Worth Sharing

2008-05-03T16:32:00.000-05:00

Over the next 25 days or so I'll be posting about my experience at RMI's Wilderness EMT (W-EMT) course. At over 200 hours of training the next few weeks will be packed and wonderful. I specifically chose RMI over NOLS for the intensity and backcountry aspects of their training. One of the criticism NOLS fans and other outdoor enthusiasts have made of RMI is that they specifically target those seeking careers in the Wilderness. I see this as one of their primary benefits. as they prepare you for the actualities of emergency situations in the backcountry.

Depending on how I come out of this training and after a few years working as a W-EMT I may seek training in a less industrialized setting. I know of several great programs that specialize specifically in preparing a W-EMT in the challenges such a setting provides.

But, for those of you who know me well, you could be asking yourself how I came to this place in my career journey. So, it all begins with a bit of personal history. I started out my college career seeking to join the ministry. Later as I struggled with the realities of such a decision I found myself moving toward academic professions. Perhaps I could be a good professor. . . but, here the realities of how boring such a job would be to me and that realization that my skills as simply a good student wouldn't sustain a career as a professor hit hard.

After transferring schools and tackling everything from English to Biogeochemistry, I found myself loving my Environmental Sciences classes more than I had all those other courses. However, I looked at the career options that a simple BA would afford and my mounting debt and felt that same sense of dissatisfaction and loss about my future. In many ways I was simply treading water; waiting for my eyes to see land or my feet to touch solid ground.

After a seriously bad start to what was looking to be a lousy academic semester I began seeing a counselor and a career counselor. It was through this time of personal growth and struggle I came across careers in the outdoor field. Where I once couldn't see myself doing any particular job for more than a few years, I could finally see myself being happy and content.

So, now I'm heading off to Washington state (just outside Mt Rainier National Park) to train as a W-EMT. After that, we'll just see. . .

The Smell

2007-06-20T11:02:00.000-05:00

Yesterday around 4 o'clock my neighbor banged on my door and exclaimed, "Did you smell that awful stink the past few days?" I hesitated, as she is prone to over react about things, and said I had -- thinking to myself that I'd mentioned to my girlfriend a few days earlier that it smelled like the sewer may have backed up in the basement again. "They found a dead body next door," she blurted out as we walked into her apartment, which overlooks the backyard on the northern side of the building. "The cops have been here for about an hour," she explained shakily. "I was getting ready to go swimming but was waiting for my friends so I walked next door to chat with the neighbors," she continued a little more in control of her voice. "I asked when the mail usually comes, to the guy who was sitting on the front porch reading a magazine; and he was like, 'Our neighbor found a dead body in the shed,'" now her voice beginning to crack with stress.

The neighbor I've never really liked because of his holier-than-thou attitude and the loud parties he's thrown throughout the year, which are invariably busted for underage drinking and noise violations, had stumbled across a dead body hanging in a shed behind our houses. The two homes which have been converted into apartments share the same back yard and both houses walk through the yard to take out trash. The shed is no more than 15 feet away from their house and perhaps 30 feet from ours. Everyone had noticed the smell. It was pungent and smelled of decay; a distinct odor. An odor I will not soon forget.

"Oh my god! This isn't right. This is wrong. I wish I could just hit the rewind button and be in that place I was earlier today," my neighbor's voice now breathless and on the verge of crying exclaimed. With a strange and morbid curiosity my first instinct was to go grab my camera. Now with her full body shaking she begins to wail. Wrapping my arms around her I do my best to comfort her. "Just this morning I was like, Melissa, that smell kept waking me up as it kept wafting into my room all night with my windows open. Like something had died outside or something..." she trails off into fits and starts of full body wailing. "You don't know, I have this thing with death... you have no idea," she tearfully tries to explain. Her small frame wracked with the stress of the situation on her state of mind.

It is clear from her reaction that she's never dealt with death in any personal way. She rambled about seeing things like this in the movies and on TV but it being completely different when it is "in your fucking backyard!" Having lost relatives to old age, acquaintances to suicide, and a good friend to the war in Iraq -- smelling the dead body of a complete stranger in my backyard was more interesting than devastating. After getting her to calm down and drink some cold water I talked to her boyfriend and to her friends on the phone and waited with her until they arrived.

The entire time I was there the main thought was not with my friend who was in need of my help, she was receiving the best I could give her, but with the scene just outside our walls and a few feet away. Her friends arrive to go swimming, oblivious to the situation and barge in with their usual hippie-esque zeal for friends, and are physically stopped by the sight of their friend half sitting on the ratty love-seat in the living room clearly wracked with emotional turmoil. She begins to haphazardly walk around the apartment trying to regain control by getting things together and making plans "to live tonight." "I'm closing all the windows.... turn on the air conditioner..." she half demands to no one in particular in the living room. I go around closing windows and turn on the air. Her boyfriend arrives and as soon as I was confident she was in good hands I left to see if I could get a glimpse of what was going on.

I call the landlord of our properties, thinking he may not have heard about what was going on his property. "Someone must have stumbled in their... And did what they were going to do..." he says half reassuring me and clearly concerned for his tenants. "Everyone is accounted for..." he says before I say my goodbye and head for the window over looking the scene. The window is directly centered over our backyard. At the moment I felt lucky to have such a good view of the goings on below. It wasn't until later that the clear line of sight into the shed became disconcerting. Their eyes last gaze falling through the dirty windows of the shed onto our homes—filled with college students surrounded by friends and comfort.

The CSI was geared up and combing over the site while snapping pictures of this or that, tagging things, bagging things, and moving in and out of the shed. The body, which had been taken away before I was able to get to my window was, I over hear from one of the crew, so disfigured due to decomposition that the sex and race wasn't visually identifiable. Later I would hear that, when the body was released, from whatever had been used to hang it there, it literally moved with insects and began to just fall apart. Between the humidity, heat, and bugs there wasn't a whole lot they could do to preserve it. Nature is quite good at cleaning up decay.

I was sitting there at my window looking for a glimpse and perhaps an opportunity for a picture of the body. A body that in my mind would have been more like my grandmother's well cared for dead body than the rotting corpse described by those on the scene. I don't know what my reaction would have been. But in my mind's eye, the body is hideous and beautiful at the same time; poetic in its sad ending and slow decay. It is not a nightmare. It is simply mesmerizing; hidden, hanging there overlooking our yard. The CSI deals with these things all the time. Death is a job and I'm sure that like pilots who no longer see the beauty of clouds after thousands of flights these men simply saw a job to be done. I'm not there, and I hope to never be there.

Within hours the scene was thoroughly examined and cleaned up. No trace was left that just a few hours before a team of police investigators had been swarming around the area looking for clues to why there was a hanging body in that shed. It was just a backyard that if I hadn't seen or heard what had happened I would have walked through to take the trash out like any other day.

The body in the backyard was gone. The only thing that remained was the story and the effect this has had on the person who discovered the source of the smell.

Read More:
Lawrence Journal World Article

Fur

2007-06-15T19:19:00.002-05:00

Articles of Interest

2007-06-15T19:19:00.001-05:00

Scientists challenge major review of global reserves and warn that supplies will start to run out in four years' time.
http://news.independent.co.uk/sci_tech/article2656034.ece

Climate Change Cannot Be Tackled If Existing Injustices in Global Politics Are Overlooked
http://business.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2100838,00.html

Why selling out is a depressingly rational choice for many graduates
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3218/when_college_ends_so_does_activism/

The honor of being called a "jerk" by pro-nuker Patrick Moore
http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/7/2007/1554

Farmers take the heat, but Big Ag reaps the farm bill benefits
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3190/whose_subsidy_is_it_anyway/

Forget "I am not a plastic bag" campaign, Spitalfield's Market is where to find London's genuine eco-friendly fashion
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3187/chasing_the_green_pound_in_london/

Combined with energy-efficiency improvements in the near-term, a sane energy future should develop renewable sources in all their forms, with the promise of halting global warming without the threat of replacing it with "global glowing."
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2003746741_nuclear14.html

It can be considered one of the most unequal battles in the world today. It pits a group of indigenous people in Ecuador, almost totally devoid of material resources, against one of the most powerful oil corporations in the world.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/06/14/1880/

Local Cooling

2007-02-23T12:53:00.001-06:00

Help Fight Global Warming from your Desktop

From the website:

Download the 100% FREE LocalCooling Application and automatically optimize your PC's power consumption. Join the LocalCooling project today and start fighting global warming from your desktop.

From the Local Cooling Application you are directly presented with detailed information on how much power your PC is consuming based on a large database of hardware and in-depth research.

By adjusting the power mode settings our advanced algorithms will predict how much you will save based on past PC usage and statistical data. Every time LocalCooling saves power by either turning of your screen, putting your hard drive to sleep when not used or shutting down your PC when you are away your savings stats will start to grow. Download LocalCooling today and optimize your PC's energy efficiency in minutes.

Pew Research Center: Lake Wobegon, U.S.A.

2007-02-05T13:45:00.001-06:00

Lake Wobegon, U.S.A.
Where All the Children Are Above Average - At Least by Their Schools' Ways of Counting
by Pauline Vu, Stateline.org Staff Writer
January 31, 2007

State of the States

When her son came home from middle school with a report card showing he'd passed North Carolina's year-end algebra test, Margaret Carnes believed he had the foundation he needed for high school. Then she met with his teacher, who cautioned her not to be too confident. By the state's yardstick, students had to answer correctly fewer than half the questions to pass. In some grades, they can flub two-thirds of the questions and still be marked "proficient."

It can be a harsh wake-up call for children and parents alike. Students are told they are where they're supposed to be academically, but a rude awakening awaits them in high school. "It compels one to ask the question, Have they been prepared?" said Carnes, now managing director for Charlotte Advocates for Education, a nonprofit group pushing for higher state standards.

It's a problem of long standing in U.S. public education. While international assessments confirm that American students lag behind those in several other countries in science and math, many school districts and states keep telling parents that their children, like those in Lake Wobegon, Garrison Keillor's hometown of fable, are all above average.

(Continue Reading Article)

He's walking in Gandhi's footsteps...

2007-02-03T13:58:00.000-06:00

He wants to be a voice for the voiceless. If he is elected to the French Presidency, this will give Americans one more reason to hate the French.

He's walking in Gandhi's footsteps in his own way. There isn't any personal ambition about him. Champion of the oppressed takes on greatest challenge - the French presidency

Angelique Chrisafis
Friday February 2, 2007
The Guardian

He is the walrus-moustached farmer whose fight against McDonald's and globalisation saw him hailed as a modern-day Asterix leading the Gauls. But José Bové yesterday left his sheep farm in southern France, strolled into a labour exchange in a rundown north Paris suburb, took a draw on his trademark pipe and announced he was running for president.
The self-styled country bumpkin who rose to stardom in 1999 for dismantling a half-built McDonald's in the fight against "crap food" is now coming to the rescue of the riot-hit concrete jungles of France's urban housing estates. "I will be the spokesman of the voiceless," he announced yesterday.
(Continue Reading Article)

Waiting for the DDT tide to turn

2007-02-02T11:34:00.001-06:00

Findings like these provide teaching opportunities for those who suggest dumping chemical compounds onto our lands. A "safe" product 50 years ago is continuing to bio-accumulate in fish populations 35 years after being banned.

-craig

Federal study shows that fish caught off L.A. County still contain the world's highest levels of the pesticide 35 years after it was banned.
By Marla Cone, Times Staff Writer

January 28, 2007
Fish consumption recommendations
(Acrobat file)

Many fish caught off Los Angeles County still contain extremely high levels of DDT, a sign that anglers and consumers remain at risk and that the ocean's ecosystem may be far from recovery 35 years after the pesticide was banned.

Newly released data from a federal survey indicate that fish caught in the area contained the world's highest-known DDT concentrations. Among 1,200 fish caught from Ventura to Dana Point, white croaker off San Pedro and the Palos Verdes Peninsula were the most highly contaminated. Fish off Orange County and areas north of the Redondo Beach Pier had low concentrations.

The data, collected primarily in 2002, offer the most comprehensive look at the scope of contamination from a 100-ton deposit of DDT that still covers several square miles of the ocean floor decades after the pesticide flowed into county sewers beginning in the late 1940s.

More recent annual sampling by Los Angeles County, far less extensive than the federal survey, suggests that the DDT levels in fish may be improving but still far exceed safe levels.

Continue Reading Article

U.N. Says There's No Stopping Global Warming

2007-02-02T11:07:00.001-06:00

In the strongest language it has ever used, a United Nations panel says
global warming is "very likely" caused by human activities and has
become a runaway train that cannot be stopped.

Continue Reading Article

R.I.P. - Habeas Corpus

2006-10-21T12:11:00.000-05:00

It is time to get out your funeral attire. This past week we saw Bush hog-tie, gag, and then burry Habeas Corpus rights. In the name of the War Against Terrorism there shall now be locations (on US soil) that are exempt from the Geneva Convention and one important Traditional American Value--the Constitution.

This clip from MSN's Keith Olbermann is informative and stirring:

(link: YouTube Video)

Habeas Corpus - Lat. "you have the body" Prisoners often seek release by filing a petition for a writ of habeas corpus. A writ of habeas corpus is a judicial mandate to a prison official ordering that an inmate be brought to the court so it can be determined whether or not that person is imprisoned lawfully and whether or not he should be released from custody. A habeas corpus petition is a petition filed with a court by a person who objects to his own or another's detention or imprisonment. The petition must show that the court ordering the detention or imprisonment made a legal or factual error. Habeas corpus petitions are usually filed by persons serving prison sentences. In family law, a parent who has been denied custody of his child by a trial court may file a habeas corpus petition. Also, a party may file a habeas corpus petition if a judge declares her in contempt of court and jails or threatens to jail her. (source: 'Lectric Law Library)

President tests new ground on habeas corpus

David G. Savage
Los Angeles Times
Oct. 18, 2006 12:00 AM

WASHINGTON - The military-tribunals bill signed by President Bush on Tuesday marks the first time the right of habeas corpus has been curtailed by law for millions of people in the United States.

Although the debate about the law focused on trials at Guantanamo Bay, it also takes away the right to go to court for immigrants and non-citizens in the United States, including more than 12 million permanent residents, if they are declared "unlawful enemy combatants."

No one has suggested the Bush administration plans to use its newly won power to round up large numbers of immigrants.

But before Tuesday, the principle of habeas corpus meant that anyone thrown into jail had a right to ask a judge to hear his case. He also had a right to go free if the government could not show a legal basis for holding him.

Many legal scholars predict the law's partial repeal of habeas corpus will be struck down as unconstitutional.

"This is an outright slap at the Supreme Court, and it is heading for invalidation," said Eric M. Freedman, a law professor at Hofstra University and an expert on habeas corpus. "This is a core principle of law that was established by the prisoners who were tossed into the Tower of London by the king, and it was preserved in the Constitution. Now, Congress is saying it doesn't apply to this disfavored group of prisoners."

The new law says: "No court, justice or judge shall have jurisdiction to hear or consider an application for a writ of habeas corpus filed by or on behalf of an alien detained by the United States who has been determined ... to have been properly detained as an enemy combatant or is awaiting such determination." In early drafts, the bill would have cut off habeas corpus only for unlawful combatants detained "outside the United States" and at Guantanamo Bay. However, the final version deleted that phrase.

Now, it not only bars the men held at Guantanamo Bay from challenging their detention in court, but it also closes the courthouse door to non-citizens who are arrested in Los Angeles or Chicago and held by the military as a possible "unlawful enemy combatant."

The new law also defines this term broadly to include not just terrorists and fighters but also people, including American citizens, who have "materially supported hostilities against the United States." While a citizen could be arrested as an "enemy combatant," he or she could still challenge the government's action in court.

Some legal experts say the fate of this repeal of habeas corpus is uncertain because it is entirely unprecedented.

"This is one of the great unresolved questions because this has never happened before," said Duke University law Professor Erwin Chemerinsky, a critic of the Bush administration. "The question is whether this is an unconstitutional suspension of the writ of habeas corpus."

The Constitution makes clear habeas corpus can be "suspended" but only during extreme emergencies.

Pepperdine University law Professor Douglas W. Kmiec said Congress and the White House were on solid ground in seeking to cut off legal appeals from foreign fighters held by the U.S. military abroad, including at Guantanamo Bay.

"I would say habeas has no application to wartime detention outside the United States," said Kmiec, who's generally defended the administration. After World War II, the Supreme Court ruled German military prisoners held by U.S. authorities had no right to challenge their detentions through a writ of habeas corpus, he noted.

But detentions within this country have been seen differently, he added. "This is one of the most difficult questions posed by this act. There is no question that a habeas right has existed within the territorial United States for citizens and legal residents," Kmiec said.
(source: AZCentral)

Civil liberties suffered an historic setback this week, when President Bush signed the un-American Military Commissions Act of 2006.

The president now has Congress's blessing to hold people indefinitely without charge, take away protections from horrific abuses, use hearsay to put people on trial, authorize death penalty trials based on testimony literally beaten out of witnesses, and slam shut the courthouse door for those accused, lifting our time-honored habeas corpus rules.

"Nothing separates America more from our enemies than our commitment to fairness and the rule of law," said Anthony Romero, Executive Director of the ACLU. "But the bill signed today is an historic break because it turns Guant�namo Bay and other U.S. facilities into legal no-man's-lands."

Americans across the political spectrum have serious concerns about this unconstitutional law. From now until the November elections, the ACLU is urging everyone who cares about justice and liberty to tell Congress we need them to stand up to the administration—not rubberstamp these abuses of power.

And voters in four battleground states have voiced a strong preference for House and Senate candidates who will oppose the president's policies on Guant�namo detainees, torture and CIA kidnapping, and secret searches of Americans' private records. Last week the ACLU announced the findings of a poll conducted in Connecticut, New Mexico, Ohio and Pennsylvania, four states that will play a strong role in the makeup of the next Congress.

What the poll found is heartening: Those of us who care about liberty and justice are not the minority. For most voters, no matter their party, protecting the civil liberties of all Americans and upholding the Constitution are key issues in the mid-term election. Now, it is essential that concerned citizens speak out as they head to the polls this November. You can take action today to help make civil liberties one of the top issues as people head to the polls next month. Sign our "This November, I'm Voting My Values" pledge and please ask your friends to sign as well.

Six Flags: Take A Bite Fright!

2006-09-23T11:41:00.000-05:00

This note came from a close friend. Stunts like this, and those utilized by shock-TV shows ala NBC's Fear Factor, are inhumane, degrating, and pathetic.

From SixFlags.com:

"Put a "bite" in Fright Fest this year! Eating a live cockroach will be your Ticket to Terror -- and the front of the line! Courageous volunteers who opt to chow down on one of these creepy critters will be granted a place at the front of the line for some of Six Flags' most popular rides. Daring guests willing to eat their way to the front of the line will have to be quick! Cockroaches can run at a speed of three miles per hour. The nutritional benefit? Cockroaches are extremely low in fat and high in protein. Complete details available inside the park. Limited quantity. Hours and restrictions apply."

Words cannot express the disgust and anger I feel about this. Cockroaches or otherwise, no living creature deserves to be used, suffer and die in a cruel and senseless promotional stunt. I will never again visit a Six Flag park, and I will spread this word among every friend and family member I have.

I hope your parks can find a more suitable and less inhumane way to dare people during the Halloweeen season.

Ryan

Phil Kline: Did You Get The Memo?

2006-09-12T10:21:00.000-05:00

Living in a state where the Attorney General participates as guest preacher in churches, those who do not ascribe to such sectarian beliefs have cause for pause. However, if the Attorney General is able to keep his own moral beliefs aside in their pursuit to uphold the state constitution and laws of the land, there is no cause for concern. When the Attorney General, as Phil Kline has, "aggressively" utilizes the mobilization of church leaders and sectarian monies in his re-election campaign the concern is real.

Topeka — Atty. Gen. Phill Kline often talks about his Christian faith.

But a leaked memo shows how Kline has mixed religion and money as part of an aggressive strategy to raise campaign funds and win re-election.

“Get the pastor to invite 5 ‘money people,’ whom he knows can help,” Kline told his campaign staff in a detailed, four-page memo titled “church efforts.”

The anonymously leaked e-mail memo provides a rare, behind-the-scenes look at political fundraising and the methods the incumbent Republican is using as he faces Democratic challenger Paul Morrison, the Johnson County district attorney.

Kline is a frequent visitor to Kansas churches, often appearing as guest preacher. But the memo makes clear Kline is out to spread more than the Christian message when he takes the pulpit. And he wants to hit as many churches as possible:

“The Goal and Objective – numbers,” Kline wrote to campaign workers Bill Roche and Sylvia Chapman in the Aug. 8 e-mail. “Please try to get me in front of the largest crowds as we move through the remainder of the campaign schedule. Also, please maximize my presence in a community. Where possible, get additional churches involved. Am able to preach at several churches where service times are different.”
(Continue Reading LJWorld.com article)

Joe.My.God.: That Day

2006-09-11T13:05:00.000-05:00

Joe.My.God. remembers 9/11

Manhattan, September 11th, 2001

That day, I got to my office on 42nd Street at about 8:55am. About ten minutes later, I got a call from Terrence in Orlando.

"Honey, you should look out your window because a plane just hit the World Trade Center!"

I have a fabulous view of the Chrysler Building from my office, but to see the World Trade Center, I had to go downstairs and walk over to Fifth Avenue. There was already a crowd on every corner, shielding their eyes against the morning sun. All we could see was a plume of smoke. Just as I got back into my office, the word spread that a second plane had struck.

A few minutes later, someone reported that the subways had stopped running and it only took about another 15 minutes before office decorum began to dissolve. Davita, our normally stoic sales manager, began sobbing, worrying about getting home to her daughter in Brooklyn. Some of our staffers nervously took post at our windows overlooking Grand Central Terminal, watching the sky over the Chrysler Building, one block away. We all tried calling our families but got nothing but busy signals.

Our CEO called us into the conference room at 10am and announced, "It appears that the United States is under attack. I'm suggesting that we all try to make our way to our homes at once. Please call the office tomorrow before you come in, to see what our situation is." His voice was overloud, his nerves overcoming his normally lilting Liverpool accent.

A moment later someone with a radio announced, "One of the towers just collapsed." That sent the office scrambling for the door. A few minutes later, I was on the street. I headed towards my apartment on 22nd Street in Chelsea and had just turned south onto Sixth Avenue when the second tower collapsed. I watched the top half of the building slide from view. Everybody stopped walking and stood in silent horror. From our distance, there was no noise.
(Continue Reading)

Movie Trailer: Jesus Camp

2006-09-11T12:36:00.000-05:00

A growing trend among the far right of the Evangelical movement in the United States is empowering children, to rise in America's political and religious ranks, through intensive training camps. Jesus Camp,a documentary exploring one such retreat, offers a chilling view into this world.

Learn more about the film here.

See the trailer here:

Music Video: Calexico - Cruel

2006-09-11T10:03:00.000-05:00

Garden Ruin is the newest album from Calexico, a group that I have come to enjoy more and more. Garden Ruin is, however, a much more mainstream faire than their previous albums. Still enjoyable? Yes. Will it have the staying power in my rotation, I'm not sure. Enjoy this music video of "Cruel" from Calexico's Garden Ruin.

Laura Cantrell

2006-09-07T08:57:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite Trad Country/Americana artists is profiled:

Woke Up New

2006-09-07T08:53:00.000-05:00

Check out this music video from the Mountain Goats.

Rest In Peace Crocodile Hunter

2006-09-05T11:05:00.000-05:00

A passionate conservationalist and Animal Planet icon died this monday. Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, suffered a fatal blow to the chest while filming a documentary on stingrays on the Great Barrier Reef.

Friend John Stainton said he had viewed footage of his friend's last moments and the images were "shocking".

"It's a very hard thing to watch because you're actually witnessing somebody die ... and it's terrible," he said.

"It shows that Steve came over the top of the ray and the tail came up, and spiked him here (in the chest), and he pulled it out and the next minute he's gone.

"That was it. The cameraman had to shut down."

Read the story here.

A YouTube memorial montage:

The Incredible Disappearing Woman

2006-08-28T16:14:00.000-05:00

Kristen Armstrong, the ex-wife of super-cyclist Lance Armstrong, speaks out about lousing yourself in marriage. She is not out to bash marriage or Lance. This is her attempt to reveal a truth about marriage that is very real and can affect everyone, married or not, in a relationship.

The greatest conspiracy in modern history is not Watergate or the shooting of JFK; it's something far more ingrained and insidious in the way it distorts the truth. The conspiracy is marriage. It's not that I don't respect the institution and the belief I've cherished since childhood of what such a union could be. One heartbreaking and publicly failed marriage later, I actually revere marriage more at age 34 than I did as a blushing bride of 26.

The problem is that when a young woman announces her engagement, everyone is quick to roll out the matrimonial red carpet by throwing showers and obsessing over wedding day plans. This helps a bride prepare for the reality of marriage about as much as nine months of baby showers and nursery decorating prepare a gestating woman for the awesome task of raising a child: not at all.

Read the rest of the article here.

Cruelty in Every Scoop

2006-08-28T11:54:00.000-05:00

When you hear that yet another national company employs cruel practices, whether to their employees or to animals, it is disappointing. When this company touts its dedication to social consciousness, it is infuriating. The Humane Society of the United States has released a call to stop one such company.

Ben & Jerry's is a company known not only for its frozen desserts, but also for its claims of social responsibility. Is this so-called socially responsible company really serving up nothing more than "Chocolate Chip Cruelty Dough"?

After nearly a year of promises—both verbal and written—to The HSUS that it would end its support for battery cage factory farming, the company has done an about-face and chosen to continue to buy eggs—perhaps 20 to 30 million of them annually—from factory farms that confine egg-laying hens in tiny battery cages so small the birds can't even spread their wings. In fact, each one of the tens of thousands of caged hens used to provide eggs for Ben & Jerry's ice cream has less space for her entire life than a single sheet of paper.

Read the rest of the news release here.

Take action here.

UPDATE: Links Fixed

Web Dating

2006-08-20T23:20:00.000-05:00

I'm tall and stronger than any man you'll ever come across. I love picking fleas and other things out of my mates hair and enjoy long climbs in the canope. I also love typing with my hands AND feet.

The Dutch have Amersterdam's notorious red light district and now they're setting their primates up via online orangutan web dating.

A zoo in the Netherlands plans to set up a webcam to help its orangutans form long-distance relationships with potential mates in Indonesia.

(Read the rest here.)

Despite the Evidence: I believe.

2006-08-19T08:56:00.000-05:00

In an unsurprising turn in the mystery of the tree gushing water in San Antonio, TX; test have proven the un-miraculous. The tree, that many have come to believe to be a holy miracle, broke into a water pipe and now leaks water that contains both fluoride and chlorine from the San Antonio water treatment plant. This has come to be a big shock to the residents who have come to pray to the tree for strength and healing.

Read the story here: KSAT 12: San Antonio, TX Story Text
Watch the video here: KSAT 12: San Antonio, TX Video Clip

An Uplifting Musical

2006-08-19T08:35:00.000-05:00

This video clip of "Jesus: The Musical" captures what is missing in todays world: honesty. A kind of authentic message that the atheists, agnostics, and other satanic forces try so hard to quelch for their master.

Enjoy:
Jesus: I Will Survive

(via a fellow SOMA member)

The Kids Are Alright

2006-08-18T09:47:00.000-05:00

You may remember a time when being punk, alternative, or indie meant that what you wore, said, and did represented your values. Those values (anti-establishment, pro-grassroots activism, anti-drug, pro-choice, or simply rebellion against the status-quo of greed and arrogant individualism) have been marketed, branded, and slapped with a slogan by multi-national capitalist conglomerates. This debasing of values has created an entire culture of virtuous language that lacks any meaningful lifestyle change. Want to be punk? Drive or browse to Urban Outfitters and purchase a Clash or Bob Marley shirt, some retro-cool shoes, pants, and welcome to the neo-punk revolution.

There is, however, a backlash to this. Check out the reclaiming of extreme sports by the grassroots green movement at grist magazine.

"Kids want to be armed with knowledge that their parents don't have," he says, "and this is that vehicle for them. The beauty of it is it's exactly what action sports needs, because the ultimate punk rock rebellious act to fuck the Man and fuck the system is to be environmentally and socially conscious. That's exactly what they don't want you to do."

A Tofu Hummer

2006-08-15T10:57:00.000-05:00

Vegetarians, men with self-confidence, and environmentalists have joked for years about men buying Hummers to make up for their small… well, you get the idea. Over the past several months, Hummer has released a new ad campaign that highlights and endorses this sentiment as a perfectly reasonable rationale for purchasing their behemoths.

It's stunning how enthusiastically the ad embraces this idea. The entire plot is based on it: A guy feels wimpy because another guy saw him buying tofu, so he dashes out and buys a Hummer to feel better about himself. The original tag line of the ad was in fact "Restore your manhood." Hart says people called in to complain ("The whole idea of manhood and virility is a touchy subject," she points out, "especially for men"), so, after two weeks on the air, the ad was recut with the line changed to the slightly more ambiguous "Restore the balance."

Check out the rest of Slate's article here.

Buy Curious

2006-08-14T12:51:00.000-05:00

Are you in the market for new furniture that has Modern Contemporary cool, yet you believe in sustainable living. Well, check out Vivavi. A company that is about modern living with out the footprint.

Check It Out

Next Year

2006-08-06T12:30:00.000-05:00

Though I am two months behind for this years ride, next year I just might have to participate.

Check it out: World Naked Bike Ride

Days We Would Rather Know

2006-07-28T12:10:00.000-05:00

From the Writer's Almanac 7/26/06 comes this poem by Michael Blumenthal:

Days We Would Rather Know

There are days we would rather know
than these, as there is always, later,
a wife we would rather have married
than whom we did, in that severe nowness
time pushed, imperfectly, to then. Whether,
standing in the museum before Rembrandt's "Juno,"
we stand before beauty, or only before a consensus
about beauty, is a question that makes all beauty
suspect ... and all marriages. Last night,
leaves circled the base of the ginkgo as if
the sun had shattered during the night
into a million gold coins no one had the sense
to claim. And now, there are days we would
rather know than these, days when to stand
before beauty and before "Juno" are, convincingly,
the same, days when the shattered sunlight
seeps through the trees and the women we marry
stay interesting and beautiful both at once,
and their men. And though there are days
we would rather know than now, I am,
at heart, a scared and simple man. So I tighten
my arms around the woman I love, now
and imperfectly, stand before "Juno" whispering
beautiful beautiful until I believe it, and—
when I come home at night—I run out
into the day's pale dusk with my broom
and my dustpan, sweeping the coins from the base
of the ginkgo, something to keep for a better tomorrow:
days we would rather know that never come.

Congressman Lynn Westmoreland

2006-07-26T08:21:00.000-05:00

I received this link from a fellow KU SOMA member. It is a video clip from the Comedy Central news program The Colbert Report, whose anchor has brought such gems as "truthiness" to the English language.

Here he sits down with Congressman Lynn Westmoreland to discuss his support for a bill requiring the Ten Commandments be placed in public buildings. Watch the clip here.

A Way with Words

2006-07-25T19:17:00.000-05:00

The world of podcasts has opened up my working days to a wide range of entertaining and informative distractions. Last week I stumbled upon San Diego NPR station KPBS's A Way with Words. The hosts have a wonderful gift for gab and ability to educate the masses on the language with the most words on the planet: English.

In a show last week they ran through some of their favorite gems from their Fifty Rules for Writing Good collection. Here are the first 25:

Fifty Rules for Writing Good

English teachers and journalists have been passing around a list of self-contradictory rules of usage for more than a century, and we've been collecting and creating them for almost half of one. Now we can offer you one of the largest accumulations gathered into a single space. We call them "Fifty Rules for Writing Good." Whatever you think of these slightly cracked nuggets of rhetorical wisdom, just remember that all generalizations are bad.

1. Each pronoun should agree with their antecedent.

2. Between you and I, pronoun case is important.

3. A writer must be sure to avoid using sexist pronouns in his writing.

4. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.

5. Don't be a person whom people realize confuses who and whom.

6. Never use no double negatives.

7. Never use a preposition to end a sentence with. That is something up with which your readers will not put.

8. When writing, participles must not be dangled.

9. Be careful to never, under any circumstances, split infinitives.

10. Hopefully, you won't float your adverbs.

11. A writer must not shift your point of view.

12. Lay down and die before using a transitive verb without an object.

13. Join clauses good, like a conjunction should.

14. The passive voice should be avoided.

15. About sentence fragments.

16. Don't verb nouns.

17. In letters themes reports and ad copy use commas to separate items in a series.

18. Don't use commas, that aren't necessary.

19. "Don't overuse 'quotation marks.'"

20. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (if the truth be told) superfluous.

21. Contractions won't, don't, and can't help your writing voice.

22. Don't write run-on sentences they are hard to read.

23. Don't forget to use end punctuation

24. Its important to use apostrophe's in the right places.

25. Don't abbrev.

The Next 25

An Author Considers the Source

2006-07-13T15:33:00.000-05:00

Listen to yet another excellent interview by Terry Gross on the topic of author Michael Pollan's new book, The Omnivore's Dilemma. (LISTEN)

Fresh Air from WHYY, April 11, 2006 ·
Journalist Michael Pollan's new book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, follows industrial food, organic food, and food that consumers procure or hunt for themselves, from the source to the dinner plate. It also examines the importance of corn in all of our food products.

Pollan is a professor of science and environmental journalism at University of California at Berkeley. His previous books include The Botany of Desire and A Place of My Own.
(via NPR)

Go Back To Vermont

2006-07-13T14:23:00.000-05:00

Instead of attacking philosophical points, how about tacking brand labels and a socio-economic lifestyle (White, Upper-Middle Class, Educated) to your opponents point of view.

From the 2004 Election Primary season via Club for Growth PAC, comes this ad that epitomizes the Right's linguistic tactics for shaping political discourse.

Husband: WHAT DO I THINK?
WELL, I THINK HOWARD DEAN SHOULD TAKE HIS TAX HIKING, GOVERNMENT-EXPANDING, LATTE-DRINKING, SUSHI-EATING, VOLVO-DRIVING, NEW YORK TIMES-READING . . .

Wife: . . . BODY PIERCING, HOLLYWOOD-LOVING, LEFT-WING FREAK SHOW BACK TO VERMONT, WHERE IT BELONGS.

Husband: GOT IT?
(via: Club For Growth PAC)

View the ad Real Player | Windows

Chicago Goes Biking

2006-07-01T06:12:00.000-05:00

Biking advocay pays off in the Windy City.

The city of Chicago recently unveiled their Bike 2015 Plan, which they're calling "the most ambitious bike plan in the United States." The plan, which features a whopping 150 strategies to encourage bicycling, recommends projects, programs and policies to encourage use of one of our favorite modes of transportation. Three years in preparation, the plan will implement Mayor Richard M. Daley’s goal to make Chicago the most bicycle-friendly city in the United States. Work has already begun on 75 of the plan’s 150 strategies, including, constructing 10 miles of new bikeways in 2006 to help reach the plan’s goal of a 500-mile bikeway network by 2015, permitting passengers aged 14 to 17 to board CTA trains and buses with their bicycles, on a trial basis, so that Chicagoland high school students can combine transit and bicycle use, and providing free valet bike parking at 11 Chicago festivals in 2006. The plan will also establish a mini-grant program to support community bicycling efforts and provide secure bike parking inside five to ten city buildings, to encourage more employees to bike to work.
(Read More)

See the plans here.

(via: Digg @ Treehugger)

The Ultimate Branding Union

2006-06-30T15:13:00.000-05:00

Two of the most prolific branding machines have joined forces in what may prove to be a beautiful partnership. Nike, the ubiquitous image of sport, and Apple Computer Company, whose iPod spread across college campuses and the rest of the music loving world, have joined to bring us the "Nike + iPod receiver."

With a sensor in your shoe and a receiver on your iPod nano, your run takes on a completely new dimension. See the minutes tick by. Watch the miles unfold. Hear real-time feedback. All to your favorite music — including the one song that always gets you through the home stretch. (via: Apple.com)

The branding power of these two giants is enough to scare any individual into running to the hills. You don't "get" sport if you don't get Nike. You don't "get" music if you don't get an iPod. Now, you don't get individualism unless you get Nike shoes, an iPod, and the Nike + iPod receiver. And as much as I hate the ethical implications of such intense branding both companies have used to get to where they are today, I must admit that this is a really cool idea.

(Disclosure: I own an iPod.)

(update: See Lance Armstrong endorse the Nike+ sytem.)

Fourth of July: Pets

2006-06-27T18:16:00.000-05:00

Returning home from a holiday celebration, Sharon Moore and her family discovered feces on their living room floor. The sliding glass door to their backyard was open, and a hole had been dug under their fence.

The Moores were gone for only four hours, but D.O.G., their two-year-old, aptly-named white German Shepherd, was gone. Left on her own to face the tumult of fireworks and loud celebrations, she escaped, apparently to seek the familiar—her family, even if she had no idea where to look.

"From what we can tell, when D.O.G. heard the fireworks she freaked out and pooped on the floor inside—for the first time ever—then she opened the sliding glass door with her paw, and dug a hole outside our fence.... She went searching for us," says Sharon Moore of Maitland, Florida.

The Moores' search for D.O.G. ended when she was found dead alongside a road where she was often walked.

(Read More)

(via: The Humane Society of the United States)

"And then I slammed the phone down..."

2006-06-25T12:46:00.000-05:00

Laura Rahn of the independent student magazine The Wake of the University of Minnesota explores that something that is missing in modern lover's quarrels--that ever so gratifying phone receiver slam--in her short story "A Modern Day Breakup."

A young man was on the phone and engaged in a heated fight with his girlfriend outside in the stairwell. Obscenities were screamed, curses were muttered, under-the breath-threats were offered and countered. And then…a faint beep. A meep really, to tell the truth. The hormonal young man had hung up on the words of the offending female. For the eavesdropper in the next room, this climax of the young lovers’ angst was terribly anti-climactic. The second meep through the wall indicated the temperamental young man to be equally unsatisfied as he pushed buttons in anger. But instead of inspiring images of the wronged lover fed up and taking his vengeance, were instead images of baby chicks. As the unsatisfied young man stormed down the stairs, one could not wonder whether the inability to offer a resounding click would finally be the end of the cell phone.
(Read More)

(via: The Wake)

I Hated The Competition

2006-06-23T17:07:00.000-05:00

With little over a week left before the start of the 2006 Le Tour de France, it is hard not to wonder about the man who was the Tour for so many years. Lance Armstrong is a man who "lived for" the Tour and for many Americans was the Tour. Retiring after his 7th Tour win last year, which was sorrowfully followed by allegations of doping in 1999, he looks back upon those years now:

"I don't miss it at all. I miss the training. I miss the team atmosphere. I miss my guys. But the last couple of years I would even say I hated racing. The only peaceful times were when I was at training camps, alone or with a few team mates,
or at the races, in the hotel room, at the dinner table with my guys. That's the stuff I really love. I won't miss the Tour.”

[Read More]

(via: Softpedia}

Faster Than A Speeding Bullet

2006-06-20T18:15:00.000-05:00

Perhaps Superman really does exist! From TreeHugger.com

Bikes to Fight Crime? A Lance Armstrong Story...

Remember kids, you don't need a ginormous SUV like Batman to fight crime. The Enquirer reports that seven time winner of the Tour de France Lance Armstrong used his bike to play super-hero. "The supercyclist was biking with a pal near the beach in Santa Monica, when a mugger pushed down a woman and sprinted off with her purse. Who knew they even had muggers in Santa Monica? Lance reportedly turned around, raced after the scruffy bad guy and bumped him to the turf with a crafty front-wheel whack. The reports says Lance snagged the purse from the sprawled perp, who reportedly then beat feet and ran off. The report then claims that Armstrong cycled the snatched satchel back to its owner and resumed his recreational ride." Bikes: 1 Muggers: 0

No More McMansion

2006-06-20T18:02:00.000-05:00

MTV's Cribs may have to dig through their archives to tour McMansions in the future. Well, there is always dreaming:

Nation's love affair with McMansions shows signs of waning

The golden age of McMansions may be coming to an end. These oversized homes _ characterized by sprawling layouts on small lots, and built in cookie-cutter style by big developers _ fueled much of the housing boom. But thanks to rising energy and mortgage costs, shrinking families and a growing number of retirement-age baby boomers set on downsizing, there are signs of an emerging glut.

[Read More]

(via: CoolTown Studios)

Give peace a chance, with hate!?

2006-06-20T15:16:00.000-05:00

How do you end a war? Well, according to Rabbi Shmuley Boteach "hatred does."

How many times have we heard that the problem with the world today is that there isn't enough love, when precisely the opposite is true? Evil currently stalks the earth because there isn't enough hate. Moral people, afraid of being poisoned by hate, are becoming indifferent to evil.
(Read More)

Air Torture

2006-06-20T15:04:00.000-05:00

Learn about the U.S. procedure for transporting detainees to torture sites around the world in this Amnesty International parody. Fill out the form letter to email your represntatives today:

Did you know the U.S. flies detainees to foreign countries that allow the use of torture? I just took action to ground Air Torture and end the U.S. renditions program. Join me and Amnesty and do the same by visiting:
http://www.airtorture.com

(Take Action)

(via: Amnesty International USA)

Help Farm Animals

2006-06-19T19:23:00.000-05:00

Easy Action for Farm Animals: Congressmen Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) and Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) have introduced a bill that would require producers supplying animal products to the federal government to comply with minimal animal welfare standards. Please ask your representative to co-sponsor and support H.B. 5557, the Farm Animal Stewardship Purchasing Act. It will only take a minute or two, but could make a real difference in the lives of millions of animals.

Innocent Armstrong

2006-06-18T10:45:00.000-05:00

Not that it comes as much of a surprise, but Lance armstrong has been cleared of all allegations of doping:

An independent investigation has cleared seven times Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong of doping during the 1999 event and strongly criticised the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

"The report confirms my innocence, but also finds that (WADA president) Mr (Dick) Pound along with the French lab and the French ministry have ignored the rules and broken the law," the American said in a statement.

"They have also refused to cooperate with the investigation in an effort to conceal the full scope of their wrongdoing."

He added: "I have now retired, but for the sake of all athletes still competing who deserve a level playing field and a fair system of drug testing, the time has come to take action against these kinds of attacks before they destroy the credibility of WADA and, in turn, the international anti-doping system."

Dutch lawyer Emile Vrijman, assigned by the International Cycling Union (UCI) to investigate newspaper allegations, said on Wednesday testing procedures were insufficient to label Armstrong's sample positive.

He also referred to "misconduct" by WADA and the French national doping laboratory LNDD.

Armstrong had been accused by the French sports paper L'Equipe of using the endurance-boosting drug EPO on the way to the first of his seven victories.

And in an strongly-worded press release on Wednesday, the UCI said that they 'deplored' the behavior of Vrijman, claiming that he had released the report without their permission to the Dutch press and before all "interested parties" could comment.

"The UCI underlines its deep displeasure with regards to the regrettable development of this case," read a statement.

The 132-page report by Vrijman and his panel comes down firmly in favor of Armstrong, who has strenuously denied using banned substances.
[Read More]

Damn-it Jim. I'm a Doctor, not a pool man!

2006-06-18T09:39:00.000-05:00

For those tech savvy individuals out there, here is the next step in human body modification and it is just perfect for you:

I've Got You Under My Skin

Gina Miller (also known as "nanogirl") is an artist who last year produced images on a concept first developed by Robert A. Freitas, Jr., a senior research fellow at the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing in Palo Alto, Calif. In his futuristic treatise, a display would be implanted just below the surface of the epidermis so that its light was visible through the translucent skin on the back of one's hand or forearm.

This "dermal display" (featured on the winter 2006 cover of Cryonics magazine) would consist of about three billion light-emitting nanorobots capable of rearranging themselves to spell out words and numbers and produce animations for the display. To turn on and control the display, you simply tap it with your finger.

The idea was first mentioned in "Nanomedicine," a series of books Freitas wrote describing possible future uses of nanorobotic medical systems. However, these display nanorobots and their sensing/networking kin have yet to be created. In the meantime, we may have to rely upon more traditional means to achieve such intimate displays.

Read More

(via: TattooBlog)

NPR

2006-06-12T15:53:00.000-05:00

Subject: Save NPR and PBS (again)

Hi,

Everyone expected House Republicans to give up efforts to kill NPR and PBS after a massive public outcry stopped them last year. But they've just voted to eliminate funding for NPR and PBS—unbelievably, starting with programs like "Sesame Street."

Public broadcasting would lose nearly a quarter of its federal funding this year. Even worse, all funding would be eliminated in two years--threatening one of the last remaining sources of watchdog journalism.

Sign the petition telling Congress to save NPR and PBS again this year:

http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/

Last year, millions of us took action to save NPR and PBS, and Congress listened. We can do it again if enough of us sign the petition in time.

This would be the most severe cut in the history of public broadcasting. The Boston Globe reports the cuts "could force the elimination of some popular PBS and NPR programs." NPR's president expects rural public radio stations may be forced to shut down.

The House and Senate are deciding if public broadcasting will survive, and they need to hear from viewers like you. Sign the petition at:

http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/

Thanks!

P.S. Read the Boston Globe story on the threat to NPR and PBS at:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1864

(via: MoveOn PAC)

If They Can Do It...

2006-06-09T15:15:00.000-05:00

I'm frequently told by friends who live in small towns that they would love for the town to be more "green" friendly but that it is just too small for it to be feasible. That may be so, however Reynolds, Indiana (pop 533) has the plans and is going to do it:

This corn and soybean and hog farming town, which pops up out of nowhere at a crossroads and disappears as fast, has only 533 residents left. As in many withering rural communities, worries here lean toward keeping the school open, persuading sons and daughters to stay and finding a role for small farms in a changed economy. But a different worry has risen here, too.

With government financing and help from state agriculture officials, Reynolds is wrestling with the nation's dependence on ordinary energy supplies and starting a one-town rebellion. Some say the goal may be too ambitious, too fantastic, for any place, much less little Reynolds.

True, most of the plans are just that, for now. But in the end, the town wants to secede from America's energy grid and power itself entirely with renewable sources, like its corn and pigs.

[Read More]

(via: Grist Magazine)

Why It's Over For America

2006-06-07T23:18:00.000-05:00

From Common Dreams comes this excerpt from noted intellectual Noam Chomsky on the state of America:

An inability to protect its citizens. The belief that it is above the law. A lack of democracy. Three defining characteristics of the 'failed state'. And that, says Noam Chomsky, is exactly what the US is becoming. In an exclusive extract from his devastating new book,"Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy," America's leading thinker explains how his country lost its way.

The selection of issues that should rank high on the agenda of concern for human welfare and rights is, naturally, a subjective matter. But there are a few choices that seem unavoidable, because they bear so directly on the prospects for decent survival. Among them are at least these three: nuclear war, environmental disaster, and the fact that the government of the world's leading power is acting in ways that increase the likelihood of these catastrophes. It is important to stress the government, because the population, not surprisingly, does not agree.

That brings up a fourth issue that should deeply concern Americans, and the world: the sharp divide between public opinion and public policy, one of the reasons for the fear, which cannot casually be put aside, that, as Gar Alperowitz puts it in America Beyond Capitalism, "the American 'system' as a whole is in real trouble - that it is heading in a direction that spells the end of its historic values [of] equality, liberty, and meaningful democracy."

[Read More]

Higher Education: A Sick Campus

2006-06-07T22:42:00.000-05:00

For those of you unfamiliar with the University of Kansas, there is one building at the center of the main campus that is infamous for its ugliness: Wescoe Hall. It houses the Humanities Departments, many professor and GTA offices, and a large number of classrooms, among which are two of the larger and most frequently used lecture halls.

Very few undergraduate students will graduate from KU without having at least one class at Wescoe. Now we find out that there maybe something going on at Wescoe that is affect the health of faculty and staff members. I first heard about the larger than normal number of brain tumours occuring in faculty and staff who work in these offices the weekend after a departamental meeting first released this "hush-hush" information to a few faculty members. The issue has since caused alarm with many professors changing their offices hours and locations away from the building. From the Lawrence Journal-World:

The recent concerns arose this spring when an English department faculty member was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Swann said there have been three cases of faculty members diagnosed with brain tumors in the last year. She said in two cases, the tumors are malignant. She said there also was a diagnosis four years ago and another eight years ago. Four of the cases involved people within the history department, and several people shared the same second-floor corridor.

[...]

According to the Chronicle, officials at RMIT University in Melbourne last month evacuated two floors in a main building after reports of several staff members diagnosed with brain tumors. An investigation is under way.

Swann said she believes KU should follow the Australian university’s lead and evacuate faculty and staff during the investigation.

In the meantime, Swann isn’t waiting for an evacuation. She has moved out of her office and only drops in when she needs to.

“In my own case, I’m completely changing my work habits and I’m going to stay out of my office.”

[Read More]

KBOE is at it again!

2006-06-07T22:33:00.000-05:00

The leaders in the state of Kansas are ever ready to push regressive politics into reality. Once again the Kansas State Board of Education is seeking to mandate abstinance only sex education for Kansas Public Schools.

Urge the State Board to support comprehensive sex ed!

The Kansas State Board of Education will vote this month on adopting the following statement:

"Each board of education shall provide a comprehensive abstinence until marriage program in human sexuality that is developmentally appropriate, including information about sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV/AIDS. It is imperative that medically accurate and research-based information be provided, including factual information regarding contraception and disease prevention."

We support most of this statement, but unfortunately, Board Member Kathy Martin has proposed removing the term "comprehensive" and keeping "abstinence-until-marriage."

Please urge your board member to reject Martin's proposal and support comprehensive, abstinence-plus education.

If you go to the URL below you can check out what is at stake and send your own message directly to the relevant decision makers. Take action on this action alert at: http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/opposeabonly_clone_2

(via: PPMK)

Take Action: Voting Rights

2006-06-06T13:54:00.000-05:00

The historic Voting Rights Act of 1965 secured equal opportunity rights for millions of Americans. Many of the provisions of the VRA are set to expire in 2007. Today, some legislators are seeking to limit the effectiveness of this anti-discrimination act. The following call to action comes from the ACLU:

While progress has been made in the years since the VRA was first signed into law, discrimination in voting still exists in the United States as state and local jurisdictions continue to enact laws, regulations and procedures intentionally designed to dilute minority voting strength and prevent members of minorities from voting.
A handful of lawmakers are attempting to block passage of H.R. 9 in an attempt to weaken or eliminate key provisions of the VRA that prevent voting discrimination. Not surprisingly, these lawmakers come from states that have the worst records of continued voter disfranchisement.

Some lawmakers have suggested extending Section 5 coverage to the whole country a proposition that would effectively destroy the provision. The prohibition against discrimination in voting applies to the whole country, but nationwide application of Section 5 would make the VRA unconstitutional and would shift the focus of this provision away from those areas that have the longest and most persistent history of voting discrimination.
[Read More]

Contact your representative right now and tell him or her to support H.R. 9 without making changes that would weaken the Voting Rights Act.

AIDS Deniers

2006-06-06T09:41:00.000-05:00

Deadly Quackery

H.I.V. causes AIDS. This is not a controversial claim but an established fact, based on more than 20 years of solid science. It is as certain as the descent of humans from apes and the falling of dropped objects to the ground.

So why reiterate the obvious? Because lately, a bizarre theory has gained ground — one that claims that H.I.V. is harmless, and that the antiretroviral drugs that curb the growth of the virus cause rather than treat AIDS. Such talk sounds to most of us like quackery, but the theory has emerged as a genuine menace to public health in the United States and, particularly, in South Africa.

[Read More]

(via: Aetiology)

Food: War On Obesity

2006-06-06T09:22:00.000-05:00

Whose fault is it that America is so fat? In a society whose economic system demands freedom to do what it will, for the market will correct any flaws, the growing health concerns around obesity demand someone take responsibility. Is it the individual alone or do buisnesses share in this failure of the system?

FDA: Restaurants Have Role to Play in Sorting Out U.S. Obesity

As reported by CNN, the FDA has released the findings of an inquiry that the administration had commissioned to look into how Americans can fight the obesity epidemic while eating away from home. Compiled by the Keystone Forum, the report found that Americans now consume one third of their daily caloric intake outside of the home.

The report does not explicitly link dining out with the rising tide of obesity, but does cite numerous studies that suggest there is a connection.

The report encourages restaurants to shift the emphasis of their marketing to lower-calorie choices, and include more such options on menus. In addition, restaurants could adjust portion sizes and the variety of foods available in mixed dishes to reduce the overall number of calories taken in by diners.

[Read More]

(via: Anxiety, Addiction and Depression Treatments)

Paying for Your Super-size Meal

Super-sizing your meal at the drive through window is almost a no-brainer. For an extra 50 cents you can have a half gallon of soda and nearly twice as many delicious french fries. While the national average of "up-sizing" a fast food meal was calculated at 67 cents, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found that the actual cost of super-sizing your meal is actually much more than that.

The difference comes mostly from the added expenses incurred in the form of gas, food bills and health care costs. The school's press release spells out all the gory details:

[Read More]

(via: Anxiety, Addiction and Depression Treatments)

Portland the Sustainable and Pesky Wind Farms

2006-06-06T09:02:00.000-05:00

Sustain't Misbehavin'
Portland, Ore., ranked as most sustainable city in U.S.

Portland, Ore., took top honors in SustainLane.com's 2006 ranking of the sustainability of America's 50 most populous cities. The rankings were based on a laundry list of the usual environmental factors: breathable air, clean drinking water, renewable energy, parks, green buildings, farmers' markets, affordable housing, recycling, walkable communities, and, especially, public transit. Commuting was weighted more heavily in the rankings than other factors; nine of the bottom 10 cities have less than 5 percent transit ridership. San Francisco came in second, despite being 49th in affordability (ouch); Seattle rounded out the top three. Philadelphia, somewhat surprisingly, was No. 4; Chicago, Oakland, Calif., New York, Boston, Denver, and Minneapolis made the top 10. Number 50? Columbus, Ohio. Perhaps Columbus should discover some new sustainability strategies. Get it? Columbus? Oh, never mind.

straight to the source:MarketWatch, Kristen Gerencher, 01 Jun 2006

straight to the source:InsideBayArea.com, Eve Mitchell, 01 Jun 2006

straight to the rankings:SustainLane 2006 U.S. City Rankings

(via: Grist Magazine)

Under the Radar
FAA shuts down work on proposed wind farms

The Federal Aviation Administration has shut down work on at least 15 Midwest wind farms pending ... wait for it ... more research. Last year, Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), a critic of the Cape Wind project planned for Nantucket Sound, added an amendment to a military spending bill directing the Defense Department to study wind turbines' effect on small-aircraft radar signals. Since then, despite the fact that dozens of wind projects currently operate within sight of radar systems and have caused no discernable problems, all proposed turbines within the scope of military radar have been blocked. The stalled projects include an Illinois wind farm that would have been the nation's largest. "Until the potential effects can be quantified and possible mitigation techniques developed, it is prudent to temporarily postpone wind-turbine construction in areas where the ability of these long-range radars that protect our country might be compromised," says a Pentagon spokesflack. That sounds not-at-all promising.

straight to the source:Chicago Tribune, Michael Hawthorne, 31 May 2006

straight to the source:Peoria Journal Star, Andrea Frampton and Erinn Deshinsky, 02 Jun 2006

(via: Grist Magazine)

Marriage Ban and War on Science

2006-06-05T07:51:00.000-05:00

Bush to Support Same-Sex Marriage Ban:

"Ages of experience have taught us that the commitment of a husband and wife to love and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children and the stability of society," Bush said in his Saturday radio address. "Government, by recognizing and protecting marriage, serves the interests of all."

(via: CNN.com)

"The American War on Science"

From one of my favorite popular science magazines, Seed, comes this editorial by Christopher Mims exploring America's dependence on "foreign born" students' brainpower:

By most objective measures, the United States is the undisputed world leader in science and innovation, whether it's funding for research and development, the number of PhD students it graduates or its share of the world's patents. For the world's wealthiest nation, this is hardly a remarkable feat. What is remarkable is that the US accomplished this with a supply of domestic talent whose skills in math and science are, also according to most objective measures, merely mediocre.

(Read More )

Eternal Forces

2006-06-01T09:18:00.000-05:00

The following is from a fellow KU-SOMA member concerning the militaristic rhetoric and values of extremist religious groups:

Sanity: Left Behind
I'll make no secret about it. I frequently wonder what goes on in the mind of the True Believer that makes them reject what most people would call common sense.

I'm not sure what it takes for someone to think that God is telling them to murder their children (1, 2), or that their faith in the literal truth of the bible is so strong that they can justify child molestation. It's enough for them to overlook their blatant hypocrisies when they claim to be pro-life, yet call for assassination of leaders or shooting illegal immigrants on sight. They'll laugh when Mohammed is the victim of satire in cartoons, but God forbid it be Jesus that's the target of fictional books and movies.

And just when I thought they couldn't get any dumber, they announce the plans to release a game based on the left behind series in which players enact virtual spiritual warfare, killing any non-believers they come across. The game, Left Behind: Eternal Forces, is based on the best selling book series.

(via: AngryAstronomer)
[Read More]

Health: Canadian vs. American System

2006-06-01T09:17:00.000-05:00

Canadians Healthier Than Americans

Despite complaints about long waits for services, Canadians are healthier than their U.S. neighbors and receive more consistent medical care, according to a report released on Tuesday.

[...]

The researchers found that U.S. residents had higher rates of diabetes, arthritis, chronic lung disease, high blood pressure and obesity.

[Read More]

(via: Common Dreams)

ENERGY STAR

2006-06-01T09:16:00.000-05:00

Learn how to Cool Your World with ENERGY STAR @ home

The average family spends $1,900 a year on energy bills, much of which goes to heating and cooling. With summer on the way and facing high energy costs, Americans are looking for ways to cool their homes, stay comfortable and save money. When you reduce the amount of energy used in your home, you save money on energy bills, and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions generated by burning fossil fuels to make that electricity. That also reduces the risks of global warming and protects our environment for future generations.

Explore the ENERGY STAR @ home Interactive Tool and find energy-efficient home improvement ideas and advice to help cool your world! EPA has designed this tool to bring you the best information on how you can save energy and protect the environment. We offer advice on home sealing, what products to buy and everyday energy-saving tips. You can turn to ENERGY STAR for the guidance you need to improve your home's efficiency and save money on your energy bills. (via: EnergyStar.gov)

The Greatest Disappointment

2006-05-31T19:08:00.000-05:00

Meanwhile: Where Have All the Protesters Gone?

by Sam Graham-Felsen

The greatest disappointment of my generation has been its failure to truly stand up to the Bush administration - and particularly, its refusal to actively oppose the war in Iraq.

We are the youth who are living through what will perhaps be remembered as the most scandal- plagued, secretive, privacy-invading, rights-infringing, incompetent administration in American history - and we have barely made a peep.

How is it possible, that during a time of unprecedented promise for youth mobilization that this generation has remained so silent, so acquiescent?
(via: Common Dreams)

Gore uses all five knuckles on Bush

2006-05-31T18:48:00.000-05:00

Gore: Bush is 'Renegade Rightwing Extremist'

by Oliver Burkeman and Jonathan Freedland

Al Gore has made his sharpest attack yet on the George Bush presidency, describing the current US administration as "a renegade band of rightwing extremists".
In an interview with the Guardian today, the former vice-president calls himself a "recovering politician", but launches into the political fray more explicitly than he has previously done during his high-profile campaigning on the threat of global warming.
Denying that his politics have shifted to the left since he lost the court battle for the 2000 election, Mr Gore says: "If you have a renegade band of rightwing extremists who get hold of power, the whole thing goes to the right."
But he claims he does not "expect to be a candidate" for president again, while refusing explicitly to rule out another run. Asked if any event could change his mind, he says: "Not that I can see."
(Read more of the article at: Common Dreams.)

X3 - The Final Let Down

2006-05-31T18:44:00.000-05:00

Having seen X3, the third installment of the X-men series, I cannot recommend it to anyone over the age of 13. The few "neat" special effects in the film are not powerful enough to hold the imagination and interest of those who enjoy a good story or well crafted plot. The issues raised in the first two X-men are only tangentaly examined in this "final" chapter to the trilogy. What are those issues? NPR's Day to Day explores that question:

Are 'X-Men' Mutant Issues a Mirror on Society?
Day to Day, May 30, 2006 · For the first time, mutants have a choice -- they can retain their uniqueness, though it isolates and alienates them, or give up their powers and become human. That's the ad line from the marketing material for the new film X-Men: The Last Stand. Mike Pesca looks at how "mutantism" in the movie represents real-life issues ranging from dwarfism to deafness to sexual orientation.

Related NPR Stories

May 26, 2006
Friday Movies: 'X-Men,' 'An Inconvenient Truth'
Dec. 19, 2003
Actor Sir Ian McKellen
May 2, 2003
'X2': Many More Mutants
Jan. 21, 2003
X-Men
June 4, 2002
Comic Book Writer Stan Lee

(via: NPR)

Haditha

2006-05-31T18:37:00.000-05:00

Haditha Deaths and the Psychology of War

Day to Day, May 30, 2006 ·

Members of a Marine unit are under investigation in the aftermath of the shooting deaths of two dozen civilians in Haditha, Iraq. The deaths followed a roadside bombing that claimed the life of a fellow Marine. The incident has renewed questions about the psychology of soldiers in wartime and in the heat of combat. Madeleine Brand discusses the issue with Maj. Gen. Thomas Wilkerson (ret.), a 31-year veteran of the Marine Corps and current chief of the U.S. Naval Institute. (via: NPR)

Haditha Case May Test Military Justice

All Things Considered, May 31, 2006 ·

The military system faces a complicated test as it investigates accusations that U.S. Marines covered up a mass killing of Iraqi civilians in Haditha. Melissa Block talks with retired Col. Gary Solis, who spent 18 years as a judge advocate and a judge in the Marine Corps. (via: NPR)

In The Mood & Lie Still

2006-05-31T15:48:00.000-05:00

In The Mood

A few cursed women have the painful pleasure of knowing what it feels like to be a 13-year-old boy. Researchers have recently put their fingers on an obscure women's condition called "persistent sexual arousal syndrome" (PSAS), where the affected women involuntarily become sexually aroused for extended periods. In the International Journal of STD & AIDS, doctors describe the condition as "usually persistent, unprovoked, and unrelieved by orgasm." And while the arousal is constant, the women don't actually experience sexual desire. Doctors encourage women to visit healthcare workers who will listen and try to help. Thus far, however, there is no treatment for PSAS. (source: WebMD) (via Seed)

Lie Still

It would be nice to have an easy way to tell when someone's lying, but—aside from the inevitable flaming trousers—most of the gestures commonly associated with lying aren't reliable indicators. According to a study in the Journal of Nonverbal Behaviour , liars actually touch their noses and stroke their hair less than people who are telling the truth. Lead author Samantha Mann said people assigned to lie in her study consciously tried to stay still and look their questioner in the eye. Also, she said, people who are concentrating deeply tend to remain more still, and that liars had to think about their responses and actions more than the truth-tellers. Liars did, however, gesture emphatically to reinforce their false statements. I guess there's only one way to tell if someone's lying...
(source: BBC) (via Seed)

Election Tactics = It's War, People!

2006-05-29T11:56:00.000-05:00

Executive director of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee (NHRSC) deems the military tactic/dirty trick of jamming his "enemies" communications on Election Day as an acceptable battle tactic.

Read About It Here: (via: In These Times)