Is It Cold, or Is It Just Me

After several years of warmer than average winters, this year winter has been distinctly cooler than normal here in Lee's Summit, and I for one am ready to see it come to an end. As I write this, the local weather forecasters are predicting yet another round of snow.

The truth is the Midwest isn't the only area of the country suffering from a cooler than normal winter, according to the U.S. National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) many American cities and towns have suffered from record cold temperatures in January and early February. According to the NCDC, the average temperature in January "was -0.3 F cooler than the 1901-2000 (20th century) average." In the same report the NCDC reported that snow cover over North America and much of Siberia, Mongolia and China is greater than at any time since 1966.

The Ice that was supposed to have disappeared from the Northern Ice Cap is back and it is actually 10 to 20 cm thicker in many places than at this time last year according to Gilles Langis, a senior forecaster with the Canadian Ice Service in Ottawa.

So it appears that the entire Northern Hemisphere is suddenly in the deep freeze so surely if the Global Warming crowd is correct then the Southern Hemisphere should be just burning up, right? Wrong, both Argentina, and Brazil had much colder than normal winters this year. On November 15 of last year, springtime in Argentina, Buenos Aires recorded the coldest temperature in 90 years, roughly just 36 degrees Fahrenheit.

What we should draw from this, is that maybe we don't know all that we think we do when it comes to weather. Whether or not man can actually cause an increase in Global Warming is still open to debate, but one factor in our weather is beyond dispute, even by the most hardened scientists and meteorologists. That undisputable factor is that our Sun or specifically the sunlight we receive from it is and always has been the main driver of the earth's weather.

According to the Canada's National Post, Kenneth Tapping of Canada's National Research Council, who oversees a giant radio telescope focused on the sun, is convinced we are in for a long period of severely cold weather if sunspot activity does not pick up soon.

Professor Tapping maintains that the last time the sun was this inactive; the Earth suffered what is known as the "Little Ice Age". The Little Ice Age lasted nearly five centuries and just ended in the 1850's. During that period crops repeatedly failed from killer frosts and drought, sparking famine, plague and war. Imagine the effect on today's economy if Boston and New York Harbors froze solid as they did as recently as in the winter of 1779/1780.

If Professor Tapping is correct and we are in for an another "Little Ice Age" will Al Gore and the environmentalists who maintain that mankind has increased Earth's temperature through increased pollution tell us to buy and drive our SUVs, remove our catalytic converters and cut down the nation's forests so we can soften the blow of the new "Little Ice Age" on mankind. No, I doubt they are really that interested in looking after our best interests even if mankind did have the power to affect the earth's weather. Instead they would claim that we need to wait for more data to be collected before we make a rash decision, either that or they will find some way of making the decrease in solar radiation a result of man polluting the earth atmosphere.

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It's Cold Out There, If Pollution Causes Global Warming, Get Out There And Pollute

I don't know if you've noticed but this winter has been about the coldest one I can remember, so if pollution really warms up the environment then get out there and pollute...

Now from the UK Daily Express there is empirical proof, check out THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS - UK Daily Express: "GLOBAL WARMING? IT'S THE COLDEST WINTER IN DECADES":

UK Daily Express: "GLOBAL WARMING? IT'S THE COLDEST WINTER IN DECADES"Note that the "Express" story below is about winter ice while the Greenies have been gloating about summer ice. Nonetheless, if all the summer loss is replaced in winter the Greenies have only got theory to hang their hats on.

Also note that -- according to paleoclimate research -- the earth never loses its polar ice, not even during eras of extreme global warming. So the whole Greenie gloat is sensationalism, not science.

Note thirdly that the article below is from the mass media but the truth behind it can be seen from the scientific graphs below -- the first of which shows the extent of the antarctic sea ice right now -- which is SUMMER in the Antarctic. Instead of being minimal, the area of ice is greater now than it has ever been in the period graphed.



(Bigger version of the graph here)

The same thing is even clearer in the Anomaly graph ("anomaly" means "deviation from average"):



(Bigger version of the graph here)

And it's not only the Antarctic. The graph below is of the Arctic anomaly. Look at the tail end of it and you will see that after the big melt of 2007, the ice area has popped back up to normal



(Bigger version of the graph here)

The "Express" article:
New evidence has cast doubt on claims that the world's ice-caps are melting, it emerged last night. Satellite data shows that concerns over the levels of sea ice may have been premature. It was feared that the polar caps were vanishing because of the effects of global warming. But figures from the respected US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show that almost all the "lost" ice has come back. Ice levels which had shrunk from 13million sq km in January 2007 to just four million in October, are almost back to their original levels. Figures show that there is nearly a third more ice in Antarctica than is usual for the time of year.

The data flies in the face of many current thinkers and will be seized on by climate change sceptics who deny that the world is undergoing global warming.

A photograph of polar bears clinging on to a melting iceberg has become one of the most enduring images in the campaign against climate change. It was used by former US Vice President Al Gore during his Inconvenient Truth lectures about mankind's impact on the world. But scientists say the northern hemisphere has endured its coldest winter in decades. They add that snow cover across the area is at its greatest since 1966.

The one exception is Western Europe, which has - until the weekend when temperatures plunged to as low as -10C in some places - been basking in unseasonably warm weather. The UK has reported one of its warmest winters on record. However, vast swathes of the world have suffered chaos because of some of the heaviest snowfalls in decades. Central and southern China, the USA and Canada were hit hard by snowstorms.

Even the Middle East saw snow, with Jerusalem, Damascus, Amman and northern Saudi Arabia reporting the heaviest falls in years and below-zero temperatures. Meanwhile, in Afghanistan snow and freezing weather killed 120 people.

In Britain the balmy February weather came to an abrupt halt at the weekend as temperatures plunged to -10C in central England. Experts believe that this month could end up as one of the coldest Februaries in Britain in the past 10 years.

The freezing night-time conditions look set to stay around -8C until at least the middle of the week. A Met Office spokesman explained: "There has been little or no cloud cover across England and Wales. So there is a capacity for a fair bit of heat to be able to escape at night. "It has been warmer in Scotland but that's because it has been cloudy there. "Until the weekend the temperatures were in the 14s and 15s, and we will see a return to that later this week, though it will look grey and overcast when the clouds return." But he added that there was little chance of snow. He said: "When the rain comes it will get warmer."

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McCain will draw both Hillary's and Obama's supporters in the General Election

The PrairiePundit has a post speculating that McCain will get some Hillary voters of Obama is nominee and I have to agree, I think more than a few of Obama's supporters are really anyone but Hillary supporters and when given a clear choice will choose McCain easily over the inexperience of Obama. Check out his post:

Froma Harrop:

Despite the hard contest between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, party leaders keep telling Democratic-leaning voters that they have two good candidates. They are right, but one of them may well be a Republican.

Far from the pumped-up Obama rallies, centrists who voted for John Kerry last time now say they are considering John McCain — especially if the Democrat is the vaporous Obama. At least that's what many are telling me — and I'm telling myself.

One friend said he'd vote for the New York senator, and if she's not the candidate, then McCain. When I reminded him that he doesn't like Hillary, he shrugged. Another acquaintance e-mailed, "Hillary is to me extremely unlikable, but I do not regard likability as a qualification."

The notion that many Clinton voters cannot be easily transferred to Obama contradicts much "expert" opinion. But a Super Tuesday exit poll suggested there is something to it. While 52 percent of Obama's supporters were amenable to a Clinton candidacy, only 49 percent of Clinton voters said they'd be happy with the Illinois senator, according to the survey by Harvard University's Institute of Politics.

And at that time, the news media were still lavishing love on Obama. That situation is about to end. "He's the fashion plate of the moment," an editorial page editor remarked, "but fashion week is over."

Sophisticated commentary now notes the growing creepiness of the Obama campaign: Its aversion to substantive policy discussions. The sermonizing — "In the face of despair, we believe there can be hope." And the messianic bit — "At this moment in the election there is something happening in America." (That would be he.)

Volunteer trainees at Camp Obama are told not to talk issues with voters, but to offer personal testimony about how they "came" to Obama. Makes the skin crawl.

Centrists generally do not find cults of personality entertaining. The mass hypnosis reminds them of the mortgage frenzy — all these people buying into a dream and not caring about the fine print.

...

Obama's magic is fading. Whether it will fade in time to save Hillary is another question, but it will probably fade in time to save McCain. While Obama has had some appeal to moderates and independents, they will be the first to abandon him when it gets to the specifics of his real agenda.

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Magnetized Target Fusion Power In Five Years!, Wal van Lierop Says It Is Possible

I've covered many of the alternative energy technologies here, Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Hydrogen, among others but one I haven't covered is what I feel may be the technology that will ultimately will resolve our energy issues, just is it is the ultimate source of energy on our earth.

Fusion is the source of energy for our sun and the stars above, and if you believe statements made in EcoGeeks - Fusion Power in the Next Five Years!, Fusions "Time in the Sun", pardeon the pun is is sooner rather than later. The article states that:

In a world where we're all used to hearing that "Fusion power has been twenty years away for twenty years" hearing that it's five years away is pretty remarkable.

General Fusion hopes to create small fusion reactors that cost around $50 million a piece and generate roughly 100 megawatts allowing for roughly 4 cent / kwh electricity. That's about the same cost as coal.

The fusion system the use, called Magnetized Target Fusion which uses lithium as a fuel. The lithium is heated and mixed with intensely pressurized plasma. The lithium then breaks down into tritium (hydrogen with two neutrons), which is then mixed with deuterium (hydrogen with one extra neutron.) In the high energy environment, the tritium and the deuterium fuse to form helium, and create a whole lot of heat.

The heat captured is significantly greater than the energy used to run the device and the only byproduct is helium and other harmless gas.

I hope the are right, but there are people in the know, notably, Wal van Lierop, CEO of Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital who are convinced that a five year estimate is not that far out of reach. Check out what he has to say about Magnetized Target Fusion in C/Nets - Nuclear fusion is coming, says noted VC:

"Within five years, large companies will start to think about building fusion reactors. In three to four years, scientists will demonstrate results that show that fusion has a 60 percent chance of success."
....

Other notes from van Lierop:

• Although onshore wind power is mature, companies building offshore wind turbines have to figure out a way to deal with corrosion and maintenance. It is going to be a big problem that we will hear more about in the next few years.

• Municipalities will soon begin to explore solar microgrids. In this scenario, neighborhoods will get a substantial portion of their power from local solar plants. By delivering power locally, utilities will save on the costs of transporting power.

• Tax breaks and tax holidays may replace solar subsidies in some areas. Electricity is taxed, but utilities offer subsidies to those who install solar power. By switching to microgeneration, cities will find it easier to just forgo taxation rather than try to run a subsidy program.

He's not a big fan of corn ethanol. "Corn ethanol is a scam," he said.

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Putin Plans On Using Oil Wealth To Fund New Military Arms Race

According to Indian News outlet ANTARA News flush with newly found oil revenue Russia plans to channel billions of dollars into developing a new generation of military weaponry to match anything that we currently have, and quite possibly triggering a new worldwide arms race.

Based on comments made in Moscow by Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday, check out this except of the Antara News - Putin warns of new worldwide arms race:

"Unfortunately, this does not depend on us. It is not our country that started it," said the president, who will step down after eight years in office following the March 2 presidential elections.

Putin said the developed countries, relying on their technological superiority, are channeling billions of dollars into the designing of the next generation of defensive and offensive weapon systems.

"Their allocations in the defense sector exceeded Russia's allocations dozens of times," he said.

He said that growing military-political threats are forcing Russia to take adequate measures to safeguard its national security, adding that Russia is to respond to these challenges by developing more high-tech weapons.

"Russia has and will always have a response to these new challenges," said Putin.

"Over the next few years, Russia will start production of new types of arms, with the same or even superior specifications compared to those available to other nations," he said.

However, Putin stressed that Russia would not be drawn into the new arms race and exhaust its economy and resources.

"Finances made available for these purposes should always be commensurate with the country`s capabilities and should not be made at the expense of socioeconomic priorities," he said.

He pointed out that Russia needs an "innovation army," which could meet modern standards.

The president called for the development of Russian science, including nanotechnology, which could be used to develop new types of weapons. . .

We need to not only match the Russians moves in sponsoring scientific research in to these new areas, but fully fund research into eliminating the Russians new oil wealth. We can do this by making ourselves and our friends oil energy independent.

Unfortunately, that is something unlikely to happen given the current crop of presidential candidates from both parties, in fact I doubt current levels of research spending will be maintained in the next administration.

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Five undersea fiber optic cables cut, Is it Godzilla or is it the Chinese?

What is going on with the Middle East's undersea fiber optic cables, in the past two weeks at least 5 of the cables have been cut. The first two were first attributed to ship anchors being pulled over the cables, but that explanation has since been discounted.

Is Godzilla planning on attacking the Middle East? Have unemployed computer programmers declared war on the outsourcers, and are using remote controlled mini subs to cut the cables? Is this a rouse by the U.S. Navy in preparation for invading Iran?

I don't think so but I do have a rumor of my own I would like to throw into the mix. The Chinese have been showing off their new submarines as of late, recently leaking their plans for a submarine based anti-satellite missile system. And in November they even shadowed the Kitty Hawk which had been dispatched to the Taiwan Strait to observe their missile tests.

Perhaps these cable cuts are another way of letting the U.S. know that cutting sub sea fiber active cables is among their new found capabilities, in addition to shooting down our spy satellites and using cyber attacks against our computer systems.

I don't have any proof to support my allegations so maybe it is Godzilla, but one thing is for sure the odds are pretty long that five cables could be cut in any one region of the world in just two weeks by accident.

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Hydrogen From Water With Solar Energy? Nanoptek says YES!

Technology Review has a really interesting post about some solar research being funded with grants from NASA and the Department of Energy (DOE).

Nanoptek, based in Maynard, MA has a found a possible solution to how to store solar energy for our use during those times when the sun doesn't shine, like nighttime.

Their solar process actually uses a cheap and abundant material called titania to split water into hydrogen and oxygen when exposed to light. Once split, hydrogen can be burned to heat our home or stored in storage tanks for later use.

Sounds to good to be true doesn't it, but if we are to believe the Department of Energy (DOE) they are making progress since the DOE recently renewed their grant for further development of the process.

If the Carbon Tax is passed by the current congress or a future congress, going to pure hydrogen sounds like a really good idea, and hydrogen can also be used to generate electricity via fuel cells, and power cars. Even if the collector looks like we trying to track Sputnik or find E.T.

From Technology Review - Cheap Hydrogen:

Nanoptek's approach uses insights from the semiconductor industry to make titania absorb more sunlight. Guerra says that chip makers have long known that straining a material so that its atoms are slightly pressed together or pulled apart alters the material's electronic properties. He found that depositing a coating of titania on dome-like nanostructures caused the atoms to be pulled apart. "When you pull the atoms apart, less energy is required to knock the electrons out of orbit," he says. "That means you can use light with lower energy--which means visible light" rather than just ultraviolet light.

The strain on the atoms also affects the way that electrons move through the material. Too much strain, and the electrons tend to be reabsorbed by the material before they split water. Guerra says that the company has had to find a balance between absorbing more sunlight and allowing the electrons to move freely out of the material. Nanoptek has also developed cheaper ways to manufacture the nanostructured materials. Initially, the company used DVD manufacturing processes, but it has since moved on to a still-cheaper proprietary process.

NREL's John Turner says that Nanoptek's process is "very, very promising." And Harriet Kung, the acting director of the DOE's office of basic energy sciences, which has funded Nanoptek's work, says that the strained-titania approach is "one of the major exciting advances" since titania was first discovered to be a photocatalyst in the 1970s.

If it works as expected, the technology could help address one of the fundamental problems with using hydrogen as fuel. Hydrogen is attractive because it is light, and burning it only produces water. But today most hydrogen is made from natural gas, a process that releases considerable amounts of carbon dioxide. The other main option is electrolysis. But even if it's powered by clean energy, such as electricity from photovoltaics, electrolysis is inefficient and expensive. Guerra says using strained titania, and Nanoptek's inexpensive manufacturing process, makes the process cheap and efficient enough to compete with processes that create hydrogen from natural gas. What's more, Guerra says, the Nanoptek technology can be located closer to customers than large-scale natural-gas processes, which could significantly reduce transportation costs, thereby helping make the technology attractive. And if in the future carbon emissions are taxed or regulated, Nanoptek's carbon-free approach is another advantage.

Turner says that in addition to making hydrogen for fuel-cell vehicles, Nanoptek's process--if it is indeed efficient and inexpensive, as the company claims--could also be important for large-scale solar electricity. If solar is ever to be a dominant source of power, finding ways of storing the energy for night use will be essential. And hydrogen, he says, could be a good way to store it.

I wish Nanoptek Godspeed in their efforts, the faster we find the anwser to fossil fuel addiction the better for all of us. I really would love to tell the Middle East to keep their oil where it belongs, buried deep in the ground.

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Mehmet Celebi Another Anti-American Hillary Lowlife Contributer

The Gateway Pundit has a post detailing yet another anti-American lowlife donating to Hillary's campaign this one is the producer of the Anti-Semitic, Anti-American film "Valley of the Wolves Iraq" .

Now that Hillary is so desperate for money that she had to give her campaign 5 million dollars of her own money, you have do wonder who would be unacceptable now, when she takes money from lowlifes like Mehmet Celebi, and others like Norman Hsu when she wasn't desperate.

Check out Gateway Pundit - Shocker!... Clinton Holocaust Denying "Hillraiser" Is Producer of Virulent Anti-Semitic, Anti-American Film:

"Valley of the Wolves Iraq" was an anti-Semitic, anti-American film featuring American actor Gary Busey as a Jewish U.S. army doctor who cuts out the organs of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib and sells them to wealthy foreign clients.
It also set box office records in Turkey.

In "Valley of the Wolves, Iraq," American soldiers are portrayed as, "violent, brutish, trigger-happy, civilian-murdering, hyper-religious, sadistic gun-nuts." And, that is just for starters... Never mind the evil Jewish doctor selling body parts from Abu Ghraib prisoners.

The Kurdish News reported that the producer of one of the most hostile anti-American films made in Turkey "Valley of the Wolves-Irak" is a Hillary Clinton mega-donor and bundler and was appointed a delegate by Hillary Clinton to the Democratic National Convention later this year.

...

Mehmet Celebi co-owns BMH Worldwide, which produced "Valley of the Wolves-Irak."
Mehmet Celebi is a Hillraiser for the Clintons.
Hillary Clinton accepted over $100,000 from this Holocaust denier.
Don't expect this to make any headlines.

More... Debbie Schlussel has more details on Mehmet Celebi.

Previously on Shady Clinton Donors:
Surprise!... Lawsuit Ties Clintons to Shady Marketing Firm
Hillary Implicated In "Largest Election Law Fraud in History"
WANTED: Major Hillary Campaign Contributor & Swindler
WANTED: Another Hillary Donor- This One Is Sought By FBI!!
More Bum News For Hillary... Hsu Named in 1996 Communist China Donations Scandal
Democrats Hit By Hsu-nami... Hillary Donor Case Goes to Court!
Hsu-nami News: Norman Hsu Linked to China Missile Trader
Woops! Another Illegal Donor For Hillary Clinton- From Japan
Norman Hsu Skips Bail Hearing Today! New Warrant Issued!
MISSING HSU FOUND ON TRAIN! Dem Donor Busted... Update: FBI Report
Norman Hsu SHOCKED That He Was Being Picked On!
Chinese Gangster "Shrimp Boy" Chow Comes Clean on Hsu
HSU SOCKED IN SLAMMER!!
A Few Thursday Morning Hsu-Strings...
Round the Hsu-Horn: Hillary Campaign Blames Obama
Bill Clinton Cabinet Member Linked to Hsu Scandal?
Pardongate- The Sequel... It's Payback Time
Another Clinton Donor Scandal Complete With Groping

Repeat After Me!
Anyone but Hillary!
Anyone but Hillary!
Anyone but Hillary!
Anyone but Hillary!

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Clinton Campaign Operatives Disenfranchise LA Voters?

Oh, It can't be can it? The Clinton campaign wouldn't be involved in a campaign to disenfranchise the minorities in Los Angeles just because they don't pole very well there, could they??

They could, would and probably have, check out the details in LAist: Los Angeles = Voting Problems Everywhere?*

*UPDATE, 5:33 P.M.: More problems continue throughout LA County at the beach, in Santa Monica. At Los Angeles City Hall, two City Councilmembers had an emergency press conference telling voters to pay attention when voting and Dharma & Greg Actor Mimi Kennedy explains what's going on in a video interview with LAist. Also, Hillary Clinton answered our interview questions.

---

We're getting reports of problems from readers, writers and the media. John Ennis, one of the founders of Video the Vote, gave LAist this update. Most of the confusion today is over people who are not registered as Democrat or Republican who want to vote in the primaries. The issue might be that they moved and they thought they were up to date. If you are a non-partisan voter, all you have to do is go to either a Democratic or Republican voting booth. Other than a few precincts not opening on time, Ennis says things seem to be running smooth, but it's early in the day he warned. To report a bad voting experience, call Video the Vote at 866-OUR-VOTE

Here are some other comments we've heard around the interwebs, if you have any stories to tell, let us know in the comments!

"The board of elections failed to deliver voting equipment to polling places ALL OVER LOS ANGELES... Developing..." [Drudge Report]

"Neighborhood friends and I voted this AM over at the Fairfax Library Branch. There was a delay because the machine that "counts" our inked up ballots was on the fritz. The staff was overwhelmed and frankly didn't know what to do. Two folks said 'Get a Mac.' It was funny and sad, and scary. I thought the machine was a Diebold and therefore our Demo votes would somehow toggle over, or just toggle off—but after some research, this is what that machine is: http://www.inkavote.com/precinct_ballot_counter.htm" [Reader submitted]

"The Inkavote ballot verification machine doesn't work at my poll place at Elysian Elementary, Baxter/Valentine in Echo Park. I was casually told that the Inkavote ballot verification machine was not working and the poll worker took the ballot and said she would put it in the box herself. NOT COOL!" [LAist News Editor, Andy Sternberg]

"There was no line at my polling place, very smooth. And there was no line at In-n-Out in Sherman Oaks. Very odd!" [Reader submitted]

"My Brother-In-Law just came back from voting this AM -- he's registered Independent and wanted to vote in the Primary. I'd told him he could just request a ballot to do so. They told him he could not vote for a candidate. He said he thought he could, but they said because he is IND, he can't vote. That is an outright lie! I've tried to reach the Country Register to get someone over to straighten those people out -- as who know how many votes they are effecting! It's in 91342 at the American Legion in San Fernando... Please remind the independents that they CAN vote in the Primary and not to accept anything to the contrary and if ANYONE is near the American Legion in San Fernando -- please go in and explain voting rules to the people 'in charge.'" [Reader Submitted]

Note: The Independents rule is explained here: 'Independents' Can Vote for Democrats but Not Republicans in California Primary

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Liberal Loony Policies Now Treaten Califorinia Blood Supply

I'm glad I don't live in California, especially I wouldn't want to get sick or have an accident in California, because today their is a movement within the Liberal community in California to ban blood drives because the FDA prohibits blood donations from gay men because they are deemed high risk for HIV infection, the liberal community sees this as discrimination and should be outlawed.

San Jose State has gone as far as banning blood drives on campus, not thinking about the consequences to the blood supply if groups throughout the state followed suit. This is one case (of many) where I hope California is not a bellwether for the rest of the country, the FDA needs to be about to do anything they see fit to protect the nations blood supply.

Redstate has more the the story in Redstate - Progressives ban blood drives

Blood is a constant need for those with medical emergencies or chronic problems, and the only way to get blood to those who need it is for people to donate their blood.

However, in order to ensure the safety of those who receive blood, there are a number of restrictions on those whose donations are accepted. Conditions that make blood medically useless include Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease, leukemia, lymphoma, hepatitis, AIDS, infections, malaria, syphilis, gonorrhea, sickle cells, and tuberculosis. To give a person blood from someone who has one of these conditions could be life threatening, and so the FDA requires that organizations take a list of precautions to prevent such diseases from getting into the blood system.

Progressives at San Jose State University are banning blood drives anyway, though. They have decided that the anti-HIV precautions are unacceptable, and so would rather not give blood at all, in order to attempt to bully the FDA into compromising its scientifically-sound, safety-first blood donation protocols.

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