Sherman’s News and Editorials

California’s hydrogen suppliers along with automakers met with the Air Resources Board on Thursday January 10^th.

    This meeting was to come to an agreement to open a group of fueling stations for auto owners of non-polluting fuel cell powered autos to refuel on the highway.

   One fueling station that was recently closed will reopen as an agreement with energy companies that were present at the meeting who agreed to supply the needed money and staff to reopen this station.

   Six energy companies previously operated this station that will be reopened, however the lease they held ended on December 31^st, 2007 and there was not a new agreement put in place.  By the way, if you live in California, have been in a car accident and need a good accident attorney Los Angeles then you are advised to take a serious look at the Law Offices of Steven Sweat. There you can find a more than competent Los Angeles Car  Accident Attorney or dui lawyer Santa Monica. The lawyers there can also help you if you have suffered injuries such as electrocution, burns, elder abuse or an amusement park accident of some sort. They come highly recommended. Well, back to the news story….

   According to Mary Nichols a member of the Air Resources Board, this will be just the beginning of these stations; they intend to open more of these stations. They plan to reissue bids in the near future for the upgrade of existing stations and construction of new stations.

   The Air Resources Board has $7.7 million dollars in place for these proposed projects that they will be taking bids, along with and additional $6 million dollars that they have requested from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger upcoming budget to complete their plan of constructing and opening more of these stations. 

I recently finished reading a great book about the career of top movie actor Robert De Niro.
Man what a career! And what a disciplined guy. His work ethic and approach has really inspired me in other areas of my life, since I myself am not an actor.
He would always say that “You have to earn the right to Play a Role” or something to that effect. For a role such as his Oscar Winning performance in ‘Raging Bull’
that meant not only working closely with the real life middle weight champion Jake Lamotta but also becoming a boxer himself. He became very good, winning most of his fights. Lamotta claimed he would have been among the top
20 middleweights if he had become a professional. He became so good that he was dangerous, breaking Joe Pesci’s ribs
during the filming despite Joe wearing a thick vest. One funny thing happened involving director Martin Scorsese, who could not stand blood. De Nero, when training during real fights,
yelled at Scorsese as he was leaving “where are you going? Stay here! I am doing this for you, you know!”. He apparently wqas forced to watch the carnage.

My personal favorite Robert De Nero films include ‘Heat’ in which he plays an ace thief. Co-stars include Al Pacino, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Diane Venora and Ton Loc, among several others.
I also liked him as Al Capone in the classic 1987 thriller ‘The Untouchables’ which co-starred Andy Garcia, Kevin Costner, Sean Connery and Marcia Gay-Harden. Directed by Brian De Palma.
I also thought ‘Were No Angels’ was cool. This 1989 film co-starred Sean Pean, Demi Moore and John C. Reilly. Him and Penn play escaped convicts on the run, posing as catholic priests.
I liked ‘Cape Fear’. he played criminal Max Cady in a tour-de force performance. According to the book his preperation for this role was incredible. he was nominated for best actor for it in 1991.
Co-stars include Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis, Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck.
He was also nominated for best actor for the 1990 flick ‘The Awakenings’ which co-starred Robin Williams,
the 1978 Vietnam War flick ‘The Deer Hunter’ which co-starred Meryl Streep and Christopher Walken, and he won an oscar for best supporting actor
for his brilliant work in the 1974 blockbuster ‘The Godfather part 2′
He also got major kudos for his work opposite Jeremy Irons in ‘The Mission’, Terry Gilliams science fiction film ‘Brazil’,
and ‘Casino’ opposite Sharon Stone and Joe Pesci. Of and Goodfellas and ‘Mean Streets’ as well, both directed by Martin Scorsese.
Robert De Niro has also directed 2 films: ‘A Bronx Tale’ and the recent Matt Damon & Angelina Jolie thriller ‘The Good Shepard’

In an AP story from new York as reported by yahoo news it was announced
that the Apple Corporation will permit 3rd-party applications on the iPhone, according to CEO Steve Jobs.
Jobs made this announcement on the company website today.
In a decision which marks a very decisive about-face from the firm’s past wish of controlling the applications that the users have on their handheld device’s,
Jobs stated that they want to release a software
 development kit in several months which will permit individuals outside the firm to create iPhone as well as iPod touch applications.
he was quoted as saying: “We are excited about creating a vibrant third-party developer community around the iPhone and enabling hundreds of new applications for our users,”
Designers have already constructed many iPhone applications which run their Safari Web browser since they did notoriginally open the iPhone directly to 3rd-party software development.
The iPhone, which combines a cellular telephone and wireless web access all together ina  single hand held device, was released some towmonths ago with much hype and high expectations.
 To date, the firm has sold more than one million iPhones.
The CEO stated today that it will take a few months to release the kit since the firm wishes to give developers an open platform while at the same time protecting users from various viruses and malware, etc.
That sounds reasonable enouph to me…
He was quoted as saying: “There have been serious viruses on other mobile phones already, including some that silently spread from phone to phone over the cell network,” he wrote.
It was also recently repiorted by the AP that many cell
 phone and PDA users have been reporting that they sometimes feel odd vibrations when there are none.
This rather odd phenomenon is often referred to as ‘Phantom Vibrations’ and no one seems to know exactly what is causing it.

In possibly the most horrific pet news since the Michael Vick story broke, Georgia authorities claim that Tye Hilmo, 21, of Dacula trapped neighborhood cats and fed them to his pit bull.The Georgia Police Department charged Hilmo with aggravated animal cruelty. This is a felony which carries a sentence of 1-5 years in jail and a substantial fine as well.
 He has been in the Gwinnett County Jail, with no bond permitted, since deputies searched his house on September 10. They found 2 lbs of marijuana, a few firearms plus 2 feline bodies in his yard, according to police.
In addition, his  mobile telephone had a grisly picture of a canine eating a kitten above a line that reads, “Good dog”, the report states.
At first, the Police officers assigned to the case charged the suspect with some offenses pertaining to the guns and narcotics. But they then tacked on the cruelty to animals charges 2 days ago. It should be noted, however, that some of his neighbors are a bit skeptical of the latter charges.
“He drinks and he is loud…… no question about that,” said Tim Johnson, 31, a neighbor. But he stated that Hilmo really adored animals. He stated that he found these charges “really hard to believe.”
Samson and stepdaughter Ashley McIlvainey, 18, said they are not sure that Hilmo is to blame.

The scourges of heat combined with humidity have brought with them a plethera of mosquitoes to Tulsa, oklahoma and it is not just humans who are fighting these aweful critters.

Cats, for instance, might face the dreaded heartworm after being bitten by mosquitos.

The signs to look for might not show for a few months or even years, as the sheer numbers of heartworms often accumulates rather gradually.

Like cats, dogs might show no early signs of heartworms, while severely infected animals might show signs which include a cough, low energy levels, lowered appetite and also weight loss.

Heartworms in dogs are eliminated by a drug known as adulticide, that is injected into a muscle in a sequence of treatments. However, there are no products are approved for the treatment of heartworms in cats in the US at this time, unfortunately.

The risk of reinfection during treatment is eliminated by using a heartworm preventive.

 The mosquito picks up microfilaria while it is feeding on the blood from an infected animal such as a feline.
It is live for some 2 weeks in the salivary glands of a mosquito. The mosquito bites another animal and releases the heartworm larvae into the wound and ultimately the bloodstream.

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1. Cat Health

   Loerik: Cat From Hellrobelsas posted a photo:Loerik feels he is a very gifted actor. You see the result.This a bad photo technically, but Loerik must be exposed. I’ve left in the yellow and red eyes for effect.
   DSC_4794junku posted a photo:
   The

While most people are aware of the high profile headlines concerning the recent pet food and human food recalls,
few people realize the difficulty in tracking the sources, according to a recent AP report by esteemed journalist Andrew Bridges.
This is because if you take a look at the ninety-odd brands composing the recall of canned chili, stew & similiar food items, it all points back back to one manufacturer.
This was likewise the situation regarding the recalls of spinach, frozen meat and of course the now sad and infamous pet food recalls,
in which so many innocent animals were killed or severely sickened.
More than ever before, firms are outsourcing the food Americans consume, or at least the ingredients found in them — and then selling these items under many different brand names.
Many of these tainted ingredients come from China. To add insult to injury, many toys from that country have been found with toxic levels of lead in them.
The real issue here is that if individuals can’t trace a particular item back to it’s supplier, then that supplier has very little, if any, reason to keep their facilities or processing plants up to decent standards.
Oversight is remarkly slack. For example, the major brand in the pet food recalls was a co-regulator of the pet food industry along with the FDA.
Apparently, it all comes down to effeciency and simple economics: Outsourcing makes monetary sense for the firms who are unwilling to expand their existing manufacturing facilities. Established manufacturers may use excess capacity to fill the orders for others.
For some certain products which require expensive machinery — such as pet food for example — a limited number of contract manufacturers, like Menu Foods inc, make products which are then sold under many different brand names,
according to the AP report. The skeptics of this outsourcing believe that, in general, it creates increased vulnerability to our food supply. In essence, the manufacturer is no longer responsible to the consumer, but instead to other firms.
Meanwhile, various food safety advocates have repeatedly stated that when issues crop up with food items made under contract, sorting out who made what may delay recalls and public health warnings in general.
As an example, in July the FDA for a number of hours delayed issuing a consumer warning about botulism contamination in various canned food items until it could sort out the brands under which the Castleberry’s Food Co. product was sold.
In addition to this, there has been a fairly long delay in mandating that imported fruits & vegetables be labeled with their country of origin.

Much of the following information was taken from the August Trilogy Health and Wellness newsletter:
The majority nutritionists and dieticians concur that dietary supplements may be quite useful for achieving a balanced diet. In addition, high-quality supplements
may help to prevent long-term nutritional deficiencies. Furthermore, stress and a bad diet may disrupt the body’s natural ability to process and effectively use vitamins and minerals.
Vitamins are in fact nutrients that have to come from outside sources, like food & nutritional supplements, since the body cannot manufacture them on it’s own.
Holistic researchers say that highly processed foods have a reduced nutritional value. The vast majority of mass-produced food products are chock full of preservatives such as nitrites and MSG, and these
  can cause negative reactions in certain individuals, unfortunately. Processing and refining foods may reduce the fiber content of some food products.
More than ever, individuals are trying to maintain low-calorie diets. As a result many do not eat the diversity of foods that is required for complete nutrition. Ultralogix brand supplements from Trilogy   Trilogy has risen to meet the demand for better nutrition with a unique line of vitamin, mineral & herbal supplements.

According to top Associated Press journalist Seth Borenstein,
a number of of scientists from around the globe are attempting to create life from nothing and they re getting closer,
or so it appears, at least. They said to anticipate some kind of announcement within 3-10 years or so from an individual in the somewhat esoteric area of study known as “wet artificial life.”
In fact, some researchers think that man-made life forms will eventually offer the possibility of solving a number of different problems, such as fighting diseases and locking up greenhouse gases so as to consume toxic waste.
As Borenstein points out, a top man in the field, Jack Szostak, states that as early as the next 5 months or so, researchers will report evidence that the initial phase — making an actual cell membrane — is “not a big issue.” The researchers are basically
 using fatty acids in this particular effort. He is likewise positive about the next step — getting nucleotides (building blocks of DNA) to form a working genetic system.
The idea is that once the container is constructed, if researchers add nucleotides in the correct amounts, then Darwinian evolution may essentially go from there.
In the meantime Steve Benner at the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution is addressing this issue by going outside of natural genetics. Regular DNA is composed of some 4 bases which are specific molecules
 that spell out the genetic code in couples. He is trying to add 8 new bases to the genetic alphabet.
He also stated that there are valid concerns about producing life which could go awry but there are certain methods of addressing it, and it will be a long time before this is an issue.

The high profile Toxic Toy crises has not just hit the United Stated hard, unfortunately.
Canadian  Health Minister Tony Clement has launched a comprehensive review of safety standards as the list of tainted Chinese-made
 products continues to grow. Meanwhile, the ministry will reporting very soon on whether or not new measures are going to be required to protect consumers.
The Mattel corporation, a toy making giant, has announced 2 huge worldwide recalls of toys coated in highly toxic lead paint after earlier reports of tainted goods, including toothpaste, pet food and even defective tires.
It all adds up to increasing weariness regarding products from China. Sue Huh, a mother of 2 small children, says she has been deliberately avoiding toys made in China in recent months. Don’t want junior to accendially swallow that Matchbox racecar.
The NY Times newspaper has reported that certain vinyl baby bibs from China have paint levels of a staggering 3 times the acceptable maximum of lead.
Finally, the governments of Canada, the United States and Mexico are ready to consider joint action.
 The 3 leaders will be discussing safety standards for these products from a “continental perspective”.
Health officials such as the federal Public Health Agency are on increased alert for any examples of lead poisoning, yet there have been no reports of any such illnesses up to this point, luckily.
 The toys being recalled are small enough to fit into a kid’s mouth, and saliva can dissolve lead from paint.
Legal fforts to reduce the lead in the environment, such as a ban on leaded gasoline, have succeeded in reducing the levels of lead as well as reported cases of poisoning, yet the symptoms, such as possible permanent brain damage, mean that parents are of course very concerned.

The Latest Fish Oil Supplementation research
Here is a great fish oil article written by Lori mathews

In the quest to achieve better health and wellness, fish oil supplements have become an increasingly popular way to take advantage of many different medical benefits. Fish oil originates from the tissues of oily fish, such as carp, herring, salmon, and fresh tuna. Today, fish oil is recommended as part of a healthy diet because of the amount of omega-3 fatty acids contained, which is known to reduce inflammation throughout the body and lessen the threat of coronary heart disease (among other things).

There are two main ways to include fish oil as part of a healthy diet. The first involves the consumption of oily fish, including sardines and cod, which contain oils throughout their body and about their gut, unlike other species of fish. Depending on the species, oily fish fillets may offer up to 30% oil. Besides omega-3 fatty acids, oily fish also provides a good source of vitamins A and D.
Decreased Pain Levels and Inflammation

Omega-3 fatty acids may posses the power to lessen inflammation in the body, as well as ease the pain associated with arthritis and cystitis. Rheumatoid arthritis patients often report an improvement in joint pains and inflammation when taking fish oil supplements.

Treats Depression and Stress

Some individuals have been able to ease their symptoms of depression by implementing omega-3 fish oil supplements into their diet. Fish oils have also been linked to showing promise in treating bipolar and psychotic patients. Supplements may also help to promote the overall mood of patients, and may even reduce premenstrual stress.

Cardiovascular Improvements

The heart, arteries, and veins may benefit from fish oil because it has been known to help lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure, while at the same time improving “good” cholesterol levels.
Fights Strokes and Heart Attack

The threat of stroke and heart attack may be decreased with the introduction of fish oils into a diet because they may help to prevent blood clots and other damage to the heart. A decreased risk of sudden death and heart attacks has also been seen.
Enhances Brain Activity

Fish oil is known to boost intelligence and overall happiness in users, as well as improve the memory and ability to stay focused. In the elderly, the risk of dementia and memory loss sometimes decreases with the use of fish oil supplements. Additionally, mothers who consume or take a high amount of omega-3/fish oils during pregnancy often give birth to children with a higher IQ.

Combats Childhood Disorders

Children, who suffer from disorders, such as ADD and ADHD, have experienced a better quality of life when incorporating fish oil fatty acids into their diet. Additional conditions that respond to fish oils include dyslexia and compulsive disorders.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Lori Matthews studies health, nutrition and wellness. She enjoys writing articles on health for both people and pets. Please visit benefits of taking pharmaceutical grade fish oil supplements for more information.