Why US students are 29th in the world...

The "crazy Christians" are after us!!!

Re: Origin Theories Clash: Pinellas School Board would teach Intelligent Design...

The reason the US is 29th in the world in science instead of 1st is because our leaders and educators are being duped by the "Wedge Document" campaigns. These school board leaders need to go back to school, as they have not had a proper science education: These leaders are apparently easily duped by a PR campaign promoting an idea that in no way reflects critical thinking skills, the scientific method, or qualifies as a scientific theory. This ignorance would be laughable if it weren't so pathetically damaging to America's future.

The Wedge Document represents the strategy of the Discovery Institute, a think tank that advocates intelligent design and its "Teach the Controversy" campaign, which aims to teach creationist beliefs in public high school science courses. The Discovery Institute put forth its planned public relations, public opinion, media, and political lobbying campaigns in the Wedge Document, which states that the aim of this creationist campaign is to drive a "wedge" into popular discussions about the origin of life by manufacturing a false controversy that does not actually exist within the scientific community. The Wedge Document states the Institute's manifesto is to "defeat evolution" and "replace it with Christian and theistic convictions" to "affirm the reality of God."

In a public school, to have any patience at all with creationist/intelligent design notions is to do a severe disservice to your students. Those ideas in no way qualify as a theory, in any science, by any scientist anywhere. I hope various leaders on the School Board will thank the private company, the Discovery Institute, for doing such a good job in their advertising campaign! Their duping campaign has worked on them!

Nel mezzo del cammin

Part 1

I've had this dream
a million nights
and now I'm living.
Living the running free down the street
out, away, flying away.
Breathing cool, stretching
as wide as the earth.
Fancy footing over pavement, over grass.
Away and away - all flowy-haired and shining.
And in this moment,
I'm me
and it's about me.
There's so much time.
Like the earth is holding it's breath until I step.
Like balancing on a barrel sticky and hot.

How did I get out here?
Days and weeks and years of counting to 10 and then 100
and swallowing tears and fears...


Part 2

"Mother" I branded into my skin myself.
Now I know why all mothers are a little bit crazy.

Thought when we met and kissed I'd never be alone.
Now, I'm more alone than ever.
"It's all on you, babe."
My shoulders broke from the weight of my babies
and the story of all my days is a child's story.
My 10-year plan is a kid's paradise.

Did I lose my mind, my soul
or do I not have a right to one?
Do the rich keep theirs?

Do I look without longing for relief? Can I glance without resentment?

It's all on me: This is my blessed trap. My job.

I am woman:
hear me in the wind a butterfly's wing makes.
It is the wind that turns the world.

Poem: GodStuff

In the Multiverse
in the humming strings
is the being
of you and me.

Perfect Me Ann Coulter

Again, this is great...very funny, and in my Happy Hanukkah video theme...

Satirist/singer/guitar player Leah Kauffman sings and asks Ann Coulter to perfect her. I think she (Leah) really puts things in the right perspective.

Rock On!

Happy Hanukkah!

We were laughing out loud watching this. I thought it was appropriate being Hanukkah and all.

Crank That Kosha Boy

Holy Crap!

6,000 soldiers claim persecution by "Christian" evangelicals

This is so frightening...

"They are proselytizing not on behalf of the Constitution of the United States and the national security interests of our country but rather on behalf of some sort of fanatical view of end times. And they are using our army to affect that."
-- Ambassador Joe Wilson

And follow the link to read on, it gets better, I mean worse.

Links from the article:

• The Christian Right and the Rise of American Fascism
• Theocracy Watch: The Rise of the Religious Right in the Republican Party - a public information project of the Center for Religion, Ethics, and Social Policy
  at Cornell University
• ideological insanity behind Erik Prince and Blackwater Inc.
• Military Religious Freedom Foundation
  

Heaven help us!

-Harry

Who should I vote for?

Who should I vote for? I'll vote for the person who understands that the checks and balances on the three separate branches of government are crucial to keep our democracy functioning. The founding fathers knew that power makes even the best people turn absolutely corrupt. They cleverly devised the only way to stop inevitable corruption through healthy checks and balances with real teeth.

I'll vote for someone who will give the people back their constitutional rights, rights such as freedom from being spied on and thrown in jail without due process. I'll vote for someone who upholds the constitution regarding torture. I'll support the person who understands that our country was founded on the basis of the separation of church and state. I'll vote for the person strong enough to stop lobbyists from buying laws and lawmakers.

Who is this hero? Who is the person, when tempted with the now increased powers in the executive branch to make his/her decisions law, who would give up these imperial prerogatives in favor of rule as the founding fathers intended? i.e., no more kings!

Classic warning signs...

How to shut down democracy and begin fascism: Step 1, invoke threat; Step 2, establish secret prisons, Step 3, develop paramilitary (contractor killers), Step 4, surveil citizens... etc. Classic warning signs...video with Naomi Wolf:

http://www.booktv.org/program.aspx?ProgramId=8653&SectionName=After+Words&PlayMedia=No

Put $ where mouth is by actually being a beacon of democratic values for the world. Anyone of us can be yanked off to a secret prison with no recourse, mistakes or no. Thought we covered this in 1215 with the Magna Carta. We've rewound western civilization by 700 years: we're pre-Enlightenment, baby. Feel like a "patriot" now?

Letter to the FCC

Dear FCC,

I’m so glad we have people in the FCC that have had a Communication class. You know then, about the FCC’s sacred calling to protect the public interest from monopolies and the long-fought history of this protection. Of course you are familiar with this history, as it is the very history of the FCC itself. God bless you for making the right decisions on protecting local interests from monopolies.

I’m sure you would do your historic duty to the people by not allowing ownership of the newspaper and a radio or TV station in the same market. Otherwise, that would break the entire reason for the FCC’s being, wouldn’t it?

However, I must warn you, that some influential leaders and thinkers are loudly espousing their beliefs that your FCC is “making information safe for monopolies” (Al Gore, The Assault on Reason). Bill Moyers said on his show the other week: “Kevin Martin isn’t letting up in his relentless push to allow a handful of media giants swallow up more of your local media.” Other communication scientists have shown relationships between the media’s conglomerates hiring of FCC officials and making favorable decisions for those media conglomerates who hire you (the revolving door theory). Maybe you ought to give these influential leaders a call to reassure them that you are on the side of the people who value diversity of information over supposed cost-saving consolidations and not on the side of media conglomerates.

Best of luck in your decision to roll back putting concentrated information power in the hands of the few. That is a hard fight today with all of the consolidation. Yet, it is an heroic struggle for the survival of our precious democracy. As you stand up to these media conglomerates, just remember you are standing up for democracy itself.

It is so great to live in a country where freedom of information and opposing viewpoints is honored for the very existence of our democracy. Can you imagine what it is like in China, where all of the information is owned by one monopoly – the state?


Happy Holidays.

Mitt Romney: "The Bible is the word of God"

Last night in the YouTube Republican Debate, Mitt Romney said that "The Bible is the word of God... I don't disagree with the Bible. I try to live by it." Haven't we learned our lesson by electing someone who thinks "God is on my side, so whatever I want to do is justified by divinity"?

If Romney lives by the Bible as the word of God, then he would have to "execute any child who hits or curses his parents" (Exodus 21:15, 17), as the Bible tell us. If he were to follow the Bible, Romney would have to kill anyone who suggested believing in another religion, as the Bible says, "thou shalt surely kill him, thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death" (Deuteronomy 13:6-10).

Finally, God says that he visits "the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and fourth generation" (Exodus 34:7). Therefore, God has condemned Romney with wickedness and immorality because his ancestors were polygamous. I guess he doesn't disagree with that.

http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/fv/long.html

Hopes for Downtown St. Pete

The fate of downtown St. Pete should reflect what is in the best interest of all of the citizens to enjoy the waterfront. These democratic values may suggest very different decisions regarding what is done with the Albert Whitted Airport space, the planned stadium, and other downtown bayside developments.

What planners don't seem to realize is that what people come, live, visit, and move to St. Pete for is the waterfront, beachy lifestyle with a touch of class. (Planners, please market research the public before making decisions for them.) The problem is that although the classy, beachy lifestyle is why we love St. Pete, technically downtown St. Pete does not have much of a beach.

Downtown St. Pete could take a lesson from Rio, where a beach could be created and maintained with parks, beach volleyball, boardwalks, skating/running paths, water squirting parks for toddlers to run through, and great retail and restaurants all within walking distance. Give downtown to all the people and reflect their hopes.

The wealthy get their way

You won't be getting a safe toys bill this holiday season. The politics of wealth, of greed, of corruption, of corporate pandering have won over democracy.

Why would our lawmakers protect us from large corporate interests, like those selling us the cheapest toys, when they are paid by these corporate interests? Why would our government go from subsidizing large corporations with few regulations to protecting the people?

On any question you have, now that democracy is eroded, the answer to every policy question will always be that the one who has the money wins.

Published in the St. Pete Times 11/27

Dr. Quantum

This is great! Dr. Quantum explains the famous double-slit experiment where where we learn that the act of observation collapses of the wave function. This experiment was part of the beginning of our attempts to understand the strange quantum world.

LOVE IT!

-Harry

Obama’s Ready, Are We?

Those who think they saw Obama cowering from Hillary Clinton are misled. Obama is an Abraham Lincoln who stands up for what he knows is right. Clinton is a politician first and foremost who thinks what is right is what will get her elected.

Obama is going from good to great and can’t be bought. Clinton is in the pocket of corporate corruption and corporate corruption is in her pocket.

Barack Obama is ready to be our President, but are we ready for a truly great man as our President? Just like a teenage girl, are we won over by a flashy, slightly bombastic charmer or are we behind a golden nice guy, one who’s integrity we can bet on all the way to the bank? This mama says, “Vote for Obama!”

Photo Gallery

I went through some recent photos I've taken and uploaded a few I liked; some are a bit random. Hopefully, I will update the photo gallery with more when time allows for it.

As I was uploading these, I came across my friend Alex's Randomosity photo collection which seemed similar in theme, although inspiring.

You can see my pictures here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/hsauers/PhotoGallery1

-Harry

How to Make a Turkey Sandwich

I make myself a turkey sandwich for lunch just about every day for some reason. The other night as I made my sandwich, I documented the process with my camera, a "how to make a turkey sandwich" photo essay if you will. Consider it either a genuine guide to help kids make a turkey sandwich for themselves, an exercise in post modern culinary surrealism or a genuine waste of time. Decide for yourself.

How to Make a Turkey Sandwich
Since many of us eat turkey this time of year, I thought it would be nice to share my photo essay on how to make a turkey sandwich. I happened to make this sandwich a few weeks before Thanksgiving, but Thanksgiving turkey could be used here instead of the store bought deli turkey; any turkey will make a good sandwich. I make one of these just about every day.

-Harry
;-)

Hope for US Science

Recently, I read an argument supporting the superiority of United States' science education over that of Western European countries; specifically it was argued that there is more "hope" for science in the US than in some other Western European countries, such as France. The argument went on to suggest that if we use statistics and not "emotional impressions" we will see that by looking at the number of Nobel Prize winners in science from the US as compared to that of France that the truth will be apparent in the numbers. The argument went on to list the 76 Nobel Prize winners from the US and the mere 33 Nobel Prize winners in science from France. This information can be found on Wikipedia here and I assume it to be true.

However, since they got me thinking about statistics, I thought...

I find these numbers interesting considering France's population (61+ million) is roughly one-fifth that of the United States (300+ million). Given this, if France were merely on par with the US, and not below it scientifically, using the Nobel prize winner measurement, I would expect France to have approximately 15 Nobel Prize winners in science over the same number of years. Instead, they have more than double this. So, in a way, these statistics used to show that the US is better than France scientifically actually show just the opposite. By these stats, France is twice as good at churning out Nobel Laureates in science than the US.

I am actually surprised by these stats. My emotional impression would suggest that the US kicks most countries' butts in this Nobel Prize measurement. I guess I should use statistics and not my emotional impression. Hmmmm.

However, by these other statistics which show Nobel prizes by country, per capita, the US still beats France by 2 rankings (Yea America!). The link above shows that the US ranks #11 behind these 10 Western European countries:

1. Iceland
2. Sweden
3. Switzerland
4. Denmark
5. Norway
6. United Kingdom
7. Austria
8. Ireland
9. Germany
10. Netherlands

Maybe it's something in the water over there.

Still looking for Hope,
Harry

Priorities

The priorities are all super out of whack. We have unsecure borders, ports, and nuclear power plants, yet we send our young to a grist mill. China actually owns our country and could shut us down, yet we spends trillions of tax payer dollars on babysitting a civil war. We don't pay our recruits or give them a decent hospital, but we use tax payer $ to pay unregulated mercenaries 10X what the army gets. We do not have enough Arabic speakers and translators, yet we wiretap our own citizens.

While we were embroiled in a useless war, India, China, Japan, and Western Europe overtook America in science, technology, and education. We have squandered our legacy of freedom and innovation on war mongering and religiosity to the exclusion of scientific advancements. Western Europe laughs at us b/c have of our people do not believe in evolution, the foundation of almost all of science.

The secret intelligence agencies still do not function correctly together, yet the army sends the CIA recalcitrant suspects to interrogate. Where are the spy satellites and robotic spy planes? Those along with super-specifically targeted smart missiles should almost be enough on the military side of the war on terror. Man on man land wars are so last century. Where is the clever propaganda? Do we secretly infiltrate al-Qaeda? Do we secretly cause instability and create suspicion from within of our enemies? Most importantly, do we see the $ flow and change that to suit us? Do we care about western allies?

Do we try diplomacy? Why haven't we cleaned up Russia's nuclear weapons that are being smuggled out by terrorists by the thousands and sold to the highest bidder? Why can't we calm Russian, N. Korea, and Iran down with surface ego appeasements? They just want their egos massaged, that shouldn't be too hard to do.

Do we care about the constitution or only about executive privilege? Why is Congress spineless to defend constitutional rights? Why do lobbyists write laws? Why are we 'hos for oil? Why do we ever let child molesters out? Why don't we put our best minds on terrorism and profiling terrorism and undercutting it with communication campaigns (what I want to do with my life!).

The priorities are all out of whack. Gov. should get the smartest, most honest, best quality people they can find, get them on the bus, and then let the best decide where to drive it. Instead, we have not so smart people getting people that are not so great, but are "loyal Bushies" on the bus and they driving it around with big war bombs from 50 years ago, pointing and shooting at "bad guys" b/c they've played to many us against them video games.

The real problem with Islamaland is that this is their dark ages. So how did we come out of ours? Those little Italian city-states started more free markets--> merchant class--> democratic processes in the city-states for the merchant class--> therefore translating to reduced power of religion on everyday lives of these people--> disposable income for arts--> arts and science and learning classics advance together--> wealthy banks are now controlled by this new class--> scientific advancement and humanism flourish--> leading to enlightenment ideals of secularism for governance, embracing diversity as benefit, and belief in the rational man. Ok Islam...now it's your turn.

-A

Diatomaceous Earth

Hi!

I just wanted to share with you a way to get rid of all bugs of any kind without any toxins. It is called Diatomaceous Earth. It is fantastic for plants and soil, but tears up the stomachs of all bugs. It is made from diatoms or dried up unicellular aquatic plants and animals. They make a silicone-type cell wall. So when bugs eat it, it is like glass shards to their insides.

Right now, I'm using it to get rid of chinch bugs, aphids, and ants. I will wear a mask and put some into the fertilizer spreader to control for chinch bugs all over the lawn. They say to mix it in water to spray for aphids, but I just threw a cupful of dust on the plant and they and the ants are disappearing. I'll probably line the perimeter of the house with it and hope it also deters termites a little.

Very important: Although you can eat DE, you CANNOT breathe it!!! It will tear up your lungs like shards of glass, so wear a mask. Also, if you'd like to "de-tox" or get rid of a parasite yourself, you can take a teaspoon of it mixed with a glass of water. Neat, huh? Just don't breathe it. You can rub it into your dog and you will not see any more fleas or ticks.

Also, we have some flying ants in our house. The way you know they are flying ants and not termites is ants have a squeezed-in segmented abdomen, which ours do. So I sprinkled Borax laundry booster all around my doors and corners and that is working great, too. It is nice to know that there are non-toxic ways to get rid of bugs that really work.

8th highly-effective people habit = VOICE

Going from Good to GREAT --> 8th highly-effective people habit = VOICE

1. Draw 4 overlapping circles.
2. In one circle, write, “Good At.”
3. In the second, write, “Passion.”
4. In the third, write, “People Pay For.”
5. In the last circle, write, “Conscience.”
6. Fill them answers in according to who you are.

The middle space where all of the circles overlap is your unique, God-given, inalienable VOICE. Fill that space in. Now, use it and become truly Great.

God bless you.

England less democratic

Strange...England is not so much of a democracy. Not only can people not vote for their Prime Minister, but also they cannot vote for over half of their "representatives," i.e., the House of Lords. Also, people and representatives pretty much must vote via party lines.

"The monarch appoints a Prime Minister as the head of Her Majesty's Government, guided by the strict convention that the Prime Minister should be the member of the House of Commons most likely to be able to form a Government with the support of the House. In practice, this means that the leader of the political party with an absolute majority of seats in the House of Commons is chosen to be the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister then selects the other Ministers which make up the Government and act as political heads of the various Government Departments. About twenty of the most senior government ministers make up the Cabinet. In total, there are approximately 100 ministers that comprise the government. In accordance with constitutional convention, all ministers within the government are either Members of Parliament or peers in the House of Lords."

Like America, England is dominated by a 2-party system where one party dominates.

It is odd to us Americans that the leader is abstracted away from the direct votes of the people and can serve as long as he "feels supported:" "There is no term of office for a prime minister. The prime minister holds office "at Her Majesty's pleasure". As however to gain supply (control of exchequer funds) that requires that the government be answerable to, and acceptable to, the House of Commons, in reality the convention "at her Majesty's pleasure" means "at the pleasure of the House of Commons". Whenever the office of Prime Minister falls vacant, the Sovereign is responsible for appointing the new incumbent; the appointment is formalised at a ceremony known as Kissing Hands. In accordance with unwritten constitutional conventions, the Sovereign must appoint the individual most likely to maintain the support of the House of Commons: usually, the leader of the party which has a majority in that House."

"As well as losing the confidence of the House of Commons, prime ministers may also in effect be forced to resign if they lose the confidence of their party. This was what led Margaret Thatcher to resign in 1990."

Not only do people not have a direct say on their leader or half of their "representation" (lords), they also only get to vote on a national scale about every five years sort of and the general elections do not actually link the number of seats won to the share of the national vote.

So voter turnout is only at 60%: "The main reasons identified for low turnout are: Decline in partisanship (many voters are no longer permanently loyal to one party) Reduction in the popularity of various Party leaderships." England is theoretically less of a democracy than America.

-A

What America Means to Me

America means the common person has freedom and rights, simply because he or she is American. America means democracy -- that our government is of the people, by the people, and for the people. America is a grand experiment in democracy, the first national democracy since ancient times. People said it couldn't be done, that the common man is not worthy of such inalienable rights, such power to self-govern. Yet our “experiment” has prevailed for over 200 years.

America means that where you came from and what status your ancestors attained in no way dictates what you can accomplish. America means you are free to criticize your government and that the best press is the free and competitive press. America assumes the population is well-informed, educated, and motivated – that the more vigorous the peoples’ voice, the more robust the democracy. America means debate is healthy.

America means you have the right to struggle with religion, to practice your faith, or to deny religion. America means our government and science is not influenced by religion. This plurality of viewpoints and religions means America is not only tolerant of diversity, but indeed thrives on it. America, therefore, has a broader inkling of the commonality of all cultures and their expressions of God.

America means justice: If government does not represent the will of the people or if corruption is present, a counter balance of justice is built into our system. America is a living expression of our founding fathers' enlightenment ideals and a new understanding that power corrupts absolutely. Checks and balances to every power structure were intentionally built in to our government as the only way to oust corruption.

Our first government actually failed due to the government being too decentralized. This failure perfectly represents the extent to which our founding fathers believed in distributing power out to all the common people. George Washington talked about throwing off the chains of tradition, centralized power, and endless tribal-type warfare between nations declaring that they as God’s chosen people had the only sovereign rights to this or that parcel of land. The founding fathers instead gave power to the individual – rights to defend oneself, of free speech, privacy, enterprise, voting, and petitioning the government.

Above all, being American means the right and ability to freely live and effect change in our own lives; to pursue our productive happiness, wherever that leads us. The question today is, “Where is this America?” To what extent do we recognize this America today? To what extent does America exist?

Today, lobbyists from multi-billion dollar conglomerates have the ear of congress, where riders on bills funnel our tax-payer dollars to indirectly fund excessive CEO compensation. America is the place where no-bid government contracts are awarded to friends of the same political officials responsible for cranking the war machine.

America is where CEO’s work for one year and retire with a $20 million bonus, while their workers’ families struggle by on minimum wage with no health insurance. America is where middle-class families are squeezed to the breaking point, while hedge fund managers and sub-prime lenders get government tax breaks and incentives. America is where poor children are recruited into the army to die in a middle-eastern civil war, yet opportunists can make six-figures as unregulated mercenaries for Blackwater to comprise the unspoken other half of government involvement, all on the tax-payer’s dole.

America is where, in the last century, great science, math, innovation, entrepreneurship, and critical thinking drove our economic engine and propelled us to world leadership. Today, we are more beholden to corporations that claim they cannot adapt – car companies, oil companies, financial corporations, media conglomerates – than we are to the individual’s American dream.

Today, we have given up many of our rights to free expression, privacy, and ability to self-govern. We have allowed the executive branch to usurp power away from the people. We have given up on the right of only our Congress to declare war. We have rolled back habeas corpus, the right to a fair trial and due process. We have dampened the free press by allowing oligopolies, laid down to surveillance of the citizenry, and allowed the justice department to hand over our constitutional rights to the executive branch.

In America, where the long process of democracy can be frustrating, politicians in power may be tempted to subvert the process in exchange for an end product, as a trade for getting things done. However, democracy means the process is the product, the journey is more important than the destination and, in a way, the journey is our destination. Our democratic process is who we are.

Where is America? If I learned what America is in public school civics class, why didn’t our leaders learn what American means and what a democracy is? Why does the current administration think they know better than Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and Adams? How did we let America slip away? And how in the world will we ever get it back?

Impeach Bush and Cheney NOW!

Oh my God! I just finished watching Frontline on PBS; it was recorded so I am guessing it was from last night. The program went into serious detail about how the Bush administration, lead by Cheney and their lawyers, have been secretly and overtly amassing presidential power in unprecedented ways. Of course, we all know this now and have known it for some time. However, hearing the interviews from administration insiders that have been part of and witness to this sacking of the U.S. Constitution and the integrity of our country in general really puts into perspective.

I am now completely amazed that we, as the good people of this country, are not actively seeking the impeachment of both President Bush and Vice President Cheney. I cannot believe we have let these atrocities go on for so long. They duped us all so hard. We must hold our elected officials responsible for letting this happen. Someone needs to take responsibility for what is becoming the beginning of the fall of America and I feel we need to oust the P. and the V.P. now. It is absurd that we have let them get away with everything that they have.

Something I did not know was that one, if not the key player in all of the administration's screwing around is Cheney's lawyer, David Addington. He's been with Cheney for years. He's the man behind Cheney and the legal counsel selling the big grabs for presidential power. He has recently been promoted to Cheney's chief of staff, replacing Scooter Libby.

It's all truly unbelievable. I never thought this could happen to the America where I grew up. I am convinced... Impeach Bush and Cheney now! It is our only hope.

• Introduction to PBS' Frontline story, Cheney's Law
• Watch the whole program online.

Friedman++

I was excited to learn the other day that the New York Times has finally let us read Thomas Friedman's foreign affairs columns freely. The St. Pete Times regularly has most of his articles, but it is real nice to have archival access to them.

He had a good one the other day the Times entitled, "Don't Fret: Just charge the Iraq war to our kids" where Friedman argues the necessity for paying for the wars you are fighting. He goes on about how much damage we are really doing to ourselves and future generations by avoiding new taxes and considering tax breaks during war time. It worth a read (as are most of his articles) when you can. I can post a link to it now:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/07/opinion/07friedman.html?n=Top/Opinion/Editorials%20and%20Op-Ed/Op-Ed/Columnists/Thomas%20L%20Friedman

There happened to be another good editorial piece in the St. Pete Times just above Friedman's the other day by Paul Krugman, another NY Times journalist. This one was interesting in that Krugman argues that despite many conservatives recently shunning President Bush, stating he is not what conservatism is all about, that Bush is in fact the epitome of traditional conservatism, much like Reagan. In addition to Reagan, Krugman also compares Bush's true conservatism to Barry Goldwater and Richard Nixon. Again, it's worth the read if you have a moment:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/08/opinion/08krugman.html?n=Top/Opinion/Editorials%20and%20Op-Ed/Op-Ed/Columnists/Paul%20Krugman
(yea NY Times!)


"We want the world and we want it NOW." - Jim Morrison (playing in my head right now)

Duped By War and Profit

As the reasons for the Iraq War crumble one after another upon closer inspection, the real reason for why and how we fight reveals it's true, revolting nature: profit. Many pillaging capitalists have made a whole lot of money off the blood spilled by young, naive, underprivileged recruits.

Since the war, Blackwater has made $1 trillion. Halliburton's profits have gone up 284%. ExxonMobil's profits rise almost 50% a year. Defense contractor CEO pay has gone up 200 to 688%. The CEO's at General Dynamics, Halliburton, and Lockheed Martin, the top three profiteers, have made between $65 million and $98 million in four years.

The truly sick twist in this bloody game is that we, the taxpayers, are the ones paying these goons. The Executive Director of Oil Change International states, "While ExxonMobil is posting $10 billion profits in just the last three months, it is gouging each of us at the pump and taking billions more in taxpayer handouts."

How can this racket on the backs of the working poor continue? Who sold our young people out to die in a desert? Why are we suckers? There are many questions and still more answers.

It's not that we didn't need any strikes against Islamist extremists, it may just be that we didn't need to overthrow a country. However, science has shown that people are very susceptible to fear appeals. People are very emotional creatures. We can be swayed by plays to our emotions. If all that is needed are air strikes on military targets and the government instead has a secret agenda to build a democracy, the president will stand on an aircraft carrier in full flight gear or at ground-zero as the largest flag obtainable ripples in the background. These staged photo-ops are designed to manipulate our emotions. As the flag waves and the music swells and the call to action is plainly voiced, very basic feelings make us want to stand up to be who we are: brave, loyal, and free, bound to something higher than ourselves.

Sadly, the puppetmasters know exactly how to make us feel and act. The profiteers do not share the basic moral values of the populace. To them, "the greater good" was sold long ago to the highest bidder: Their souls are black: To them, there is nothing higher than the dollar. These super-capitalists know that Keynesian economics predicts that war is good for the economy, just as our president knew he always wanted to be a "war president" to use the power of consensus generated by war to get things done.

Will we stay duped? Will we allow world leaders to rationalize the death they have wrought because it is good for the economy? When will we take back our country?

Science and Religion

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson talks about on intelligent design, religion and their effect on progress.

All We Are Is Information in the Quantum Soup

In answer to "What is mass," Einstein said mass is energy.

This energy potentiality (mass) is not sitting on top of the fabric of space-time, it is embedded within the fabric, one with the fabric. Interestingly, this energy is one with every point of the universe at the same time and all the points are one with it (non-locality/Bell's Theorem).

What does all this mean for a quantum information transmission view of the universe? Maybe it means that energy (mass) is to transmit some information to it's surrounding quantum soup. Maybe this energy's information changes the quantum soup/fabric.

I'm very taken with the notion that we don't "move" through space. Our energy potentiality exists such that the universe transmits our information in the quantum soup and that seems to us like movement through time.

The 4th dimension expands relative to our 3...

"Why does time's arrow point in the direction it points in? The fourth dimension is expanding relative to the three spatial dimensions.

Hence every photon naturally expands in a spherically symmetric manner. Hence every electron, or piece of matter that interacts with photons, is naturally carried outward from a central point in a spherically symmetric manner. Hence the particles in a drop of dye in a swimming pool dissipate in a spherically symmetric manner, and are never reunited. Hence time's arrow and entropy."

Hi! I've been into "Moving Dimensions Theory" lately and this snippet on time is from someone in another physics forum. I think this theory explains more things better than most b/c the underlying physical reality does bear out that the 4th dimension expands relative to (our) 3 spatial dimensions. I haven't heard Dr. Kaku talk about this theory, but I wish he would.

Cheers!

Mind the money

Published in the St. Pete Times 9.26.2007:

Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., warned, "They're going to spend half a trillion this time" in regard to Republican attacks on Hillary Clinton's new health care plan. I would say that spending to fix America's health care tragedy is better than spending to start wars in other countries, to give tax breaks to contractors in the military-industrial racket, and to offer incentives to lobbyists' firms.

Legislators need to stop giving the American dream away to these robber barons and return dignity to the common man through improved living wages, health care and education. Now, how about spending half a trillion on education?

The 10 Commandments (of the Ethical Atheist)

We thought this was pretty good...

The Ten Commandments (of the Ethical Atheist): http://www.ethicalatheist.com/docs/ten_commandments.html

Fundamentalist Ignorance and Hypocrisy

Although the purpose of the religious right gathering in Brandon is to reverse the moral decline in America, ironically the religious right itself does a lot to contribute to America's decline, moral and otherwise. Christian fundamentalists are ignorant of scientific facts and are hypocritically judgmental.

Christian fundamentalists of the religious right are so literal in their interpretation of the bible that they want huge catastrophic events to happen, like the world to blow up, so that Jesus will come and bodily transport them to paradise while the rest of us burn in hell. Religious right fundamentalists believe that dinosaurs and Adam and Eve walked the earth at the same time when God made it about 6,000 years ago (...). Religious right fundamentalists don’t accept the most successful scientific theory of all time…evolution.

Religious right fundamentalists judge and condemn homosexuals, equal rights for women, and people who have had abortions. These religious people claim that the bible condemns them. However, in the bible, Lot is the angel’s hero for offering his daughters over to be gang-raped by an angry mob. Lot later impregnates his own daughters. Therefore, by their own fundamentalist logic (if you can call it that), good religious right fundamentalists should offer their daughters up to be raped and support incest. Also, if you are a real Christian fundamentalist, you will stone your rebellious children until they die because the bible tells you so. Perhaps these Christians should be less hypocritically judgmental and more like the actual Christ.

America may very well be in decline. Most Americans, as opposed to other industrialized nations, do not believe in evolution. 70% of American adults do not understand the scientific method. Americans are at a disadvantage for completing in a global economy: Since Bush’s preemptive, and some consider immoral, war, the majority of people in a majority of countries around the world view the U.S. unfavorably.

If regular people don’t speak up and say that religious right fundamentalists do not use basic rational thought, then our country will surely be lost in another dark age of superstition. These people stop at nothing to push their literal interpretation of the bible onto the rest of us. They do not even stop at the Constitution, which clearly stands upon a foundation of the separation of church and state and the separation of powers. It is time to stop being polite about religious fanatics and start teaching the scientific method. It is the only way for America to remain a viable player on the world field.

End the Iraq War...Now

The time to end this war is now.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/iraqplan

Junky Chinese Products

Letter to Senator Nelson (FL)

Subject: Thanks for going to bat against junky Chinese products


Dear Senator Nelson,

Thanks so much for going to bat for us regarding junky Chinese products. I really appreciate you standing up for us and our children.

If we really care about this issue, we will hold the FTC's and FDA's feet to the fire because they did not do their jobs in protecting Americans from these dangerous products. Of course Mattel of the free market is going to seek short-term gain over the welfare of the people. That's why we have government agencies.

But if these agencies (FTC, FDA, etc.) don't do what they are supposed to, it is Congress' job to hold those agencies accountable and even pass legislation to strengthen protections. However, there are interesting incentives that can be passed as law in this area of consumer protection.

We could reward American companies for using American vendors/suppliers. We could reward American companies for Fair Trade (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_trade) practices. We could reward compaines that are SweatFree (http://www.sweatshopwatch.org/sweatfree/). We could reward American companies that show their own products are safe.

Open letter to the UN

I’m writing today because, I, like many other Americans, am sad at my country having to go around the world warring all the time. I’m embarrassed that my beautiful, vibrant country is the bully of the world.

I was hoping the UN would stop the rapes by the Congolese army, Darfur’s genocide of its people, child sexual trafficking in Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Cambodia, and contain terrorism. It’s a shame the UN Peacekeepers do not actually stop these things, leaving a vacuum, that it seems the US military is all too ready to step in.

I’m tired of financing all this war, when the other countries of the world do not do their share to stand up for what’s right. Why should America alone have to foot the defense of the free world’s bill? Western European countries brag because their health care and universities are better and more accessible to any citizen. But they are able to subsidize these agencies because they do not have to subsidize a real military force.

I’m tired of the world community not stopping genocide, of the UN Peacekeepers not stopping genocide, and then the world community gets to point their fingers at brutish America, going to war again.

Why should our young people be the only ones to really fight and die to stop horrendous oppression? That is not an acceptable role anymore for just one country. We are one world and the whole world needs a defense against inevitable evil.

Please consider giving UN Peacekeepers some teeth. Americans would finally take the UN seriously then.

Global Dimming

Global dimming mediates (dampens) the relationship between CO2 and global warming...

Hi. I was watching PBS and thought you’d like to know some of these thoughts…

This is very inconvenient. We like warring for oil and paying Islamic Princes. These activities drive our economic engine on the blood of our young poor. Sure, give another no-bid contract to Halliburton, its good for the economy, after all! Conservatives like to create a “wedge” or a “controversy” in issues where there is no controversy. They tried to do create a false controversy about evolution and they try to create a false controversy about global warming. Watch out: germ theory is next! After all, it’s just a “theory.”

Yet, many people will die due to global warming. All of Florida will be underwater in the next century. Our poor great grand-children!

However, global dimming mediates (dampens) the relationship between CO2 and global warming. So if we put tons of sulfur into the upper atmosphere, we’ll save Florida and the last of the ice caps, but we’ll create more draught over Africa due to global dimming’s effect on evaporation (much less evaporation).

It is the photons that due the evaporating, so if we dim out a lot of photons, it will get very humid but not rain. Icky-stick. Global dimming has increased pretty dramatically since the 50’s.
Now if you don’t think a degree or three rise in temps in 100 years is bad, you should see what effect that really has on land, people, drought, fires, and famine. Scientists predict that continued global warming on the order of 2.5°-10.4°F over the next 100 years (as projected in the IPCC's Third Assessment Report) is likely to result in a rise in sea level between 3.5 and 34.6 in. (9-88 cm), leading to more coastal erosion and flooding; severe stress on forests, alpine regions, and natural ecosystems; greater threats to human health as mosquitoes and other disease-carrying insects and rodents spread diseases over larger geographical regions; and the disruption of agriculture resulting in famine.

See PBS.org on global dimming.

Anyone for wind, solar, and ethanol at pump (made from Florida sugarcane, of course)?

On the Necessity of War

Philosopher Alan Watts once wrote, "the friendly enemy (is) the necessary adversary who is part of life" (Watts, A., 1966). Watts advised that a smart ruler would choose their enemies wisely. Because of the necessity of an adversary, what is optimal is a weak, stable, long-term enemy. We depend on enemies and outsiders to define ourselves and unite our community.

Because humans have evolved in the context of their social groups, humans may have inherited an "Us vs. Them" mentality that is locked in the structure of our brains. My theory is that over the course of human evolution, there was a survival advantage for those who were vigilant warriors; venturing out to find and vanquish hiding invaders, coordinating the strongest for raids, and trying to return victorious. For thousands of years these in-group/out-group violent social patterns were likely to grant a survival advantage over more laid-back early humans.

The "good-us/evil-them" mentality was etched into our brain structure and is still determining our thinking patterns today. Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam (2007) found that the greater the diversity in a community, the less trust they feel towards their neighbors. We are left with the legacy of the paradigm for hatred towards outsiders.

Funny Fabric!

Funny Fabric! All Matter Is Part of the Fabric of Space-Time

I think a lot of our lack of understanding of the universe comes from our brains having a hard time with the fact that all of everything, all matter both quantum and macro, are part of the fabric of space-time. Here's one example: Anytime you walk across the room, you are actually changing the fabric of space-time itself.

See, it’s hard to grasp, isn't it? The fact that we instinctively think we are separate is why we still can't get our minds around how traveling at close to the speed of light would make us almost infinitely massive and draw time to a stop.

If we really could see ourselves as OF the fabric of space-time, we would see that going so fast would do funny things to the fabric. (Good thing the space-time fabric doesn't rip as easily as my sewing fabric.) So everything that's moving, from the smallest electron to the largest star is pulling the fabric around, as it IS the fabric. These fabric tugs are maybe why matter is so interconnected.

So you are not traveling through space in your rocket. There is no such thing as traveling Through space. You are one with the space-time fabic and the fabric is letting you fall into a little groove b/c your rocket has that much energy to make one (a groove in the fabric).

Cheers!

Carpe Diem

I was showed this to me today and we thought it was pretty good. It's too bad we are not conscious of this point more often...especially in America it seems. The voice-over is Alan Watts and the production/animation is by Trey and Matt of South Park fame.

Carpe Diem

-Harry


Music and Life - Alan Watts



Another good one: Prickles & Goo

Lofty ideas: stats on kids

Some thoughts…

4 out of 10 babies are born to unwed mothers. 20% of American children live in poverty.

Our children sure are lucky!

We need to plan on ways to neutralize the effects of these grim stats. Also, we need to change our society so these stats go down drastically. Women need to draw a line in the sand and say, “We’re not gonna take it anymore.” If it weren’t for women, nobody would be born. We have the power to make these changes.

Love,
A.

Obama on the Daily Show (8/22/07)

In case you missed it...
Senator Barack Obama on the Daily Show from 2 nights ago:

Immigration Solution

Snooping for illegals, building fences, and turning immigrants over to immigration officials after they are found out in an emergency room is like inviting your friends to Disney World but then taking them to jail. We need to take responsibility for the fact that we ask these people to come here.

If Americans do not want illegal immigrants here, Americans must stop hiring illegals. Instead of going after poverty-stricken Latinos with their families torn apart living in daily fear and squalor so they can do jobs citizens don't want, why not have enforcement resources go towards stopping the hiring of illegal immigrants in the first place? If you do not hire them, they will not come.

Spineless Congress

The problems with no-bid contracts and lobbyists are very much related to a larger pattern of overly influential corporate power in our government. It is the job of the congress to apply the check on this corruption; however, congress would rather take the corporate money than uphold the constitution. The reason for the extremely low approval rating for the congress now has everything to do with the spinelessness of the congress to not stand up to power plays and represent the best interests of the people.

The founding fathers were counting on the congress to be true conduits for the people and check unwieldy power. Our first government was so decentralized in its power and so diffused out towards the populace that it crumbled.

Not only do the congressmen not read the whole bill they are voting on, but they also do not understand the basic tenets of the constitution. This pervasive and stifling ignorance has a few notable exceptions, with Barack Obama being one of them. Because Obama had to teach Constitutional Law, he seems to fully appreciate the sacredness of the constitution and the founding fathers' intent on checks to power. Obama has literally put his money where is mouth is and is our greatest hope on reclaiming some of our own government.

Co-Parenting Research

I heard this this morning thought it was interesting. Its about parenting and how important it is to communicate and share each others expectations when it comes to the kids. I wonder how many marriages involving parents could be saved if only they would learn to communicate effectively and to manage each other's expectations about parenting.

-Harry

University Beat: http://www.wusf.usf.edu/wusf-fm/programming/Highlights/FM_UniversityBeat_TVLk.cfm

Topic: Co-Parenting Research Update
August 19, 2007

Add thousands of hours of interviews and observations accumulated over eight years, a pair of grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Development, and a dedicated USF alum, and you get "Charting the Bumpy Road of Coparenting." The new book, written by Dr. James McHale, the director of the USF Saint Petersburg Family Study Center, collects his ground-breaking research into coparenting—the support that parents provide one another in raising their children—and what happens in both good and bad coparenting situations.

Listen now (2.5 minutes)

mms://www.wusf.usf.edu/University_Beat/August_07/UB%20Co-Parenting%20Update%208-19-07%20.wma

What's New in Philosophy of Science?

RE: What's New in Philosophy of Science? by Bora Dogan 2002

The first part is good. But the theory of evolution helps scientists "predict or EXPLAIN" all the time.

Evolution is one of the most prolific theories ever discovered. Evolution explains, for example, why our brains are wrapped in 3 layers with the most primitive in the deepest inside and the most advanced in pre-frontal. If you have a tumor in your "reptilian" brain, I'm especially sorry for you, b/c it can press on your murderous rage button, as it did to the Texas tower
shooter.

Scientists use evolution to predict/explain the behavior of deviants: There is a whole new literature on certain types of criminals that we now have a good understanding about b/c of the theory of evolution. Evolution also shows that humans not only share chimp traits, but also bonobo traits -- which is why humans have evolved for affiliation to such a great degree.

The super-Christian anti-evolutionists say that evolution theorizes that we are a product of randomness. An evolutionist would never say any such thing. This is a complete falsehood.

Evolution is the farthest thing from randomness b/c God (or the universe or the flying spaghetti monster) created the evolution mechanism such that every living organism would be perfectly suited to his environment and all these perfect-for-their-environment creations have to achieve balance with every other one as a unified whole. Fills you with wonder, doesn't it?

So thank God for humans evolving with oxytocin. Put the stuff in the water supply.

Dick Cheney is right

Unbelievable! ...well, maybe a little believable. I do not think this would be the first time this administration has contradicted itself.

Cheney in 1994 on Iraq:



From YouTube:
Video of and interview with Vice President Cheney in 1994 saying that invading Iraq would create a quagmire. (This video aired on C-Span)

Forgiveness...

Yes. Forgiveness is the strongest point to Christianity. No other religion emphasizes forgiveness to the extent that Christianity does. Before Christ, the world lay dark w/o forgiveness. After Christ, forgiveness bathed the world in acceptance and the true heart and action of love… “I and The Other Are One.”

(If you want a “less is more” lesson, check out Buddhism. If you want a “go with the flow and do not fight the nature of things” lesson, check out Taoism. It is not that Christianity doesn’t cover these topics, it is just that these other traditions do it better. But for forgiveness, there’s nothing like Christianity.)

You don’t need faith. You can just look at what’s in front of you. Christianity comes with a translation need. Luckily you have a symbolic mind that can read the allusions.

Therefore, hell is having to live with your sin. Heaven is being completely one with God. Christ came to show that God is truly one with man, to suffer with man. Through this suffering comes compassion and The Ultimate Forgiveness. So yes, Jesus picked up your tab. It happened and it is done.

Furthermore, anyone who asks God for forgiveness and has worked on his heart is forgiven. That is how the Universe works. Don’t you feel that way for your own children? That is how God feels for you, his child.

I think Catholic guilt can be a problem. God has already forgiven us. You need only to learn how to forgive yourself. Say it with me, “God has already forgiven me. I must forgive myself.” Catch all and any negative self-talk and replace it. Watch some Joel Osteen. Sign up for his free podcast www.joelosteen.com

Your right, "Rightwingers!" I'm in La-La Land! Why didn't I see it before! (NOT!) ;-)

So the free market is sufficient in protecting us against the Chinese poison-tainted toothpaste, cough syrup, seafood, gluten, lead- and mercury-laced products? If the free market is a few babies/people too late, does that matter to you?

What about monopolies? Do you believe the free market forces are enough to tackle monopoly abuse (like the current oligopolic media industry)? Have you read “The Jungle?” How about when the sausages contain parts of workers’ fingers? Would you like to have little protection from candle wax in your chocolate and tainted meat dyed to look better and, for that matter, industrially-produced e coli spinach?

Would you be in favor or opposed to government-funded scientific research?

Interestingly, I’m in between on the Al queada (b/c of 9-11) issue. I’d support all of what some want and more (choking financing -- #1, energy independence, much more propaganda, winning hearts and minds, diplomacy/reassurance/respect statements – for Arabs and beyond including Russia, N. Korea, and China, allied alliance initiatives through EU and UN, education against the young Arab “entitlement” attitude, outreach, business “boot camp” for “at-risk” young male Arabs, exchange programs, Arabic-speaking secret agent infiltrators, rewards for rats, increasing opportunity for Muslim women, boosting local police – but not Janjaweed --) but I’d also go a step farther with targeted strikes based on GOOD intel. (Sorry Colin Powell. You looked like a total goofball.) That would also mean a better intel infrastructure and with better checks and balances between agencies.

And I’d stop short of say, a war against a country, regime change, establishing democracy from the outside in, destabilizing countries for their oil, loving up to Saudi Arabia, economic hit-men, contracts to friends, babysitting civil wars, looking like imperialist bullies to our allies (and our enemies), denying Geneva conventions, spying on Americans, and ignoring the US Constitution to usurp more Executive powers. I would stop short of these things b/c these activities made/make us the bully that Al queada wanted to punch in the nose on 9-11. I’m ashamed of these American legacies. They are ignorant and embarrassing.

End the war, you spineless Congress. Our kids are put over there and left in the meat grinder. It grinds and it grinds. They are too young and naïve (idealistic) to make a fully conscious decision about their deaths. This fact is shown in brain research. A better alternative would be to increase recruiting the best and brightest into Arabic training at CIA, etc.

Does this sound like a “liberal” position? Do republicans like labels? Do republicans call those who disagree names? Does the President imply that if one disagrees with the war on Iraq that that person not only does not support the troops, but also is weak and naïve to believe the terrorist threat is not great? Does the right claim that if you don’t agree with the Iraq war that you are in “la-la” land, not realizing that the terrorists really want to kill us? Does Fox News perpetrate this lie?

Who in their right mind believes that jihadists don’t want us all dead? The jihadists kill democrats and republicans alike. “Liberals” and “DEMS” know that jihadists want us all dead. Duh. Whether someone agrees with babysitting the Iraq war has NOTHING to do with whether they are nutty enough think that 9-11 wouldn’t happen again.

I’m beginning to think that the psychology of a right-wing, pro-war republican is very different from the average person. They must have a “might makes right,” “I need to get mine,” “there isn’t enough to go around,” “strangers are bad,” “bully or be bullied” kind of mindset, perhaps dating back to their childhoods. They are proven to be more subject to fundamentalist religions, ironically.

My hypothesis: People supported the Iraq War in the beginning b/c they got confused between the Arabic NAMES of Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden.

Sad, but I believe, true…

-A.

To Stay, Sign the Petition

Dear Parents,

If you do not want your child moved out of his/her school, you may want to sign this online petition, http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/pinellaschoice/ as I did. I think it is a good deal. The petition states that we want to stay at our school (be grandfathered) in exchange for not needing the bus.

This “grandfather us for no bus” petition is a good compromise. The problem is that busing is expensive, dangerous, and disrupts learning time with the lateness problems. These are genuine problems. The school board figures there would be less overall bussing (and fewer bussing problems) if kids were local. This seems valid: If you want a bus, move schools to the local assigned school they give you. Perhaps this compromise will allow us to keep our children in their schools.

Please feel free to pass this on to all parents and friends of children in Pinellas County Schools.


PS- Take the Bay News 9 poll http://www.baynews9.com/iPolls.html on the “Would you drive for the school you want?” question.

Quantum Physics of Creation

Math represents our picture. Love, A

Honest Obama

I’ve read Obama’s book, The Audacity of Hope, and in that book, Obama talks about his faith. He is very much a Christian. More than I, I think.

My advice is never let fear influence your decision-making… That’s just what people with certain agendas want. Listen to Obama’s audiobook, which is in the library and check out the videos on his website www.barackobama.com. Then, decide for yourself if you would like to see his kind of leadership.

Personally, we like Barack. I honestly can’t believe we’re lucky enough to have a nice guy like that working for our country. We think he’s smart, honest, and can straighten out some of our country’s mess. I love the fact that Obama takes personal responsibility for everything in his life and that he wants politicians, and Americans, to do the same. We can all fall prey to sitting around blaming others for our lot, but the only way to be successful in life is to take responsibility and move ahead to work for a better tomorrow. I think this is the problem for American black communities and Obama and Michelle are a breath of fresh air here.

I don’t see that he is or could be in any way, a Muslim. Watch the videos on the website of his wife. Muslim wives are simply not allowed to speak like that. She makes Barack stop at the store on his way home from Congress and tests him by saying, “There’s no way you could pick out the goody bags for our 5-year old’s birthday party.” He did.

Barack and Michelle met as lawyers in Chicago, got married, live in and help out the black community, and have 2 precious little girls that they are raising Christian.

Barack’s background is very influenced by the “love all kinds of people” ideas of his hippie-sounding, globe-trotting mother. He said the biggest lesson he learned from his mother was, “How would that make you feel?” and instilling the golden-rule morality. He talks about being raised by his maternal grand-parents as a teenager, I believe in NYC… He said he finally started to know that his actions could hurt another when his aging grandfather was saddened by his careless, teen choices. Barack never really knew his father so his grandfather meant a lot to him and finally taught him to feel true empathy.

However, when he grew up, he found that he badly craved the stability of a family and a community that remains stable throughout a few generations. He found Michelle, whose family has never moved. He talks about knowing Michelle’s father, who he so admired and is sadly missed in death. Barack also wanted to put his money where his mouth is and get in and really help people. So he started getting communities together as a “community organizer.” He’d essentially call meetings together for neighborhoods and help them make changes in their own community.

Hope this helps.


Watch this: http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid452323111/bclid416330929/bctid422561644

Here is some more info into who Barack and Michelle are:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid474445759/bclid489236213/bctid490400930

See also:
Makeup's too much work for Michelle
Chicago Sun-Times August 07, 2007
http://www.barackobama.com/2007/08/07/makeups_too_much_work_for_mich.php


P.S.
Hi there! One more thing about Obama… That man knows his US Constitution. He taught Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School. Halleluiah! Because one of our biggest problems today is not respecting the Constitution, particularly with regards to the 3 branches checks and balances and our civil/speech/privacy liberties.

(Gov. spying on its own people and executive branch usurping powers are a no-no.)

Nuclear power needed

I find it ironic that merely days after Japan’s nuclear power plant radiation leak and subsequent cover-up, some are considering nuclear power as an option in Florida. Not only is the industry riddled with human error and cover-ups, but also nuclear plants are vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

Furthermore, the nuclear waste is also vulnerable to terrorist attacks which must be hauled out on trains to Yucca Mountain (where it pollutes that environment for eternity). Wind, solar, and sugarcane-to-ethanol fuel are more rational energy alternatives that can be Florida’s future economic engines.

Company W Dupes

I forget: Are we at war with Oceania, Eurasia, or Eastasia?

“Guard against the influence of the military industrial complex” as the main threat to democracy. -Ike

An earlier draft of Ike’s read “military-industrial-congressional complex.” When Congress saw it, they requested that “congressional” be removed and Eisenhower did.

…What is supposed to be our defense and our “peace-keepers” are our war-makers so that politicians and their friends’ companies can make millions in corporate contracts making more war. It’s bloody when babies’ arms are blown off and grown men cry for their mama’s as they die alone in a desert, but that’s how the old white guys make a buck nowadays. Besides, these men and their children never intended to fight, never had to fight, and never will have to fight. But one thing is certain, they did get richer. Gotta lay that pipeline, tricky Dick. Troops secured the Iraq oilfields for American companies before “liberating” the Iraqis.

Camu: Respect gained by fear is despicable. What about invoking the Lord for votes? Scare ‘em and yell, “Halleluiah!” You’ll win the Presidency. (Social science has proven the fear variable to be an extremely large causation factor in persuasion. This is well-known by us social scientists.)

The recently released NIE (...) coalesced from 16 secret intelligence agencies proclaims that the Iraq War has indeed become not only a distraction from defeating al Qaeda, but has also created more terrorists and terrorism in the world and that an attack on US soil is more likely than ever b/c of Iraq. Wooly-Bully-America is a joke on the world’s stage if it didn’t point its guns at everybody who might laugh (and they are most definitely laughing at us).

Obama ’08: Finally a President who’s IQ has 3 digits!

And, instead of raising the cigarette tax to give more children health insurance, let’s sell Marlboro’s to poor children in 2nd and 3rd world countries. RJ Reynolds’ profits are going up, up, up! We can scare and evangelize poor children into being life-long smokers. Then we’ll finally be rich.

-a.

Interesting Times... Shift Happens

This is about a 6 minute YouTube video Amy's dad forwarded to us; you have to read it, but it certainly paints the future as very interesting.

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/video/shifthappens

-Harry

How about a nice spot under a bridge?

RE: How about a nice spot under a bridge? (By SUE CARLTON, July 13, 2007, St. Pete Times)
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/07/13/News/How_about_a_nice_spot.shtml


Sue Carlton's column on where to put the child molesters suggests creative zoning in nonresidential areas instead of simply creating bigger buffers away from them. Most of the public, however, believes that if you have molested a child even once, or you would molest a child, you should be locked up for life. Many of us consider child molestation worse than adult manslaughter.

The effects of molesting a child are extremely serious: The child’s brain structure and chemistry are permanently altered (smaller); there is a high risk of disfigurement, STD’s, disability, and death from the internal bleeding and lacerations; most victims develop rampant and persistent PTSD and psychiatric problems including increased suicides, sexualized behavior, self-mutilation, eating disorders, and drug use; committing crimes and becoming a sexual predator oneself greatly increases; and the child faces a lifetime of doubt in basic trust in their key relationships, which alone can be devastating.

The problem of child molestation is growing, especially via the Internet. Groups of highly organized child molesters, such as “BoyLove,” operate worldwide through pedophile organizations. 60% of child molesters are released on parole. Child molesters, who were often molested themselves, are getting younger and more violent. Recent studies show that child sexual predators are increasing, although increased reporting is a confounding variable.

Where should we put them? Under a bridge is far too kind. Lock them away for life.

Why Mama says, "Vote for Obama!"

That's why Mama says, "Vote for Obama!"

Barack Obama: Taking Our Government Back

Video:
Senator Barack Obama speaks to supporters in Manchester, NH about how he plans to make government more accountable to the American Citizen.
http://www.brightcove.com/title.jsp?title=1016735906&channel=353512430

What's Wrong with America?

RE: Anxiety in the Empire (by Froma Harrop) in the St. Petersburg Times, July 11th, 2007

Finally, someone said it. Froma Harrop's column on what's wrong with America has been eating many of us up inside. Ms. Harrop's clear and eloquent list includes leadership that doesn't care about the communal big picture, noisy religiosity and fear distractions, the powerful grabbing the loot while millions of the working-class slip into poverty, rising debt, a disregard of science, politicians lining corporate coffers, and waging an unnecessary war on the cheap.

I would add that the key underlying factor behind many of these ills is lobbying. Corporations contribute millions to politicians if politicians do whatever the corporations say. As a result, corporations have created laws that can allow CEO’s to retire after one year with stock options vesting at upwards of $20-million while their employees work longer hours at reduced pay with no health insurance.

Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin are turning over in their graves at their democracy that is no longer “one man, one vote,“ but rather, one corporate lobbyist contribution, one more bunch of rich old white guys robbing us blind. Corporate lobbying has hi-jacked our democracy; it is ours no longer.


http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/07/anxiety_in_the_empire.html

Gov. Crist has not been bought

Gov. Crist has not been bought by Progress Energy and FP&L. What refreshing news. Crist is showing that he values Flordia's future, and the health and well-being of his people, over the dangling contributions in front of him. Crist does not want to contribute to Floridians being 20-feet underwater in 20-50 years.

Ironically, the current utilities are in the best position to capitalize on these new energy technologies, yet changing their bureaucratic mindset is as likely as successfully maneuvering the Titanic through the icebergs. Crist’s plan will force their hands toward reengineering.

Crist mentioned looking into wind, which has been shown to be extremely cheap and efficient, and recommended by the Audubon Society. However, Florida must not forget sugarcane for ethanol, as Jorge Pinon, the former president of Amoco Latin America, has stated:

“As the third-largest gasoline consumer state in the nation with an average of 23.6 million gallons per day and with its competitive advantage in producing, importing and distributing sugar-cane ethanol, Florida would be a natural market for the promotion and development of this renewable and environmentally friendly fuel” (December 26, 2006).

Clean Elections/Clean Money/No Lobbyist Firms Controlling Democracy

http://www.just6dollars.org/about

Congress would only have to spend $6 per citizen per year to publicly fund each and every election for the House, the Senate and the White House. When you consider that "pork barrel" projects cost every one of us more than $200 last year alone, it’s no contest.

...

"Sicko" is required viewing

The new movie, "Sicko," by Michael Moore should be required viewing for all Americans. After showing countless examples of people dying because their health insurance companies refuse to cover them, Mr. Moore asks, "Who are we?"

Who are we indeed? We have been willing to let insured men, women, and children die from withheld treatment so that CEO's and lobbied politicians can walk off with millions of dollars in profits from health insurance companies. Similarly, we care more about saving a few dollars by packing children into larger warehouse-type schools, and closing smaller "A" schools, than we do about producing disciplined, well-educated people.

The American Dream of the underdog using ingenuity and passion to succeed is now completely defunct: The Dream was bought and sold by lobbyists and the politicians who love them, and the CEOs retiring as multi-millionaires after a year or two.

Who will stop the lobbyists and the corrupt CEO’s? The government is not afraid of us. We are sheep and sheep do not think critically. Sheep do not say, “This sounds immoral. I wonder who is really profiting here.” The American Dream dies not with a bang, nor with a whimper… The American Dream was stolen quietly away when we slept.

Leave Religion Out/Devastation and Dead Ends

Crazy religiosity is the cause for most of the evils in the world. From political debates to theocratic states, creeping religiosity seems to substitute for rational critical thinking.

Many Americans supported George Bush because even if he wasn’t a brilliant and complex thinker, his morals seemed to show that he wouldn’t be committing adultery with an intern. Sadly, using “good Christian morals” as a proxy for more well-rounded, critical introspection has resulted in still more political corruption.

Although Americans may be wising-up to the consequences of simplistic, value-based thinking, entire countries have made the mistake of rule by religion. The theocracies of the Middle East are rampant with Islamic terrorists and suicide killings in the name of Allah. Ironically, these same countries thrived in their Golden Age during the west’s stagnantly religious Middle Ages.

The reason Arab countries flourished during their Golden Age was because there was a large latitude for religious freedom, once the conquered territory succumbed to Arab rule. In fact, the modern scientific method was developed during the Islamic Golden Age, where experimentation distinguished the empirical truth between competing theories. Religion was kept out of the scientists’ labs.

Today, modern Arabs long for the Golden Age. Islamic terrorists suffer from the entitlement of these glory days to the point of blowing people up in spite. It is ironic that the one thing that would move the Middle East toward success – secular governance – is so remote.

It is not too grave to say that the fate of the world is bleak. Let us all learn the lesson now about the evil wrought by crazy religiosity overwhelming critical thinking.

The Secret Doesn't Mean Ignore the Truth. Embrace the Paradox.

The Secret doesn’t mean ignore the truth. Maybe they (The Secret, Inc.) haven’t clarified the importance of using negative emotions and experiences as useful information to make a real change. I feel that our greatest failures are our greatest gifts. I feel that The Secret did show that if you focus on negative aspects of your personal life like debt and frustration, those will expand. If you focus on how sick you are and how your life isn’t fair, that will create more of the same. That is true and very useful. Perhaps The Secret II will show how “hitting bottom” is the greatest gift b/c it opens our eyes to the truth and forces us to change. We should always be searching for where mishaps and mistakes can happen, that way we can prevent them. The Secret does not talk about that.

Although no one in their right mind would ignore cancer treatments, there is a growing and vast body of scientific data built in the last 5-10 years that is proving an extremely strong mind-body connection. That is now undeniable. So, if you want health, meditate on health. If you want a heart attack and cancer, act angry, frustrated, and ungrateful. This has been scientifically proven. A scientific article in the paper yesterday stated that people who are ungrateful and think “Life isn’t fair” are at something like a 60% increased risk of a heart attack. That’s huge. If we were talking about a drug doing that, it would be a huge effect. A “Gratitude Attitude” is perhaps the single best thing you can do for your health, along with social support, exercise, and weight loss.

The great thing about healing visualizations, relaxation breathing, and social support is that it is free! These are extremely strong statistically proven factors related to health. So ignore them at your own peril.

Does that mean someone who gets cancer, for example, was lacking in some relaxed, spiritual sense? No. Sometimes free radicals just mess with our cells and we get cancer through no fault of our own thoughts or deeds. However, now the scientific consensus is that YES, You Can Give Yourself Cancer/Heart Disease, etc.

There is a wonderful scientific business book called Good to Great, by Jim Collins that Harry’s company lives by. In it are the most important factors common to “Great” companies. (However, these factors are human factors that can and should be applied to individual greatness.) The most important one is humility. Another one of the important success factors is called The Stockdale Paradox, read about it here.

Read it and weep! Live every day like it is your last.

Blumner Misattributes Media, "Easier Road"

May 13, Robyn Blumner column
RE: Stay-at-home moms take big financial risk(http://www.sptimes.com/2007/05/13/News/Stay_at_home_moms_tak.shtml)

In her column, Robyn Blumner wisely advises that mothers should never rest easy and just assume their husbands will always be fully dedicated to the marriage partnership. To take that gamble puts women and their children in a very precarious position. I’m sure all the divorced mothers out there never planned on their marriage failing or thought their husband would leave them poverty stricken. They mistakenly believed that love was enough.

Nevertheless, the reason that accomplished, educated, professional women are opting for full-time motherhood when their children are young is not (as Blumner assumed) because of the media, career stress, or that being a stay-at-home mom is the “easier road.” The reason that we are staying home with our young children is because we feel that being a full-time mother to our young children is the best thing for our children.

I remember when I thought that motherhood was probably pretty easy. That was before I had children. Now I think that for some mothers, it is probably the “easier road” to drop their babies off at daycare for eight or nine hours and go to work and get something accomplished in the larger world.

Yet, if some mothers (or fathers – see Chris Gardner) had to drop off their babies they would never stop crying. Some parents that have to work cry because they know that five bottles of formula, an hour of Elmo, and two three-hour naps at the $8-an-hour day care lady’s house doesn’t compare with mom, nursing that baby, singing it goofy songs, rolling around on the floor together, learning signs at Music With Mar together, and falling asleep with visions of bug hunts, tickles, jokes, and comfort, all from mom. I may not be using my Ph.D. fully, but I’m willing to bet that I’m doing a better job at teaching my kids how to read, making them learn right from wrong, and instilling our values of kindness, acceptance, integrity, and honesty, than anyone else could do.

In fact, no one could pay me enough to drop my kids at day care so that I could go to work. Perhaps what Scott Peck wrote is true, that “Making a big difference in one person’s life is more important than making a small difference in many lives.” Raising our kids ourselves is the most important thing we will ever do.

Yes, staying at home is a short-term risk, but it is worth it. If I didn’t have my husband on board with that and deep trust, I couldn’t make this sacrifice. Still, I plan to pursue a vibrant career as the children grow. They are only a few years that mom is needed so badly. Before I know it, they’ll be asking me to drop them off a block from the mall. To everything, there is a season.

-A.

Bedier: Media Distort Islam

RE: Bedier: Media Distort Islam
(http://sptimes.com/2007/05/05/Hillsborough/Bedier__Media_distort.shtml)

Bedier claims that suicide bombers act on political motivations, not necessarily in the name of Islam, as the killers say. However, in the Islamic world, ideally there is no separation of church and state. The truest submission to Allah is to align all religion and politics in an Islamic world.

Suicide bombers are almost always Islamic fundamentalists and Islam, by its inherent nature, encourages fundamentalism. Christians have their share of fundamentalist abortion clinic bombers, but fortunately, the Christian fundamentalists do not have control of politics, the law, and the state.

Bedier is wrong when he says, “There’s nothing in our faith that says it’s okay to kill anyone.” The Quran 2:191-2 says, “Kill disbelievers wherever you find them.” Muslims are indeed killing people in the name of Allah and the media is simply reporting this fact.

Muslims are teaching their sons to bring honor to their family and to Islam by making the ultimate sacrifice. Stop blaming the media and take responsibility: When Muslims stop blowing people up in the name of Islam, then we will stop thinking of Muslims as fundamentalist killers of all who are not like them.


Published Letter to the Editor in the St. Pete Times:
See Known by their acts here:
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/05/11/Opinion/Today_s_Letters__Tax_.shtml