 | "There's Justice In The Universe" |
| Posted 5/4/2008 6:18 AM CDT NOTE: As’TWere #104 will be the last As’TWere blog entry. Should Newspapers Endorse Candidates?: How can a newspaper be objective on the front page when it endorses a candidate on the editorial page? It is dubious about whether the reporter who covers Hillary Clinton can be objective if his newspaper has endorsed Barack Obama — and vice versa. Journalists love to cite the fact that the press is the only industry protected by the Constitution. A free press, as Jefferson noted, is part of our system of checks and balances; it is one of the few guarantors of democracy. But for the press to remain free, we need to preserve both the reality and the appearance of that freedom, and endorsements undermine that. Fair Elections Now Act {FENA): There is a fundamental flaw with elections in this country: Money… politicians need big bucks to run their campaigns and they often get it from wealthy donors and special interests. But nothing is free and those contributors expect paybacks in the form of earmarks, contracts, or plum government appointments. Because of this corrupting influence of money, many Americans have lost faith in politics and feel neglected by our democracy. Additionally, ordinary citizens who want to serve in government don’t have access to money and are locked out of the system, unable to afford running for office. There is a solution: full public financing of elections. Modeled on successful systems in Arizona, Connecticut, and Maine, the ‘Fair Elections Now Act’ (FENA) would bring full public financing of elections to Congress. It would allow people to run for Congress without taking huge sums of special interest money and focus on voters and the issues. Elections would be about voters, not collecting campaign cash. Take Action: Obama’s Double Standard?: Though much of Obama's speech covering 400 years of race relations in America was remarkable and thoughtful, it left the impression that Obama was broadening the subject to all race relations to deflect questions about his two-decade involvement with the radical anti-American, Pastor Wright. Obama failed to explain why for two decades he allied with a pastor who continually delivered sermons that were hate filled, paranoid, and anti-American…. & asserted that America got its "just desserts" on 9/11 and was morally responsible for the attack because of, among other crimes, dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, even though our purpose was to end the war imposed on the United States. The "chickens were coming home to roost," Wright said. He has also promoted a series of fantastical claims, including that the U.S. government gave drugs to black people presumably to enslave them or imprison them and that the government invented AIDS as an instrument of genocide against people of color. He slurred Italians as "garlic noses" responsible for Jesus's "lynching." Just last year, Wright honored the radical Louis Farrakhan and, as part of a virulently anti-Israel stance, published an article in his pastor's letter giving a platform to Mousa Abu Marzook, deputy leader of Hamas and a known terrorist. What many people are saying privately, if not publicly, is that they do not understand how a man who gives speeches about moving past the racial divide would choose such a minister and make him virtually a member of his family and his "sounding board" during two decades. Pastor Wright was one of the first people Obama thanked after his election to the Senate; he consulted him before deciding to run for the presidency; and then he selected him as his spiritual adviser. Contrast this with Senator Obama's reaction when radio host Don Imus uttered his infamous slur of blacks last year. Then, Obama didn't hesitate to say Imus should be fired and asserted, "There is nobody on my staff who would still be working for me if they made any comment like that about anybody of any ethnic group." But when it came to Pastor Wright, he passed him off as "an old uncle who says things I don't always agree with." This kind of double standard raises serious questions. Hillary’s Own Religious ‘(W)Right’: When Clinton first came to Washington in 1993, one of her first steps was to join a Bible study group. For the next eight years, she regularly met with a prayer group called The Fellowship aka "The Family, a network of sex-segregated cells of political, business, and military leaders dedicated to "spiritual war" on behalf of Christ, many of them recruited at the Fellowship's only public event, the annual National Prayer Breakfast. [Aside from the breakfast, the group has "made a fetish of being invisible".] The Fellowship believes that the elite win power by the will of God, who uses them for his purposes. Its mission is to “help” the powerful understand their role in God's plan. Note: This has not been a casual connection for Clinton. She has written of Doug Coe (“The Family’s” publicity-averse leader) that he is “a unique presence in Washington: a genuinely loving spiritual mentor and guide to anyone, regardless of party or faith, who wants to deepen his or her relationship with God.” Furthermore, The Family takes credit for some of Clinton’s rightward legislative tendencies, including her support for a law guaranteeing religious freedom in the workplace, such as for pharmacists who refuse to fill birth control prescriptions and police officers who refuse to guard abortion clinics. Is Halloween A Liberal’s Holiday?: Proving once again that today's ‘rightwinger’ is practically impossible to satirize, Fox News, Sean Hannity labeled Halloween a "liberal holiday." He claimed that "Halloween is a liberal holiday" and "is teaching our kids to be liberals." Hannity explained that "we're teaching kids to knock on other people's doors and ask for a handout." Co-host Alan Colmes responded by asking if that meant that Christmas is a "liberal holiday". Colmes asserted that Halloween represents "the act of giving," and asked: "Isn't that a Christian thing, to give, to share with your community?" Hannity replied: "Not to teach your kids to beg for a handout." [My Comment: Whatever happened to the ‘far right’ emphasis upon Halloween being a form of Satanic worship?] Watch: The Pentagon’s 2009 budget request is the highest— even after accounting for inflation---- since WWII. $650 billion. Time Political Quote: McCain: "I have some news [for Barack Obama] - al-Qaeda is in Iraq. Al-Qaeda is called al-Qaeda in Iraq. My friends, if we left, they wouldn't be establishing a base... they would be taking a country". Obama: "I have some news for John McCain... there was no al-Qaeda in Iraq until George Bush and John McCain began the Iraq war". |
| Posted 4/29/2008 6:12 PM CDT The Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)… was designed to keep wealthy taxpayers from using loopholes to avoid paying taxes. But because it's not regularly updated for inflation, more middle-class taxpayers are getting hit with the AMT. Each year, more and more taxpayers discover, to their dismay that they are subject to the AMT, which knocks out a lot of exemptions, deductions, and credits they may have gotten used to when doing their regular income taxes. In 1987, one year after the last major overhaul of the AMT, only “one tenth of one percent” of all returns had to pay the Alternative Minimum Tax. Now, many middle-income Americans are paying the Alternative Minimum Tax or having their tax credits limited by its hidden effects. In fact, in 2010, the percentage of married couples with children paying AMT in all income brackets is projected to be 39%. Increasing percentages of people will be subject to the AMT in the future. [Note: A similar tragedy occurred when the Government Pension Offset & Windfall Elimination Provision were enacted by Jimmy Carter.] Learn More: The Wealthiest 1% of Americans… earned 21% of all the income in 2005. The percentage is increasing. The Wall Street Journal 44% Of USA’s CEOs… have contracts that call for them to receive severance payments even if they are fired for committing fraud or embezzlement. New York Times Big Shots Capitalize On Tax Loopholes: Warren Buffett, the third-richest man in the world, has criticized the US tax system for allowing him to pay a lower rate than his secretary and his cleaner. Mr. Buffett, who is worth an estimated $52 billion, said that he was taxed at 17.7 per cent on the $46 million he made last year, without trying to avoid paying higher taxes, while his secretary, who earned $60,000, was taxed at 30 per cent… that US government policy had accentuated a disparity of wealth that hurt the economy by stifling opportunity and motivation. Sign petition: War On Greed: Henry Kravis is a billionaire, the 57th richest person in America. He acquired this wealth by purchasing public companies with borrowed money. To pay off the debt, he cuts benefits at the company, sells its assets, and lays off employees. This get-rich-quick scheme made him $450 million last year. Meanwhile, his tax rate is lower than teachers, firemen, nurses, even his own cleaning staff! View: In a sign of difficult economic times, Wal-Mart reported that thousands of its shoppers this year have been redeeming holiday gift cards for basic items such as pasta sauce and diapers rather than iPods and DVDs. Associated Press Your Average American: The average household has 2.6 members… we are 36.6 years old… we exercise close to the recommended 20 minutes a day--but that's because 17% of us exercise for well over an hour, while the rest of us scarcely stir at all. The vast majority of Americans believe in God, and more than 90% own a Bible, but only half can name a single Gospel, and 10%+ think Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. In addition… depending on how closely you cleave to the statistical norm, you prefer figure-skating to NASCAR, live in the state where you were born, spend more money in restaurants than grocery stores [Americans last year spent $390 billion in restaurants & $364 billion in grocery stores] …and are just as happy as you would be if you earned 20 times your salary. At some point today you will say a prayer, not floss, take a shower for 10 minutes (but not sing in it), drive an eight-year-old car to work, spend 95% of the day indoors and 2 1⁄2 hours online, consume 20 teaspoons of added sugar and not save any money. Wal-Mart’s Lack Of Compassion: Deborah Shank, a Wal-Mart employee gets into an accident with a semi and ends up permanently brain-damaged a few years back. Her Wal-Mart health insurance paid her medical bills, but she also sued the trucking company for damages. She wins $700,000, which after legal fees and expenses, nets her about $400,000, which was put in a trust to pay the nursing home she now lives in. But Wal-Mart gets wind of the settlement and turns around and sues Shank for $470,000, the money its insurance company paid for her care from the accident. Now, the woman is reliant on Medicaid and Social Security and Wal-Mart apparently got a much-needed windfall. National Debt: Currently at $9.13 trillion – which translates to $30,000 for each individual in the USA --- up from $5.7 trillion when Bush took office in 2001 (financing a war by borrowing doesn’t help)…. the national debt grows by one million dollars per minute. The National Debt To The Penny: To find the debt outstanding on a specific day or days, simply select a single date or date range and click on the 'Find History' button after clicking on the link below: Who Owns The National Debt?: The Treasury Bulletin, available online from the Financial Management Service categorizes ownership of U.S. Government securities by types of investors. What is the “Debt Held by the Public”? The Debt Held by the Public is all federal debt held by individuals, corporations, state or local governments, foreign governments, and other entities outside the United States Government less Federal Financing Bank securities. Types of securities held by the public include, but are not limited to, Treasury Bills, Notes, Bonds, TIPS, United States Savings Bonds, and State and Local Government Series securities. Credit Card Companies’ Loan Shark Fees: Tired of unscrupulous fine print tactics from your credit card company? Take Action: Learn more: Marketers Increase Pressure On Children: From 1992 to 1997, the amount of money spent on marketing to children doubled, from $6.2 to $12.7 billion. Today they are spending over $15 billion. Children influence purchases totaling over $600 billion a year. Children spend almost 40 hours a week outside of school consuming media, most of which is commercially driven. The average child sees about 40,000 commercials each on television alone. 65 percent of children 8-18 have a television in their bedroom. Farm Program Pays $1.3 Billion to People Who Don't Farm: Nationwide, the federal government has paid at least $1.3 billion in subsidies for rice and other crops since 2000 to individuals who do no farming at all… some of them collect hundreds of thousands of dollars without planting a seed. Mary Anna Hudson, 87, from the River Oaks neighborhood in Houston, has received $191,000 over the past decade. For Houston surgeon Jimmy Frank Howell, the total was $490,709. The checks to landowners were intended 10 years ago as a first step toward eventually eliminating costly, decades-old farm subsidies. Instead, the payments have grown into an even larger subsidy that benefits millionaire landowners, foreign speculators and absentee landlords, as well as farmers. [Note: And if you think we’re stupid, then look at the fact that 40% of the EU’s budget goes for their farm subsidies (with Queen Elizabeth raking in $1 million annually, the Mormon church $3 million…).] Not Taxing The $113 Billion Marijuana Industry… in the USA, plus enforcing the anti-marijuana laws, costs taxpayers $42 billion annually. Forbes And Just How Much is a Billion Dollars? Every 8 hours and 20 minutes, the U.S. Government spends another billion dollars. A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, so let's put a billion into perspective. A billion seconds ago, it was 1959… a billion minutes ago, Jesus was alive…. a billion hours ago, our ancestors were living in the Stone Age. Of course, the current public debt is well over $7 Trillion dollars. So, How Much is a Trillion? Megachurch Money Hypocrisy Sparks Church-State Showdown: The New Testament reports that Jesus rarely used fancy modes of transportation to get around. He walked most of the time, although Matthew and other gospels mention that he once rode a borrowed donkey into Jerusalem, where he burst into the Temple and tossed out the moneychangers. Nearly 2,000 years later, some who claim to speak in Jesus' name are taking a different view. Consider Bishop Eddie Long, who pastors a megachurch in Lithonia, Ga. With a salary approaching $1 million a year and a nine-bathroom mansion situated on 20 acres, Long's choice of vehicles reflects his opulent lifestyle: He drives a $350,000 Bentley. Far from casting out moneychangers, Long is likely to join them. And there’s much more: ~For greed all nature is too little~ Seneca |
| Posted 4/20/2008 7:23 PM CDT 7 Texas State Board of Education’s Creationists Push For A Mandated State Reading List: Cynthia Dunbar, R-Richmond; Don McLeroy, R-Bryan; David Bradley, R-Beaumont; Gail Lowe, R-Lampasas; Terri Leo, R-Spring; Barbara Cargill, R-The Woodlands; Ken Mercer, R-San Antonio— these seven SBOE “creationistic” members are on the record as supporting efforts to water down discussion of evolution in public school science classes & support the teaching of "intelligent design"/creationism alongside evolution. These “social conservatives” want their reading list foisted upon our schools towards furthering a provincial ‘conservative curriculum’. [My Comment: May God save us from the unmitigated self-righteous.] http://www.dallasobserver.com/2008-03-20/news/battle-against-teaching-evolution-in-texas-begins/full http://bbsnews.net/article.php/20071116203449844 http://www.star-telegram.com/389/story/549985.html http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/03/27/0328ferreira_edit.html http://www.baptiststandard.com/postnuke/index.php?module=htmlpages&func=display&pid=7594 http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/columnists/jcastillo/stories/MYSA032508.01B.Castillo.3538380.html Sex Ed Lags: Research continues to show youth who receive ‘comprehensive sex education’ (which teaches “both abstinence and contraception) are more likely to initiate sexual activity ‘later in life’ and use protection ‘correctly and consistently’ when they do become sexually active. Evaluations of comprehensive sex education programs show that these programs can delay the onset of sexual activity, reduce the frequency of sexual activity, reduce the number of sexual partners, and increase condom and contraceptive use. Importantly, the evidence shows that these programs do not encourage teens to become sexually active. In short, responsible sex education programs work. [My Comment: Sex ed in Texas is regressing & it’s our young people that directly suffer because of it. ‘Sexual repression’ is the other side of the coin to ‘uninhibited sexual expression’. Both extremes are damaging.] http://www.tfn.org/publiceducation/textbooks/ http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/abstinenceonly/index.htm http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/ Fight Abortion: Use Good Quality Condoms – The religious organization called “Life Decisions International” does make one good suggestion when they point out that Consumer Reports evaluated 23 kinds of latex condoms for quality. http://www.fightpp.org/show.cfm?page=press&action=display&ID=139 Read "Condoms: Extra Protection" at: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/health-fitness/health-care/condoms-and-contraception-205/overview/ http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/health-fitness/health-care/condoms-and-contraception-205/ratings/index.htm Teachers Need A Chance To Talk: It was found that in the schools where teachers talked to each other the most about their jobs, and where the principals did the best job of staying in touch with the community, students had noticeably higher reading and math test scores… these communication networks had a much bigger impact on test scores than did the experience or credentials of the staff… if teachers from the same grades could get together for just a half hour each week just to talk about classroom challenges together, it would have more benefit than all the ‘in-service’ days wrapped together. [My Comment: Teachers have been asking for this forever, but hierarchical-minded administrators (aka ‘pseudo-politicians’) are so scared of “losing control” that they generally discourage such. This is due to the ‘top-down’ ‘industrial model’ of public education that overemphasizes ‘product’ and minimizes the value of ‘process’ (‘bottom line’ thinking makes almost all educational policy decisions.] http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07330/836795-85.stm Working Conditions Trump Pay: Recent studies suggest that working conditions are a key to attracting and retaining teachers -- even more than financial incentives... found that teachers who left the job after a year or two most often cited factors that all arguably fall under the umbrella of working conditions. Student discipline issues, heavy course loads, disputes with administrators and lack of resources were all common reasons cited by teachers leaving the profession. University researchers who followed 375,000 Texas teachers from 1993 to 1996 found that teachers systematically moved to schools with greater resources and higher test scores for the same pay. http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/01/10/18conditions.h27.html Teacher Pay Losing Ground: A growing gap in salary growth between teachers and other professions is increasing. Relative pay for public school teachers has been falling rather dramatically, even when benefits and time off are taken into consideration. In 2006, public school teachers earned 15% less than other employees with comparable education credentials and experience--a substantial jump since 1996, when the disadvantage was only 4%. Teacher pay has lost ground any way you slice it, whether by education, by gender, or by age. Most “merit pay” schemes are destined to fail because they don’t address the issue of a competitive base salary for all teachers. Thus, recruitment and retention of the best and brightest continues to be increasingly difficult, even as the nation recognizes the growing need for high-quality teaching. http://www.epi.org/books/teaching_penalty/teaching-penalty-full-text.pdf http://www.aft.org/salary/ Austin ISD Leading The Way ‘Back To The Future’?: Austin is among the first districts in the state to undergo national criminal background checks. The new rules expand on existing statewide criminal checks. Supporters say the law will keep children and school employees safe by weeding out those with criminal pasts. This requires the implementation of the state's new mandatory fingerprinting law, with Austin ISD chosen as the state's test case… if employees refuse, they will be reported to the Texas Education Agency, which will invalidate their teaching certificate. [My Comment: As ‘population densities’ and resultant ‘fear factors’ increase, things like this and a ‘national identification card’ system are almost inevitable. Fingerprinting our teachers won’t really make our schools any safer, but it will lead to the fingerprinting of other groups not already being fingerprinted and officially identified. Whose turn will it be next? Overpopulation inevitably leads towards totalitarian measures. Thus, voluntary contraception/sex ed programs and stemming the immigrant flood would help prevent the loss of current freedoms we now take for granted.] http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/01/17/0117fingerprinting.html 'No Child Left Behind' Law Slights The Gifted: Some scholars are joining parent advocates in questioning whether the education law No Child Left Behind [NCLB], with its goal of universal academic proficiency, has had the unintended consequence of diverting resources and attention from the gifted. A recent study analyzing fifth-grade test scores in the Chicago public schools before and after enactment of the law in 2002, found that performance rose consistently for all but the most and least advanced students. Critics say that NCLB has forced schools to focus on students on the 'bubble' between success and failure on statewide tests, providing the least support to those who will likely pass the tests "however they are taught." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/24/AR2007112401420.html Bloomberg Ending Social Promotion: NYC’s mayor vowed to end social promotion for eighth graders, as he already has for third, fifth and seventh graders. To help struggling students who are preparing for the working world, he said he’d “overhaul vocational education in the high schools and community colleges… traditionally, such career and technical education has been seen as an educational dead end, but we’re going to change that. College isn’t for everyone, but education is.” [My Comment: Bravo! Too many people look ‘down their noses’ at vocational education, when it’s really extremely beneficial for everyone. We really messed this up in Texas with our zealous “Back-to-the-basics” movement… which was really just a rationalization ‘bottom line’ politicians fed us.] http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/18/nyregion/18mayor.html?_r=1&oref=slogin Consumer Math Course Offerings Declining: ‘Consumer math’, which "teach[es] students how to balance a checkbook and shop for a home loan," among other things, is increasingly "being phased out as school systems raise their expectations of how much math students should know when they graduate." This "gradual elimination of the course from high schools comes as lawmakers, corporate leaders and many parents are decrying the financial illiteracy of the young. However, financial literacy is taught in bits and pieces scattered across several courses in middle and high school. This piecemeal approach might not be having the desired impact. Some students cannot remember having been taught finance lessons, and many avoid consumer math courses because they reason that it would look bad on a transcript. [My Comment: Many believe that financial literacy and sex education should be taught in the home. I disagree. The “basics” need to be taught to all in the best of all possible ways / because it’s not happening in most homes.] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/01/AR2007120101607.html Student Suspended For Buying Skittles: An eighth-grade honors student in New Haven, Connecticut [of “illegal alien haven” fame] was stripped of his title as class vice president, barred from attending an honors student dinner and suspended for a day after buying a bag of Skittles from a classmate. The district banned candy sales in 2003 as part of a district-wide school wellness policy. The student's original punishment of three days suspension was reduced to one, but he has not been reinstated as class vice president. http://wbztv.com/watercooler/Skittles.Suspension.candy.2.675441.html Improve Vocabulary, Have Fun & Feed The Hungry All At The Same Time: An entrepreneur has developed a website that helps prepare students for the verbal portion of the SAT, and helps to "combat world hunger." The site, Freerice.com, "donates 20 grains of rice to the UN World Food Program (WFP) every time a player selects the correct definition for a particular word." Money raised through advertising on the site pays for the donations. The site "ratchets up the difficulty" of questions "based on how many definitions a player has chosen correctly." http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1203/p13s02-lign.html?page=1 Comic Book Project Teaches Language Arts: Generations of children grew up reading comic books on the sly, hiding out from parents and teachers who saw them as a waste of time and a hazard to young minds. Comics are now gaining a new respectability at school. That is thanks to an increasingly popular and creative program, often aimed at struggling readers, that encourages children to plot, write and draw comic books, in many cases using themes from their own lives. The Comic Book Project has spread to more than 850 urban and rural schools across the country. It has gotten a big push from the current craze among adolescents for comic book clubs and for manga, a wildly popular variety of comic originating in Japan. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/03/opinion/03thu4.html?ref=opinion By the time an average American child leaves elementary school, they’ll have witnessed 8,000 ‘murders’ and 100,0000+ ‘acts of violence’ on TV. New Scientist About 20% of the American workforce is functionally illiterate. Slate.com ~I hope I will live to see the day when, as in the early days of our country, we won’t have any public schools. The churches will have taken them over again.~ Rev. Jerry Falwell, founder of the Moral Majority |
| Posted 4/13/2008 7:53 PM CDT Texas ‘Public Utility Commission’ Sabotaging Solar Power: Solar power is on the verge of hitting the big-time by achieving a scale and affordability that will allow it to replace dirty coal-fired power plants and significantly reduce global warming pollution. But a Texas agency has proposed rules that will create a serious barrier to solar's widespread deployment. One of the ways solar can be cost-effective is if a homeowner is given credit by their utility for excess electricity put back on to the grid, known as "net-metering." The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) issued a surprise proposed rule which create heavy burdens on customers wanting to install solar panels and provide financial rewards to the utilities, but provide no guarantees that customers who generate surplus electricity will ever get paid. Tell the PUC to go back to the drawing board and develop a rule that will help grow solar power and make sure consumers are fairly compensated: Take Action: http://environmenttexas.org/action/clean-energy/net-metering?id4=ES Photovoltaic Paint To Serve As Solar Cells: Many large buildings are sheathed in sheets of steel, typically coated to resist corrosion. Now researchers in Wales are exploring how to cover such material with a photovoltaic paint that can produce solar power. The idea of using the steel to generate power came from an engineering graduate student, who was looking into how sunlight interacts with titanium dioxide, often found in paints and dyes… realized that if he used solar cells made from titanium dioxide dyes, such cells could coat steel and generate electricity. The potential is huge: 4,500 gigawatts (4,500 billion watts) of electricity per year for every 1.08 billion square feet of the steel coated in the dye, or more than 260 times the installed capacity of all U.S. wind farms. http://www.swan.ac.uk/news_centre/LatestResearch/Headline,21753,en.php Israel To Lead Way Toward Electric Cars: The Israeli government is teaming up with Renaul-Nissan to begin mass-producing silent, emissions-free electric cars. Prime Minister Olmert states that they will be completely free of petroleum powered transportation by 2020. Renault-Nissan plans a worldwide marketing push based on this to sell cars with a range of 100+ miles and a top speed of 68+ miles per hour. The Week Britain Harnessing The Wind: British Business Secretary John Hutton indicates that his country plans on all their homes being powered by wind generators by 2020. Plans for 7,000 wind turbines are in the works for offshore wind farms. The Week Cape Wind Project: To avoid the worst effects of global warming, we must replace electricity generated from dirty coal and other fossil fuels with clean, renewable energy from sources like the wind, sun, etcetera. One option for fulfilling our clean energy needs is carefully sited offshore wind initiatives like the proposed Cape Wind project. This precedent-setting offshore wind park, which would generate three-quarters of Cape Cod’s energy, is at a crucial stage in its development. If built, this source of clean, renewable energy would set important precedents for the future of clean energy development in this country. Take Action: http://ucsaction.org/campaign/4_9_08_CW_comments?rk=Zps8h0FqCAzaE Since 2001, the top five oil companies have increased their annual profits by an average of 500%. McCain Scores Zero As A Conservationist: Despite his rhetoric, Senator McCain is not even one-tiny-bit a ‘conservationist’ representative. In order to rhetorically state that he’s ‘NOT’ voted against something, he avoids being present for votes on environmental issues. On the League of Conservation Voters scorecard, Senator McCain received a ‘0’ for missing the ‘15’ most important environmental votes in 2007. McCain's score of 0 is lower than members of Congress who died last year. John McCain's score exposes the real record behind the rhetoric: a pattern of voting with polluters and special interests and ducking the important votes. http://lcv.org/scorecard/ John McCain has missed 57% of the Senate’s votes in the last year. Obama missed 40%, while Hillary missed 27%… a desire to avoid controversial issues appears to have played a role. Associated Press Methane Hydrate NOT Accounted For In Climate Change Models: More than a trillion tons of methane lie trapped in permafrost and under frozen lakes in the Arctic (and this doesn’t count the even greater frozen methane deposits under the ocean floors). As the region thaws, the gas is bubbling out and worrying climatologists. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that methane locked in ice (known as hydrates) could contain more organic carbon than all the world’s coal, oil, and nonhydrate natural gas combined. Because of the way methane absorbs warmth radiating from Earth, it is as much as 21 times more heat-trapping—and thus climate-warming—than carbon dioxide. Yet current models of climate change do NOT take into consideration the potential impact of methane. http://tinyurl.com/2f2r2n Fertilizers Contribute Greenhouse Gas ‘Nitrous oxide’ To Global Warming Equation: Ammonia factories provide nitrogen for fertilizer. Fertilizer for agricultural fields is the major source of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. One nitrous oxide molecule traps heat about 200 times more effectively than each molecule of carbon dioxide, the most plentiful greenhouse gas. Nitrous oxide also remains in the air for a long time — on the order of a century — because it does not dissolve easily in water and resists reacting with other chemicals. Consequently it eventually reaches the stratosphere where sunlight breaks it into nitric oxide, a key link in the chain of reactions that damages the Earth’s protective ozone layer. At the same time, other fixed-nitrogen gases released from fertilizers contribute to producing ozone in the lower atmosphere, where it is a pollutant rather than a protector. Also, acid rain is fueled in part by nitrogen oxides from fertilizer. http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/9132.aspx Coal-fired electric plants account for one-third of the USA’s CO2 emissions… & even as some of America's dirtiest power plants start to clean up their act, scores of large, old, and inefficient electricity-generating facilities that fail to use available technology continue to pollute the nation's air… for example, just 4 percent of the nation's nearly 1,200 fossil-fuel-burning power plants account for 45 percent of their sulfur dioxide emissions. http://www.environmentalintegrity.org/pub385.cfm CFLs and Mercury: CFLs do contain a small amount of mercury, so they should not be thrown out in the trash. However, the mercury in CFLs represents a much less significant environmental hazard than incandescent bulbs because CFLs require much less electricity, and more than half of our nation’s electricity is generated by coal-fired power plants—the largest U.S. source of mercury emissions. In other words, the average coal-fired power plant emits only 3.2 milligrams of mercury for each CFL running six hours per day for five years, but emits nearly 15 milligrams of mercury for an incandescent bulb running the same amount of time, according to UCS research. The difference far exceeds the approximately five milligrams present inside a CFL. Properly disposing of CFLs ensures the mercury in them remains contained. http://ucsaction.org/ucsaction/home.html?qp_source=wacucs%5fheada Find Out How Much Mercury Is In Your Body: http://www.sierraclub.org/mercury/ Clean Water Restoration Act: The Supreme Court and the Bush Administration have recently sided with polluters to strip vital protections from the Clean Water Act. That means that pollutants like E-Coli, bacteria, mercury, PCBs and dioxin could be contaminating the drinking water of more than 110 million Americans. Congress will hold hearings in the coming weeks on the Clean Water Restoration Act, which would restore the Clean Water Act's original protections to all bodies of water. Even a handful more co-sponsors would build the momentum we need get to winning votes of 218 in the House and 60 in the Senate. Take Action: http://action.lcv.org/campaign/Mar08_cwra http://action.earthjustice.org/campaign/cwara0408?rk=f7ANu3p1p9yrE Only sugarcane-based ethanol is efficient enough to cut emissions by more than it takes to produce the fuel. The rest of the “green fuels” are net carbon emitters. Even so, the other kinds of problems associated with sugarcane as a source make it dubious at best. QUICK AGRO-FUEL FACTS: Increasing fuel efficiency by just 3% would reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil more than all of the agro-fuels combined. The amount of grain it takes to fill an average gas tank with ethanol would be enough to feed a person for a year. If the United States stopped growing food and converted its entire grain harvest into ethanol, it would satisfy less than 16 percent of its automotive needs. The majority of U.S. biofuels are produced from pesticide intensive genetically engineered crops (soy, corn). Monocultures of soy and sugar cane in Latin America and palm oil in Indonesia and Malaysia have led to massive deforestation and the loss of invaluable biodiversity. Current methods of industrial-scale biofuel production worsen global warming by increasing deforestation and degradation of peatlands and soils, while also creating more nitrous oxide emissions from fertilizer use. http://www.organicconsumers.org/organicbytes.cfm ~I am absolutely convinced that innovation, technology, and using the entrepreneurship of America will come up with technologies which will save money, be a boon to our economy, and clean up our environment.~ John McCain |
| Posted 4/4/2008 12:38 PM CDT 20 Questions To Ask/Answer Before Saying “I Do”: So, you’re in love, and you think you and your partner talk about everything, right? But have you ever discussed the issues that might make or break your marriage down the road? Here are 20 questions you and your partner should answer before you say, "I do”: http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/personal/08/02/o.marriage.questions/index.html http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/10/20/20-questions-to-ask-before-you-get-married.aspx Marital Arguments & Your Health: It’s how you fight, and how you react to and resolve conflict, that matters. And, the impact on your physical health varies dramatically, depending on whether you’re a man or a woman. One fighting style in particular garnered special attention. So-called “self-silencing” – keeping quiet during a fight – is especially damaging to women’s health, whereas bottling it up did ‘not’ have a measurable impact on the physiology of men… women who don’t speak their minds have a higher mortality rate than women who always spoke their minds (depression, eating disorders, heart disease). Additionally, the way you interact during marital arguments is as important a heart risk factor as whether you smoke or have high cholesterol. For women, whether a husband’s arguing style is warm or hostile had the biggest impact on her heart health. Interestingly, the level of warmth or hostility had no impact on men’s heart health. Instead, the men’s heart risk increased if disagreements with his wife involved a ‘battle for control’ – regardless of whether he, or his wife, was the one vying for control. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/10/18/how-to-make-a-difference-in-your-marriage-and-your-health.aspx Declining Silver Anniversaries In USA: Only about half of married Americans ever get to celebrate their 25th anniversary together (down from the 70% married in the late 1950s who made it to the quarter-century mark)… most Americans who marry still get hitched just once though. In 2004, 12% of men and 13% of women had married twice, and 3% were hoping the third time would be the charm. U.S. News & World Report Marriage: ‘His & Hers’ Finances --- Since ‘money conflict’ is apparently a major cause of divorce, more and more couples are ditching the traditional share-everything approach and keeping their accounts separate. Nearly half of married households have two or more checking accounts… they have ‘ours’, ‘mine’, and ‘yours’ accounts. WWW.WIFE.ORG points out that marriages don’t last forever…. it’s best to maintain your own financial identity. If one spouse is completely responsible for the finances, that leaves the other vulnerable when death or divorce ensues. [My Comment: Ultimately, it’s all ‘community property’.] http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/your-money/2007/09/27/accountability-his-and-hers.html Finances For The Remarried, Etcetera: Marriage and divorce often make a muddle of bank accounts. According to the latest census statistics, 58 percent of divorced men and 41 percent of divorced women over 50 are remarried, which can present a complicated situation: How do you handle prior financial commitments, such as college costs, while starting your new life together? Here are some tips: http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/your-money/2007/09/27/tips-for-the-second-time.html Related News: http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/your-money/2007/09/28/dont-let-divorce-poison-your-finances-and-credit.html http://www.usnews.com/blogs/alpha-consumer/2007/8/20/ex-spouses-can-ruin-each-others-credit.html http://tinyurl.com/2cnbtk What Happened To The Good Life?: Since the mid-seventies, when experts starting keeping track, Americans' definition of the "good life" has become increasingly materialistic. Over the years, the good life has become more likely to include a home, a vacation home, a car, a second car, a color TV, a second color TV, travel abroad, designer clothes, a pool, a job that pays more than average, lots of money, and so on. Immaterial responses -- a happy marriage, children, interesting work, and a job that contributes to the welfare of society -- have either flat-lined or become less popular over the years… The fact is, even though young people today are making less, we're spending more. Between 1979 and 1990, the spending of the average person working for minimum wage increased by 30 percent. http://www.alternet.org/stories/66639/?page=entire Why Men Swoon For Curvy Women: Men have a good evolutionary reason for preferring women with narrow waists and wide, womanly hips. Women with a classic "hourglass" figure tend to have smarter children. Using data from 16,000 women, researchers found that moms with large hip-to-waist ratios were more intelligent themselves, and gave birth to children who scored higher on standardized tests. Growing babies’ brains thrive on omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in the type of fat that tends to settle around a woman’s hips. Tummy fat, on the other hand, is high in omega-6 fats, which don’t seem to promote brain development. Women who are thin or stick-figured also tend not to have high levels of omega-3s. This may be one reason evolution programmed men to be attracted to curvy women. Previous studies have found another possible reason: Women with this body shape tend to be more fertile. http://lists.paleopsych.org/pipermail/paleopsych/2007-December/007757.html Marry A Cousin?: ‘Consanguineous unions’ are those between persons biologically related (second cousins or closer). A closer look reveals that moderate inbreeding has always been the rule, not the exception, for humans. The traditional view of human inbreeding was that we did it because, until the past century, families tended to remain in the same area for generations, and men typically went courting no more than about five miles from home—the distance they could walk out and back on their day off from work. As a result, it's likely that up to 80% of all marriages in history have been between second cousins or closer. While industrialized nations abhor the concept, we are perfectly comfortable with the idea that inbreeding can produce genetic benefits for domesticated animals. When we want a dog with the points to take Best in Show at Madison Square Garden, we often get it by taking individuals displaying the desired traits and "breeding them back" with their close kin. [ My Comment: That’s why mongrels are generally healthier than purebreds.] http://discovermagazine.com/2003/aug/featkiss/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consanguinity When Dildos Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Have Dildos: A federal appeals court has recently struck down a Texas law that makes it a crime to promote or sell sex toys. The court says,"Whatever one might think or believe about the use of these devices, government interference with their personal and private use violates the Constitution." Under current Texas law it is illegal to sell, advertise, give or lend obscene devices, defined as a device used primarily for sexual stimulation. Anyone in possession of six or more sexual devices had been considered to be promoting them. To protect themselves, sex toy vendors have often had their customers sign a legal document swearing that the device they just bought would be used as novelties for ‘educational purposes’ only. As recently as 2003, a Baptist mother of three was arrested for selling ‘marital aids’ to married people at a Tupperware-style sex toy party. http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/14/0214sextoys.html http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/02/11/obscenity.trial.reut/ http://www.alternet.org/blogs/reproductivejustice/78479/ Abstinence-only Programs Backfire: Statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in early December showed that for the first time in more than ten years, the teen birth rate has risen. Between 2005 and 2006 over 435,000 young women, aged 15-19, gave birth. More teens in all racial/ethnic groups are giving birth, with the largest increases reported among African American/black teens. The teen pregnancy rate had fallen by 34 percent since 1991 before this year's rise. The federal government has spent over $1.5 billion on ineffective abstinence-only programs, which prohibit educators from providing young people with complete and accurate information about contraception. http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/news/press/120507.htm More sex… improves men’s sperm counts. So, when men attempt to “save up” their sperm for the days of the month when their partners are fertile, their abstinence is counterproductive. Daily intercourse increases sperm production by 30% and clears out the oldest ‘swimmers’, so that sperm is at its best for the big event. The Week Men who don't organize their sock drawer… have sex 3 times more each month than men who do [and other interesting facts] Click: http://tinyurl.com/2kss2a ~No one will ever win the battle of the sexes. There’s too much fraternizing with the enemy.~ Henry Kissinger |
| Posted 3/27/2008 10:23 AM CDT ‘Perchlorate’ Contaminating America's FOOD & WATER: 100% of Americans are exposed to ‘ammonium perchlorate’… and a recent study by the US Food and Drug Administration found that 75% of 285 commonly consumed foods and beverages are contaminated with perchlorate, a toxic rocket fuel ingredient. According to the study, every day, the average two-year-old is exposed to more than half of the EPA 'safe' dose of perchlorate from food alone. This is especially bad news for children and developing fetuses in communities in 38 states who are ALSO exposed to perchlorate through contaminated tap water… they are particularly vulnerable because they intake substantial amounts of food and water relative to their small size…. exposing them to an unsafe dose of the rocket fuel contaminant every single day / which causes thyroid & brain development problems. EPA has set drinking water standards indicating that perchlorates are roughly TEN TIMES MORE TOXIC to humans than the Department of Defense has been claiming. To avoid liability, the Pentagon is currently pressuring Congress to pass a new bill that states the military does not have to adhere to any environmental regulations (as a “matter of national security”). [ Because of its shelf life, perchlorate must be periodically washed out of the United States’ missile and rocket inventory to be replaced with a fresh supply. Thus, large volumes have been disposed of in various states. The problem is that the military’s reluctance to neither use more expensive chemical methods to do so NOR to utilize more expensive methods to properly purify the water from water jets that are currently used to remove propellant from a loaded rocket motor .] http://www.organicconsumers.org/perchlorate.cfm#timeline http://www.commondreams.org/news2008/0122-07.htm http://tinyurl.com/2xltf8 http://www.organicconsumers.org/perchlorate.htm http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/5430229-description.html http://www.nrdc.org/media/2007/070412b.asp What is ‘ammonium perchlorate’?: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_perchlorate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APCP View: (02:16) Rocket Fuel Perchlorate Contaminating America's FOOD & WATER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rs-BB7dxM0 (06:17) Ammonium Perchlorate Blast: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc_nnnBmMbM Take Action: http://www.organicconsumers.org/perchlorate.htm Bad Air Causes Mutations… that can be passed down for generations. A scientific study using mice, found that sperm from a control group housed downwind from a steel factory and next to a major highway had 60% more mutations than the group raised in clean air. These occurred in the ‘germ line cells’ as well as in the sperm. http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/01/15/mouse-air-pollution.html Epigentics… changes in gene function that occur ‘without’ a change in the DNA sequence. Watch and Listen to series of ‘short’ clips: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3411/02.html Take Action: https://secure2.convio.net/sierra/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=549 Deadly Microbes From Outer Space: A microbe can turn even more dangerous in space than on Earth… a bacterium particularly nasty for humans—salmonella—was shown to become more virulent after just 83 hours of growing in space. The experiment on the space shuttle Atlantis was designed to explore how a lack of gravity affects disease-causing microbes in space. Astronauts aboard the space shuttle grew the salmonella, and back on Earth researchers used it to infect a group of mice. For comparison, bacteria grown in a laboratory on Earth in normal gravity infected another group of mice. The mice infected with the space-grown germs had a mortality rate almost three times higher than that of mice given germs grown in normal gravity. The salmonella had encased themselves in a protective coating that is notoriously resistant to antibiotics. Several follow-up experiments on space shuttle flights over the next few years will look to see whether other bacteria undergo similar changes in virulence in microgravity. http://discovermagazine.com/2008/feb/deadly-microbes-from-outer-space Even NASA’s Clean Rooms Aren’t: Samples taken from clean rooms at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Kennedy Space Flight Center in Florida and the Johnson Space Center in Houston revealed almost 100 types of bacteria, about 45% of which were previously unknown to science, the study said. While some were common types that thrive on human skin, such as Staphylococcus species, others were oligotrophs, rarer microorganisms that have adapted to grow under extreme conditions by absorbing trace nutrients from the air or from unlikely surfaces like paint…. some likely evolved in response to sterilization efforts. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/09/science/09clea.html DNA Pollution Spawning Killer Microbes: A study of the mouths of healthy kindergartners found that 97% harbored bacteria with genes for resistance to four out of six tested antibiotics. In all, resistant microbes made up around 15% of the children’s oral bacteria… as in a game of telephone, each time a gene gets passed from one microbe to another, slight differences develop that reflect the DNA dialect of its new host. The resistance genes bedeviling doctors has passed through many intermediaries on their way from soil to critically ill patients. The antibiotic-drenched environment of commercial livestock operations is prime ground for such transfer. Read more: http://tinyurl.com/229rs3 Syphilis Came From New World: The first outbreak of this sexually transmitted disease occurred in Naples, shortly after Columbus returned from the New World in 1495. ‘Venereal syphilis’ is genetically very similar to a strain of ‘treponematosis bacteria’ from a remote tribe in Guyana (S. America)… of 23 bacterial strains studied from all over the world. The Week Use Sealed & Sterilized Cups Only At Motels: If drinking from a glass cleaned with a blue liquid labeled “Do Not Drink,” then dried with a used washcloth, makes you cringe, wait until you see what else these ‘hidden cameras’ revealed. At major hotel chains across the United States, you may be putting yourself at risk of staph infection, herpes and more just by drinking out of these unsanitary hotel room drinking glasses. Watch Video Clip: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a7f_1194813218 Infections Critical For Healthy Life: Nix the antibacterial soaps. Research shows that antibacterial products actually make children and adults more likely to develop asthma and allergies and maybe even mental illnesses… our love affair with antibacterial products is altering how immune, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems develop and function. Infection may play a significant role in many chronic aliments, including schizophrenia, ulcers, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. What many people may not realize is that most infections ensure our health instead of compromise it. Humans have 10 times more bacterial cells in their bodies than human cells… http://tinyurl.com/3bd3p2 No More Antibiotics For Colds: Doctors in Britain will soon be told to stop prescribing antibiotics for coughs, colds and sore throats. Overuse of the drugs is fuelling the spread of deadly antibiotic-resistant super bugs. A new government program aims to diminish the use of the drugs. Most coughs and all colds are caused by viruses, which cannot be treated with antibiotics since antibiotics only work on bacteria. Overuse of antibiotics has been blamed for the rise of drug-resistant tuberculosis. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/09/nbiotic109.xml Stomach Flu Noroviruses Passed Via Computer Keyboards & Mice: The highly contagious norovirus, often called the stomach flu, can be passed from one person to another through contact with commonly shared items such as computer keyboards and computer mice. The virus can live on surfaces for several days. To prevent infection with the virus, people should wash their hands after using shared objects, and computer keyboards and mice should be disinfected regularly with diluted bleach… people who are ill should stay home for one to three days after they have had their last symptom, because they continue to shed the virus and can still contaminate objects. http://healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=611412 The Comprehensive TB Elimination Act: S. 1551/HR 1532, now pending in the Congress, would propel the U.S. Public Health Service's efforts and lead international work to eradicate the infection globally. It is imperative that our nation prepare for a potential outbreak because extensively drug-resistant (XDR-TB), which is difficult to treat, has been identified in the U.S. The Comprehensive TB Elimination Act will provide the US Public Health Service with the resources needed to eliminate TB in the US and play a leading role in eradicating the disease globally. It is critical that we build bipartisan support for the bill. Contact your Senators and Representative today to urge them to cosponsor and move forward the Comprehensive TB Elimination Act (S. 1551/ HR 1532). Take Action: http://lungaction.org/campaign/TB2008?rk=X1sTGyYqYyfcE ~MRSA, which is a kind of super bug mutant, is already killing 10,000 people a year in Britain. ~ George Galloway |
| Posted 3/23/2008 1:28 PM CDT End Of Analog TV Era: On February 17, 2009 the era of analog broadcast television in the United States will end as the nation completes its transition to an all-digital system. While this change will mark the end of the traditional analog method of broadcasting over-the-air television, it won’t signal the end of free broadcast television, and your favorite broadcast programs and local television stations will still be available. If you currently receive analog television over the air or via an antenna, you’ll need to take action to continue watching your favorite stations. TVs accessing "pay" television service such as cable or satellite aren't likely to be affected by the switch. Government coupons are now available help defray transition costs. For details: https://www.dtv2009.gov/ http://www.dtvtransition.org/index.php http://www.dtvtransition.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16&Itemid=28 http://www.dtvtransition.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=31 E-waste: The cathode ray tube is being replaced by plasma, LCD, and other technologies. The environment, in turn, is suffering the fallout. The dumping of electronic waste is contaminating groundwater, polluting the air, and endangering people… the E.P.A. estimates that 2.6 million tons of "e-waste" are produced in the United States each year (almost 20 pounds per person). Old TVs and computer monitors are particularly hazardous because of what they contain: lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals, many of which are ‘carcinogenic’. EPA figures show that nearly 90% of all E-waste is deposited in landfills or incinerators, in most cases legally. Of the 10% that does get recycled, more than half gets exported to places like China and India. Nine states, including Texas, have adopted e-waste recycling laws. http://www.nrdc.org/cities/recycling/gelectronicsrecycling.asp http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/2007/12/20/technologys-morning-after.html http://www.e-takeback.org/docs%20open/Toolkit_Legislators/state%20legislation/state_leg_main.htm http://www.computertakeback.com/the_problem/index.cfm Which companies do what?: http://www.computertakeback.com/docUploads/Using_Takeback_Programs_v9.pdf Take Action Promoting Responsible E-waste Recycling: http://action.computertakeback.com/action/ http://www.texasenvironment.org/action_story.cfm?IID=411 Federal Government E-waste Irresponsibility: EPA Promotes Land filling and Incineration E-Waste-- The EPA refuses to set regulatory standards that prohibit putting e-waste in landfills and incinerators. While the federal law says that old style cathode ray tube (CRT) TVs and monitors shouldn't go in landfills, the EPA rules exempt households and small businesses from this landfill ban. Is it Legal To Put Electronic Waste in the Landfill or Incinerator? Unfortunately, in most (other) states, this is legal. The federal government doesn't let big business (large quantity waste generators) put CRTs (cathode ray tube) in landfills, but they are allowed to dispose of other electronics there, and households and small business can put any electronics in the landfills in most states. Doesn't the Federal Government Promote High Standards For Electronics Recycling? No, the U.S. is the only major country in the world that has refused to ratify the Basel Convention, an international treaty that prohibits the export of hazardous waste from wealthy countries to the developing world. In fact, actions by the current federal government actually promote low-road recycling. Read more: http://takebackmytv.com/page/content/resources/ Manufacturer Take-Back Programs: This list does not include every manufacturer that accepts used products. Check out your manufacturer's website to find out its recycling policy -- terms and conditions for take-back can vary widely between companies. Apple Dell Hewlett-Packard Sony Gateway Nokia Motorola https://www.laondaverde.com/cities/recycling/gelectronicsrecycling.asp Samsung To Join E-waste Recycling?: This year 158 million Americans will watch the Super Bowl. They will spend $9.5 billion on Super Bowl related merchandise, including 3.9 million new TVs just for the occasion. But what will happen to the old TVs these new high-tech models are replacing? Almost all of them will end up in our landfills or huge dumpsites in Africa or Asia where workers will strip out any useful materials and set the piles of discarded TVs on fire, causing serious health risks to nearby villages. Samsung, the official HDTV provider of the NFL, is making millions off of the sale of new TVs, but doing nothing to ensure that the hazardous waste their products produce is recycled responsibly. Tell Samsung to take responsibility and kick off an e-waste recycling program. Take Action: http://takebackmytv.com/page/speakout/superbowl Texas State Environmental Agency Creating ‘E-Waste Rules’: In 2007, Texas passed an “Electronics Take Back Law” that requires the producers provide consumers with convenient and responsible recycling for their electronic waste. However, this triumph could turn into tragedy if the law is implemented poorly. Click here to take action! http://www.texasenvironment.org/ Donate to support “Texas Campaign For The Environment”: http://www.texasenvironment.org/donate.cfm Get the Lead Out: There are more than 16,000 lead polluters in the United States. Although lead is a harmful toxin that causes brain, kidney and cardiovascular damage, the EPA is considering eliminating its restrictions on lead levels in our air. The Environmental Protection Agency set a ‘maximum’ legal level of lead in our air almost 30 years ago, when scientists understood far less about lead than they do today. Since then, the Centers for Disease Control has twice lowered the blood lead level at which medical intervention is recommended, and has now concluded that no level is safe. In 2005 a federal court ordered the agency to review the lead standard in light of current science. And even though the EPA's own scientists and advisors have concluded that the agency should significantly strengthen the standard, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson is still considering eliminating rather than tightening the lead standard. http://www.nrdc.org/newsletter/ Take Action: http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/nrdcaction_022508_c Remove Data Before Recycling Computer: If you're nervous about your personal data being stolen, go to killdisk.com and download the free version of Active@KillDisk, which can wipe your hard drive as clean as the windshield of a new car. It works by overwriting the drive with zeros so that data on the drive - even files you thought you had deleted - turns to gibberish. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/08/BUMHSK033.DTL http://killdisk.com/ Dell Competes For China’s Rural PC Market: Lenovo Group Ltd. said Friday that it will sell a basic personal computer aimed at China's vast but poor rural market and priced as low as (or lower than) $199. The new Lenovo PC will include a processor and a keyboard and will use a buyer's television set as a monitor. Beijing-based Lenovo, which acquired IBM Corp.'s PC division in 2005, is expanding abroad but is eager to maintain its dominance in China. Lenovo's announcement follows rival Dell Inc.'s bid to boost its presence in China's booming market with a low-cost personal computer meant for novice Chinese users. http://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/technology/08/04/0804lenovo.html ASK.COM Provides More Privacy With ‘Anonymous Search’: Ask.com took a major step toward protecting the privacy of its users when it announced that it would be launching a new tool that would allow users to use its search engine anonymously by empowering people to prevent their search requests from being deposited in data banks. AskEraser users will be able to select settings in their privacy preferences… the settings will be clearly displayed on results pages so that users will always be aware of the privacy status of their Ask.com searches. Industry leader Google Inc. stores personal information for 18 months, as does Microsoft Corp.'s search engine. Yahoo Inc. and Time Warner Inc.'s AOL retain search requests for 13 months. http://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/technology/12/11/1211privacy.html Google Online Tutorial: Google Guide is an online interactive tutorial and reference for experienced users, novices, and everyone in between. I developed Google Guide because I wanted more information about Google's capabilties, features, and services than I found on Google's website http://www.googleguide.com/ Spam NOW Accounts For 90% Of Internet Traffic.. it was only 5% in 2001! The New Yorker Internet Running Out Of Internet Protocol Addresses: 3 billion are already taken. By 2010, the remaining one billion will also be gone. Business Week ~Modern technology Owes ecology An apology.~ Alan M. Eddison |
| Posted 3/14/2008 10:00 PM CDT Google aka YouTube ‘Censors’ Video Of John Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Ron Paul: By now you expect that the mainstream media censor their coverage, only featuring candidates that are accepted by the Establishment; but, the Internet has, so far, represented a place where freedom of speech, and freedom of ideas, has persevered. Well, this, too, may be changing. The video below -- which shares words from some of the greatest leaders in U.S. history, including Ron Paul -- was actually censored & removed, by YouTube… has thusly decided which candidates deserve a voice and which ones do not. [My Comment: What has happened to the Google premise of “don't be evil”? Listen to what's said & see why you think Google chose to do what they did?] http://www.charlotteconservative.com/index.php/2008/01/youtube-censors-ron-paul/ View Censored Video: http://salonesoterica.wordpress.com/2008/03/13/video-john-kennedy-martin-luther-king-and-ron-paul/ EPA Increases The Allowable Amount Of ‘Glyphosate’ Residues By 5000%: [Half of the sugar used in the U.S. comes from sugar beets.] ‘Sugar beet’ seed farmers throughout the U.S. are considering what type of sugar beets to plant. A new option available this year is Monsanto’s Roundup Ready sugar beet, genetically engineered to survive direct application of the weed killer, Roundup. At the request of Monsanto, EPA increased the allowable amount of ‘glyphosate residues’ on sugar beet roots by a whopping 5000%. [ Note: Glyphosate is the ‘active ingredient’ in Roundup & sugar is extracted from the beet’s root. The inevitable result is more glyphosate pesticide in our sugar.] [Note: “Biopharming” has resulted in an increased number of genetically engineered crops in the USA being designed with the specific ability to resist higher levels of herbicides, thus enabling farmers to kill weeds without killing the food plants. This increased absorption rate tolerance leaves us with a “double whammy” (herbicide residuum & altered genetics) that doesn’t even factor in other considerations. Though it’s business as usual in the world of “agribiz”, it’s still not nice ‘to fool Mother Nature’.] [ My Comment: Sugar beets are going the way of the soy bean. Monsanto-funded Kansas State has spun off Wildcat Genetics, a side company whose purpose is the selling of soybean seeds genetically engineered to survive the application of Roundup® -- the result of a decades long relationship with Monsanto, the pesticide's maker.] Take Action: http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/oca/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=12700&t= Battle With 'Frankenfoods' Giant Monsanto Continues: Monsanto doesn't want consumers to know the truth about the milk they're drinking. They don’t want it known that the consumption of dairy products from cows treated with rbGH (administered by injection to increase milk production) raise a number of health issues. According to Consumers Union, that includes increased antibiotic resistance (due to use of antibiotics to treat mastitis and other health problems in dairy cows that are caused by the use of this ‘artificial growth hormone’) as well as increased levels of IGF-1 (which has been linked to a range of cancers). The chemical giant has launched a highly successful, long term war to suppress the "rBGH-free" label at the state level. In that battle, Monsanto has created its own press / it even got two Fox News journos fired in 1997 for refusing to bend the truth about rBGH on the air. Remember: The ‘r’ in rbGH stands for ‘recombined’… Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) ‘aka’ Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin (rBST) Note: >Even the FDA admits that cows injected with rBGH suffer from increased udder infections (mastitis), severe reproductive problems, digestive disorders, foot and leg ailments, and persistent sores and lacerations. >Since 1994, every industrialized country in the world, except for the US, has banned the drug. >In 1998, Canadian government scientists revealed that Monsanto's own data on feeding rBGH to rats, carefully concealed by the company and the FDA, indicated possible cancer dangers to humans. >Since rBGH was approved, approximately 40,000 small and medium-sized US dairy farmers, 1/3 of the total in the country, have gone out of business, concentrating milk production in the hands of industrial-sized dairies, most of whom are injecting their cows with this drug. [My Comment: Monsanto has truly earned the Frankenfoods’ mantle. Indeed, their lucrative efforts to monopolize ALL ‘agribiz’ production techniques have been highly successful / to our detriment. My advice is to buy organic milk / but NOT Horizon’s (they’re being sued for not following organic requirements for such labeling).] http://www.biotech-info.net/got_posilac.html http://www.alternet.org/workplace/78660/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Akre http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recombinant_DNA http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/bgh.htm Monsanto Fights GMO Labeling: Monsanto, the bioengineering conglomerate, actively fights GMO labeling because, if there were labels, there would be ways to trace health problems (outbreaks of allergy, etcetera) that you could tie to a particular food. Right now, if there are any health problems that are tied to a GMO food, you can't prove it. And so, one of the reasons the industry has fought it is that they're vulnerable to that. When the GMO industry was starting transgenic crops, they made a decision not to seek any limits on liability from the Congress, as the nuclear industry did, because it would not look good to ask for that, so they just took a chance. And this product liability is their great vulnerability. So they fight it ferociously and successfully. http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/76987/?page=entire Video: How we’re all experimental test subjects- (00:01) http://www.thecampaign.org/krafted/index.html Take Action: http://www.organicconsumers.org/monfax.cfm Monsanto Behind Efforts To Ban ‘rbGH-free’ Labels: There is no question that Monsanto is behind these efforts. Last year, Monsanto asked the FDA and Federal Trade Commission to crack down on the labels; the agencies refused, so the biotech giant decided to push their agenda at the state level. Monsanto paid expenses for Terry Etherton, Pennsylvania State University professor of animal nutrition, so he could travel to speak to farmers and encourage them to support the bills. In addition, a public relations firm that works for Monsanto is behind a new organization, “American Farmers for the Advancement and Conservation of Technology (AFACT)”. AFACT’s website was registered to Susan Williams of Osborn & Barr Communications, a brand management company whose clients include Monsanto. http://www.non-gmoreport.com/articles/mar08/rBGH-free_labeling_U.S.php http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_environment/feed/feed-march-2008.html#4 http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_10771.cfm More on Monsanto: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_10782.cfm http://www.organicconsumers.org/monlink.cfm MSG In Chinese Food Causes Stomach Cancer: Monosodium glutamate (MSG), a common ingredient in Chinese food, causes some stomach cancer… analysis of 134 patients found that nearly half of those with stomach, rectal and colon cancer were regular consumers of Chinese food from middle- or low-end restaurants. Most of them also had ulcers, which were also linked to MSG. In 2004, the World Health Organization declared MSG unsafe for human consumption, but it is still widely used. Note: MSG is used in many processed foods in the USA as a flavor enhancer under many pseudonyms. Labels such as "No MSG" or "No Added MSG" are sometimes misleading. This is perhaps a topic you’d best research on your own as it’s too lengthy to include herein…. Note: It was invented in Japan in 1908… and is known by a wide variety of names. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Street_Chinese_food_causes_cancer_Study/rssarticleshow/2663459.cms http://www.becomehealthynow.com/article/dietbad/32/ http://www.msgmyth.com/hidename.htm Wal-Mart’s ‘Chinese Manufactured’ Thongs Cause Skin Burn Problems: ‘Sand-N-Sun’ flip-flops have recently been recalled because of serious chemical burns and rashes inflicted upon wearers. http://www.lamanaphotography.com/walmart2.htm http://www.lamanaphotography.com/walmart6.htm http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/flipflop.asp Stop EPA's Proposal To Exempt Factory Farms from Right-to-Know Laws: A new EPA proposal would exempt factory farms from having to report dangerous releases of toxic chemicals. Though the EPA requires manufacturing facilities to report large releases of harmful chemicals like ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, under the new rule factory farms, which release millions of pounds of the same toxic chemicals, will not have to report them. People who live near these facilities should have the right to know what hazardous chemicals they are being exposed to. Take Action: https://secure2.convio.net/sierra/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=579&JServSessionIdr004=yht0mllr51.app26a http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/642/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=23085 Factory Farms Want “Naturally Raised” Label: The USDA has proposed standards for a "naturally raised" label for meat, unfortunately these standards are weak. While the claim "naturally raised" might make you think that the animal has had access to pasture, and a healthy, happy life, the label could allow factory farms to label their meat as "naturally raised." Consumers deserve truth in labeling, but the proposed standards for "naturally raised" won't provide that. Take Action: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1185/t/741/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=23390 Protect the Gulf from Factory Fishing: Menhaden are small fish that play a critical role in protecting the health of the Gulf of Mexico. As filter feeders, they serve as a food source to dolphins, pelicans and other sea life… Menhaden have rightly been called "the most important fish in the sea”. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission has proposed new protections for Menhaden from the threat of factory fishing, but Houston-based Omega Protein (the largest menhaden company) is fighting to stop the new standards. Tell the Parks and Wildlife Commission that you support the new standards and want them to go even further to protect menhaden and the Gulf ecosystem. http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=a5ccb68b6eec6d34 Take Action: http://environmenttexas.org/action/oceans/protect-menhaden?id4=ES Remove Pesticide ‘Endosulfan’ From Market: The EPA has opened a public comment period on whether a toxic pesticide used on food and cotton in the U.S. should be taken off the market. The pesticide, endosulfan, which is banned in much of the world, harms the hormone system, and low levels of exposure in the womb have been linked to autism, male reproductive harm and other birth defects. The European Union, where it is banned, considers it one of the most toxic pesticides on the global market. The Organic Consumers Association is joining with Pesticide Action Network and other allies in gathering tens of thousands of petition signatures to drive this toxic pesticide off the market now. Take Action: http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/oca/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=22810 http://www.organicconsumers.org/ ~ To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals. ~ Benjamin Franklin |
| Posted 3/7/2008 2:26 PM CST YouTube Look At Daylight Saving Time: Daylight Saving Explained / it started as a joke & now the joke’s on us: (02:55)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWsyCemftlE&feature=related Some Body Clocks Never Fully Adjust: (01:35)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRpKZdxP2dQ&feature=related Spending On Daylight Saving (not factored into governments statisitics): (02:54)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ek5_0Ph-Sg&feature=related Congress’ Unintended Consequences: (02:37) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LkMhYfMtV4 Stop Daylight Saving/Save Standard Time (an age-old problem): (00:47) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt1pRAT63x4 Federal Law – “Springing Forward in March, Back in November”: In Aug. 2005, Congress passed an energy bill that included extending Daylight Saving Time by about a month. The bill was called “H.R.6 Daylight Saving Time” & was sponsored by infamous, Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tx.), who’s quoted saying (amongst many other self-revealing quotes) - Don’t hold your breath waiting for coal-fired power plants to be ordered to clean up their mercury emissions. [ When told that eating mercury-tainted fish could diminish intelligence, Barton scoffed. “Voters are plenty smart. They keep electing me, don’t they?”] Note: Fish in certain Texas lakes are officially too mercury laden for anyone to eat. How smart is that & how smart are the voters in his district? Any smarter than Daylight Saving is? The Merger Of The Milky Way Galaxy And Andromeda Galaxies: The Milky Way and Andromeda galaxy are on a collision course! In about 3 billion years, the two galaxies will collide. Then over a span of 1 billion years or so after a very complex gravitational dance, they will merge to form an elliptical galaxy. Note: By this time, the life cycle of our sun will be coming closer to its end & life on Earth will have become increasingly difficult. Read the next 2 blog articles about colliding galaxies to see how this collision helps rejuvenate the formation of stars via ‘coalescing nebulas’. [My Comment: Andromeda is 2 million light years away at this time / we’re seeing it now as it was 2 million years ago. The Milky Way is almost a hundred thousand light years across / anything within 6,000 light years proximity to Earth is considered to be a close neighbor.] View Depictions Of The Upcoming Event: http://www.galaxydynamics.org/tflops.html http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/astronomy/galaxy_collides_020507-1.html YouTube: “Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxy collision simulation”(0:53)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJRc37D2ZZY&feature=relatedLearn more about Andromeda: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search?andromeda Impacted Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) Rich In Star Formation: 600 million years ago, two galaxies collided. And even though direct physical collisions of stars are rare in such collisions, the interactions of gravitational forces play havoc within the systems. Especially notable in the picture (in the following link) are the formations of nebulas (in reddish-pink color) that serve as stellar nurseries, which are extremely abundant in the picture linked here: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080105.html Two Other Faraway Galaxies To Consume One Another: Billions of years from now, only one of two galaxies pictured in the attached link below will remain. Until then, spiral galaxies NGC 2207 and IC 2163 will slowly pull each other apart, creating tides of matter, sheets of shocked gas, lanes of dark dust, bursts of star formation, and streams of cast-away stars. The larger galaxy on the left, will eventually incorporate IC 2163, the smaller galaxy on the right. In the most recent encounter that peaked 40 million years ago, the smaller galaxy is swinging around counter-clockwise, and is now slightly behind the larger galaxy. The space between stars is so vast that when galaxies collide, the stars in them usually do not collide. http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap041121.html Largest Merger Of Galaxies Discovered: Four massive galaxies are colliding in the largest galactic merger ever seen, new observations reveal. The smash-up is shedding light on how the biggest galaxies in the universe form – and why many of them stopped giving birth to stars billions of years ago. Read more…. http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn12423-largest-merger-of-galaxies-discovered.html View picture:http://space.newscientist.com/data/images/ns/cms/dn12423/dn12423-1_450.jpgThe previous record holder for largest major galactic merger is the Antenna Galaxies, a pair of bodies each about as massive as the Milky Way. View picture: http://space.newscientist.com/data/images/ns/cms/dn12423/dn12423-2_650.jpg Why The Milky Way Galaxy Center Is Hidden From View: Ever wonder why you can never see the center of our galaxy? Click on this link: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060113.html [The center of our Milky Way Galaxy is hidden from the prying eyes of optical telescopes by clouds of obscuring dust and gas. But in this stunning vista, the Spitzer Space Telescope's infrared cameras, penetrate much of the dust revealing the stars of the crowded galactic center region.] Our Milky Way Galaxy’s Black Hole: A blaze of X-rays from the center of our galaxy is the burp following a gargantuan cosmic feast: a massive black hole there devoured something the size of the planet Mercury, and in the process, let loose an outburst so intense that we still see the echoes six decades later. When matter falls into a black hole, it grows hot and glows brilliantly before vanishing into oblivion. Over the past five years, NASA’s orbiting Chandra X-ray Observatory has monitored “light echoes”—X-rays bouncing off nearby molecular clouds and reflecting back toward Earth—showing that Sagittarius A* had a banquet not so long ago… when the black hole starts its next planet-size meal, though, the light show will be hard to miss: the X-rays will be 100,000 times brighter than anything seen before. http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jan/black-hole-feasts-at-milky-way2019s-center ‘Well Organized’ Categories Of Universe Views: http://www.solarviews.com/cap/index/index.html How Big Is Our Universe?: http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/seuforum/howfar/index.html Holocene Epoch Ended / ‘Athropocene Epoch’ Is Man’s New Age: Ask a geologist and you'll find out that we have been living in the Holocene Epoch. It began 12,000 years ago, a mere blink of an eye in geologic time. But scientists say humans have made such irreversible changes to the Earth that we've now entered a new epoch: the Anthropocene Epoch. We’ve so drastically changed the physical landscape, pollution, extinctions, and in other ways, it's time to acknowledge the new “epoch” is here. http://www.world-science.net/othernews/080225_anthropocene.htm http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5831910/ Listen to audio (04:46) http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19120204 The Census of Marine Life… is a global network of researchers in more than 80 nations engaged in a 10-year scientific initiative to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of life in the oceans. The world's first comprehensive Census of Marine Life-past, present, and future-will be released in 2010…. & it has already discovered about 5,300 previously unknown organisms View Video: http://www.coml.org/video/w-c-full.htm Land Of ‘SuperInsects’: 390 million years ago, waterlands were stalked by predatory scorpions the size of cars. The ancestors of today’s scorpions and spiders had giant claws and were 8 feet long. They preyed on fish and other giant bugs… millipedes, cockroaches, dragonflies, etcetera…. which grew to large sizes because they are arthropods --- they breath through their skin and channels in their body (which is not efficient) BUT oxygen levels were high at this time in Earth’s history and allowed them to increase in size. “The Week” Biggest Ancestor Of Birds: In the Gobi Desert of northern China, Xing Xu of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology accidentally stumbled upon a gigantic one-and-a-half-ton dinosaur. Dubbed Gigantoraptor, the find has turned out to be the largest birdlike dinosaur ever found—at 17 feet tall, it would have been tall enough to look T. rex in the eye. The behemoth is 35 times as large as other members of its group, which complicates our understanding of how birds evolved from dinosaurs, Xing says. The old theory held that as carnivorous dinosaurs developed into birdlike creatures, they became smaller—not larger, as in Gigantoraptor’s case. Xing still isn’t sure if Gigantoraptor had feathers. Nor does he know what it liked to eat. It had the sharp claws of a carnivore, like T. rex, and the long neck of an herbivore, like Apatosaurus. That opens up the menu to mollusks, seeds, and of course, dinosaur eggs. http://discovermagazine.com/2007/sep/found-real-life-version-of-sesame-street-big-bird/ http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jan/year-in-science-2007/t-rex-time-machine The ‘Polynesian’ Chicken Came First: About a century before Columbus sailed the ocean blue, Polynesians had already arrived in the Americas with their chickens. Chicken bones unearthed in Chile and dated to 1300 –1424 a.d. had DNA that proved they were of Polynesian origin (not European). The New York Times Dinosaur Parenting: An adult dinosaur from China, “Psittacosaurus” aka “parrot lizard” -- a plant-eating dinosaur smaller than a black Labrador & found beautifully preserved with 34 babies tucked nearby, is potent evidence for the theory that dinosaurs cared for their young. The skeletons are completely articulated (meaning the bones are intact and assembled as they were in the live animals). What's more, the adult and young were found upright with their legs tucked underneath…. typically they roll on their sides when they die in a death posture…. but in this case, the adult and babies went from the realm of the living to a rapid burial….and suggests the adult was taking care of the young. The scientists also found a hint of a basin-type structure. http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=1886 http://discovermagazine.com/2007/sep/digging-for-dinos-in-the-land-of-genghis-khan [ My Comment: This is especially interesting for me because I personally know the paleontologist who is currently preparing a Psittacosaurus specimen for display for the ‘North American Museum Of Ancient Life’ in Lehi, Utah.] http://tinyurl.com/2rzmnb ~The most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible. God is subtle but surely he is not malicious.~ Albert Einstein |
Posted 2/29/2008 12:55 PM CST
UPDATE: Despite Huckabee’s turning out a heavy Evangelical presence in the District 11 vote (where Creationists were hoping to make a difference in Texas schools by grabbing a SBOE seat needed for a majority on the Texas State Board Of Education), Barney Maddox has lost to Pat Hardy. The one other seat that was contested for the SBOE was in Corpus Christi, where Mary Berlunga easily defeated her Creationist opponent. So, the ‘voice of reason’ has 8 seats on the SBOE and the ‘voice of the scripturalists’ has 7 seats.
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‘Obama vs. Clinton Race’ May Yield A SBOE Seat To Creationists: The hotly contested race for the Ft. Worth District 11 local seat on the State Board of Education (SBOE) could lead to a dramatic ideological shift on the panel and -- by extension -- in Texas school policy. A March 4th primary victory by the religious conservative and anti-evolutionist challenger Barney Maddox over incumbent Pat Hardy there would give social conservatives their first-ever SBOE majority. That would mean changes in policies on sex education as well as the teaching of science, history, etcetera… that is, presuming that the one other contested seat remains with incumbent Mary Berlanga of Corpus Christi (who is also opposed by a ‘creationist’).
Note: Hardy and Berlanga have both been voting against the far-right faction of the State Board of Education.
Note: A former schoolteacher and a Southern Baptist herself (who believes that God is behind all of creation), Hardy is, however, considered an outspoken ‘centrist’ among Republicans on the board and often draws from the ranks of Democratic voters for her support. However, with the Democratic primary still in play, Hardy can't depend on many of those Democratic voters crossing over to support her in her race. There is no Democrat running, so the race will be decided on Tuesday in the Republican primary.Note: Despite Barney Maddox’s stealth campaign (no interviews or communication with public media), his campaign fliers indicate that he has some strange notions as to what’s currently being taught in Texas public schools. Note, however, that in 2003, the Cleburne urologist [Maddox] testified against evolution at the State Board of Education with his characterization of Charles Darwin's theories as "pre-Civil War fairy tales." He also questioned evolution in a 2006 letter to the Cleburne Times-Review and has had anti-evolution writings posted on the Web site of the Institute for Creation Research, a Dallas organization ( that moved to Texas as a more central national location from California & is currently engaged in spreading their Creationist doctrine across the nation).
Note: Campaign finance reports show that Dr. Maddox has spent $61,203 in the last month and has $70,000 in loans to his campaign. Ms. Hardy has spent only $4,017 from $5,850 in contributions.
Note: The SBOE sets school curricula, selects textbooks and manages the $25 billion Permanent School Fund.
http://www.kxan.com/Global/story.asp?S=7914652&nav=menu73_6
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/story/491641.html
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/5564433.html
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/localnews/columnists/sblow/stories/022808dnmetblow.2f91671.html
‘Genesis’ As Historical Geology Texas Curriculum?:
Visitors to the ‘Institute for Creation Research’ Web page can quickly deduce that the organization is a Christian group dedicated to spreading the doctrine of divine creation of the world and challenging the teaching of evolution as fact in public schools. An advisory committee to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board recommended that the group be allowed to confer master's degrees in science education for teacher candidates… now the final say rests with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/Board/Members.cfm
This indefensible action would devalue the credentials of all science teachers and misrepresent to the public the capabilities of teachers with questionable diplomas. The institute's statement of purpose leaves no doubt about its mission: “to equip believers with evidences of the Bible's accuracy and authority through scientific research, educational programs, and media presentations, all conducted within a thoroughly biblical framework."
[My Comment: Europe is having the same sort of difficulty with Muslim Fundamentalists.]
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/5407699.html
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/education/stories/121507dnmetcreation.2b0d011.html
http://www.texscience.org/reviews/icr-thecb-certification.htm
http://www.icr.org/
‘Intelligent Design’ Reflects Ignorance: A newly released report by the National Academy of Sciences emphasizes "the importance of teaching evolution in public schools." The report is critical of those who "continue to demand that various forms of creationism be taught together with or in place of evolution in science classes," despite what it calls a "lack of scientific evidence for creationist positions." The report comes as several states (e.g., Texas) are debating the role of evolution in K-12 classrooms.
[My Comment: Those who say that mankind evolved from apes don’t know their evolutionary science / though ironically, these creationists sometimes ‘do use’ the word evolution when they’re trying to put an ‘intelligent spin’ on ‘creationistic dogma’. Scientific evidence shows that hominids and primates do have a common ancestor called Proconsul africanus… this primitive ancestor lived 20+ million years ago… which does not deny that God works in mysterious ways & maybe (as I study the tops of my ‘furry feet’) even has a sense of humor.
Note: A human has just as many hairs as a gorilla does / it’s just that ours are not as large and coarse.]
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5huYYZ87Ui5XJuX6rBHeTBTXPpFbAD8TUP5PO0
http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20080104.html
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/education/orl-bk-science010308,0,326607.story?track=rss
http://www.evolutionnyc.com/IBS/SimpleCat/product/ASP/product-id/488217.html
Support Evolutionary Science: Evolution is under fire this year as the State Board of Education revises curriculum standards for all public school science classes in Texas. Support a sound science curriculum for Texas students by signing the ‘Stand Up for Science’ petition.
http://www.tfn.org/religiousright/
Sign Petition:
http://www.tfn.org/
Donate:
https://www.tfn.org/camp/DM0208
Creationist Movie,“Expelled”, Stirs Evolutionists’ Ire: Producers of the $3.5 million film, which has been enthusiastically backed by anti-evolutionists, have harnessed some big guns to get the film's message out. It also stars Ben Stein as its on-camera gadfly. It’ll open April 18th. Some who've seen the film at early screenings are troubled by its linkage of Darwin's theories to the Nazis' extermination efforts (the creationists cast themselves as victims)…. and some scientists who appear in the film say they were duped into giving interview / they were told that they were appearing in a documentary about the intersection of science and religion.
[My Comment: There are numerous YouTubes available on this.]
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_movies_blog/2008/02/variety-plays-c.html
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117981021.html?categoryid=2526&cs=1
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_movies_blog/2008/02/is-ben-stein-th.html
“Intelligent Designists” VS. “Darwinists”:
My View: On the 'extreme right' one finds the likes of Mike Huckabee and The Family Research Council pushing ‘creationism’ aka ‘intelligent design’… and are vehemently opposed to evolutionary science. On the ‘extreme left’, according to the diatribe of the creationists, one finds the ACLU, secularism and atheism hiding behind Darwinism. However, in my opinion, if God created the Universe and its physical, metaphysical and spiritual laws, how does that discredit evolutionary science. And why should trying to understand the Universe threaten anyone's faith, especially since ‘Natural’ selection is part of a ‘Universal’ process. Seemingly, Jewish, Muslim and Christian fundamentalists were "begotten" 6,000 years in the past & crave the reassurance of a Heavenly Father as described in the Old Testament.
View Videos:
Evolution vs. Creationism: Is Hearing Both Sides Fair?
(07:59) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNxXlq8_OTA&feature=related
Light Years And Creationism
(01:55) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOJPprykkrI&feature=related
Evolutionary Science Is No Threat To Those Of Genuine Faith: Hundreds of US churches and many thousands of religious believers defied the stereotype that American Christianity is a cipher for anti-science creationism, as they marked Evolution Weekend with sermons and seminars on the consonance of spiritual and scientific exploration. Darwin, a number of whose specific ideas have been superseded, but whose influence remains vital, is regarded as the founding father of the modern biological sciences. Educators and clergy have been working together to combat the influence of 'intelligent design'… that the creativity of God is to be understood in and through the natural, not in conflict with it
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/6764
Soul Salvation: Many religions believe that souls are ‘created’ by God. They, also, usually believe that God created the Universe. He did – just not in the direct ‘hands-on’ sort of way that ordinary mortals can easily conceive of. Although some early Christians understood this, these and other teachings were not understood by most of the general populace. Many early enlightened Christian beliefs were considered to undermine the influence of an authoritarian government and were thusly branded as esoteric (aka heretic), and banned [Note those early Christian writings that were rejected at the First Council of Nicaea]. Ordinary people were given select material -- something that they could believe in that would give them hope / while higher order thinking skills are always a threat to the status quo and often considered dangerous. Fortunately, some sects did stay true to the concept of an everlasting soul and one’s own responsibility in tending to it. The “Universal Law of Cause and Effect” (aka Karma) tells us that we rise or fall in incremental stages according to our own thoughts, feelings and actions. Believe in the salvation that Christ brought, but only if you take the essence of what He symbolized into your “heart & soul” -– a “one-step-at-a-time” process in this physical world (aka ‘manifestation of purgatory’) that some call a “world school”.
~Science has proof without any certainty. Creationists have certainty without any proof.~ Ashley Montagu
