case, not long into the school year, Mr. White held up a big fat paperback book and announced that we would all be reading it. Much groaning and whining ensued. And when we learned that every tiny-lettered page was filled with glorious details of life in Saxon England circa1066, well, I think some cried.

However, when I got the dreaded book in my hand, I was confused. The title was odd—The Wolf and the Dove—and the cover had a man and a woman on it. This did not look like any other book I'd been forced to read in school. And who was this Kathleen Woodiwiss anyway?

I dutifully started reading—and couldn't stop. Yep, it was an epic romance novel. Written in 1974, it was a product of the times, and wild stuff for a sheltered little high school girl. I don't recall anyone else being nearly as enthralled as I was, but Mr. White's brilliant assignment set me on a path of reading—and, of course, concurrent learning—that also "trained" me to be a writer.

By the time I got the crazy idea that I could write my own novel, I'd read hundreds of books. Although I didn't consciously try to, or even realize that I had, I'd picked up an intuitive feeling for the structure of a story and could hear dialogue as a natural flow of conversational in my head. I could also see the scenes like a movie, which made them easy to write.

I've written a lot of books, but my first published novel was Hot Enough to Kill, a humorous mystery that was featured in Redbook. My second, Dead Man Falls, won the 2001 WILLA Literary Award for Best Original Paperback. The third, Turkey Ranch Road Rage, was released last year and I'm working on Killer Moves in all my spare time.

So, you ask, how did it happen that I went from writing funny mysteries to self help books? Well, if you'd read my fictional tales you wouldn't need to ask that question!

Actually, after the first book came out, life happened. The second book was already set to be published, but life kept happening. In short, death, divorce and delusion took a toll. And, like many people, I started searching for ways to ease my own pain. Being a writer, as I learned, I wrote.

I spent a lot of years feeling like I was just treading water—I knew I needed to do something, but I couldn't see what or how. I love the movie The Secret, but when I was in that stuck place, the only thing I was capable of manifesting was more pain. I needed the secret before The Secret!

Over the course of about ten years, I started some version of a self-help book at least six different ways, but it just never came together. I knew what I wanted to do—to help people who were in the same boat I was, people who feel stuck and yet are afraid to be un-stuck. I wanted to give people in pain, as I had been, a simple and direct roadmap out of it.

That's really what the The Hardline Self Help Handbook is. It's a do-it-yourself short course based on what I learned on my own rocky journey and what I now do with my coaching clients and in my workshops. It's a step by step guide to help people figure out what they really want in their lives, why they don't already have it—and how they can.


With times as they are today, it's exactly what a lot of us need—and are ready for. The book's subtitle is a challenge—and I hope an inspiring one—because now is the perfect time to ask, What Are You Willing to Do to Get What You Really Want?


About Paula
Paula Renaye is a professional life coach, motivational and empowerment speaker, regression hypnosis practitioner and award-winning author. She has been a consultant for 18 years, holds a degree in Financial Planning and is a member of the International Association of Coaches. Her passion is helping people face reality and take personal responsibility for their choices in order to reclaim their own power and live the life they really want.


Where to buy
The Hardline Self Help Handbook by Paula Renaye is available through most online retailers and bookstores by order in trade paperback and ebook formats.

Amazon.com
ISBN 0-9674786-5-0 (trade paperback) $19.95
http://www.amazon.com/Hardline-Self-Help-Handbook-Willing/dp/0967478650/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1304391281&sr=8-2

Kindle ASIN: B004XNKDB6 (ebook) $9.99
http://www.amazon.com/Hardline-Self-Help-Handbook-ebook/dp/B004XNKDB6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1304025368&sr=8-1

Smashwords (ebook) $9.99
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/55273

For special book tour bonus materials and a link to purchase the print book at a discount, visit www.hardlineselfhelp.com.

A printable Companion Workbook is available in printable PDF format from the publisher. See website for details.

7 WAYS TO CHANGE PUBLIC POLICY DEBATE FOR 2012

 

In my previous blog I talked about how Wall Street is controlling public policy debate. So the question is, “What are the right questions to ask concerning the current state of American and world affairs?” Further, can we achieve greater independence on this Independence Day if we, the people control the discussions? Let’s change some of the fundamental questions and see how we get totally different answers.

1. How do we find more oil? This is the wrong question. When asked in this way we get, “drill baby drill.” Or, ease up regulations, open the Tundra, claim the Arctic so that when it melts we have first rights, etc. But if we ask, “How do we eliminate fossil fuels and base our lives and economies on ‘truly’ renewable and clean energy?” the discussion is totally changed.
2. How do we reduce the budget deficit? The simple answer, when asked this way, is to stop spending and pay back the debt. Unfortunately, unless you evaluate the effectiveness of programs, the result becomes a farce as the focus is on dollars and not effectiveness. But, if we ask, “What programs are worth keeping and what is the best way to improve the efficiencies, effectiveness and usefulness of those programs?” we now begin a discussion of substance and not dollars and sense.
3. How do we privatize health care and get government out of the insurance business? Easy, make people buy health care or go without. Instead, let’s ask, “What are the most effective, efficient and reasonable ways that we can provide for the health care of all citizens?” and the answer is different.
4. How do we eliminate illegal immigration? Not quite as easy but increase border patrol, deport all illegals and maybe even build a wall or two. Or, “How can we best integrate and reduce the negative impacts of illegal immigrants as well as control the rate of immigration?” Again, the nature of that debate is different from the first.
5. How do we reduce the size of government and get those bastards off our backs? The answer, for some, is to slash and burn government payrolls and make government business friendly. Perhaps we should ask, “What do we really want from our governments in this complex world and how do we get there?” You see, as we enter this new age we must revisit fundamental issues and really see where we want to go.
6. Aren’t our schools out of control and our kids getting dumber? Answer, fire the teachers and create charter schools. Okay, this is a major beef with me. Our public education system created the most powerful nation on earth. Yes, it had/has problems. But for some reason we decided to swamp the whole thing rather than fix the leaks. So the real question might be, “Why is our educational system in such turmoil and what can we do to correct it?” Changing times requires changing models, but clearly, all of the so called ‘innovations’ are not working. Time for a national discussion.
7. Aren’t scientists wrong about this whole climate change thing? Therefore, do nothing and it will all sort out. Wrong answer. The real question is, “How do we best help reduce the effects of environmental abuse, help end the 6^th great extinction, and prepare people for what is surely happening?”

I could keep going on but hopefully you get the point. The way the question is framed determines the debate and the answers. Too often of late we have allowed the very, very few and the well-to-do to ask the questions. Is it no wonder the world about us collapses while we are not even talking about the right issues? If, we, the people, start asking the politicians the right questions, maybe we can force them to get back on track and actually represent us for a change. Happy asking!