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IN THE NOW, Newsletter for EarthCURE www.EarthCURE.org Conscious Sustainability | Unified Community | Research from the Heart | Educating with Humor FALL 2009 Trip the Light Fantastic; Using Sunlight for Our Energy Needs By Samone Myers
Solar Roadways - A Solar Roadway is a series of structurally-engineered solar panels that are driven upon. This would replace current petroleum-based asphalt roads, parking lots, and driveways with solar road panels that collect and store solar energy to be used by our homes and businesses. The U.S. Dept of Transportation has award a $100,000 contract for a prototype. For an idea of the impact this would make, it is estimated that if all paved surfaces in the U.S. were replaced with just 15% efficiency solar panels, the resulting distributed power network could provide three times the electricity the nation consumes, with zero carbon emissions! [1] Portable Solar - One invention called the SolarStrap is a thin and lightweight solar panel on a wearable badge and is portable and flexible only weighing 2 ounces. It stores solar energy in a small battery, than can be used to charge up your cell phone, iPod or any other gadget. It's easy to see how this technology could apply to most surfaces such as clothing, awnings, building materials, etc. It is a matter of applying existing technology in a practical, clean way. [2] Solar Storage - A team of specialists in advanced materials and electrochemistry at a Salt Lake City-based company, Ceramatic has produced a new generation of deep-storage battery that is efficient, clean, safe, economical, and compact enough to sit in your basement or closet and power your entire home. This breakthrough is analogous to the switch from centralized mainframe computers in the 1980s to personal laptops. However, "this time the mainframe
is America's
antiquated electrical grid; and the switch is to personal power stations in millions of individual homes." Solar from Space - Individuals and companies are pursuing the notion of drawing upon solar energy from space, collecting it, sending it wirelessly back down to Earth, and transforming it into energy for use. This concept is referred to as Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP). [4] The idea has been credited to Dr. Peter Glaser who developed the Glaser Reference Concept in 1968. [5] Most notably in 2009, a California utility company, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) contracted with SolarEn Corp. to supply 200 MW of power by 2016 using satellites 22,000 miles above the Earth for collection, converted to energy then transmitted via radio frequency to a base station in Fresno, CA. [6] Unlike ground-based solar collection systems, a SBSP system generates 24 hours a day, unaffected by weather or nighttime on Earth. In addition, the average capacity factor for a ground-based system is only 25% as compared to 97% for a space-based system. [7] All these above mentioned technologies are working toward the common goal of making use of solar energy as a clean, inexpensive and renewable alternative to fossil fuels for residential and commercial needs. In addition to the examples cited above, there are a multitude of companies around the world refining solar technology. The company, Sunrgi for example has developed JAXA Technology that concentrates solar energy into a single,
high-efficiency solar cell. [8] Although this may not sound like much, this breakthrough technology essentially magnifies the amount of energy put into the solar cells that are inexpensive to produce and maximizes the potential output of each solar cell. In Additionally as private access to space becomes a reality, several companies stand ready to use private launch vehicles [9] to retrofit existing satellites and refurbish space debris for use in a space-based system. The latter and solar cell technology alone is countering complaints that a SBPS is cost prohibitive, unsafe, and a number of other unfounded obstacles that the world's petroleum-based industry leaders have put forward. As the cartoon suggests, many of the complaints against such renewable energy technology is because SBSP is quite simply one of the best solutions to replacing fossil fuel PERMANENTLY. References: 1. Reported August 30, 2009. See http://www.evwind.es/noticias.php?id_not=1020 2. SolarStrap is made in Finland by Suntrica 3. Article, "New battery could change world, one house at a time" by Daily Herald, April 4, 2009 4. "Possible Space Industry Applications of Wireless Energy Transfer" by Cornelius Zund, Toulouse Business School Aerospace MBA Program, August 25, 2009 5. John Mankins, "A Fresh Look at space Solar Power: New Architectures, Concepts and Technologies", IAF-97-R.2.03, 38th International Astronautical Federation 6. MSNBC Article," PG&E makes deal for space solar power," April 4, 2009 7. According to PG&E Spokesperson, Jonathan Marshall 8. Article, "New JAXA Technology Captures Solar Energy in Space" by Mahesh Basantani, Feb 2008 9. The production of private launch vehicles and hopes of Space Tourism began in the early 1990s and has increased exponentially, e.g., Virgin Galactic, Scaled Composites, Kelly Space & Technology, Wickman Spacecraft & Propulsion Company, just to name a few.
Community Formed Out of Awareness
I have lived in rural areas and larger cities, and see that a sense of community, regardless of the size is needed. Not in the tradition idea of community, but a community that is filled with people who truly help and support each other without a crisis being necessary, and who are aware, stay informed, and open to learning and growing together for the betterment of all, not just a few. In recent years, it is clear that the lack of this kind of community has added to the already overwhelming problems that our society faces. To improve the condition of our society as a whole, it is my experience that the individual puzzle pieces need this sense of community applied to our daily lives. The following represent examples of people and changes to systems that lead to beneficial changes to our global society. Health Health is a number one priority to most people. The debate that rages in the U.S. over who and what kind of health care is needed shows a widened gap between those who understand that health is a right and those who attach beliefs, patterns and agendas to it. Treating people equally and as a whole person is what is required as well as these kinds of treatments being available and affordable. An excellent example of this is with the Total Health Recovery Program (THRP). THRP is designed to treat people who are recovering from drug and alcohol abuse using holistic methods. Its success is in the understanding that healthcare is about the entire person or whole medicine, rather than traditional medicine of throwing a band-aid on one identified problem at a time. Now THRP has evolved into The Healing the Warrior Program, which assists our soldiers returning from war alleviate Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and become 'whole' again, mentally, physically, spiritually and otherwise. [1] Financial Our current financial flaws are revealing that this global greed-based system is not working. Even among the 1% who are beyond being financially solvent, an unhappiness factor still exists. It goes back to the adage, "Money does not buy happiness." Quite simply, the system is broke. Whether it is our banks that receive bail-outs, then turn around and give their top executives bonuses of millions of dollars or our courts that favor corporations and attorneys who represent them in a guilty-until-proven-innocent fashion, neither assist PEOPLE. Plus, this scenario screams the notion if you are not part of the solution, than you a part of the problem. The numbers of bankruptcy continues to rise at an alarming rate, and not because as many on the right think, 'that people are living beyond their means.' To the contrary, the number one reason for bankruptcies in the U.S. is due to inability to pay outrageous health bills. [2] And as the debate of rational people versus health insurance backed-hecklers continues, it is clear that health reform is way over due and needed. "If you are not part of the solution, then you're part of the problem." -- Eldridge Cleaver, 1968 Until such time, however, many people are unable to pay bills or find themselves paying bills using a priority system. For instance, you probably would pay the electric bill before the phone bill, or pay for groceries over a credit card bill and so forth. Consequently, this leads to dealing with creditors, banks, attorneys, the IRS and sometimes, our court system. And like many systems that are greed-driven, the accompanying systems, serve the corporations, not the people. An example of this is with our courts. Go ahead, try this at home...mention to someone, anyone that you have to go to court. If the person you tell is like most, they will immediately assume you have done something wrong. As irritating and unsupportive as this is, what is worse is that the attorneys, corporations and judges are all coming from the same perspective. You must have done something wrong, otherwise, why are you in court? Fortunately, there are people such as Jack & Margy Flynn [3], who have devoted most of their lives to upholding the Constitution and helping others fight for their (our) rights. And fight is what you have to do in this current justice-for-those-with-the-most-money. Now, of course, we are all too familiar with cases such as O.J. Simpson. What I am referring to are the average everyday cases that find their way into the 'justice' system. To get a flavor for what has happened to our judicial system, search on 'Constitutional Rights' on You Tube and you will receive a major dose of reality concerning how our rights are ignored. There are others stepping up to the plate, recognizing for one reason or another that people are in need of assistance. Instead of taking advantage of the situation when people are at their lowest low, i.e., house is in foreclosure, creditors are hounding you, and bankruptcy seems the only way out, there are individuals who have experienced this for themselves making themselves available at affordable fees. One such person is Ruth Graham. Ruth and her family, like so many, were facing bankruptcy and foreclosure on their house. She decided after learning the ropes, to offer assistance in filing for bankruptcy for a fee of $300. [4] This in contrast to attorneys asking thousands of dollars for a portion of this assistance, and without the personal experience. These are just two examples of people coming forward in a time of need and acting out of compassion and from their own experiences to improve their own community. Although there are other elements which are just as important, if not more, Health and Financial are noticeably ripe for reform. In restructuring and aligning these systems at a grass roots level with a sense of mutual beneficial results, this improves our community at a local and global level. Note: This is Article is Part 1 of 2. The next newsletter will contain Part 2, which will focus on two other areas of community: Spirituality and Education. References: 1. The Total Health Recovery Program and Healing the Warrior Program are founded by Sadhu Singh Khalsa, LISW, MSW and based out of Santa Fe, New Mexico. 2. According to CNNHealth.com, June 2009 3. Founders, Citizens of the American Constitution, they have assisted over 350 everyday people win their cases. See www.citizensoftheamericanconstitution.org. 4. See The Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Store and www.doityourselfdocuments.com/bankruptcy/kits/toolkit.html.
It's Broke - Now is The Time to Fix it!
This all became necessary about eight years ago when I started experiencing unjustified behavior from credit card companies and my insurance company. I paid my bills each month and sometimes more than the minimum. The credit card companies started raising my percentage rates and giving no explanation, increasing my minimum payments, unilaterally charging over limit fees and claiming policy changes were enacted without my knowledge and other such unlawful activities. Then my insurance company checked my credit report twice in one day and credit card companies raised my rates again because "my credit report was being accessed too much "something must be wrong if companies are checking your credit rating." What? After contacting the insurance company, they agreed it was their mistake but refused to correct the error. It became a vicious cycle and I had had enough! I decided then something needed to be done. Things weren't right with the current financial system. So I did a lot of research and the more I dug, the more stunned I was to find how the credit lending business is completely based on power, control and greed. I began to discover I would have to fight for my rights. And fight is exactly what you have to do because as I found our current systems, to include credit card companies, banks, insurance companies, and the courts no longer have the people of the United States' best interest in mind. Each of them - yes - including your local city and town are corporate municipalities. This insidious system that exists today is an abomination of what our fore fathers worked so hard to gift us centuries ago. In addition, I set out looking for others facing the same issues and who were doing something about it. I discovered a local bi-monthly meeting of a Citizens Group and who just happened to have the Constitution as their main discussion. It was aided by a couple, Jack & Margy Flynn who have helped over 350 people win their court cases based on Constitutional rights. [2] From the first meeting, I got an earful and then some. I have never looked at our governing and banking systems the same way again! For starters, I learned that it is unlawful for banks to 'loan credit.' Yes, that is correct. They cannot loan credit pursuant to 12 U.S.C. Section 24 -it being unlawful for a bank to 'lend credit.' Why? Because somebody actually considered what this would do to the "normal citizen" two hundred plus years ago when 'credit' was first introduced, and knew that if banks got in the business of loaning credit, that we would end up in the boat we are in today. Ignoring this law that has yet to be enforced is why banks are now creating money out of thin air instead of setting aside an account with your name on it with the money that constitutes the credit limit. Let me give you an example. ABC Bank gives you a credit card with a $5000 credit limit. ABC Bank by law is supposed to set aside $5000 in the account they give you. Then as you use the MONEY, they are to post debits and credits against this MONEY. Now, how many of you think the banks ACTUALLY SET MONEY ASIDE in an account in your name? Yeah right ... read on. Ok. Now you buy a TV for $500 from XYZ Store. XYZ Store had to pay REAL MONEY to the manufacturer of the TV. Now ABC Bank uses 'credit' to pay XYZ, not MONEY. Then, ABC Bank starts charging you to pay them in REAL MONEY. And if you decide not to pay it off in total, you get charged interest too! Are you confused yet? Wait. Remember ABC Bank never had the $5000 to begin with, and NOW they are charging YOU interest with interest rates of around 20-30% much greater than 10% (originally anything over that was considered usury, i.e., stealing and was morally wrong)! Plus, most importantly, you are you paying the bank REAL MONEY for the TV and the interest. Where did the money come from in the first place? You, not the bank where it was supposed to be in account. And that is only the beginning... Upon finding out about these credit card companies and banks ignoring the law and creating money out of thin air, I was outraged. Then I discovered that other systems (like our judicial system) were making laws favoring banks and corporations and not individual citizens, which added to the corrupt behavior of both the economic and judicial systems. I wondered, "Where does it end and what recourse do I have?" Fortunately, there is one. But, it is a long, drawn out and stressful process. There is, however, a light at the end of the tunnel and if you have any integrity at all, it is the only way to go. Here is the process: First, you need to decide if it is important enough for you to know your rights and to act on them. If you would rather keep in the dark about these things then I suggest you quit reading now and go back to watching TV. Otherwise, it's a good thing to not necessarily wait until some disaster happens before taking your first steps. It is less stressful by being informed before you have creditors calling you or you are being served summons in your front yard. Start by educating yourself! The easiest and best way to do this is through the Internet. It is a wonderful tool! Everything is on line these days from the Constitution to informative articles from everyday people explaining rights, and how to get through this and come out the other side. Just READ! Next, sit down and write a letter to inform the banks who issued you a credit card the facts about what you have learned regarding these fraudulent banking practices. You explain how you have learned it is unlawful for them to 'loan credit', and you would like proof of the money placed in your account as well as the debits and credits against that money. You also state that if you had known that they were involved with unlawful and fraudulent activities, you would not have opened an account with them. Then, put them on notice that since they did not inform you as to how they were creating and maintaining the MONEY, you are under no obligation to pay any MONIES, and want the account closed immediately. Finally, you give them thirty (30) days to respond, and declare that failure to respond is admitting that they are in fact performing unlawful activities, and no money was ever set aside in your account. Typically, if you hear from the creditors at all, it will be a nasty letter saying to "pay up." Or they will sell off the contract to a third party, usually referred to as creditor, debt collector or even an attorney posing as a debt collector. However, you never had an agreement with any of these third parties, so you can write them that you are under no obligation to discuss an agreement between you and the original creditor/bank unless they too would like to be a party to these fraudulent practices. You also request that they no longer contact you, which by the way is your right, according the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Do you know that if they continue to contact you after you have written to them they could be fined $1000 each time they contact you? Next, after the time allotted has expired, you can then write a "presumptive letter," citing their lack of response as proof of agreement with your statements, the account is closed, and you are relieved of any further obligation, and most importantly, all negative remarks must be removed from your credit reports within thirty days. These letters you have written all need to be sent certified/returned receipt to verify that you have actually sent them. Lastly, you make up an Affidavit (it's really just an outline) stating your points against this company, add the fact that they didn't reply and therefore agree and have it notarized. This you take to your local county court clerk's office and have it entered into the public records for a small fee. By doing this you are recording for future reference that you gave your bank ample opportunity to disagree with anything that you said in your letter(s). Because they didn't respond, they have agreed that they have committed unlawful acts and therefore these are grounds for the dissolution of any and all contracts with that bank. Since most banking systems and corporations are conducting unlawful activities of this nature, don't be surprised at the methods and antics that will be used in an effort to get you to pay or fall into line. It is the power, greed and control talking. What these corrupt systems have done to this country is shameless and forces us to be more concerned with survival than actually making a living and enjoying life! This has already created a disaster in our country. Imagine what future generations will endure if this continues unchecked? Only by making a conscious choice to educate ourselves and then to act with thought for others will we begin to effect change in this country. When someone asks what can one person do? I answer a lot! Then I tell them my story. By changing myself and standing in my power, I affect those around me who in turn affect others. It truly is about "We the People" not about "We the Corporation". We have a seriously broken system. Now is the time for "We the People" to summon up our courage and acquire the knowledge to fix it. So read, share, write, stand up and let's find our voice! References: 1. "The Factual Guide to the Constitution for the Unites States of America" , edited and complied by RJ Smith, First Edition 1995. 2. Founders, Citizens of the American Constitution, they have assisted over 350 everyday people win their cases. See www.citizensoftheamericanconstitution.org.
Humor First Education Second We have renamed our awards to give "credit where credit is due." Our Einstein Awards as the name implies were named after Albert Einstein. Although we believe Einstein to be one of the one of the most intelligent people who walked the Earth, he was also a metaphysician. However, the renaming of our Einstein Awards to Testein is in honor of someone who never received proper recognition while he was alive, who was the inventor and metaphysician, Nicola Tesla. Only in recent decades have Tesla's incredible inventions and his understanding of untapped free energy come to light. Nikola Tesla's inventions made electricity work for the whole world then the world forgot about him...Click here to read more about this amazing inventor. Conversely, the award category for those who clearly demonstrate that they are operating from power, control and greed along with stupidity and no thought to others and the environment has been renamed to be called, Devolved Awards. This is due in part to Darwin, named after someone who - bless his heart- at least attempted to introduce a theory that required a logical brain to comprehend. For this reason, 'De-evolved' is suggesting that we have Humans who have actually de-evolved rather than somehow progressed or are worthy to be considered 'intelligent beings.' Having said this, here are the latest Award Winners: TESTEIN AWARDS Award Winner #1 John Kanzius - Cure for Cancer and fuel from Salt Water - BOTH! Concern over his wife, John Kanzius received inspiration in the middle of the night, and developed a cure for Cancer while simultaneously realizing how salt water could be used for clean-burning fuel. Check out this must-see video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzLTeQeI8tY. Our message to Mr. Kanzius is to consider finding honest investors who will develop this into free energy for the consumer of the Highest Good of the public. Award Winner #2 is given to four companies: IBM, Nokia, Pitney-Bowes and Sony for freeing up Intellectual Property for the Good of the Planet IBM, Nokia, Pitney-Bowes and Sony joined with the World Business Council on Sustainable Development to do something that is in keeping with conducting themselves for the benefit of humanity and the environment. They agreed to release control over inventions that could benefit the planet in order to spur innovation for the greater good. Similar to the open source software movement, the Eco-Patent Commons aims to share knowledge as a way to address large-scale problems. IBM released 27 patents to the commons, which spearheaded the initiative. Now This is Thinking! Award Winner #3 goes to Tesla Motors - named after Nikola Tesla
• Top speed: 130 mph (210 km/h) • Autonomy: 200 miles (320 kms) between charges • Battery life: 100,000 miles (160,000 kms) • Battery charge time: 3.5 hours • 0-60 MPH (0-100 km/h): 4 seconds Also, since the people at Tesla Motors "GET IT", they have designed an affordable car that is scheduled to be available in 2010. Called the "White Star," it will be a $50-60,000 sedan sized electric car. Plus, it will be made in a new plant in Albuquerque, New Mexico that will employ 400. So CUDOS all the way around for Tesla Motors! DE-EVOLVED AWARDS Takes the Cake - Award No. 1 goes to Mercedes Benz Car Manufacturer Mercedes Benz for paying their engineers to design a car with a joy stick and no pedals to "appeal to the younger generations" instead of designing a car that runs on alternative or renewable energy for Christ Sake. What are they thinking? Click here to watch a video of the Mercedes Benz SCL600. Award No. 2 Close but no banana! - goes to the Obama Administration for the "Cash for Clunkers" Program What is your definition of a clunker? Perhaps it includes a car with high miles, constantly broken down, has rust spots, air conditioning broke, and yeah, doesn't get good gas mileage. There are stipulations that defy logic regarding the definition of a clunker. For instance, a friend checked the fine print and found that if your car has over 75,000 miles or is over 25 years old, it doesn't qualify. Then, there is no help to the environment. They are simply destroying the cars. Plus, you replace with a car that gets what - almost the same gas mileage that you get now and (DING! DING! DING!) it still runs on gasoline. Let us not forget that most likely your car was paid for and now you have a car payment. So who or what has the Cash for Clunkers Program helped? Automobile Manufacturer Executives and Stockholders. Not you, not me and certainly not the environment. Plus, recently this Program was given additional funding. All of this could have been avoided if the billions of bail-out money and funding of this program was given on the contingency that the U.S auto makers design an alternative fuel car and truck to immediately be available to the consumer. Now that would be worth trading your car in - clunker or not! Award No. 3 goes to Wal-Mart for consistently ignoring the obvious...all for the sake of profits
"Wal-Mart talks a lot about fighting global warming, but when it comes to actually taking action, it bent over backwards to avoid incorporating cost-effective features like solar panels to reduce its carbon footprint," said Center attorney Matt Vespa. "The enormous disconnect between Wal-Mart's stated environmental goals and its actions is classic green-washing." Click here to read full article.
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Light is one of the most obvious and consistent forms of energy on our planet. Plants and animals rely on sunlight. Our ancestors knew it and used it. Socrates first noted solar heating 2400 years ago. But, it has only been in recent decades that Humans have made strides in utilizing this free, clean and renewable source
of energy. In fact,
technological leaps in how we capture sunlight for use as solar energy made available to the consumer suggest someone finally has their act together. Examples of these wonderful inventions include, but are not limited to the following:
[3]
turn, this eliminates the needs for a high number of satellites, and thus launches, as well as greatly reduces the receiving
base station's requirements. 
By 
Have you heard of the U.S. Constitution? Most of you are saying, "Duh, yes." But, do you know what it means or why you need it? I admit it. I didn't. Not until I had a reason to know did I decide that I better brush off a book I had on the shelf, labeled, "The Factual Guide to the Constitution
for the United
States of America" [1] and familiarize myself with my rights.
The Tesla Roadster not only looks hot, it is! It is an electric sports car. The specs include, but are not limited to:
In a smiley-faced ending to a Center for Biological Diversity lawsuit against our nation's largest retailer, last Thursday a judge overturned the approval of a new Wal-Mart Supercenter near Joshua Tree National Park because the project wrote off the impacts of its greenhouse gas emissions. The environmental review for the
proposed big-box store, which was to be sited in habitat for the threatened desert tortoise, attempted to avoid common-sense measures to reduce the
project's carbon footprint, insisting that its estimated 7,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions was too paltry to warrant such measures under the state's premiere environmental statute, the California Environmental Quality Act. Besides rejecting Wal-Mart's finding that the project's climate impacts weren't significant, the court also ruled that its environmental study had neglected measures to reduce ozone and dust pollution and disregarded data that the Supercenter would lead to "urban decay,"
wiping out local businesses with its hideous corporate presence.