Frist Urges 2 Teachings on Life Origin - New York Times

what about the giant spaghetti monster
Frist Urges 2 Teachings on Life Origin - New York Times: "WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 - Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, the Republican leader, aligned himself with President Bush on Friday when he said that the theory of intelligent design as well as evolution should be taught in public schools.
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Such an approach 'doesn't force any particular theory on anyone,' Mr. Frist said in Nashville, according to The Associated Press. 'I think in a pluralistic society that is the fairest way to go about education and training people for the future.' A Washington spokesman for the senator, Nick Smith, said later that the report was accurate.

The theory of intelligent design holds that life is too complicated to have developed through evolution and that a higher power must be involved. Critics say intelligent design theorists are trying to supplant science with religious beliefs."

Boing Boing: Pastafarianism: Flying Spaghetti Monster cult grows

Boing Boing: Pastafarianism: Flying Spaghetti Monster cult grows: "Pastafarianism: Flying Spaghetti Monster cult grows "

Neave Lab › Flash Earth

Neave Lab › Flash Earth

Lincoln Park (LPHS) - A Xanga Blogring

Lincoln Park (LPHS) - A Xanga Blogring

heres a spot of present day kids at my alma mater, Lincoln Park HS

Convert movies for iPod playback - Play video on your iPod - Weekend Project - CNET reviews

Convert movies for iPod playback - Play video on your iPod - Weekend Project - CNET reviews: "Play video on your iPod
Step 6: Convert movies for iPod playback"

Walken 2008 - Official Website

Walken 2008 - Official Website: "Christopher Walken 2008"

The Pirate Bay - The worlds largest BitTorrent tracker

The Pirate Bay - The worlds largest BitTorrent tracker

Racial and Ethnic Minorities Gain in the Nation as a Whole - New York Times

Racial and Ethnic Minorities Gain in the Nation as a Whole - New York Times: "Cecilia Mu�oz, a vice president of the National Council of La Raza, a Latino civil rights group, said: 'This great diversity and constant demographic change make us a dynamic country. They do not cause unrest or commotion. They are part of a process that's intrinsically American.'"

what a silly comment-- as if unrest and commotion are not intrinsically American. Of course, the rapid change in demographics causes a commotion-- espeically in rural areas that receive large numbers of immigrants seemingly overnight. Its not a bad thing, but pretending that its not disruptive and traumatic to many people-- natives and new arrivals, and the loved ones left behind-- is conter-productive. An oped discussion of the social, cultural and economic impacts is healthy-- avoiding it leaves too much space that racists and xenophobes will be happy to occupy.

For Democrats, a Troubling Culture Gap

For Democrats, a Troubling Culture Gap: "Then came the bad news: 'As powerful as the concern over these issues is, the introduction of cultural themes -- specifically gay marriage, abortion, the importance of the traditional family unit and the role of religion in public life -- quickly renders them almost irrelevant in terms of electoral politics at the national level,' the study said.

Many of these voters still favor Democrats on economic issues. But they see the Democrats as weak on national security, and on cultural and moral issues, they view Democrats as both inconsistent and hostile to traditional values. 'Most referred to Democrats as 'liberal' on issues of morality, but some even go so far as to label them 'immoral,' 'morally bankrupt,' or even 'anti-religious,' ' according to the Democracy Corps analysis."

Hot Topics in Altitude Medicine

Hot Topics in Altitude Medicine: "Ginko biloba"

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Cuban singer Ibrahim Ferrer dies

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Cuban singer Ibrahim Ferrer dies: "Cuban singer Ibrahim Ferrer dies
Cuban singer Ibrahim Ferrer
Ibrahim Ferrer had just got back from a European tour
The veteran Cuban singer Ibrahim Ferrer has died in a Havana hospital, aged 78.

He had recently completed a month-long tour of Europe, and was admitted to hospital with gastroenteritis, his wife Caridad Diaz told the AFP news agency.

He was a master of the son and bolero styles, but was in obscurity when US guitarist Ry Cooder recruited him for the Buena Vista Social Club."

Pirates Bring Out the Best in Saenz

Pirates Bring Out the Best in Saenz

Darren Spielman in the news

Philadelphia Inquirer | 08/05/2005 | Middle schoolers given extra boost: "Summerbridge, which wraps up today after six weeks, is not a typical summer-school program. Instead of helping youngsters who have fallen behind, Summerbridge's small classes give a boost to academically talented students. Blending academics with fun, the program tries to ensure they are prepared to take college-prep courses in high school.

'It's an intensive, academic-enrichment program for low-income kids in Philadelphia public middle schools,' said Darren A. Spielman, executive director of Summerbridge of Greater Philadelphia.

'The mission is to get these kids focused on learning and college and academic skills so they can get placed into the better high schools in the city.'

Summerbridge is free for students. Costs are covered by contributions from individuals, foundations and corporations.

Now in its 10th year in Philadelphia, Summerbridge is affiliated with the Breakthrough Collaborative, a national, nonprofit organization founded in San Francisco in 1978 to help motivated middle school students."

Measuring the Blogosphere - New York Times

Measuring the Blogosphere - New York Times: "But blogs are often just a way of making oneself appear on the Internet. It's like a closed-circuit video camera that catches a glimpse of you walking by an electronics store window filled with televisions. There you are in all your glory, suddenly, if not forever, mediated. Starting your own blog used to require a certain amount of technical expertise. Now you can do it from within popular Web portals like MSN and AOL, using tools that make it almost as easy as sending e-mail. These days, a surprising number of people write home by posting to their blogs - that is, by writing to everyone on earth.

It's natural enough to think of the growth of the blogosphere as a merely technical phenomenon. But it's also a profoundly human phenomenon, a way of expanding and, in some sense, reifying the ephemeral daily conversation that humans engage in. Every day the blogosphere captures a little more of the strange immediacy of the life that is passing before us. Think of it as the global thought bubble of a single voluble species."

Chicago Tribune | Millennium Park kickbacks charged

Chicago Tribune | Millennium Park kickbacks charged: "A former Chicago Park District official accepted cash, vacations to ski resorts, a pricey bicycle and even a manicure for steering millions of dollars in work at Millennium Park to a suburban landscaping company, federal authorities charged Thursday.

Shirley McMayon, the Park District's former director of natural resources, pocketed more than $137,000 in financial benefits from two executives of James Michael Inc., the Mundelein-based landscaper, an indictment charged.

In return for the payoffs, McMayon, 47, now of Park City, Utah, improperly used her influence to steer about $8 million in Park District work to the firm between 2000 and 2004, authorities charged.

Michael Lowecki, the company owner, and Kevin Haas, its former chief operations officer, were also charged in the indictment.

'They used the Park District coffers as sort of their personal playground,' U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald said at a news conference announcing the charges.

Fitzgerald said that 'one of the kickers in this case' was that the contractors didn't pay for most of the bribes themselves, instead padding their invoices to pass the cost of about $60,000 in payoffs to taxpayers. Among the phony invoices was a bill for about $10,000 for a non-existent global positioning system, he said."

Documents Tell of Brutal Improvisation by GIs

Documents Tell of Brutal Improvisation by GIs: "Documents Tell of Brutal Improvisation by GIs
Interrogated General's Sleeping-Bag Death, CIA's Use of Secret Iraqi Squad Are Among Details

By Josh White
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 3, 2005; Page A01

Iraqi Maj. Gen. Abed Hamed Mowhoush was being stubborn with his American captors, and a series of intense beatings and creative interrogation tactics were not enough to break his will. On the morning of Nov. 26, 2003, a U.S. Army interrogator and a military guard grabbed a green sleeping bag, stuffed Mowhoush inside, wrapped him in an electrical cord, laid him on the floor and began to go to work. Again.

It was inside the sleeping bag that the 56-year-old detainee took his last breath through broken ribs, lying on the floor beneath a U.S. soldier in Interrogation Room 6 in the western Iraqi desert. Two days before, a secret CIA-sponsored group of Iraqi paramilitaries, working with Army interrogators, had beaten Mowhoush nearly senseless, using fists, a club and a rubber hose, according to classified documents.


News From Iraq

* American Journalist Found Dead in Iraq
* 14 Marines, Interpreter Killed in Northwestern Iraq
* Rebels In Iraq Kill 7 Marines
* Documents Tell of Brutal Improvisation by GIs
* Bush Critic Loses by Slim Margin
More News
* Faces of the Fallen

The sleeping bag was the idea of a soldier who remembered how his older brother used to force him into one, and how scared and vulnerable it made him feel. Senior officers in charge of the facility near the Syrian border believed that such 'claustrophobic techniques' were approved ways to gain information from detainees, part of what military regulations refer to as a 'fear up' tactic, according to military court documents."

I/ON: Internet Video Console: Watch the Web

I/ON: Internet Video Console: Watch the Web

Flickr: Explore interesting photos from the last 24 hours

Flickr: Explore interesting photos from the last 24 hours

U.S. soldier's aid to Iraqis earns him title of sheik

Salt Lake Tribune - Nation and World: "U.S. soldier's aid to Iraqis earns him title of sheik"

State Court Rules Backs Benefits for Domestic Partners

State Court Rules Backs Benefits for Domestic Partners: "State Court Rules Backs Benefits for Domestic Partners
By John Spano, Times Staff Writer

A country club that granted married couples benefits it denied to gay couples registered as domestic partners was in violation of California civil rights laws, the California Supreme Court ruled this morning.

The wide-ranging ruling means that any benefits that California businesses provide to married couples must be offered to registered domestic partners.

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The court struck down a policy by the Bernardo Heights Country Club in San Diego against admitting gay couples as members.

The decision, written by Justice Carlos R. Moreno, the court ruled that California's 'policy favoring marriage is not served by denying registered domestic partners protection from discrimination under the Unruh Act,' the state anti-discrimination law.

The ruling was a victory for Birgit Koebke and Kendall French. The two have been partners since 1993 and registered in California since 2000, according to the opinion"

Review Finds Iran Far From Nuclear Bomb

Review Finds Iran Far From Nuclear Bomb: "Review Finds Iran Far From Nuclear Bomb
Estimate of Progress Contrasts With Administration Statements

By Dafna Linzer
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 2, 2005; Page A01

A major U.S. intelligence review has projected that Iran is about a decade away from manufacturing the key ingredient for a nuclear weapon, roughly doubling the previous estimate of five years, according to government sources with firsthand knowledge of the new analysis.

The carefully hedged assessments, which represent consensus among U.S. intelligence agencies, contrast with forceful public statements by the White House. Administration officials have asserted, but have not offered proof, that Tehran is moving determinedly toward a nuclear arsenal. The new estimate could provide more time for diplomacy with Iran over its nuclear ambitions. President Bush has said that he wants the crisis resolved diplomatically but that 'all options are on the table.'"

Amazon.com: Books: A Nation Of Realtors: A Cultural History Of The Twentieth-century American Middle Class

Amazon.com: Books: A Nation Of Realtors: A Cultural History Of The Twentieth-century American Middle Class: "Book Description
How is it that virtually all Americans came to think of themselves as “middle class” in the twentieth century? In this cultural history of real estate brokerage, Jeffrey M. Hornstein argues that the rise of the Realtors as dealers in both domestic space and the ideology of home ownership provides tremendous insight into this critical question. At the dawn of the twentieth century, a group of prominent real estate brokers attempted to transform their occupation into a profession. Drawing on traditional notions of the learned professions, they developed a new identity—the professional entrepreneur—and a brand name, “Realtor.” The Realtors worked doggedly to make home ownership a central element of what became known as the “American dream.” Hornstein analyzes the internal evolution of the occupation, particularly the gender dynamics culminating in the rise of women brokers to predominance after the Second World War. At the same time, he examines the ways organized real estate brokers influenced American housing policy throughout the century.

Hornstein draws on trade journals, government documents on housing policy, material from the archives of the National Association of Realtors and local real estate boards, demographic data, and fictional accounts of real estate agents. He chronicles the early efforts of real estate brokers to establish their profession by creating local and national boards, business practices, ethical codes, and educational programs and by working to influence laws from local zoning ordinances to national housing policy. A rich and original work of American history, A Nation of Realtors� illuminates class, gender, and business through a look at the development of a profession and its enormously successful effort to make the owner-occupied, single-family home a key element of twentieth-century American identity."