Goal For The Green

We all know that America needs to become energy independent.  However, there isn’t a clear vision for achieving that goal, and no real clear cut plan either.  Here are ten steps we could make toward achieving energy freedom.

1.  There are 10 foreign government run oil companies that are much larger and have greater oil reserves than our Exxon Mobil. So, we need to quit blaming “big oil” here at home.  Even if they did make a record profit of $12 billion in less than 90 days.

2.  Congress and lawmakers should address or own domestic supply and production problems. If they increased our supply from our own sources and reserves, it could have an impact on the price we pay at the pump.

3.  We can make a difference by turning off lights at home, when not in use.  We can also save gas instead of time by slowing down our driving speed.  We can also save energy by keeping our thermostats set at 68 in the winter and 75 in the summer.

4.  Remember when grandma use to hang clothes out on the line and how nice and fresh they smelled? Or how about installing rain barrels to water the lawn instead of pumping water from the well.  If you aren’t on a well system, you can conserve water by using drip or soaker hoses.

5.  There must be a determination in this country to develop alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal technology.  There is is no room for the NIMBY (not in my backyard) attitude.  This only slows progress that needs to happen.

6.  We need to build and reopen nuclear plants.  France gets 77% of its energy from nuclear sources.  We need to follow what they have learned in regard to safe usage of nuclear power and the recycling of nuclear waste.

7.  We should increase hydroelectric power in states where it is plentiful.  There should also be an environmental push to increase the survival rate of young salmon migrating to the Pacific regions

8.  If we develop and deploy our environmental cleanup strategies to developing economic powers such as China India and others, they could generate electricity from their abundant coal reserves.  This would drastically reduce air and water pollution in those countries, and make their people healthier.  Taking this step would also provide new markets for our American companies and create new jobs.

9  We need to produce more of our own oil and natural gas, while other technology and alternatives are being developed.  There is enough domestic natural gas offshore to supply the United States for the next 10 years easily.  The production technology is much safer than it was 30 plus years ago.  There are 109 offshore oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico that were directly hit during Hurricane Katrina without causing a significant spill.

10.  It will take patience and common since, as well as time and money to transform new technology and find new sources of energy.  The solutions won’t happen overnight, however, we need a dedicated government to get behind these issues and make sure these changes happen in a timely fashion.

In the United States, there is a baby born every 18 minutes that will acquire autism.  In most cases it makes itself known before the age of three. The statistics are alarming, and the increase in diagnosed cases has risen dramatically in the last twenty years. Still scientists don’t know exactly what causes the mysterious developmental brain disorder, and there is no cure. It is believed that both genetic and environmental factors could be to blame.

In a recent study, John’s Hopkins University neurologist, Harvey Springer, wondered if mother’s of autistic children might produce immune protein (antibodies) that react with or possibly harm their baby’s brains during pregnancy.

Other studies have linked autism to the immune system, in particular to auto immune reactions. In some cases of auto immune reactions, the body’s own defenses mistakenly attack native tissue. It is known that Autistic people are more likely to make antibodies against their own brain cells. Auto immune disorders such as type 1 diabetes, are also more common in mothers of autistic children.

In his most recent study Dr. Springer and his team, collected blood samples from 200 participants. There were 100 mothers of children with moderate to severe autism, as well as 100 mothers of healthy children. They only extracted antibodies that could cross the placenta during pregnancy. Then they tested those antibodies against the proteins from human fetal brain tissue. They discovered that the blood from the mothers of autistic children reacted to at least two fetal brain proteins. However, all the mothers tested had similar reactions to each other, against other proteins that were tested.

It is Dr. Singer’s hope that “These immune factors may help trigger or turn on some underlying or potential problem.” It is not yet known the role that brain proteins play during development, nor is it known whether the maternal antibodies in any way influence their function. Dr. Singer’s team will be investigating these questions (in his ongoing study) by injecting pregnant mice with human maternal antibodies to determine if their offspring show any developmental problems.