Focus on the kids -

[Post date: 01/17/13 ]

It is important that we not get lost in the politics of hate.  A month ago, twenty little kids and six caring adults were killed by a madman in New Town, Connecticut.

If I can remember to respect the right of The Far Right to be misguided, I will be able to hold on to my own peace of mind.

In the work of changing our culture, we cannot go very far wrong if we remember the kids from Connecticut.


My Other Blogs: My news and political blog is South by Southwest. Follow me at Twitter. And Carol Gee - Online Universe is the home page for all my websites.

This month: little gems from my regular contributor, Jon.

Texas' Headlines -
Texas Governor Rick Perry says he will consider running for president (5/27/11), is from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
A Texas Log Cabin for $4 Million is from Yahoo! Real Estate (4/25/11).
Guest column from the Texas Tribune: Don't mess with my district, (4/25/11).
Pier 1 and Radio Shack: Which is on better footing for the future? (4/23/11) is from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Headlines from elsewhere -
Blackbeard's anchor is recovered off the North Carolina coast (5/27/11), is from Yahoo! News.

Activist Post: 10 Indications the United States Is a Dictatorship, (5/10/11).
War Dog - A Photo Essay by Rebecca Frankel, from Foreign Policy Magazine (5/4/11).
Officials: A popular cop in Alaska is an illegal immigrant (4/23/11) is from Yahoo! News.
Poll: Americans strongly oppose some deficit proposals (4/20/11) is from the Washington Post.
The super rich see their federal taxes drop dramatically (4/18/11), from Yahoo! News.

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Posted via email from Behind These Links

Newsweek: Elon Musk on the future of space flight http://ping.fm/P27hL

Links to the latest news about the Shuttle Discovery --

Space Shuttle Discovery Takes One Last Trip to Launch Pad ...The space shuttle Discovery began its last journey to the launch pad Monday, six weeks before the spacecraft is due to lift off on its final mission to space. Sept. 21, 2010

Gallery: Boeing Joins Start-up Companies in the Private Space Race | 80beats ...the space shuttle program, selecting a backup crew in case it needs to make a rescue mission for the last scheduled flight in February. While the space shuttle close draws nearer, the race to replace it gets stronger. Now Boeing has entered the fray, unveiling the design of a spacecraft it will build for the task of taking astronauts t... Sept. 20, 2010

NASA Selects Astronaut Crew for Possible Extra Shuttle Flight...ever space shuttle mission next summer, should Congress approve the extra flight.  SPACE.com Sep 16, 2010

Rare Shuttle Rollover Photo Op Evokes Sadness, Pride ...parked Space Shuttle Discovery outside its hangar for several hours to allow employees to take pictures. Sep 13, 2010

 

Hat tip to Space.com and Google Reader for these links.

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Posted via email from Behind These Links

Major legislative threat to civil liberties filed with Senate Juciciary Committee.

What's in a name? Changing what the government calls its enemies is not a fix for this proposed major over reach of presidential authority. The bill in question could potentially violate the constitutionally protected habeas corpus rights of U.S. citizens. Designating a person suspected of a terrorist act as an "unprivileged enemy belligerent," rather than an enemy combatant makes no difference to the person who might be erroneously and indefinitely held without cause. Glenn Greenwald is correct to be alarmed. We really need to keep our eyes on this situation. We absolutely cannot trust that the bill will not go anywhere because it is so outrageous. http://amplify.com/u/3fd8

Posted via web from Southwest Postings

March is Women's History Month -- Honors to Women of Courage

International Women of Courage Awards were presented on International Womens Day, Wednesday, March 10.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and First Lady Michelle Obama honored a number of outstanding women for their courage in standing for women's rights around the world.  To quote from Secretary Clinton's remarks at the event:

I am particularly delighted to welcome back to the State Department our First Lady, Michelle Obama. (Applause.) This is the second time that Michelle Obama and I have celebrated the International Women of Courage Awards together. It’s a tradition I really like because she is doing so much for women and girls not only in our own country, but around the world. She inspires them. She challenges them. She exemplifies for them the kind of strength, warmth, and grace that so many of us see in her and aspire to for our own daughters. She has made the health and empowerment of young people, particularly young women, a centerpiece of her leadership. And she and I agree on many things, but one that we particularly agree on is that every child should have the chance to fulfill his or her God-given potential. And I just have to thank her for the mentoring programs that she created at the White House, for the special project that she is doing now to tackle childhood obesity, and to really setting the standard for what we want to see in our own country and around the world as well.
And I want to thank and recognize – I want to also recognize Melanne Verveer. (Applause.) Melanne is our country’s first Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, and it’s no accident that that would happen in the Obama Administration, where we would have someone of her experience and expertise promoting the political, economic, and social empowerment of women. As Melanne often reminds us, the world is full of remarkable women whose work goes unnoticed or undervalued. And today, we celebrate some particular women, but they really stand in for millions of other women who are serving their communities and making our world a better and safer place for all.
********** [Each honoree was presented with her award between the following segments]
What we’re going to do now is actually present the honorees. I will read the awards citations and then Mrs. Obama and I will present them with their International Women of Courage Award. I’d like to note that we’re going to start with two women from Afghanistan, so let me start with Shukria Asil – (applause) – as one of four female members of the Baghlan Provincial Council. Ms. Asil has been instrumental in promoting government responsiveness to the needs of Afghan women. She is being honored for pioneering efforts to promote opportunity, justice, and education for women and girls; serving as a voice for diverse members of Afghan society; and at great personal risk, increasing the accountability and responsiveness of the government to the needs of women and girls in Afghanistan. Thank you so much, Ms. Asil. (Applause.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: I woke up to the voice of this next honoree because she was interviewed on public radio, NPR, this morning. And Colonel Shafiqa Quraishi of Afghanistan is the Director of Gender, Human, and Child rights within the Ministry of the Interior. She began her career in the Afghan National Police. She has been at the forefront of integrating women into the government and police force. And she is being honored for her visionary leadership in breaking down barriers to the professional advancement of Afghan women, promoting unity and gender equality, humanitarian activism, and initiating programs to strengthen the Afghan National Police. Congratulations, Colonel. (Applause.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: You heard Mrs. Obama speaking of this next honoree, Sonia Pierre of the Dominican Republic. She was born on Dominican soil to Haitian parents. She is the founder and leader of the Movement for Dominican Women of Haitian Descent, an NGO dedicated to fighting for the rights of vulnerable communities in her country. She is being honored for advancing the cause of social justice, confronting exploitation and discrimination, defending the dignity of persons of Haitian descent in the Dominican Republic, and helping marginalized communities develop their own voices for their own future. Congratulations, Sonia. (Applause.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: Ann Njogu of Kenya is the co-convener of the Civil Society Congress – (cheers and applause) – a leader in constitutional reform and head of the Center for Rights, Education, and Awareness. She has been an activist seeking social transformation and working for reform in her native country. She is being honored for progressive leadership in the fight against corruption, the push for gender equality in Kenya, the battle for constitutional reform, and for bravely mobilizing Kenyan civil society to secure the passage of landmark legislation against sexual offenses. (Applause and cheers.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: Dr. Lee Ae-ran of South Korea was born in North Korea. She was a witness to tyranny at a very early age. She defected to South Korea and transformed her life, where she has been a force for promoting human rights of the North Korean refugee community. She is being honored for spearheading initiatives to improve the lives and education of the North Korean refugee community in South Korea, elevating the empowerment of women, and raising awareness of the dire human rights situation in North Korea. Congratulations, Dr. Lee. (Applause.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: Jansila Majeed of Sri Lanka is a women who lived as an internally displaced person for almost 20 years. She became one of the few women activists working on behalf of the displaced Muslim and Tamil civilians and is the managing trustee of the Community Trust Fund in Puttalam Province. She’s being honored for her dedicated grassroots activism and minority community leadership on behalf of women and girls, their empowerment, peace building, relief work, the resettlement of internally displaced persons, and a commitment to bringing society together. Congratulations.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Sister Marie Claude Naddaf is the Mother Superior of the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd. She has been a beacon of hope for women and girls who have nowhere else to turn. She is a pioneer in working for social services for women in Syria. She is being honored for her steadfast dedication to ending the suffering of women and girls who are victims of domestic violence, sexual exploitation, and human trafficking. She launched Syria’s first shelter and emergency hotline for women. Thank you so much, Sister. (Applause.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: And the final honoree who could be with us today is Jestina Mukoko of Zimbabwe. Jestina is the Executive Director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project and a longtime leader in the human rights and activist community in her country. She is being honored for her relentless activism for justice and defense of human rights, for bringing attention to widespread violence against women in Zimbabwe, and for pursuing her case to the supreme court, resulting in a victory that has offered hope to her fellow citizens. Congratulations. (Applause and cheers.)

Reference:
Here are some very interesting facts, pulled from the U.S. Census Bureau about the state of womanhood… It comes from Women's History Month, a blog post by Lijit.com (3/5/10).
[Post date: 3/11/10]

Blogs: My general purpose/southwest focus blog is at Southwest Progressive. My creative website is at Making Good Mondays. And Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for all my websites.
Technorati tags: women State Department International Women of Courage Awards Women's History Month

Posted via email from Make Good Mondays

New Breeds at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show - Photo Essays - TIME - StumbleUpon

Time's wonderful little 9-photo essay is a delight for several reasons. The photography is exquisite, the narrative is interesting, and the dogs are fascinating. Take a look as you might find your new favorite among them. http://amplify.com/u/1wze

Posted via web from Southwest Postings

Wonderfully Personal Tweets from Faves

chrislhayes Uncostumed as usual. I feel little less guilty about never having a costume with each passing year. #gettingold (10/31/09).

"About to dig into Cheney stuff. Bad flashback," is from Matt Cooper (10/30/09).

jdickerson Under son's pillow: "Dear miss tooth fairy. I woud like a dog or a bunny becuse my frend got a turtle. Don't give me money give me a bunny" (10/29/09).

johndickerson On CBS Evening News tonight wearing my John Dickerson costume talking about Iraq bombing (10/25/09).

libbyspencer I keep my follow list small b/c I'm so OCD I read my entire stream every day-incl the links (10/25/09).

Hegemommy: (1)"OH FUN! One of my students is convinced the Obama election = end of days! And she's writing on it!" (2)"Okay, I am totally partnering up the rapture student with the student writing about getting Wiccan symbols on headstones for soldiers."

SCClemons Leaving Amman for Damascus to interview Khaled Mashal. Half the meeting is on the record and half is off. Going alone and a bit nervous (10/16/09).

libbyspencer For the record I think it would be great to #BeatCancer and big props to all the ppl out there who are battling it (10/16/09).

jeffjarvis This story is careening toward tragedy with the whole world watching. I am turning off the TV. It's unseemly. [regards "balloon boy"] (10/15/09).

"markknoller Notice Macy's has full-page ads in both the NY Times and Wash Post today of Cindy Crawford in her underwear. God bless the 1st Amendment. (10/14/09)

jdickerson Is there more or less kindness in the world than there appears to be? (10/7/09).

chrislhayes had an email forwarded to me just *shredding* the points I made in that video. Should be able to shrug it off, but can't quite. (10/6/09).

jdickerson Son wants a dog. He's up reading a dog care book learning to care for one. I'd make a bad president. If Iran did that I'd let 'em have nukes (10/6/09).

AlexGoodall RT @PierrePaperon: Goethe: A useless life is an early death. (10/5/09).

libbyspencer It's important to remember that every day about 295 million Americans get up and fail to tune in to Rush Limbaugh. ~Garry Trudeau (10/4/09).

"jdickerson I know the people at Seventh Generation want me to start a compost pile but making kitchen garbage bags that decompose on use is sneaky," (10/4/09).

pourmecoffee COOL: The oldest living things in the world (Photo Gallery, Map): http://bit.ly/JUJGh (10/4/09).

libbyspencer RT @WillendorfVenus Thinking abt callus on right middle finger. Used 2 B lot larger. Almost never write w/pen now.||Was thinking abt that 2 (10/3/09).

chrislhayes If I didn't have 600 pps of Ralph Nader's new book to get through, today would be a perfect Saturday. (10/3/09).

TheFix Henry the penguin on "Oswald" reminds me a lot of myself. Neurotic, hypochondriac, news addict (by Chris Cillizza, 9/30/09).

jdickerson "Shouldn't we be able to spell insouciant any way we please?," (9/30/09).

jdickerson These paragraphs seem to shoot from my fingers as if propelled by a benevolent and magic force. By noon I will delete them. (9/30/09).

SCClemons Is at the United Nations watching the sun rise over the East River. Excited to see Obama Security Council session this morning. (9/24/09).

chrislhayes Sometimes I think it'd be more transparent to just give major banks permnt seats on the relevant legislative committees: http://is.gd/3BAks. (9/23/09).

libbyspencer If only we had carried more commie/fascist signs + screamed abt crazy conspiracies, MSM would've *respected* us anti-war protesters too. (9/14/09).

chrislhayes Remember how in the days after 9/11 the whole country was united in wanting less government? Yeah, neither do I. (9/12/09).

libbyspencer RT @HoneyBearKelly RT @UtneReader: How Sept11 should be remembered http://bit.ly/10YM8g ||Great piece could only have been written by a NYer (9/11/09).

ChuckGrassley"Great Buy Danish Aebleskiver Dinner tonite at Fredsville Luthern at Dike. 5$ I went." (3/1/09).

SPACE.com -- White House Panel's Human Spaceflight Report Due Soon

"What's really at stake in the short-term is Ares I, and all of this push for commercial crew I would think is viewed as an alternative to a government-run program like Ares I," said John Logsdon, a space policy expert professor emeritus at the George Washington University here. "Long-term, it's whether in fact there is going to be a meaningful space exploration program beyond the International Space Station."

The Ares I is based on the space shuttle's giant solid rocket motors built by Alliant Techsystems of Edina, Minn. Alliant Techsystems is the lead contractor on Ares I.

Sources in the administration and on Capitol Hill say it remains to be seen when or how the White House responds to the report. But sources both within the administration and close to it say an increase along the lines suggested by the Augustine panel is being weighed. Such an increase would add almost $1 billion to the space exploration budget in 2011, ramping up to about $3 billion annually by 2014.

"I think the $3 billion figure has been widely misunderstood," Logsdon said. "The actual proposal from the Augustine committee is a gradual increase to that level over four years through 2014, with only a little less than $1 billion proposed for next year."

Congressional sources say lawmakers are anxiously awaiting the administration's response to the Augustine panel's final report, though some question whether Congress would support the flexible path exploration option.

Augustine was pressed during a September congressional hearing to offer a compelling reason to abandon NASA's current exploration program rather than fund it at a higher level, for example.

However, the Augustine panel indicated during public meetings held over the summer that in order to keep Constellation on track for a first flight of Ares 1-Orion by 2015 and a return to the moon by 2020, NASA would need a total of $50 billion above current projections over the next decade.

"If you really want to do Constellation and keep it on the current schedule, or close to it, that's what you're looking at," one administration official said.

via space.com

The excerpt above republishes the conclusion of the story. The introduction lays out the panel's recommendations around several options for next steps for Congress and the Obama administration, based on its finding that NASA is currently underfunded to carry out its stated mission. . . by about a billion dollars a year in the coming years. Among the options the panel seems to lean toward "the flexible path" idea. It posits that, rather than a return to the moon or Mars in the immediate future, the US space program should start to explore the nearby areas of space as a way on gaining the learning and technology to eventually get to Mars. The panel did not recommend any one option, but a series of plans that could be carried out with about $3 billion in additional funding. Without adequate monies, the panel concluded that the US space program will not be able to leave low earth orbit any time soon.

Finally, here is the Augustine Committee/NASA press release on the subject.

Posted via web from Southwest Postings

They admired it so much . . .

What draws us to those who write or post online? What is it about the things we read that make us want to read words again from that writer?

So terrific they were re-tweeted -- A RT [re-tweet] is a compliment to the original author. The examples from Twitter that follow illustrate what it may have been about the original poster's words that merited posting it again, so others could also share it.

**********

Experiences with which we identify: Haven't we all done something dumb like this, regret it and vow not to repeat the mistake. Ron is willing to forgive himself, however, as the last sentence makes clear.

"RT @Ron: Note to self: Never become a professional rock landscaper. Muscles threatening divorce. Buy chocolates & apology card. | !!!," is from Alex Goodall (10/16/09).

**********

Ironic lament: Karen Tumulty has posted in the past about the threatened demise of newspapers. She picks up on the clever words of Wee Laura and The Onion, filled with irony that shows her concern.

"RT @WeeLaura RT @TheOnion Report: Majority Of Newspapers Now Purchased By Kidnappers To Prove Date http://ow.ly/15UTcC," is from Karen Tumulty (10/14/09).

**********

Inspiring wisdom does not grow old: British professor of history, Alex Goodall often does RTs of Pierre Paperon's work. These quotes are profound and timeless.

"RT @PierrePaperon: Anais Nin: 'Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.' + 'People living deeply have no fear of death.'," is from Alex Goodall (10/4/09).

**********

Maybe the best writing on the subject: The New Yorker article by Lizza is an excellent essay on the story of Summers and his rise to prominence in the current administration. It is also a wonderful history/analysis of what happened during the economic crisis.

"DC's buzzing about the article by the New Yorker's Ryan Lizza on Larry Summers and the Obama economic experience.http://j.mp/2RA4WR," is from Marc Ambinder (10/4/09).

**********

Wonderfully snarky smackdowns: This double RT is worth reposting. Another reason for its excellence is the juxtaposition of two current hot button topics.

"RT @chrislhayes: RT @Atrios early stages of potential flu epidemic prbly excllnt time to make sre illegal immigrants dn't hve #healthcare," is from The Nation Magazine (9/10/09).

**********

A clever editorial with focus on injustice: Yglesias is a writer who often posts similarly effective ideas. Evidently he wants to credit his peers for this piece of wonderfully pungent humor.

"RT @glenngreenwald: RT @markosm Michael Vick should have tortured people instead of dogs so Americans could forgive him and look forward," is from Matt Yglesias (8/19/09).

**********

Blogs: My news and political blog is at South by Southwest. My general purpose/southwest focus blog is at Southwest Progressive. And Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for my websites.

Technorati tags: news writing blogging twitter

ProPublica: Two-Years-Old—and More Than 100 Stories Partnered - ProPublica

Two years ago today, the formation of ProPublica was announced [1] in The New York Times. Since then, we’ve published more than 100 partnered investigations, posted hundreds of pieces on our Web site and created tools for other journalists to use (such as ChangeTracker [2], our Bailout Guide [3], and Recovery Tracker [4]).

On this occasion of our “birthday,” we would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of the newspaper, TV, radio and online outlets that have helped us in our mission to hold those in power accountable for their actions. We literally couldn’t have done it without them.

And while we’re celebrating our second year of life, we would also like to remind everyone that our stories can be used for free under the terms of our Creative Commons [5] license. All we ask for is proper credit, a link back to us, no edits and no selling it on your own.

via propublica.org

Happy Birthday to ProPublica. This great idea has been a special resource for my blogging since its inception. I especially like their spirit of helpfulness to ordinary citizens and their fiercely nonpartisan investigative journalists. Kudos and many more good years to come!

Posted via web from Southwest Postings

NASA and Space - a Roundup

Pictured: Charles Bolden, NASA Administrator

Today's post is a collection of my favorite tweets from those I follow at Twitter.

"Politifact updates two Obama space promises as "kept" and "in-the-works" - http://bit.ly/DSSLA & http://bit.ly/2DinS," is from Florida Space Report (10/6/09).

"NASA and Russian Space Agency Administrators Meet http://bit.ly/5czIs http://bit.ly/sivZ8," is from waybis (10/5/09).

"Strapped NASA might need global space partners http://j.mp/50TYe http://bit.ly/1465qC via," is from waybis (10/3/09).

"Panel’s report threatens NASA’s mission: A report suggesting NASA’s space travel goals are too ambitious is jeop.. http://bit.ly/325hF3," is from The Hill (9/10/09).

"The full Final Report is still being prepared and will be released when complete," is from the NASA HSF [Augustine] Committee (9/9/09).

"See the NEW Hubble images online now: www.nasa.gov/hubble," is from NASA (9/9/09).

Related articles by Zemanta

• Space Tourist Uses $35M Trip to Back Water Issues (usnews.com)
• Cirque du Soleil Founder Heads to Space (online.wsj.com)

Nobel Committee recognizes President Obama -- Peace Prize

(Image by Wordle.net)

Reference: The Nobel Committee announced that President Barack Obama is their selection for the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. To quote in full:

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.

Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama’s initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.

Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world’s population.

For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world’s leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama’s appeal that “Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.”

Oslo, October 9, 2009

Posted via email from Southwest Postings

CBO Says Finance Health Reform Bill Will Save $81 Billion in a Decade « The Washington Independent

The Senate Finance Committee’s health reform bill will save the federal government $81 billion over the next 10 years, according to the much-anticipated Congressional Budget Office estimate released this afternoon. CBO found that subsidizing the coverage expansion will cost $518 billion over a decade, partly offset by taxing high-cost insurance plans ($201 billion), trimming Medicare rates “for most services” ($162 billion), and cutting subsidies to the private insurance companies that cover Medicare patients ($117 billion).

via washingtonindependent.com

Good news for several reasons: gives cover to moderate Dems who can now vote yes; gives others some funds to add to the bill where needed, cuts Medicare subsidies to insurance companies. However, it only reduces the uninsured by some 29 million people. But that is a huge start. Now on to the committee vote.

Posted via web from Southwest Postings

Tweets twice told:

Image via CrunchBase

Following are some of my favorite tweets from the social website, Twitter. Enjoy!

"RT @JayAckroyd I continue to note despite what Baucus or Conrad says, there R 60 cloture votes, +more than 51 #hcr votes 4 a public option," included for her outstanding tweeting skill: kudos to Libby Spencer (8/17/09).

"Looking ahead, here are the most exciting cars coming in 2010" is from Time Magazine (8/17/09).

"The Funniest Signs From The Town Hall Protests (PICS)," is from The Huffington Post (8/17/09).

"About to engage in seat change negotiations with other passengers so each kid doesn't have to sit alone. Kids are unwashed which might help," is from a favorite journalist, John Dickerson (8/17/09).

"Hot, humid day here in Toronto. First tweet from iPod on wifi. Ain't technology great?," is from my editor at The Reaction, Michael J.W. Stickings, a very new tweeter (8/15/09).

"markknoller@GeeCarol agreed. we need to support newspapers" is from a rather recognizable White House correspondent (Mark Knoller), an answer that signifies the interactive fun of Twittering.

"This was taken from ISS as we were coming in to dock," is from Astro_127, Commander Mark Polansky (8/11/09).

"RT @joshtpm: Teabaggers say they wnt their country back. But Afro-Arab socialists have only had it 4 6 months. cnt they wait their turn?" is from Matt Cooper (8/8/09).

"Interesting," is from Senator Claire McKaskill (8/2/09). She liked a very edgy piece "What's Not to Like" in Newsweek by Jonathan Alter. His subtitle" "Reform? Why do we need health-care reform? Everything is just fine the way it is."

Blogs: My news and political blog is at South by Southwest. My general purpose/southwest focus blog is at Southwest Progressive. And Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for my websites.

Technorati tags: blogging news twitter humor links

Catching up with Twitter faves

Image via CrunchBase

"The six top conservatives Obama listens to," is by Marc Ambinder at The Atlantic (6/10/09). Ambinder's list includes Senators Collins and Snowe, Lugar, McCain; columnist David Brooks, and Professor Jack Goldsmith. Read this interesting post for the reasons why. Thanks to Twitter (5/15/09), too for, "marcambinder Atlantic Politics: Tribunals: An Excuse To Exhaust Habeas Rights For Indefinite Detainees?: Th.. http://tinyurl.com/ohonea." Ambinder also reports (5/14/09), "marcambinderAtlantic Politics: Americans Feeling Good: More Americans say they are "thriving" (50 percent).. http://tinyurl.com/pmlhcf."

Speaking of lists, "TIME See the 10 biggest tech failures from the past decade (via @247wallst) | http://tr.im/lo5G," (5/14/09).

Here is why I follow pourmecoffee at Twitter (6/10/09): "pourmecoffee --Now a good time to get aggressive with your Priceline Palau vacation bidding. http://bit.ly/198mww". Regards the Guantamo detainees going to the island of Palau). And (5/16/09): "pourmecoffee Working on my book this weekend, "Pink & Blue," story of Code Pink lady who falls for Cheney but IT CAN NEVER BE.

John Dickerson at Twitter is often good for a smile (6/10/09): "jdickerson -Power out which let's us enjoy a simpler time when people had to hunt and gather for their morning coffee." And on (5/13/09), "johndickerson on Obama's view that the presidency is like parallel parking. http://www.slate.com/id/221...."

It was exciting and fun to follow "Astro Mike (Massimino) while he was in orbit. He tweeted (5/20/09), "Astro_MikeFrom orbit: Enjoying a day off in space, taking photos, enjoying the view, having fun." And, "Astro_MikeFrom orbit: As I closed my eyes to sleep last night I thought “these eyes have seen some beautiful sights today.” And (5/16/09),"Astro_MikeFrom orbit: My spacewalk was amazing, we had some tough problems, but through them all, the view of our precious planet was beautiful."

I identified with The Nation's Chris Hayes as he shared this: "chrislhayes Office cleaning day is a historical tour of defunct technologies: old fax machines, floppy disks, rolodexes." On (5/12/09), he asked, "chrislhayes Most maddening thing about dynamics in Washington is that evry convo about progressive policy, I ask myself: "will Ben Nelson go for this?" Chris is one of the smartest young progressives around: "chrislhayes Funny how the left and right own certain words; when you get a press release fr Institute for Liberty, you know right away it's rightwing," (5/12/09).

I say again, Senator Chuck Grassley is unique (5/14/09): "ChuckGrassley Finally aftr 6hrs got to a really intrestin discussion in our Rdtable; public option (backdoor to Canada health system) Scares me" On (3/1/09): "ChuckGrassley Great Buy Danish Aebleskiver Dinner tonite at Fredsville Luthern at Dike. 5$ I went."

See "Behind the Links." for further info.

Blogs: My news and political blog is at South by Southwest. My general purpose/southwest focus blog is at Southwest Progressive. And Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for my websites.

Technorati tags: twitter news news and politics politics

Study claims single ancestry for Native people

Image via Wikipedia

This story was sent to me by "Diane's thinking of you today." It is dated April 29, 2009. Diane is a friend of Betmo's. (Note: Not all the links in her e-mail are live because they are non-standard and brought up virus warnings when I clicked them).

Here are some other Internet articles on the same subject that are safe: Science Daily (4/29/09); UC Davis - News and Information; and physorg.com.

Diane's material itself is fascinating. To quote:

A study published in the May issue of Molecular Biology and Evolution claims all modern-day Native people descend from a single group.

Researchers examined the DNA from 20 Native groups in the U.S., Canada, Greenland, Central America and South America. They found a common genetic marker in all of the populations.

The genetic marker was not found in the DNA of 31 modern-day Asian groups, leading researchers to conclude that the ancestors of modern-day Native people lived in isolation before expanding to the Americas. The study estimates the most recent common ancestor lived somewhere between 7,325 and 39,900 years ago.

The marker was found in two Native groups in Western Siberia, in Russia, that are closely linked to Alaska Natives.

Get the Story:
Native Americans descended from a single ancestral group, DNA study confirms (Physorg.Com 4/29)

Get the Study:
Haplotypic Background of a Private Allele at High Frequency in the Americas (Molecular Biology and Evolution 2009 26(5):995-1016; doi:10.1093/molbev/msp024)

Previous related posts at Making Good Mondays:

1. Imagery - old - Continued - May 1, 2009
2. The First Photograph - February 17, 2009
   

See "Behind the Links," for current news references.

Blogs: My news and political blog is at South by Southwest. My general purpose/southwest focus blog is at Southwest Progressive. And Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for my websites.

Technorati tags: science news anthropology native american DNA

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Space News Update

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is in the midst of great change these days, and yet many of its ways are remarkable and wonderfully the same. In a very quick turnaround, the space shuttle Endeavor will launch June 13 with Mission STS-127. It was moved to a different launch pad after being readied for a rescue if needed ot the repair of the Hubble Space Telescope, a landmark mission completed recently. To quote NASA News on STS-127:

The 16-day mission will feature five spacewalks and complete construction of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. Astronauts will attach a platform to the outside of the Japanese module that will allow experiments to be exposed to space.The STS-127 crew members are [Commander Mark] Polansky [@Twitter], Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Dave Wolf, Christopher Cassidy, Tom Marshburn, Tim Kopra and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette. Kopra will join the space station crew and replace Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata. Wakata will return to Earth on Endeavour to conclude a three-month stay at the station.

A panel of experts is beginning an independent review of NASA's plans for the future of the space program. And the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee has invited the public to give its input via a special new interactive website, according to NASA News (6/5/09). The Committee will be chaired by Norman Augustine. About the site he said, "The human space flight program belongs to everyone. Our committee would hope to benefit from the views of all who would care to contact us." Those interested will be able to ask questions, upload documents or comment about the committee's operations. The first meeting will be held June 17 in Washington, D. C and will be free and open to the public. Members of the Augustine review committee with whom you might be familiar include former astronauts Dr. Leroy Chiao and Dr. Sally Ride. Others are all leaders in their fields associated with space flight. Quoting from the story:

During the course of the review, the panel will examine ongoing and planned NASA development activities and potential alternatives in order to present options for advancing a safe, innovative, affordable and sustainable human space flight program following the space shuttle's retirement. The committee will present its results in time to support an administration decision on the way forward by August 2009.

. . . The committee will hold several public meetings at different U.S. locations. The first public meeting will take place June 17 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. EDT at the Carnegie Institution, located at 1530 P Street NW in Washington. Topics on the agenda for the meeting include previous studies about U.S. human space flight; national space policy; international cooperation; evolved expendable launch vehicles; commercial human space flight capabilities; and exploration technology planning.

. . . NASA Acting Administrator Chris Scolese signed the charter for the committee Monday, enabling it to begin operations.

New administrator to be appointed -- It was announced in late May that President Obama will name a former astronaut, space shuttle commander Charles Bolden to lead NASA, as I reported in a previous post.

Decades since we landed a man on the moon, space programs around the world are interested in sending humans back to the moon, or in unmanned lunar exploration. The NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, spacecraft are set to launch together to the moon aboard an Atlas V rocket on June 17. This exciting dual spacecraft mission will send a very sophisticated and powerful orbiter around the poles of moon, in preparation for NASA's human return to the moon in a few years. And four or five months from launch the LCROSS will slam into the moon to send up a debris plume that can be studied to determine lunar composition and the presence of water ice or hydrated minerals, according to NASA News.

Every Monday you can look forward to another "space news update" at this website. I am a "space junkie" living not too far from NASA in Houston, and I am so very pleased to have this new blog for a more concentrated focus on our Southwest news.

Blogs: My news and political blog is at South by Southwest. This article is cross-posted at Southwest Progressive. And Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for my websites.

Technorati tags: news space news NASA science

Heads up, science in the news --

"The brain as a significant consumer of energy and resources: Its weight may only be 2-3% of total body weight, but the brain at rest consumes about 20% of oxygen and 20% of glucose, and 20% blood flow goes to the brain," said the Hitachi guest speaker, Mr. Woolsey who is from the Washington University School of Medicine. He reviewed brain-imaging techniques and emerging treatments for brain disorders. For Woolsey, the brain is fascinating just as it is. “I think there’s nothing more exciting and compelling as a scientific frontier,” he said. “And that’s why I think the brain is the ultimate frontier.”

"One by one, Neuroscience is unlocking the brain's mysteries, speakers say at Hitachi lecture," is the headline from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS - 6/5/09). To quote more about the amazing mystery stories, this time from Mr. Koizumi:

The patient suffered from advanced Lou Gehrig’s disease and had been in a vegetative state for two years, never speaking, never showing a sign that she could hear. But Japanese scientist Hideaki Koizumi wanted to know more about her condition, and so he fitted the patient with a brain scanner—a thin cap with electrodes attached.

When he asked her to try to speak, the language production areas of her brain lit up the brain-imaging equipment. When he asked her to listen to what he said, the language comprehension area of her brain activated. As he prepared to ask her some questions, he told her that if she wanted to answer yes, she should imagine moving her hand in a certain way; to answer ‘no,’ she shouldn’t imagine anything at all.

Then, as he asked her questions, the researchers were stunned to find that the apparently unconscious woman was answering their questions. “We found that this patient has clear consciousness,” Koizumi said during his presentation at AAAS.

Larks and owls -- Most of us are able to classify ourselves by our sleep patterns, which are brain controlled. I am a lark. I always awaken early, sometimes too early, which is a form of insomnia. Here is another bit of news from the (AAAS of 4/23/09). It is titled, "the early bird's brain vs. the night owl's," To quote:

A new brain-imaging study may help explain why some people are most alert early in the day, while others hit their stride in the evening. Christina Schmidt at the University of Liege in Belgium and her colleagues report that our alertness and ability to concentrate are affected by both how long we've been awake and the time of day, since our circadian rhythms operate according to a day-night cycle.

. . . The results suggest that night owls generally outlast early birds, staying awake for longer periods of time before becoming mentally fatigued. After 10 hours of being awake, the early-birds showed reduced activity in brain areas linked to attention, compared to the night owls. They also felt sleepier and tended to perform more slowly on the task.

Patrick McGovern must have gotten up very early to figure this out -- What a fertile mind this guy has, in order to produce a "9,000-year-old brew hitting the shelves this summer." Again the news is from Scientific American (6/5/09). To quote:

This summer, how would you like to lean back in your lawn chair and toss back a brew made from what may be the world’s oldest recipe for beer? Called Chateau Jiahu, this blend of rice, honey and fruit was intoxicating Chinese villagers 9,000 years ago—long before grape wine had its start in Mesopotamia.

University of Pennsylvania molecular archaeologist Patrick McGovern first described the beverage in 2005 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences based on chemical traces from pottery in the Neolithic village of Jiahu in Northern China. Soon after, McGovern called on Sam Calagione at the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton, Del., to do the ancient recipe justice. Later this month, you can give it a try when a new batch hits shelves across the country. The Beer Babe blog was impressed, writing that it is “very smooth,” and “not overly sweet.”

Fascinating as brain science and old, old beer are, I agree with my good friend Betmo, who sent me this interesting link, saying "gotta love science." Read the amazing headline that reports, "Stem cells cultured on contact lens restore sight in patients with blinding corneal disease." The story is from Science Daily (6/5/09). To quote:

In a world-first breakthrough, University of New South Wales (UNSW) medical researchers have used stem cells cultured on a simple contact lens to restore sight to sufferers of blinding corneal disease.

Sight was significantly improved within weeks of the procedure, which is simple, inexpensive and requires a minimal hospital stay. . . The research team from UNSW’s School of Medical Sciences harvested stem cells from patients’ own eyes to rehabilitate the damaged cornea. The stem cells were cultured on a common therapeutic contact lens which was then placed onto the damaged cornea for 10 days, during which the cells were able to re-colonise the damaged eye surface.

Stem cell research made the cornea regeneration news possible. And stem cell research has been freed-up by President Obama. But problems remain in this exciting field. To conclude today's post, note this headline, "AAAS response to draft NIH stem cell research guidelines," from AAAS (5/26/09). I quote:

Federal funding for research involving stem cells derived from donated, excess human embryos from fertility treatments "will provide an opportunity to achieve important progress," the AAAS said in a 20 May comment on draft National Institutes of Health guidelines on human stem cell research.

Further, AAAS is "pleased to see NIH move quickly to issue guidelines that will enable scientists to move forward in this crucial field," AAAS chief executive officer Alan I. Leshner noted in his comment letter on behalf of AAAS.

But the AAAS letter also raised several concerns related to informed consent rules, a federal registry of stem cell lines, and the challenges of conducting public and private research within the same facility.

See Behind the links for further stories on the human condition.

Blogs: My news and political blog is at South by Southwest. My general purpose/southwest focus blog is at Southwest Progressive. And Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for my websites.

Technorati tags: news news and science brain science AAAS

Ninth Circuit Judge Vaughn Walker understands his job.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Some years ago someone in the Bush administration accidentally revealed to an organization that it had been spied upon. What resulted was a plaintiff's court suit of the government for illegal warrantless wiretapping. It became known as the al-Haramain case. It is now active in the federal 9th Circuit court of Judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco, and it is not yet settled. Today's post surveys the pertinent posting activities of some of the writers in the blogosphere who have followed the case all this time.

Anthony Coppolino, Dept. of Justice, has handled defending the government's state secrets privilege claim in the case for the Obama administration, a continuation of the position of the previous administration. "The government dodges and weaves on al-Haramain," is by emptywheel (6/1/09). To quote the post's beginning and the ending:

I'm utterly fascinated by the dodging and weaving they do to try to persuade Vaughn Walker not to impose sanctions on them. I'm fairly sure that Anthony Coppolino (the government lawyer in this) ended up canceling his Memorial Day plans last weekend and has been working on this dance ever since.

. . . This is a far more sophisticated argument than they've been using (Walker's discussion of sanctions seems to have cleared Coppolino's head a bit). But it's still a beg to get state secrets back long after Walker said they couldn't use state secrets to hide their own crime.

Waiting until the last minute in this power struggle -- "Obama Says Government Sanctions Unwarranted in Spy Case," from Wired Threat Level (5/30/09). To quote:

The Obama administration refused to budge late Friday and agree to reveal state secrets in a lawsuit weighing whether a sitting president may lawfully bypass Congress and spy on Americans without warrants, as President George W. Bush did following the 2001 terror attacks.

In court briefs filed at nearly midnight east coast time, the Justice Department was responding to a federal judge’s week-old inquiry on whether the administration should be sanctioned for “failing to obey the court’s orders” in a key National Security Administration lawsuit. The government, as it has repeatedly, urged U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker to allow the government to appeal his January 5 order requiring the government to develop a plan – a so-called “protective order” – that would pave the way to the release of state secrets to plaintiffs’ attorneys.

. . . The Obama administration declined to comply with Walker’s order. The government is refusing to cooperate with the court’s orders because, as it asserted two weeks ago and again on Friday, that plaintiffs’ attorneys do not “need to know” the information that Walker has “determined they do need to know.”

Judge Walker, who clearly understands his role, does not seem to be intimidated. -- "Decision Day on al-Haramain (updated)," is by "bmaz" at emptywheel (5/29/09). To quote:

The obstreperous and defiant defendant, the United States government by and through President Barack Obama was, however, not treated so kindly by the court. Judge Walker, clearly fed up with their belligerence and recalcitrance, drew the blade of a guillotine over the government's head (and rightly so I might add).

Defendants are now ordered to show cause why, as a sanction for failing to obey the court’s orders . .

UPDATE: I promised an update when the government pleading hit the docket, and it has been filed. Above I opined the government would likely show up with the same repetitive arguments already declined by the court, and they did not disappoint.

The Obama administration appears to want to be in a position to appeal the decision quickly. -- "Obama dares Judge to order release of NSA spy document," from Wired-Threat Level (5/15/09) To quote:

Setting the stage for a constitutional showdown, the Obama administration dared a federal judge here late Friday to do what no judge has yet done: disclose classified data the government has declared a national security state secret.

The administration urged (.pdf) U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker to order such a disclosure in a 3-year-old lawsuit weighing whether a sitting U.S. president may bypass Congress and adopt a program of eavesdropping on Americans without warrants. Such an order, the administration said, could halt three years of convoluted litigation and force the appellate courts to weigh in on the hotly contested issue.

The classified data in question shows that telephone calls by two American lawyers for a now-defunct Saudi charity were intercepted by the government without warrants in 2004. Without the classified documents admitted as evidence in the case, the aggrieved lawyers for
the al-Haramain charity, which the Bush administration designated as a terror group, cannot establish a legal basis to earn them a day in court.

It is disappointing, of course, that our current president's claim of secrecy rings hollow when it comes to his concurrent claim of more transparency in his administration that in his predecessor's. What is clear to many of us is that the Bush administration ran an illegal warrantless wiretapping program for years before it was revealed by the New York Times. Congress eventually attempted to clean up the mess, but the resulting amendments to the old protective FISA law were long on permissions to spy on us and short on accountability for doing so illegally in the past. And civil liberty privacy protections have all but been ignored to this day. It is fortunate that there are judges still congnizant of the constitution and the separation of powers.

Related background links:

1. "Obama's civil liberties speech" -- by Glenn Greenwald at Salon.com (5/21/09). Includes link to speech.


2. "FBI Use of Patriot Act Authority Increased Dramatically in 2008" -- from Wired Threat Level (5/19/09). The use of national security letters is rebounding.


3. "Two new judges for the FISA court" -- is by Steven Aftergood at Secrecy News (5/18/09)


4. "The NYT sums up Obama's civil liberties record in one paragraph" -- by Glenn Greenwald at Salon.com (5/16/09) It is not a great big "thumbs up."


5. "Interim IG report on surveillance program released" -- by Steven Aftergood at Secrecy News (3/31/09). To quote: "does not present any new findings, but rather lays out the scope of the ongoing review and the division of labor among five agency Inspectors General." The final report is due in July.


6. "Again on the al-Haramain stuff" -- is by emptywheel (3/25/09).


7. "Top Internet Threats: Censorship to Warrantless Surveillance" -- comes from David Kravets at Wired- Threal Level (3/20/09). Summary of list: Warrantless Government Wiretapping; Private Censorship; Government Censorship; ISP Tiered Pricing, Recording Industry of America proposes "Three-Strikes Policy;" and Digital Millennium Copyright Act Abuses.


8. "Correcting the confused al-Haramain reporting" -- is by emptywheel (3/3/09).


9. "Some clues to what 'inaccurate' information Bush provided in al-Haramain" -- is by emptywheel (3/1/09).

My new blog is called "Behind the Links."

Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for my websites.

Technorati tags: news news and politics politics domestic surveillance al-haramain legal obama bush warrantless wiretapping

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• Obama Administration Vows To Keep Using 'States Secrets' Defense (huffingtonpost.com)