Many people are beginning to realize because of advertising that the brain must be targeted with nutrients, in order for its processes to work properly.

The ability to remember things is something we seek to do each day, and when we find difficulty in doing so we question ourselves.

Quite naturally, we know that the data we may be looking for is in the mind somewhere. However, trying to bring it to the conscious mind for use is the issue.

What causes us to forget? Without becoming too technical about this subject, let’s say it’s a combination of stress, nutritional deficiency and autointoxication.

Simply, this means that one is not giving the brain the needed nutrients to open the files at the subconscious level for immediate use.

Also the body is saturated with uneliminated waste material that is impeding the access process.

In addition, stress is producing tension, and the natural flow of nerve energy is restricted.

At times, you have probably noticed that when you let the struggle of trying to remember go, the thought sought after pops into the consciousness.

The fact is that tension and stress cramp electrical flow. And at the subatomic level of our biological makeup, we are comprised of electrical charges.

This tells us that if we want our brains to work properly, we must keep ourselves involved in stress reducing exercises: Regular prayer, meditation, plenty of rest and physical exercise.

Entertainment mixed with humor is one of the best avenues to release stress. And sometimes while engaged in, the mind will give you the answer or the idea you have been looking for.

Ginko Biloba, an herb that mankind has been using for thousands of years, today has electronic media presence as a remedy for better mind function.

It is a great herb for the memory and all mental processes. However, let us be aware that all herbs and nutrients will work better in our bodies if the cellular structure is clean.

In order for the active ingredients in any herb to be used effectively, metabolism should have a clean surface to fire from.

As an example, if you have a furnace that burns coal and you don’t clean the ashes out after burning the coal, then the next time you use it, it will smoke and won’t burn as efficiently.

This will reduce the energy or output of the engine and will slow the entire machine.

However, if you clean out the ash, the fire will blaze with less smoke and give more energy to the machine.

The cells in our brain and body work on the same principle. A faulty memory could be the result of uneliminated ash, which leads to poor metabolism.

The brain needs nutrient rich blood and oxygen for its best performance.

Create some exercise program that will work your legs at least three times per week for 20 minutes each time. The legs are pumps that drive the blood to the brain.

Tone the muscle in the legs, and you will see the mind become sharper. “Flabby legs lead to a flabby mind!”

Lecithin is a great brain food. Use a tablespoon of lecithin daily; it will be great for your memory.

For detoxification and brain food, call my office at 336-852-3040.

Dear EarthTalk: Why is Greenpeace upset with some leading tech companies for so-called “dirty cloud computing?” Can you explain? – Jeremy Wilkins, Waco, Texas

Leading tech companies like Google, Apple and Microsoft are now offering unprecedented amounts of data storage and access to “apps” on huge Internet-connected servers, saving consumers and businesses the hassle of installing and running programs and storing information on their own local computers.

This emerging trend, dubbed “cloud computing,” means that these providers have had to scale up their power consumption considerably, as they are increasingly responsible for providing more and more of the computing horsepower required by the world’s 2 billion Internet users.

No doubt, sharing such resources on centralized servers is more efficient than every individual and business running their own versions separately.

In fact, the research firm Verdantix estimates that companies off-loading data and services to cloud servers could save $12 billion off their energy bills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 million metric tons within the next decade.

But for the greenhouse gas savings to be realized, the companies offering cloud computing services need to make the right energy choices. Greenpeace has been tracking sustainability among tech companies for over a decade, and recently released a report, “How Green is Your Cloud?” assessing the green footprint of the move to cloud computing.

According to the analysis, some of the major players (Google, Facebook and Yahoo) have gone to great lengths to ensure that significant amounts of the power they need come from clean, green sources like wind and solar.

But Greenpeace chastises others (Apple, Amazon and Microsoft) for relying on so-called “dirtier” sources of power, such as coal and nuclear, to run their huge data centers.

“When people around the world share their music or photos on the cloud, they want to know that the cloud is powered by clean, safe energy,” says Gary Cook, a Senior Policy Analyst with Greenpeace.

“Yet highly innovative and profitable companies like Apple, Amazon and Microsoft are building data centers powered by coal and acting like their customers won’t know or won’t care. They’re wrong.”

Greenpeace’s report evaluates 14 major tech firms and the electricity supply chains in use across more than 80 different data centers that power cloud-based services. Some of the largest data centers are in buildings so big they are visible from space and use as much power as 250,000 European homes.

If the cloud were its own country, says Greenpeace, it would rank 5th in the world in electricity consumption.

“Companies like Google, Yahoo and Facebook are beginning to lead the sector down a clean energy pathway through innovations in energy efficiency, prioritizing renewable energy access when siting their data centers, and demanding better energy options from utilities and government decision-makers,” reports Greenpeace.

But unfortunately the majority of the industry is not marching in step.

As such, Greenpeace is calling on all tech companies with cloud services to develop siting policies based on access to clean energy sources, invest in or directly purchase renewable energy, be transparent about their energy usage, share innovative solutions, so the sector as a whole can improve and demand that governments and utilities increase the percentage of clean, green power available on the grid.

Contacts: Verdantix, www.verdantix.com; Greenpeace, www.greenpeace.org.

Dear EarthTalk: I understand there is to be another Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June 2012, 20 years since the last one was held in the same city. What’s on the agenda this time? – Janet Grayson, Albuquerque, N.M.

According to the United Nations, the so-called “Rio+20 Conference” — officially the UN Conference on Sustainable Development — is a new attempt in a new millennium to “lay the foundations of a world of prosperity, peace and sustainability.”

The event will take place June 20-22, the 20th anniversary of 1992’s United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) — the “Rio Earth Summit” — and the 10th anniversary of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.

The main agenda items will be reviewing the progress and difficulties associated with moving towards sustainability, assessing responses to the newly emerging challenges faced by our societies, and strengthening political commitments to sustainable development.

Underlying themes include finding ways to leverage the green economy to foster sustainable development and poverty eradication, and setting up an effective institutional framework for future global sustainable development initiatives.

Delegates from the 200+ nations and thousands of private and nonprofit sector attendees will focus on sustainable cities, decent jobs, food security and sustainable agriculture, energy, oceans, and disaster readiness.

To the World Resources Institute (WRI), a Washington, DC-based think tank devoted to sustainability issues, Rio+20 is important as it forces the world’s nations to “review progress on and reaffirm a global commitment to the policies designed to foster economic growth that is both inclusive and respects the planet’s limited carrying capacity.”

WRI adds that amid a global recession, a widening gap between rich and poor and heightened competition for energy, food and other natural resources, the conference couldn’t be timelier but “unfortunately, no clear vision for Rio+20 has emerged, and expectations … remain low.”

But conference participants are busy preparing. The Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future (SFSF), a network of non-governmental participants, is busy developing the Global Transition 2012 Initiative, which will lay out specific recommendations culled from organizations and thought leaders around the world.

“A goal of the initiative is to achieve an outcome from Rio+20 that catalyses a ‘Global Transition’ to an economy that maximizes well-being, operates within environmental limits and is capable of coping and adapting to global environmental change,” reports the SFSF.

“The Global Transition 2012 initiative will propose focused and accessible goals, targets and policy interventions that will chart a clear route towards the greening of the global economy, and the achievement of social and economic justice.”

Rio+20 participants hope this event will be remembered as an historic occasion when nations of the world aligned behind the cause of staving off global environmental catastrophe. But the more likely outcome is a few non-binding agreements that will soon be forgotten by constituents, the media and even many of the participating countries.

Not since 1987’s Montreal Protocol to phase out ozone-depleting chemicals have nations of the world been able to come together in a significant way to address specific environmental ills.

And without any binding agreements already on the table, Rio+20 doesn’t look to dazzle either.

Contacts: UNCSD, www.uncsd2012.org; SFSF, www.stakeholderforum.org; WRI, www.wri.org.

EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E – The Environmental Magazine ( www.emagazine.com). Send questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com.

Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe. Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.

ATLANTA, Ga. – When the Mohammed Schools of Atlanta hosts its second annual Community Choice Awards, the whole Muslim world will be able to tune in and be a part of the festivities.

The Community Choice Awards has gone viral. It will be live streamed.

Anticipation and excitement are mounting in Atlanta, as the entire Muslim community has had a hand in planning the finale event for the 2011-2012 School Year at Mohammed Schools, one of the very few fully-accredited pre-K through 12^th grade Muslim schools in the United States.

The world is invited to join in the excitement, because on this day, in the grand style of the renowned Grammy, Oscars and People’s Choice Awards, the Mohammed Schools will host the event that  includes awarding of more than one dozen honors for volunteerism, community development, philanthropy, student of the year, teachers of the year and more .

Nominations for the awards began in March, voting was held in early April, the envelopes have remained sealed, and now preparation is underway for a spectacular program of entertainment by students and local artists and announcing of the winners.

It is lights, camera, action, as Muslims roll out the red carpet, are dressed in their finest threads, and they designate 5:30 p.m., Fri., May 18, as the splendid day of the second annual Community Choice Awards.

Their two-month wait will culminate with this uniquely captivating event that also includes an Interactive Goal-giving activity featuring Imam Siraaj Wahhaj.

While Atlanta’s Muslims will attend the black-tie event in impressive, chic style at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts Center, other friends and supporters from around the globe will go to the Mohammed Schools website (www.mohammedschools.org) and join the program and merriment.

“I truly enjoyed last year’s Choice Awards, and I can hardly wait for this year’s event,” said Yusef Roberts, who was among nominees for last year’s Awards. He said being able to nominate candidates for the dozen or so Awards and being able to vote for the winners added to the anticipation and fun of the event.

Additionally, he said, “It was a formal, festive, regal and a high class atmosphere and event.”

This year’s theme is “Broadening the Scope, Sharing the Responsibility.”   And that is what the Mohammed Schools will do, as they have expanded their outreach for the program and are inviting the world to tune in on their computers and watch the Awards.

Muslims who say they support Islamic education will have the chance to witness and be supporters of the School that boasts more than 300 alumnae who are making a remarkable mark on the world. The alum of Mohammed Schools are proud family men and women, parents and professionals in varied fields, including medicine, law, business, education, engineering and more.

This year, the Mohammed Schools was in transition as its longtime Director and Principal prepares for her retirement. This year, the School broadened its efforts to provide quality education and had a Principal and a Director.

The School has made it a goal to broaden its scope and work toward more sustainability and building up the program, so that the School will be around 100-plus years from now, still making its impact in the world of education.

The Mohammed Schools of Atlanta was among more than 35 that began as the University of Islam based on the courage and vigor of Sis. Clara Mohammed. And now, the School is among less than a dozen that are still in the struggle to educate effective global leaders and citizens.

“We have expanded our program to include the entire Muslim world as our way of sharing the responsibility to help educate Muslim children. We want our brothers and sisters across the globe to feel connected to what we are doing here in Atlanta,” explained Hajja Ameenah Sabree, one of the event’s coordinator.

Director Safiyyah Shahid, who has vested more than 30 years in Atlanta’s community development,  including more than 20 years at the Mohammed Schools, said, “As we look around the United States, we see that it is a struggle for Muslims to maintain the legacy of Sister Clara Mohammed of educating our own.   This obligation and responsibility is not something to be taken lightly. Every Muslim must feel endowed and responsible for insuring the success of all of our Muslim schools.”

The live stream broadcast of the event that last year raised more than $40,000 for the operating expenses of the school is the Mohammed Schools’ way of allowing other Muslims the share the responsibility.  The anticipated goal for this year’s event is $75,000. Muslims around the world are encouraged to have viewing parties in their homes, masajid and Islamic Centers, watch the awards and share in the event that includes announcing winners of the awards that are named in honor of Muslim legends of the Atlanta area, as well as enjoy the engaging and joyful entertainment, and even phone in or click the “donate” button on their computer and become contributors.

The Community Choice Awards is one of many events that caps off the school year.  It will come in the midst of the school’s annual graduations for Kindergarten (Thursday, May 17, at 10 a.m.), 8^th Grade graduation (Thursday, May 17, 6 p.m.) and the high school graduation (Sunday, May 20, 1 p.m.).  All of these events will also be live streamed.

Those who wish to give before the event can go the Mohammed Schools site now (www.mohammedschools.org) and click the donate button. For tickets or more information, call Mohammed Schools at 404-378-1042.

BALTIMORE, Md. – During the beginning of the year 2012, the Baltimore Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America held its annual Volunteer Recognition Reception at the beautiful Martin’s East in Baltimore.

Estimated attendance was at least 700 participants. The Concerned Muslims of Annapolis (CMA) and Washington, D.C.’s Masjid Muhammad’s Resident Imam Talib Shareef were invited guests.

Imam Shareef, along with three other faith leaders, gave the opening invocation.

The Boy Scouts of America is one of the Nation’s largest and most prominent values-based youth development organizations.

The Baltimore Area Council’s reception is an annual recognition for volunteers who have sacrificed and contributed to ensure Scouting’s legacy will continue for future generations of young boys.

The reception also recognized those who have made financial contributions to the Boy Scout’s Endowment Fund. That fund is a source of income for the current and future Scouting programs.

Interest is earned on donations, as the funds continue to grow, establishing financial stability.

One of the volunteers honored was Ms. Adrienne Jones, Speaker Pro Tem of the Maryland House of Delegates. She is the first African American female to serve in that position and has been in the state legislature since 1997.

She received the “Silver Beaver” Award, along with 14 others. More than 300 Eagle Scouts also were recognized.

This first-of-the-year program was the third time in consecutive years that CMA has participated. In 2011, Imam Benjamin Abdul-Haqq, one of the assistant Imams at Masjid Muhammad, gave one of the opening invocations.

In 2010, Imam Rauf Abdullah of the Ali Khan Islamic Center in Suitland, Maryland, joined a rabbi, a protestant minister, and a Catholic priest in giving the invocation. CMA was the liaison that connected these Imams to the Boy Scout Council.

The following is an excerpt from Imam Shareef’s invocation:

With G-d’s Name, The Merciful Benefactor, the Merciful Redeemer — the same G-d for all of us, Who created us all and cares about us all equally.

We give all praise and thanks to You, Almighty G-d, our Lord, for blessing us with the time and the mind to remember You and show gratitude for our precious life and our establishment as a G-d-conscious Nation, and for blessing us to be here tonight for this wonderful occasion, the Annual Volunteer Recognition Award Reception.

We ask for Your Blessings on the Boy Scouts of America, the Baltimore Area Council, its members, and all gathered here to recognize, celebrate and honor our resourceful award recipients for their contributions to building tomorrow’s leaders of this country.

Today, G-d, we ask that You continue to bless the Boy Scouts of America with diverse healthy-minded leaders and volunteers, those who themselves take serious the trust and responsibility of citizenship and are proponents of our Nation’s presentation of E pluribus Unum, Out of Many, One.

The whole being the result of MANY coming together to form One. One Nation. One Humanity. One Common origin and in and from that identity, the many beautiful, wonderful expressions of human-life.

And that by Your Decree, none of us can truly come into our humanity, until we appreciate each one of these expressions in our brother and sister in the Human family of Adam. Ameen.

“O ye who believe! Enter into Islam wholeheartedly, and follow not the footsteps of satan, for he is to you an avowed enemy.” Holy Qur’an 2:208

To understand our religion more clearly, we must begin to look past our outward appearance to actually know the motivational factors that drive us in acting and doing what we do.

That means even looking beyond the religious label to know just who “the real us” is. Too many Muslims see Al-Islam as merely the name of our religion, but it’s more than that.

In the Nation of Islam (NOI) days, we use to hear all the time, “Islam is our nature, it agrees with our nature.” We heard these words, but we didn’t really understand them. We heard them in the abstract.

In the above ayah, Allah is addressing the character of the human being when He calls on the believer. To be a believer in Allah and be faithful is the same thing. It means to be loyal, upright, honest, trustworthy, to have integrity, ethics, etc.

Now we no longer have to see our faith in the abstract; it is very tangible to us now. We now see it as our character, our actual human makeup.

This is also the true meaning of freedom, because we’re not slaves of the negatives influences of this society.

When Allah tells us to enter His faith wholeheartedly, He is telling us to include, or embody, these attributes within us, as in the entire person. This is what is meant when we say, “Islam means complete submission to the Will of Allah.”

As Muslims, we also must understand that all humanity possess these same qualities, regardless of religious labels. To practice these attributes means that we are obeying G-d. “Obedience to G-d, that is the true religion, but most men understand not.” (Holy Qur’an 30:30)

For us to continue to address people based on their religious labels is to allow satan to divide us as human beings. After all, he is the author of divide and conquer. His attack is not on any one particular religion, but it’s on all people of faith.

Satan’s goal is not to destroy religion, but to destroy the effectiveness of religion through making it into a joke through sitcoms, music, comedy routines and reality shows.

We still claim our faiths but only in words. Allah tells us that satan is an avowed enemy. The word “avowed” should tell us something. It should tell us that this evil force is very determined to derail the human being in life.

It is an act of aggression. It means hostile action. It means that there is a deadly force whose aim, or focus, is to destroy us in our moral makeup and our humanity. When Imam Mohammed was among us, he was the moral guidance for the society.

If you will notice, since he’s been gone away physically, society has progressively degenerated from the highest realms of government, to the institutions we depend on to report the news, the educational institutions we depend on to educate our children, to the fact that more than ever now, our streets are more unsafe than ever.

Many of us thought that after the Civil Rights movement, we were free. We didn’t understand that the real target of satan was not to keep us from voting, or job discrimination, segregation, etc.; these were only smoke screens to take our eyes off the real prize, for these are God given human rights that don’t come from man. So when we did accomplish getting some of these, we would drop our guard.

Soon after the passing of our leader Imam W. Deen Mohammed (may Allah forgive his sins and grant him Paradise), Satan came out with a picture of the singer Rheanna with hair that was redder than red.

One of the symbolic meanings for hair is our disciplines, and red is our lust or passions. This picture of Rheanna was the signal that the moral foundation of the society was to come under attack more than ever before, and that everything was fair game, even our children.

Not only do society suffer from those ills mentioned earlier, but the warmth of simple human response from one to another is fast disappearing.

We meet each other on the streets and we’re so afraid, we look into space rather than look at the other person and give a peaceful hello. Even friends are stand-offish with each other, because the trust is gone. Can’t even give a compliment to the opposite sex without them thinking there’s an ulterior motive behind it.

People are so afraid of each other, that they create artificial laws like “stand your ground,” thinking this will help protect them. In Qur’an, Surah 110, the word comes to us, “When comes the Help of Allah and Victory. And thou dost see the people enter Allah’s Religion in crowds.”

G-d is telling us that in order to bring the society back to a healthy state of life, we have to come back to our humanity. We must begin to promote integrity, ethics, uprightness; all these are graduations of high moral conduct.

This is what is meant by Allah’s religion. This is Al-Islam in its universal context. This is the Victory!

People of faith must stand in a united front against the forces of satan. They are weak and easy to overcome, but they must be identified as the root cause of society’s problems.

Bring back high mindedness, values, high standards; clean up the airways or create our own. This will be a start, and then comes the Help of Allah.

To be continued….

“The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home.” — James Madison

Drones — unmanned aerial vehicles — come in all shapes and sizes, from nano-sized drones as small as a grain of sand that can do everything from conducting surveillance to detonating explosive charges, to massive “hunter/killer” Predator warships that unleash firepower from on high.

Once used exclusively by the military to carry out aerial surveillance and attacks on enemy insurgents abroad, these remotely piloted, semi-autonomous robots have now been authorized by Congress and President Obama for widespread use in American airspace.

The military empire is coming home to roost.

While there are at least 63 active drone sites around the U.S., the Obama Administration is calling for drone technology to be integrated into the national air space by 2015.

By 2020, just eight short years from now, it is estimated that at least 30,000 of these drones will be crisscrossing the Nation’s skies, serving a wide range of functions, both public and private, governmental and corporate.

The end result, however, will be the same: We will find ourselves operating under a new paradigm marked by round-the-clock surveillance and with little hope of real privacy, a paradigm foisted upon us and from which there will be no escape, short of living in a cave, far removed from the reach of modern technology.

Caves, by the way, are rather scarce.

While the legislative vehicle for this rapid transition into a surveillance state came in the guise of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill, passed by Congress and signed into law by Obama in February 2012, it was steamrollered into place after intense corporate lobbying by drone makers and potential customers hoping to capitalize on the $12 to $30 billion per year industry.

As with every egregious government policy, there are politicians who stand to make money off the implementation of drones in America.

Fifty-three members of the House of Representatives are part of the drone caucus which works to expand the use of drones domestically. So far this election season, 15 members of the caucus have received a total of $68,500 from General Atomics PAC, the political action committee of the drone manufacturer General Atomics.

There is also a lobbying group with 507 corporate members spread across 55 countries, the Association for Unmanned Vehicles International, which is responsible for the language in the FAA bill which mandates the accelerated implementation of drone technology.

Thus, our so-called representatives and the corporations which support them will make a great deal of money off of the decimation of Americans’ privacy rights.

While the threat these drones pose to privacy is unprecedented, they are being unleashed on the American populace before any real protocols to protect our privacy rights have been put in place and in such a way as to completely alter the landscape of our lives and our freedoms. We are truly entering a new era.

Once the realm of science fiction and dystopian literature, the all-seeing surveillance state, powered by the latest and greatest in robot technology, is the reality with which we must now contend.

Drones are outfitted with infrared cameras and radar which will pierce through the darkness, allowing the police to keep track of anyone walking around, regardless of the nature of their business.

Police drones are equipped with thermal imaging devices to see through walls. There is absolutely nowhere to hide from these machines — even in your home.

As Congressmen Edward Markey and Joe Barton pointed out in a recent letter to the FAA:

“[S]tate and local governments, businesses, and private individuals are increasingly using unmanned aircraft in the U.S., including deployments for law enforcement operations.

“As technology advances and cost decreases — drones are already orders of magnitude less expensive to purchase and operate than piloted aircraft — the market for federal, state, and local government and commercial drones rapidly grows.

“Many drones are designed to carry surveillance equipment, including video cameras, infrared thermal imagers, radar, and wireless network ‘sniffers.’

“The surveillance power of drones is amplified when the information from onboard sensors is used in conjunction with facial recognition, behavior analysis, license plate recognition, or any other system that can identify and track individuals as they go about their daily lives.”

While drones will undoubtedly be put to a host of legitimate uses, such as helping to spot wildfires, monitoring illegal border crossings, and carrying out search-and-rescue missions, their “beneficence” is a double-edged sword.

Indeed, in the name of efficiency and cost-effectiveness, law enforcement agencies will find a whole host of clever and innovative ways to use drones to invade our daily lives, not the least of which will be traffic enforcement and crowd control.

In fact, the drones will be outfitted with crowd control weapons.

Vanguard Defense Industries has confirmed that its Shadowhawk drone, which is already being sold to law enforcement agencies throughout the country, will be outfitted with lethal weapons, including a grenade launcher or a shotgun, and weapons of compliance, such as tear gas and rubber buckshot.

Such aerial police weapons send a clear and chilling message to those attempting to exercise their First Amendment rights by taking to the streets and protesting government policies—the message: stay home.

American scientists have created blueprints for nuclear powered drones which would increase air time from days to months. Potential problems are dire, such as a crashed drone becoming a dirty bomb or a source of nuclear propulsion for any terrorist groups that get their hands on it.

However, while the lethal capabilities of these drones are troubling, especially when one factors in the possibility of them getting into the wrong hands or malfunctioning, the more pressing concern has to do with the drones’ surveillance capabilities.

With the help of nanotechnology, scientists have been able to create ever-smaller drones that mimic the behavior of birds and insects and are almost undetectable. Despite their diminutive size, these drones are capable of capturing and relaying vast amounts of data and high-definition video footage.

It’s inevitable that as more local police agencies acquire these spy flies, their surveillance efforts will expand to include not only those suspected of criminal activity but anyone within range of the cameras. In such a surveillance state, we shall all be treated as suspects.

There are many constitutional concerns presented by drones recording Americans’ daily activities, with the most obvious being what it means for the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures by government agents.

While it will certainly give rise to a whole new dialogue about where to draw the line when it comes to the government’s ability to monitor one’s public versus private lives, the courts have been notorious for their inability to keep pace with rapid advances in technology and its impact on our freedoms.

Unfortunately, it is too late to do anything about drones coming home to roost. Indeed, as drone technology expert Peter W. Singer recognizes in remarks to the New York Times, “the debate over drones is like debating the merits of computers in 1979: They are here to stay, and the boom has barely begun.

“‘We are at the Wright Brothers Flier stage of this,’ he said.”

The point is that with 56 government agencies now authorized to use drones, including 22 law enforcement agencies and 24 universities, the drones are not going away.

Included among the institutions authorized to fly drones are police departments in Arkansas, Utah and Florida as well as Virginia Tech and the University of North Dakota. The University of North Dakota even has a degree program in unmanned vehicle flight with 78 majors.

As with just about every freedom-leeching, technology-driven government policy inflicted on us by Congress and the White House in recent years, from whole-body scanners in airports to RFID chips in our passports and drivers licenses, the mass introduction of drones into domestic airspace has one main goal: to empower the corporate state by controlling the populace and enriching the military industrial complex.

In the meantime, all you can do is keep your eyes on the skies.

As Singer noted, “There’s no stopping this technology. Anybody who thinks they can put this genie back in the box — that’s silliness.”

About John W. Whitehead: Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute and editor of GadflyOnline.com. He is author of the new book, The Freedom Wars (TRI Press. Visit the Rutherford Institute at www.rutherford.org.)

News Corp.’s (NWS) board of directors said it has “full confidence” in Rupert Murdoch’s fitness to continue to lead the international media company. A British House of Commons committee report called Murdoch “not a fit person” to head a major international company.

In its statement, the board said its decision was unanimous. “The Board based its vote of confidence on Rupert Murdoch’s vision and leadership in building News Corporation, his ongoing performance as Chairman and CEO, and his demonstrated resolve to address the mistakes of the Company identified in the Select Committee’s report,” the statement said.

Rupert Murdoch and his son, James, have come under pressure for their handling of the hacking affair last year that resulted in the closure of the News of the World tabloid.

As chairman and chief executive officer of News Corp, the 81-year-old Murdoch is among the highest-paid executives in the world, receiving total compensation of $33.3 million last year, including a $12.5 million bonus.

Murdock’s family own 40 percent of the voting stock of the media giant. Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, the Riyadh based media tycoon owns an estimated 7 percent of News Corp.

Murdoch has shown no inclination to step down as head of News Corp. — a company whose diverse interests in the United States include the Wall Street Journal, the Fox cable network and the 20^th Century Fox movie studio.

In a memo to News Corp. employees Murdoch acknowledged what he described as “past mistakes” over the phone hacking allegations and promised “a more robust global compliance structure” around the world.

“To that end, News Corporation continues to cooperate with all inquiries relating to voice mail interception and improper payments to public officials,” Murdoch wrote in the memo, an apparent reference to the Justice Department investigations into potential violations of U.S. anti-bribery law.

National

After tense and emotional testimony about the impact of John Edwards’ affair on his closest associates, prosecutors shifted their focus and began painting a picture of the former Democratic presidential candidate as a manipulative and greedy politician, who used campaign donations for his own purposes.

On the eighth day of Edwards’ campaign finance trial, Edwards’ daughter Cate left the courtroom in tears as a witness began to recount a conversation her mother had with a campaign aide about the affair.

The witness, Christina Reynolds, testified that Elizabeth Edwards “told me that Mr. Edwards had had an affair, that he had told her about it in late 2006.”

Reynolds said Elizabeth Edwards told her that her husband had said the affair was over but that she suspected it really hadn’t ended.

The episode came after Cheri Young, the wife of Edwards’ onetime top aide, Andrew Young, wrapped up her testimony under pointed cross-examination from defense lawyers, who elicited details of how she profited from helping cover up Edwards’ affair with campaign videographer Rielle Hunter.

Edwards is charged in U.S. District Court in Greensboro, N.C., with six felony counts of accepting about $1 million in illegal and unreported campaign donations from two wealthy supporters that was used to support Hunter and the Youngs during his 2008 presidential campaign.

Young testified that she went along with the plot to pay Hunter to remain silent and to have her husband falsely claim paternity for Edwards’ and Hunter’s child because she loved her husband and didn’t want the responsibility of bringing down a presidential campaign.

Crying at times, she described what she said was the tremendous emotional toll the cover-up took on the Youngs and their marriage. Edwards’ lawyers also elicited testimony that Young came away from the scandal with a diamond ring and luxury car.

Once Young was dismissed, the, “The jury is breathing out,” Steven Friedland, a law professor at Elon University in North Carolina, said of the new phase in the proceedings. Josh Brumberger, the campaign aide who first suspected Edwards was having an affair, recounted a heated argument at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago in 2006, which he said eventually led Edwards to fire him after he told other campaign staffers about his concerns.

None of Brumberger’s testimony directly touched on the cover-up, however, because he was no longer associated with Edwards when two prominent campaign supporters began writing checks to support Hunter and the Youngs.

The point of the testimony, Friedland said, was to “identify how John Edwards was in control.” Edwards “was the master here, the puppeteer — they worked for him,” Friedland said. “That’s really an important part of the prosecution’s case — that it was John Edwards who was controlling.”

Political

Restore Our Future is out with the ad for its more than $4 million buy. (The buy is up to $4.3 million in nine states.) Notably, the ad that’s being run is, “Saved,” the same positive Mitt Romney ad that the Romney CAMPAIGN ran in 2007 and Restore Our Future ran during this past primary season. That raised questions in February of just how close to the line campaigns and the Super PACs that support them come.

“The pro-Romney Super PAC Restore Our Future is going up with an ad in Michigan and Arizona, starting tonight, that focuses on the story of Mitt Romney helping to lead the search for his business partner’s daughter who went missing in New York City in the 1990s. The story is true, but the ad is recycled. In fact, the ad run by a SUPER PAC, called ‘Saved,’ is word-for-word the same ad that the Romney CAMPAIGN ran in 2007, called ‘The Search.’”

The Super PAC is run by people close to Romney, who were key 2007-2008 campaign staffers. Running this ad is an acknowledgment of the image problems Romney has. He has been upside down in his likability ratings (33 fav/36 unfav) in polls for months they have improved.

Business

Employment report comes at a pivotal moment for the U.S. economy. A strong showing could help ease concerns that the economy is stumbling in the third year of a modest recovery. A weak number will raise fears that what appeared to be a strong pickup in hiring this winter was only a temporary blip.

“The data are choppy right now,” said RBC Capital Markets chief U.S. economist Tom Porcelli. “There’s no way getting around that.”

The latest data aren’t encouraging. A monthly report by payroll processor ADP said that private employers added only 119,000 jobs in April. That was the smallest gain since September 2011, and less than forecasters had been expecting.

The report followed signs of a slowdown in last week’s report on gross domestic product, which showed a sharp pullback in spending by businesses and government. The economy grew at an estimated pace of 2.2 percent in the first three months of the year, the government said, down from the fourth quarter’s 3 percent rate.

Though weaker than expected this far into a recovery, the economy continues to chug along, with modest growth fueled largely by consumer spending.

Consumers also saw their paychecks rise in March, as household income rose by the most in three months. The Commerce Department said this week that consumer income rose 0.4 percent last month, while spending by rose 0.3 percent.

Much of the spending increase was the result of higher gasoline prices. Adjusted for inflation, spending was up only 0.1 percent.

Health

Federal prosecutors have charged 107 people, including doctors and nurses, in seven U.S. cities, accusing them of taking part in schemes to cheat the Medicare system out of $452 million through phony billing.

Attorney General Eric Holder said they “underscore the Justice Department’s determination to move aggressively in bringing to justice those who would violate our laws and defraud the Medicare program for their personal gain.”

The 107 health care professionals, also including social workers and owners of health care companies, charged worked in Miami, Tampa, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles and Baton Rouge.

The arrests are the latest in a three-year crackdown on health care fraud, which is estimated to cost taxpayers between $80 and $160 billion per year. Authorities recovered a record $4.1 billion last year.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the operation, including the arrests and the cutoffs of payments, are part of an effort to preempt fraud instead of relying on what she called the old “pay and chase” model.

“Now, we’re analyzing patterns and trends and claims data, instead of just going claim by claim,” Sebelius said.

 By Amatullah Sharif

COUNTRY CLUB HILLS, Ill. – As we are fast approaching Memorial Day Weekend, one of the initiatives of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed always fell on this weekend.

Now we reflect upon the memories of our dear beloved ones and of the Veterans and Heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country.

As we recently watched President Barack Obama travel to Afghanistan to address the troops and sign a strategic partnership agreement with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, we think long and hard on the sacrifices these men and women have made.

As this marks the “beginning of the end” of the conflict there, we are reminded of how long and protracted war can be and its many, many challenges on those who serve and on their families back home.

On November 21, President Obama signed The Vow to Hire Heroes Act of 2011, a law that combines provisions of several Acts: The veterans’ tax credits of the President’s American Jobs Act, Chairman Murray’s Hiring Heroes Act and Chairman Miller’s Veterans’ Opportunity to Work Act.

He has combined these Acts into a comprehensive package that will aggressively attack the unacceptably high rate of veteran’s unemployment. The Obama Administration also has created resources to help veterans translate their military skills into useable skills for the civilian workforce.

They have built new online tools to aid the veterans’ search for jobs and partnered with the Chamber of Commerce and the private sector to make it easier to connect our veterans with companies that want to hire them.

To this end MAVA is sponsoring the Job Fair and Awards Luncheon Ceremony to address issues and concerns facing Veterans in today’s world.  The theme is “Shared Interest and Partnership with Government and Companies for Unemployed Soldiers and Veterans.”

As we see First Lady Michelle Obama and Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden become devoted Advocates for Military Families, their efforts and endeavors are applaudable.  Mrs. Obama and Dr. Jill Biden are invited guests.

MAVA is asking for a United Jumuah from the Masajid in the Midwest area, and on Fri., May 25, guest Khatib is CMSgt, USAF-Ret, Imam Taalib Shareef of Masjid Muhammad in Washington, D.C.

Imam Talib Shareef is the 4th Resident Imam for the historic Masjid Muhammad in Washington, D.C. He served as Imam in five U.S. cities, as Islamic Faith Group Leader at seven military locations around the world, and as Convener for the Georgia State Association of Imams.

His military career spans three decades, and he is a student of Imam Warith D. Mohammed.

Confirmed guests are: Mr. Bruce Perry, Coalition of Veterans Organization; Rochelle Crump of the National Women Veteran United; MAVA National Commander, Samee Ali; Warith D. Mohammed II, President of The Mosque Cares and Honorary Auxiliary Member; and Imam Dr. Mikal Ramadan, Resident Imam of Masjid Taqwa, and others.

Vendors are invited on Friday, May 25to speak to the audience outlining how they became interested in their business-of-choice, what their long term goals are, and describe their wares.

Booth set up on Friday and Saturday is at 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Entertainment will be provided by Islamic Cultural  Experience, featuring renowned flutist and former member of “The Inviters to Truth” –  Kamilah Furqaan.

During the program a Flat Screen Television will be given away as a Gift from MAVA Post No. 2A Abdel Aziz.

Vending Booths are $25 a day, $50 for both days. Hurry and get your Booth!

Ticket donation: $25  for adults; children 16 and under $12.50; a table of 10 is $250.

Due to the shortness of time, there will not be a Brochure. But any advertisements that have come in, they will be listed on the program along with the Supporters List which is $10 per entry.

For more information, call Taalibdin Shabazz at 708-829-2994.

and Nai’mah Nasif,

FSN Coordinators

www.njfamilysocialnetwork.com

NEWARK, N.J. – On Sat., May 19, 2012, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., Family Social Network, a new multi-culturalsocial service will give an outstanding “Meeting and Greet” social affair at Rutgers University, Paul Robeson Center, in Newark.

This low-cost affair is packed with a guest speaker, panelists, awardees, vendors and positive live entertainment for the price of two movie tickets.

Dr. Robert Johnson, Dean of University of Dentistry and Medicine of New Jersey Medical School as well as a specialist in adolescent medicine, is our confirmed speaker.

Dr. Johnson will give an update on our community’s health condition, along with statistics on HIV/AIDS in this current environment.

Additionally, our panelist will include Mr. Salaam Ismail, Director, NATIONAL UNITED YOUTH COUNCIL, INC.; Ms. Majeedah Shariah, Graduate, Fairleigh Dickerson University; Mr. Alturrick Kenney, Newark Board of Education; and Mr. James Williams, Educator, Barringer High School, Newark.

Their discussion will center on homicide, prison, AIDS and hope, along with a brief question and answer session.

Accordingly, it is important to establish Family Social Network, Inc., in this downturn economy. Whereas Newark has a number of social agencies, Family Social Network is designed to contribute virtual time effective information by the reduction of red tape in order to help others make sense of complicated instructions, as well as to fill the gap with those who have fallen through the safety nets.

On a personal note, we have a moral responsibility to deal with humanitarian causes, to help others based on charity.

A great and wise leader for humanity, the Hon. Imam W. Deen Mohammed (may G-d forgive all sins and be please with him), said that we must come out of the mind of a recipient and see ourselves as a benefactor, giving help to others.

Our urban homicide rates, especially among our precious youth, have continued to rise at the same time as the growth of our prison population – a dual crisis that has affected our communities.

We are now in a social emergency that will take an entire village to address.   Still, we have faith in our Lord, as community leaders to accept our G-d-given talents to try to save one person/family at a time, Insha’Allah.

Part of the proceeds will go toward monthly newsletters filled with vital information designed for our homeless and throwaway children to make positive life choices to repair their lives.

We also will coordinate quarterly family seminars based on current events. Please bring your business cards (if applicable) or just come to enjoy the ambiance, as you join us on May 19, at Newark Rutgers University, Paul Roberson Center, in Newark.

There, you will develop an excellent network of civic, religious, business, legal and law enforcement agencies to devise a plan of action to save our community for the pleasure of pleasing Allah (SWT).

When you go on the website, http://www.njfamilysocialnetwork.com/, you will see a page called Special Event! There, you can reserve your ticket(s) today for this one time event. So please do not miss it!

Your presence will acknowledge that you want to become part of a good solution for our community.  This is an event for solution orient people who care about their community.

Also, please visit our Trading Post to participate in trade, sales and purchases. Surely, there is something you can add or receive.

This trading post is free as well as a vital entity for the continued growth of our community!

After completing high school, she went on to graduate from Wilson Teachers College and received her Associates Degree. She worked at Hart, Schaffner and Marx as a seamstress for 30 years, until retirement.

In 1946, Sis. Elizabeth met and married James Moore, who preceded her in death. Later in life, she met and married Damon Holt, who also preceded her in death.

She continued her life desire mentoring young people who have been fortunate enough to have known her. She always armed them with words of encouragement and her belief in self-worth.

Her desire to assist and positively influence the lives of young people is as strong in her today as it was in years past.

Sis. Elizabeth was on the move, especially if there was some place to go or to support a good cause. She was always ready for an outing. If you were driving her to a function, her motto was: “I’m ready to go!”              This explains the 10 trips she took in a span of one year.

She is best known for her faithful presence and support at many community functions. Whether it was a Pioneer sponsored trip, a trip to a Conference or to a Convention, to a Banquet or First Sunday lecture, she can be seen front and center among the Pioneers.

She was never one to sit around and do nothing. She was a staunch supporter of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad and just as diligent and dedicated to the leadership of Imam W. Deen Mohammed. She was always a dedicated and active member of the Muslim community for over 40 years.

She has always been a source of encouragement and a model of unwavering commitment to youth and Pioneers alike.

Sis. Elizabeth helped support the Jihad Bashir Foundation under the leadership of Sis. Shakira Bashir. She galvanized friends and family to attend and support this Foundation.

She was one tough lady with an enormously soft heart! So many loved her and she was known by many names – Aunt Bessie, Sis. Elizabeth, and Big Mama! She will truly be missed!

Sis. Elizabeth leaves to cherish her memory: Daughter Linda Shelton Williams; grandsons Steven L. Shelton (Letetia) and Eric Shelton;

Great Grandchildren Terrell, Ayden, Joelle and Catherine Holt (sister-in-law); all of her Muslim family and community and host of family relatives and friends.

She loved her two pets – Missy the dog and Tuffy the bird.