The Onion Stock Watch

Flash!

Stock Watch

Shares of the greeting card company rose rapidly at news that, in addition to the pending holiday season approaching, shitloads of birthdays were coming up.
11/25/08 8:56 AM

Naw, just kidding. They are losing their asses too.

So many holidays to abuse, so little time

The Onion online

AV Club

http://www.avclub.com/content/dvds/a_colbert_christmas

DVD
A Colbert Christmas(Comedy Central)

Reviewed by Nathan RabinNovember 26th, 2008

In the spirit of Christmas and democracy, A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All offers viewers the option of watching with or without a studio audience. Without the eggnog-fueled guffaws of Colbert's acolytes, the special is much more satisfying; it makes Colbert and friends' antics feel instantly dated, yet strangely timeless, in the best/worst holiday-special tradition. The lively studio audience, meanwhile, unmistakably drags the special into the contemporary universe of The Colbert Report. For delightful comic effect, Christmas exaggerates the airless awkwardness and brazen artificiality of holiday specials. Everything about it is a little off: The musical guests stare conspicuously at cue cards or teleprompters placed at odd angles, in a very Paul Lynde Halloween fashion.

The special's appropriately skimpy plot finds Colbert stranded in his holiday cabin after a bear outside his front door keeps him from making it to his studio to shoot a Christmas special with special guest Elvis Costello. He's far from lonely, however; he's visited by friends like John Legend, Toby Keith, Feist, and Jon Stewart, who sings an ode to the crappy consolation prize that is Hanukkah. In the song, Stewart conveys that the "festival of lights" is the Jewish Christmas in the same way Joe Lieberman is the Jewish Abraham Lincoln: There's really no comparison.

But the real meat of the special is the eclectic batch of infectious original ditties (with lyrics by David Javerbaum and music by Fountains Of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger) that work spectacularly as songs and as sturdy joke vessels. Toby Keith declares a jihad on the War On Christmas in a shit-kicking redneck anthem that doubles as ballsy self-parody, Willie Nelson pops up as a stoned fourth wise man and sings a straight-faced ode to the deplorable practice of smoking marijuana, and Legend tickles the ivories and croons a filthy, double-entendre-laden homage to nutmeg. Colbert presides over the festivities with good cheer and shameless self-aggrandizement; the greatest gift of the title proves to be the Colbert Christmas DVD, with or without the purchase of the special's songs on iTunes. Don't be surprised if A Colbert Christmas and its opportunistic, crassly commercial carols become a smart-ass new Yuletide tradition.
Key features: The amusingly mean-spirited bonus song "A Cold Christmas," a strangely hypnotic book-burning Yule log, and a clever video advent calendar.

A.V. Club Rating: A

Some tidbits from AARP

As your family gathers for the holidays, it’s a great time to capture memories and preserve old family stories.

The Scoop

How Did the 50+ Vote Impact Election Day?
There’s been a lot of talk about this year’s election drawing unprecedented numbers of young voters to cast their ballots. But on November 4, 43% of voters were age 50 and over. In the swing states of Pennsylvania, Florida, and Ohio, older voters made up an even greater chunk of the pie. In other states like Nevada and North Carolina, 50+ voters picked one candidate, but the overall state swung the other way. You can see the full 50+ voter breakdown by state by clicking here.

Medicare’s Prescription Drug Coverage
Part D is a program under which Medicare provides insurance to help you pay for prescription drugs. How does it work and is it right for you? Just click here to read AARP’s helpful guide explaining all the ins and outs of Plan D.

Food for thought, for Thanksgiving

Maybe a little prayer should be added seeking forgiveness for the treatment of Native Americans by the majority Anglo society?

Thanks to Jay:

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

The Reznews List Owner is not the author or responsible for the contents in following news article, but is an actual news article that can be located at the following newspaper site and or press release location. The following news or press release article can be located at:
http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=904&Itemid=1

Issue for Nov 26 - Dec 2, 2008. Published every Wednesday

What Happy Thanksgiving?
by Netfa Freeman

Black Americans should be among the last to celebrate Thanksgiving, a mythology that seeks to absolve white settlers of their intentional eradication of Native Americans. "African descendants in the US aren't primarily responsible for the theft of land or the genocide of indigenous people. But to insinuate that what happened and is still happening to indigenous Americans is a relic of the past makes one an accomplice." Thanksgiving encourages notions of American exceptionalism. "At the height of the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa , Americans had the audacity to claim a higher moral ground than the apartheid government."

What Happy Thanksgiving?
by Netfa Freeman

"Thanksgiving is literally the celebration of a massacre of a whole people."

There's nothing like one-o-them home cooked meals by Momma.

Just the thought of extended family getting together and partaking in the bonding ritual of a feast, is enough to bring a nostalgic tear to the eye. And when something becomes a tradition it can be hard to break from, even if its roots prove to be decadent and warped.

Even though many African people (any person of African descent) in the United States know not to recognize Columbus Day, we have yet to renounce Thanksgiving and we neglect its true historical significance. Who can deny that Columbus was nothing more than a colonial pirate who stumbled, lost and starving, onto the shores of this continent? He would have certainly perished if it weren't for his indigenous rescuers, whom he repaid with plunder, pillage and enslavement.

We take comfort in knowing that he wasn't from Africa, and that the likes of him committed in essence the same assault on Africa . But doesn't Thanksgiving have the same decadent origins? How absurd is it for Black people/Africans to recognize Thanksgiving as anything other than a "celebration in the taking."

In discussions about why African-"Americans" can honor this tradition of forgotten origins it is common to hear proclamations about how it has now become "a time for family and friends; a time to be thankful for the blessings in our lives." After all, what purpose does it serve to dwell on the past?

" Columbus was nothing more than a colonial pirate."
Consider this, African people. Someone murders a family and is demented enough to commemorate the atrocity, declaring it a thankful occasion. As years go by the offspring of the murderers-who have since all died-invite you to also give thanks on this occasion, while the survivors are never given the opportunity to have closure or redress. Everyone encourages them that this should now become a thankful time and for them to forgive and forget the historical truth behind the occasion.

Maybe we don't realize that Thanksgiving is literally the celebration of a massacre of a whole people. This is shown as a 1623 Thanksgiving sermon in Plymouth Massachusetts "gave special thanks to God for the devastating plague of smallpox that destroyed the majority of the Wampanoag Indians. He praised God for eliminating "chiefly young men and children, the very seeds of increase, thus clearing the forests to make way for a better growth.'" (Dr. Felipe de Ortego y Gasca, Thanksgiving in America, November 1991) The smallpox was intentionally passed to the Wampanoag, one of the earliest perpetrations of biological warfare.

Maybe African descendants in the US aren't primarily responsible for the theft of land or the genocide of indigenous people. But to insinuate that what happened and is still happening to indigenous Americans is a relic of the past makes one an accomplice.

It is not in the past that our indigenous sisters and brothers are still oppressed, still having land taken from them, and still experiencing "treaties" being broken.

It's not in some distant past that Native Americans are being subjected to all the symptoms of oppression: disease, homelessness, dilapidated and vermin-infested housing, substance abuse, inadequate education, unemployment, and police brutality. One of their freedom fighters, Leonard Peltier has languished as a political prisoner for nearly 30 years; framed in events provoked by an assault on Native people by the FBI.

"Smallpox was intentionally passed to the Wampanoag, one of the earliest perpetrations of biological warfare."
If our history of slavery as African people and the continued racist contempt for us still shows how far we have to go, then the settler-colonialist legacy and continued racist contempt for the fundamental human rights of North America's Indigenous people bears on the civic responsibilities of anyone who claims to be American.

We have no right to claim a land that is not ours no matter how much we worked and slaved to build it. This is especially true for those in the US who do not incorporate support for Indigenous people into the struggle for their own rights.

Malcolm X taught us that land is the material basis of all political and economic power for any people. When you take away someone's land, you take away his or her entire source of livelihood and right to sovereignty. We must recognize we reside here at the expense of our Native American sisters and brothers.

We even owe them a historical debt for often providing us with the only real refuge from slavery when some of us were able to escape. They have had their land stolen from them and we were stolen from our land. But if we are to stay and struggle here in America , then we should only do it in deference to them. We are obliged to speak out on their behalf on every platform, in every venue, at every opportunity before we ever make claims to this land, or better yet invite them to speak out for themselves.

How would we feel if the Boers of South Africa had proclaimed the Sharpsville Massacre as an event to celebrate with a "thanksgiving" ?

Doesn't the fact that America is as great as it is due to contributions --involuntary and otherwise-- from African people mean we have earned a piece of the pie?

"We reside here at the expense of our Native American sisters and brothers."
Consider this simple analogy. Let's say someone kidnaps you from your house. They take you to invade another person's house, abusing that person and locking them in the closet. After kidnapping you from your home and invading this other house you are kept to serve your captor and to help renovate this "new" house. Eventually your captor "grants" you freedom and allows you some nominal access to this new house. But-whose house is it really?

When the issue of America being stolen land is brought into discussions about African-American claims to this nation, it is common to be reminded by the establishment in the following manner: "We weren't the ones who stole it and the past is past and nothing can be done about it now."

We know how these discussions go. We've engaged in countless numbers of them. In our attempts to rehabilitate the integrity of African people in America and the world, we still have a long way to go.

We fought to institutionalize a Black History Month to counter the omissions and misrepresentations of us in America 's history. We've researched and published about the multitude of scientific and technological contributions our great minds have given to this and other societies. We have won affirmative action legislation and many of us have ascended social, economic and political ladders to become sport and Hollywood celebrities, corporate CEOs, mayors and congresspersons, etc.

However, we don't feel that we have the same obligation that white people have to recognize and act in practical solidarity with the dispossessed indigenous people of the Americas . Somehow our struggles have absolved us of all responsibility to work for true reparations for their plight.

"Whose house is it really?
We gotta keep it real, people. Our "American" hands don't seem so clean when we consider the history of some things we often regard with pride. While it's accepted that the Buffalo Soldiers did not participate in the massacres of Native Americans, they were still employed in "keeping the peace," building forts on reservations, making sure Native Americans stayed in reservations, and protecting white settlements. How many of us proudly display portraits depicting Buffalo soldiers in our homes or workplaces?

At the height of the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa , Americans had the audacity to claim a higher moral ground than the apartheid government. Even many Africans in America spoke out loudly of how backward South Africa was and how the US government and multi-national corporations doing business there should realize the disrespect to all people of African descent.

Apartheid was even compared to the Jim Crow laws we were subjected to in America , which were presented as an ugly "past." Many of us saw and see America as having moved beyond the U.S. version of apartheid.

As Jesse Jackson put it on July 18, 1984 at the Democratic National Convention, in San Francisco : "From Fannie Lou Hamer in Atlantic City in 1964 to the Rainbow Coalition in San Francisco today; from the Atlantic to the Pacific, we have experienced pain but progress as we ended America 's apartheid laws."

"Indian reservations have severely limited powers and as a result are subjected to severely limited justice."
But how could this be? It isn't even a perfect analogy. We are not indigenous to this land and are more equivalent in status to the so-called "coloreds" in South Africa . Our struggle and claims in North America do not speak to the nature of settler-colonialism as they do in South Africa . We conveniently overlook the real analogy here, the real disgraceful similarities between the US and South Africa . America makes a mockery of the meaning of democracy. An honest look at South Africa concedes that, while statues and laws have been abolished that enforced that system of racist segregation and deprivation of human rights; serious remnants of the inequality it sustained still persist. In North America , however, the situation of indigenous people has not even transcended to that level. The US ' form of apartheid can still be found.

In its strict sense the term apartheid originates from the Afrikaans (Boer language in South Africa ) word meaning "apartness" and in 1948 became the official name of the South African system of racial segregation. As South Africa is clearly not the only place in the world to practice such a system, the form it takes in other places of the world varies and contrary to what most people are led to believe is still practiced in the US against Indigenous people.

For example, Indian reservations are permitted a pseudo autonomy within the United States . While many have their own police forces, courts, and jails, they have severely limited powers and as a result are subjected to severely limited justice. One feature of these limitations is the fact that the federal government has the sole authority to investigate and prosecute almost all felonies. A recent story by The Denver Post exposed how this results in gross neglect of Native American victims of serious crimes and how Indian reservations are the only places in the US where the race of the perpetrators and/or that of the victims determines who has jurisdiction to handle cases.

"Our mutual oppression should mean a natural alliance between us."
Narrator for an episode of Bill Moyer's Journal, Sylvia Chase explains, "If a felony in Indian country involves two non-Indians, it is tried in state court. However, if either the assailant or the victim is an Indian, neither the state nor the tribe has jurisdiction. The crime must be tried in federal court." This particular feature of US apartheid has its roots in mutations of the Major Crimes Act passed by congress in 1885, which stipulates that major crimes committed by Indians in Indian country have to be tried in federal court.

With Native Americans still statutorily being deprived of their human rights, there should be no surprise why America gives so much support to the settler-colonial state of Israel . It is no different than Israel . They sympathize with Israeli settlers over the natural land and other human rights of the indigenous Palestinians.

Maybe the reason why Black people in this country don't want to give all due respect to the Native Americans is because they are afraid it might, in theory, mean moving back to Africa . The comforts some of us have come to associate with America just aren't home in Africa . Although, some of us here in America still suffer so that we honestly wouldn't see much difference between our state of underdevelopment in Africa versus that in America . Yes, there are living conditions in the US for both Indigenous and people of African descent that are tantamount to what are often referred to as "third world" conditions.

So, if anything, our mutual oppression should mean a natural alliance between us and our Indigenous sisters and brothers. An alliance, that we would be unjust to pay only lip service. We need to say loudly to them that Africa, not America remains our only legitimate homeland.

Netfa Freeman is the director of the Social Action & Leadership School for Activists at the Institute for Policy Studies. Mr. Freeman is a longtime activist in the Pan-African and international human rights movements and is also a co-producer/ co-host for Voices With Vision, WPFW 89.3 FM, Washington DC . He can be reached at http://us.mc812.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=netfa@hotsalsa.org This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The end

Posted on Reznews: November 26, 2008http://us.mc812.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=Reznews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
By: Larry Kibby - http://us.mc812.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=lkibby1@citlink.net
Elko Indian Colony, Nevada Larry Kibby - American Indian Poetryhttp://www.freewebs.com/lkibby1/index.htm

What every man wants for Christmas

As cousin Bonnie says, dream on:

The Lame Duck pres.

I suggest reading the whole article. A fitting good-bye to a bad president. Time online Bush's Last Days: The Lamest Duck By JOE KLEIN Joe Klein – Wed Nov 26, 5:45 am ET http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20081126/us_time/08599186230700 ..... "So I've been searching for valedictory encomiums. His position on immigration was admirable and courageous; he was right about the Dubai Ports deal and about free trade in general. He spoke well, in the abstract, about the importance of freedom. He is an impeccable classicist when it comes to baseball. And that just about does it for me. I'd add the bracing moment of Bush with the bullhorn in the ruins of the World Trade Center, but that was neutered in my memory by his ridiculous, preening appearance in a flight suit on the deck of the aircraft carrier beneath the "Mission Accomplished" sign. The flight-suit image is one of the two defining moments of the Bush failure. The other is the photo of Bush staring out the window of Air Force One, helplessly viewing the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina. This is a presidency that has wobbled between those two poles - overweening arrogance and paralytic incompetence."

ADHD, gift or curse - only your mother knows for sure

Well [New York Times online]

A New Face for A.D.H.D., and a Debate

By TARA PARKER-POPE
Published: November 24, 2008

When pediatricians diagnose attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, they often ask their patients whether they know anybody else with the problem.

These days, children are likely to reply with a household name: Michael Phelps, the Olympic superstar, who is emerging as an inspirational role model among parents and children whose lives are affected by attention problems.

“There is a tremendous, tremendous amount of pride — I got the impression sometimes that some of the kids felt like they owned Michael,” said Dr. Harold S. Koplewicz, director of the Child Study Center at New York University Langone Medical Center. “There is a special feeling when someone belongs to your club and the whole world is adoring him.”

But the emergence of a major celebrity with attention deficit has revealed a schism in the community of patients, parents, doctors and educators who deal with the disorder. For years, these people have debated whether it means a lifetime of limitations or whether it can sometimes be a good thing.

Children with the disorder typically have trouble sitting still and paying attention. But they may also have boundless energy and a laserlike focus on favorite things — qualities that could be very helpful in, say, an Olympic athlete.

For that reason, some doctors are pushing for a new view that focuses on the potential strengths of the disorder. Dr. Edward M. Hallowell, a psychiatrist and author whose books include “Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping With Attention Deficit Disorder From Childhood Through Adulthood” (Touchstone, 1995), says the current “deficit-based medical model” of the disorder results in low-self esteem.

“It’s not an unmitigated blessing, but neither is it an unmitigated curse, which is usually the way it’s presented,” said Dr. Hallowell, who has the disorder himself. “I have been treating this condition for 25 years and I know that if you manage it right, this apparent deficit can become an asset. I think of it as a trait and not a disability.”

The notion that a disability can be harnessed in a positive way is not a new concept. Last year, a study found that 35 percent of the small-business entrepreneurs surveyed identified themselves as dyslexic. The researchers concluded that dyslexia made them better communicators and problem solvers, more likely to delegate authority.

Dr. Hallowell says low-self esteem and low expectations result from the way the A.D.H.D. diagnosis is presented to children, parents and teachers. He tells children with attention deficit that they have the brain of a race car, and he wants to work with them to build better brakes.
“We want to tell children, ‘You’ve got a difference, but not a disease,’ ” he said. “Michael Phelps is one of any thousands of examples of mega-successful people, C.E.O.s and brain surgeons and famous writers, inventors and entrepreneurs, who have A.D.H.D.”

Other experts, however, say that while such success stories can be inspiring, parents need to know that their children face real risks. Research shows that children with attention deficit have different brain patterns from other children, and that they are more likely to drop out of school, be involved in car accidents and use illicit drugs.

“This reframing A.D.H.D. as a gift, personally I don’t think it’s helpful,” said Natalie Knochenhauer, founder of A.D.H.D. Aware, an advocacy group in Doylestown, Pa. “You can’t have a disability that needs to be accommodated in the classroom, and also have this special gift. There are a lot of people out there — not only do their kids not have gifts, but their kids are really struggling.”

Ms. Knochenhauer, who has four children with the disorder, says they too were inspired by the astonishing performance of Mr. Phelps in Beijing. But she added, “I would argue that Michael Phelps is a great swimmer with A.D.H.D., but he’s not a great swimmer because he has A.D.H.D.”

Dr. Koplewicz, of N.Y.U., agreed. “There are lots of children in the world who have chronic illnesses or disorders like diabetes, allergies or dyslexia who accomplish great things in spite of the fact that they have these disorders,” he said. “I worry when we say A.D.H.D. is a gift, that this minimizes how real it is.”

Michael Phelps’s mother, Deborah Phelps, says she has spoken openly about her son’s diagnosis because she wants other parents to seek out resources and support. Her son stopped taking A.D.H.D. medication at age 10. But today, Ms. Phelps is a national spokeswoman for McNeil Pediatrics, which makes the attention-deficit drug Concerta. (Dr. Hallowell and Ms. Knochenhauer have also consulted for McNeil; Dr. Koplewicz has no industry ties.)

Ms. Phelps, who is a school principal in Baltimore, says the qualities that often accompany the disorder are not always negative, although it may require extra effort and knowledge to help children harness their talents.

“You’ll find they are creative children,” she said. “They do have determination when you are able to work with them and be consistent. I want young parents to reach out and get assistance and not give up hope.”
well@nytimes.com

Thanks to Jay,

From The Nation online:

After leaving office ex-President Bush reportedly will head the American Red Cross where he will push for "vast forward-looking measures" dedicated to "helping future disaster victims help themselves" such as swimming and lifesaving classes for residents of low-lying regions.   --Edward Sorel

Now for the Contest:

ANNOUNCING... THE NATION'S RETIRE BUSH CONTEST!

THE QUESTION: WHAT WILL W. DO AFTER LEAVING OFFICE?
Send us your answer, disingenuous or otherwise, in 25 words (more or less). The winner will be chosen by a panel of fair-minded judges (Victor Navasky, Katrina vanden Heuvel, Richard Lingeman). First Prize is an original drawing, based on your entry, by famed New Yorker artist Edward Sorel.

Send your entry hereDEADLINE: December 31WINNER TO BE ANNOUNCED: January 12

Subscribing to this blog

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Cheers,

Bub

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Nov 22 08

Can't wait to get up before the sun on Friday and go shopping? Here is a dandy little Excel file that some industrious soul created to make your life a little easier. Save it to your computer, open it up and sort to your hearts content. The guy must be a saint. A twisted, consumer oriented saint.   SlickDeals.net has a constantly updated page with uploaded scans of all major Black Friday ads (located here), and the website also created a comprehensive Excel spreadsheet (located here) organizing all Black Friday items into one neat place, so getting a quick overview of items and prices won't require having to scan through tons of color ad pages.   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^   from a ZDNet blog http://education.zdnet.com/?p=1968&tag=nl.e623   Go ahead…Hang out on MySpace. Wait, what? Posted by Christopher Dawson @ 3:08 am   The MacArthur Foundation just released a study suggesting that, not surprisingly, given the integration of social media into business and modern culture, the time kids spend with so-called new media, is generally neither wasted nor particularly harmful. In fact, as one of the lead researchers points out in the New York Times, "It may look as though kids are wasting a lot of time hanging out with new media, whether it's on MySpace or sending instant messages," said Mizuko Ito, lead researcher on the study, "Living and Learning With New Media." "But their participation is giving them the technological skills and literacy they need to succeed in the contemporary world. They're learning how to get along with others, how to manage a public identity, how to create a home page." I have an interview scheduled next week with a student creating a podcast on social media in education. As she noted to me, often young people don't respond to emails anymore; send them a message through Facebook and they respond immediately. What does this mean for business? It means that Intel is on the right track with its business-oriented social media development efforts. In terms of the study, the Times again pointed out an important piece of the research that is worth the attention of classroom teachers: "New media allow for a degree of freedom and autonomy for youth that is less apparent in a classroom setting," the study said. "Youth respect one another's authority online, and they are often more motivated to learn from peers than from adults." The executive summary of the Foundation's whitepaper sums up the perspective nicely: Social network sites, online games, video-sharing sites, and gadgets such as iPods and mobile phones are now fixtures of youth culture. They have so permeated young lives that it is hard to believe that less than a decade ago these technologies barely existed. Today's youth may be coming of age and struggling for autonomy and identity as did their predecessors, but they are doing so amid new worlds for communication, friendship, play, and self-expression. Many of these technologies that are "fixtures of youth culture" are permeating business as well. Been on Twitter lately? Sure, there's plenty of garbage, but there are also important communities sharing ideas, business contacts, and developing their own brands (of course, there's another one of those new media buzz words, but it certainly fits). How about that election we just had? Barack Obama has almost 135,000 followers on Twitter. Again, a message from the study to administrators and teachers looking to integrate technology into the classroom: In the process, young people acquire various forms of technical and media literacy by exploring new interests, tinkering, and "messing around" with new forms of media. They may start with a Google search or "lurk" in chat rooms to learn more about their burgeoning interest. Through trial and error, youth add new media skills to their repertoire, such as how to create a video or customize games or their MySpace page. Teens then share their creations and receive feedback from others online. By its immediacy and breadth of information, the digital world lowers barriers to self-directed learning. Christopher Dawson is the technology director for the Athol-Royalston School District in northern Massachusetts. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.     HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH   But, that said, there is this: November 4th, 2008 Is George Ou right? Posted by Christopher Dawson @ 9:43 am Categories: Education Technology   Former ZDNet blogger, George Ou, is always good for a discussion of educational technology. As he wrote on my post yesterday ("Enough already with the Luddite schools"), I'm no luddite and I remember carrying an electric typewriter to a High School English class for a final so I can type faster in 1988 when barely anyone else typed anything at the time. However, computers were TOO much of a distraction for me personally because I'd do nothing BUT the computer and spend too much time on it instead of studying what I should have been studying. I have a lot of respect for George (he's forgotten more about computer networking than I'll ever know) and his educational background. As he's noted before, during the first two years he spent in primary school in a mud hut in rural China, he learned more math than he needed through the sixth grade when he came to the States.   We had a fairly wide-ranging talk this morning about tech in schools, but particularly on my perspective that kids should be introduced to a variety of broad computing skills (from programming to social media) at a very early age. His take? To paraphrase, programming: possibly, social media: no.   The question is, have I gotten this wrong? Was I off base to suggest that kids are better served by carefully (yet fully) integrated technology in the preK-6 classroom than they are to have the technology largely turned off in favor of more traditional education? George is certainly right in his assessment that computers can be, and often are, a distraction in class. What if, however, computers can be so woven into the fabric of instruction that they become a tool for a student just like pencil and paper, or just like computers in business?   Computers can be a distraction for all of us, but what if we were taught to use them rather than play with them from the minute we hit primary school? When George and I talked about the use of social media, he had serious objections to kids using toys like MySpace and Facebook in school. While I couldn't agree more, maybe I've been reading Jennifer Leggio's blog too much. I'm starting to see social media not as MySpace (which a lot of kids will tell you is passe anyway) but as the sum total of collaboration tools that could make the educational space richer and get kids and teachers working together in new ways.   The Classmate PC includes a robust software stack with teacher control of student PCs. Teachers can share, black out, message, and otherwise collaborate with their students in a controlled way. When students get home, they have plenty of time to work on computers in uncontrolled, often unsupervised, and generally unproductive ways. School, however, seems like the perfect place to teach kids to be really productive and innovative, even for youngsters.   George's points are well-taken; however, watching my own first grader's literacy be greatly enhanced through the use of software that not only helped identify weaknesses for his teacher to address (a mild speech problem was affecting his phonetics), but allowed him to move ahead of his class at his own pace in areas where he was stronger convinced me of the value of software in early elementary education.   No amount of hardware or software can replace a good teacher. However, I remain convinced that hardware, software, and well-thought out tools can help children learn in individualized ways and work very well within the context of solid classroom instruction. It's for this reason that I believe Intel's Classmate PC model can be really successful; it was designed to supplement classroom instruction rather than turn kids loose with a PC like the OLPC XO.   A followup note from George, 11/5/08 George sent me an email tonight to follow up on our conversation. I wanted to include the text as I think it not only clarifies his position on the matter, but lends some additional insight to this conversation: Just to clarify Chris, I would NEVER oppose more computer science education at any grade level. I was just saying that there was some merit to the traditionalist arguments for not using them in every single classroom based on our current understanding of computerized pedagogy. But saying that there is merit in this traditionalist education point of view does NOT mean that I don't see merit in your point of view. I think we should explore paperless classrooms because I believe that education can always be improved, and I certainly don't want you to have the impression that I was opposing you. In fact in our conversation yesterday, we both agreed that there needs to be some real research on how to best put computers to work in the education environment so we agree a whole lot more than anything we might disagree on. Like I said, I've seen and lived through both extremes and I see the pros and cons of both systems. I just want to make sure we avoid the pitfalls of either systems while adopting the best of both worlds. I'm sure that's the holy grail that we're all after. Thanks, George…talk to you soon, I'm sure (check back on Friday for some more serious consideration of paperless schools).   Christopher Dawson is the technology director for the Athol-Royalston School District in northern Massachusetts. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.     WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW     Here is the LU Libraries MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/harrisonlibrary   $$$######3333333333####$$$   From the Mother of all Mothers Mother Earth News online: Announcing the Encyclopedia of Life After 250 years, scientists are just getting started naming all of the species on Earth — though they've collected quite a bit of information so far — and the Encyclopedia of Life aims to collect all of the information about life on Earth in one place. Find out how you can use and help build this terrific online tool.   ******************   Also from Mother The other side of Environmentalism:   RANCHO CAPPUCCINO Philosophy and farming with publisher Bryan Welch. The Problem with Environmentalists 11/10/2008 4:33:03 PM By Bryan Welch Tags: environment, environmentalists, environmentalism BRYAN WELCH I would describe myself as a committed environmentalist. It's my passion and my work. I've covered our deepening environmental crisis as a journalist for 30 years and now I run magazines and Web sites dedicated to raising human awareness of environmental issues. My wife and I raise much of our own food on our little organic farm and we supply organic food to lots of other local families. Environmentalism is my passion, my career, my chief avocation.   I've watched the environmental "movement," if you will, grow from a radical, tie-dyed clique into a mainstream global consensus. I don't think we, as environmentalists, can take much credit for that however.   We have, for the last 30 years, been among society's least effective leaders and least pleasurable companions. In his 2006 essay, "Beyond Hope," Derrick Jensen claims that the most common words he hears spoken by environmentalists,everywhere,are "We're fucked."[1] He exaggerates, but he has a point.   Our attitudes reek of Puritanism. We are, often, dour, strict and humorless. We're judgmental. Behind most of life's simple pleasures we see unnecessary consumption, which we ridicule. Because humanity is responsible for environmental problems we are, ipso facto, all sinners and we find little joy in being human. We portray the giant global corporations as occult covens, and we burn their representatives in effigy in our own reenactments of the Salem witch trials. When our neighbors seem too moderate or abstract for our tastes — as the Quakers did to New England's 17th-century Puritans — we whip them out of the colony, at least figuratively, and we're not above discussing executions. (The Puritan authorities hanged four Quakers for their religious beliefs in Boston between 1659 and 1661.)   To say the least, we're no fun a lot of the time.   Maybe that explains why we've accomplished so little in the past 30 years. After all, we were right all along. Why has it taken popular opinion so long to catch up?   Well, for one thing, no one follows a pessimist. We've spent far too much time confessing our sins and assigning our scarlet letters. We've invested far too little time visualizing successful outcomes. [1] Jensen, Derrick. Beyond Hope. May/June 2006 issue of Orion magazine. Excerpted from Endgame, published in June 2006 by Seven Stories Press.   &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&   From: Reznews@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Reznews@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Larry Kibby Sent: Friday, November 21, 2008 12:36 PM DISCOVERY CHANNEL SHOW AN AFFRONT TO HAUDENOSAUNEE Dear Friend of Ndakinna, Last night Joseph Bruchac shared with the Ndakinna Board of Directors a communication he received written by Doug George-Kanentiio, husband of Joanne Shenandoah, respected Mohawk historian and featured speaker at the Saratoga Native American Festival. The letter was directed to the Haudenosaunee Nation Councils. The letter outlined Mr. George-Kanentiio' s connection with the creation of a program "entitled First Nations which [was] supposed to tell the story of the founding of the [Haudensaunee] Confederacy. " After much of the project was completed, the CEO who had approved the film was fired and a replacement brought in who hired a new editing team from Half Yard Productions and a non-Native script writer whose changes fundamentally altered the project's original vision. Indeed, Mr. George-Kanentiio' s states that "this person destroyed the story and in its place created a film which is full of distortions, lies and violence." The original producers of the show resigned in protest. Mr. George-Kanentiio showed the film "to Oren Lyons and a group of filmmakers and media professionals at Syracuse University .. . They agreed this was a bad film. Dr. Robert Venables also reviewed the film and told the producers he could not recommend that the episode be shown to anyone at anytime since it was a disaster in every way. They have ignored his counsel." Mr. George-Kanentiio' s letters to the current producers were ignored as was his request that they meet with the Haudenosaunee to discuss the episode. He has requested that his and Joanne Shenandoah's names be removed from the credits. This travesty will air on the Discovery Channel Saturday, November 22, at 9:00 pm. Contact information: First Nations producer for The Discovery Channel: John Ford (202) 662- 2862 Abby Greensfelder, President, Half Yard Productions (240) 223-2300 Please forward this to anyone you know who is as concerned as we are about the accurate and respectful representation of Native American culture in the media and popular culture in general. Peace, Michael Lambert For the Board of Directors The Ndakinna Education Center 23 Middle Grove Road Greenfield Center , New York 12833 (518) 583-9958 www.ndcenter. org   &*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&   The Onion takes a stab at religion:   I'm Not One Of Those 'Love Thy Neighbor' Christians By Janet Cosgrove Christian November 19, 2008 | Issue 44•47 Everybody has this image of "crazy Christians" based on what they hear in the media, but it's just not true. Most Christians are normal, decent folks. We don't all blindly follow a bunch of outdated biblical tenets or go all fanatical about every bit of dogma. What I'm trying to say is, don't let the actions of a vocal few color your perceptions about what the majority of us are like.   Like me. I may be a Christian, but it's not like I'm one of those wacko "love your neighbor as yourself " types.   God forbid!   I'm here to tell you there are lots of Christians who aren't anything like the preconceived notions you may have. We're not all into "turning the other cheek." We don't spend our days committing random acts of kindness for no credit. And although we believe that the moral precepts in the Book of Leviticus are the infallible word of God, it doesn't mean we're all obsessed with extremist notions like "righteousness" and "justice."   My faith in the Lord is about the pure, simple values: raising children right, saying grace at the table, strictly forbidding those who are Methodists or Presbyterians from receiving communion because their beliefs are heresies, and curing homosexuals. That's all. Just the core beliefs. You won't see me going on some frothy-mouthed tirade about being a comfort to the downtrodden.   I'm a normal Midwestern housewife. I believe in the basic teachings of the Bible and the church. Divorce is forbidden. A woman is to be an obedient subordinate to the male head of the household. If a man lieth down with another man, they shall be taken out and killed. Things everybody can agree on, like the miracle of glossolalia that occurred during Pentecost, when the Apostles were visited by the Holy Spirit, who took the form of cloven tongues of fire hovering just above their heads. You know, basic common sense stuff. But that doesn't mean I think people should, like, forgive the sins of those who trespass against them or anything weird like that.   We're not all "Jesus Freaks" who run around screaming about how everyone should "Judge not lest ye be judged," whine "Blessed are the meek" all the time, or drone on and on about how we're all equal in the eyes of God! Some of us are just trying to be good, honest folks who believe the unbaptized will roam the Earth for ages without the comfort of God's love when Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior returns on Judgment Day to whisk the righteous off to heaven.   Now, granted, there are some Christians on the lunatic fringe who take their beliefs a little too far. Take my coworker Karen, for example. She's way off the deep end when it comes to religion: going down to the homeless shelter to volunteer once a month, donating money to the poor, visiting elderly shut-ins with the Meals on Wheels program—you name it!   But believe me, we're not all that way. The people in my church, for the most part, are perfectly ordinary Americans like you and me. They believe in the simple old-fashioned traditions—Christmas, Easter, the slow and deliberate takeover of more and more county school boards to get the political power necessary to ban evolution from textbooks statewide. That sort of thing.   We oppose gay marriage as an abomination against the laws of God and America, we're against gun control, and we fervently and unwaveringly believe that the Jews, Muslims, and all on earth who are not born-again Pentecostalists are possessed by Satan and should be treated as such.   When it comes down to it, all we want is to see every single member of the human race convert to our religion or else be condemned by a jealous and wrathful God to suffer an eternity of agony and torture in the Lake of Fire! I hope I've helped set the record straight, and I wish you all a very nice day!   God bless you!   ####################

Nov 20 08

Feel like taking a little excursion on the Hippie time machine. This is a guaranteed "trip" man. Some classic music and documentary clips here. It is truly far out. I watched a lot of it on my computer at Netflix.   Festival Express(2003) R In the summer of 1970, a chartered train crossed the length and breadth of Canada, carrying some of the world's greatest rock bands as its passengers. Festival Express documents this historical journey. Follow The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, Buddy Guy and others as they live (and party) together for five days, stopping in major cities along the way to play live concerts.   @@@@@@!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!@@@@@@@   Why the hell not? I know everyone in Stillwater is just dying to hear my opinions!   ;?)   From The Nation online   Free Association: Low Power to the People! Larisa Mann Fighting media consolidation one radio station at a time.   ###################   Why we don't GET what Granger does. (He is DJing dance parties now, in addition to his radio program.)   This is a group in San Francisco. See if you can understand what they are talking about. Too many new terms for me. We ARE getting old. Some of us,anyway.   Surya Dub wins 2008 SF Bay Guardian Best of the Bay for Best Ambassadors of Dread Bass The Surya Dub crew continue to pave the way for new styles and sounds and along the way get a newly created section in the BestoftheBay.. Super thanks to our fans and supporters round the world for this! Here's what the Guardian says... BEST AMBASSADORS OF DREAD BASS "That cracked and funky dubstep sound surged through Clubland's speakers last year, an irresistible combination of breakbeats energy, dub wooziness, sly grime, intel glitch, and ragga relaxation. Many parties took the sound into uncharted waters, infusing it with hip-hop hooks, Bollywood extravaganza, roots rock swing, or "world music" folksiness. But only one included all those variations simultaneously, while pumping local and international live acts, fierce visuals, multimedia blowouts, and an ever-smiling crowd of rainbow-flavored fans: Surya Dub, a monthly lowdown hoedown at Club Six. The Surya crew, including perennial Bay favorites DJ Maneesh the Twister and Jimmy Love, and wondrous up-and-comers like Kush Arora, Kid Kameleon, DJ Amar, Ripley, and MC Daddy Frank on the mic, describes its ass-thumping sound as "dread bass," which moves beyond wordy genre description into a cosmic territory the rumble in your eardrums can surely attest to. Surya Dub keeps it in the community, too, helping to promote a growing network of citywide dubstep events and spreading their dread bass gospel with parties in India."   Got all that? *********** Lest we lose sight of that other, dirty, little war. There are still lessons to be learned. From The Nation online - Thanks Jay. The Vietnam Exposé That Wasn't Nick Turse : Vietnam War The untold story of US-perpetrated atrocities in Vietnam and how the press killed it. %%%%%%%%%%$$$$$$$$%%%%%%%% Onion Radio News Fit Of Anger Turns Dairy Farmer Into Beef Farmer *)))))*))))*)))))*)))))*   Elder Statesman? Where do they get off calling this kid an elder statesman? Why, I was puking my guts out at the Cain's ballroom while he was still in diapers! I'm not supposed to brag about that?  I guess that means I am not getting a State Department job?   Baseball star now a diplomat Ken Griffey Jr., one of baseball's elder statesmen, will travel overseas in his new government position. » Details   #$%#$%#$%#$%#$%#$%   Wanda's dishwasher quit working so she called in a repairman. Since she had to go to work the next day, she told the repairman, I'll leave the key under the mat. Fix the dishwasher, leave the bill on the counter, and I'll mail you a check. Oh, by the way don't worry about my dog Spike. He won't bother you.  But, WHATEVER you do, do NOT, under ANY circumstances, talk to my parrot!                                 I MUST STRESS TO YOU:  DO "NOT" TALK TO MY PARROT!!! When the repairman arrived at Wanda's apartment the following day, he discovered the biggest, meanest looking dog he has ever seen. But, just as she had said, the dog just lay there on the carpet watching the repairman go about his work. The parrot, however, drove him nuts the whole time with his incessant yelling, cursing and name calling. Finally the repairman couldn't contain himself any longer and yelled, Shut up, you stupid, ugly bird! To which the parrot replied, Get him Spike! See - Men just don't listen!   $$$$$$$&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&$$$$$$   Another tis the season notice: Watch out for those nasty fake "e-postcard" notifications. Snopes suggests going to the actual site of the post card company and then looking for the "card pick-up page" on the site and entering the ID code from the e-mail. Just don't go there by clicking on the link in the e-mail. You don't really want to become a spam-bot. Or do you? I have my suspicions, but I won't name names until the investigation is complete. shhhhh.   http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/postcard.asp   &*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&   Well, Balzac and I will have a lot of work to do to compete with this couple. Of course, Balzac and I will have a lot of work to do to get him to stop jumping up on everyone. Or, sitting, staying, etc.....   This is really a feel good video clip.   Enjoy,   Bub   The Dancing Dog tp://www.familytiez.com/video/gin.htm   888**********************************888    Sent by Jay From the Argus Leader Posted on RezNews   Thursday, November 20, 2008   Note From Reznews List Owner - Larry Kibby: So with the accusations of corruption looming over-head of Indian Health Service, I was wondering of the future of IHS. The proposed nomination of Former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle, who is very much aware of health problems that have impacted the tribes in his state I would almost be inclined to think that Daschle would be the more wiser to the general health problems facing all of  Indian Country, this nomination could be very good for Indian Country in the long run. I would hope he has the knowledge that Indian Cuntry needs more doctors and medical staff, not too mention more modern medicine and supplies, which hopefully won't be stolen.     The Reznews List Owner is not the author of the following news article, but is an actual news article that can be located at the following newspaper site and or press release location: http://www.arguslea der.com:80/ article/20081120 /NEWS/811200308/ 1001   Daschle to join Obama Cabinet Faith Bremner • Argus Leader Washington Bureau • November 20, 2008    WASHINGTON - Former Sen. Tom Daschle has been chosen to head the Department of Health and Human Services, likely making him the first South Dakotan selected to serve in a presidential Cabinet. Daschle's selection by President-elect Barack Obama could be more important in this administration than in some others, as Daschle is expected to be a key player in helping steer promised health care reforms. A deep knowledge of health care issues, easy-going manner and connections in Washington would make Daschle an effective Health and Human Services secretary, health care company executives, lawmakers and others said Wednesday.   Daschle was an early supporter of Obama's candidacy and was one of his top advisers during the campaign. Attempts to reach Daschle and members of Obama's transition team were unsuccessful. Daschle's appointment was not formally announced, but Democratic officials said the job was his barring an unforeseen problem as Obama's team reviews his background.   As news of Daschle's selection was made public Wednesday, South Dakotans and others close to Daschle reacted. "I hope this news is true because it would be great news for all those interested in health care reform," said Marshall Matz, a one-time aide to former South Dakota Democratic Sen. George McGovern and a lawyer who works on health care issues. "If anyone can fit this (health care reform) jigsaw puzzle together, it would be Tom Daschle." Becky Nelson, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Sanford Health, agreed. Nelson grew up with Daschle and talked with him shortly before the election about health care reform.   "He is a very pragmatic and inclusive individual," Nelson said. "That and his ability to solicit support for initiatives allows him to be an agent of change." Earlier this year, Daschle published a book about reforming America 's health care system. He called for creating a mostly private system regulated by an independent, nonpolitical government agency similar to the Federal Reserve.   "If (his ideas) are not too far out in left field, not too mandated and not limited to one (provider) - mainly the government - there's a possibility of (national) support," said Tommy Thompson, who served as HHS secretary from 2001 to 2005. "(Daschle) is a wonderful choice, and I'm happy for Tom, the (new) president and the country."   Overseeing $700 billion budget HHS has the largest budget of any federal agency. Last year, it received $707.7 billion and had 64,750 employees, according to its Web site. Its subagencies include the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It also oversees the Indian Health Service and Medicare and Medicaid. Daschle will face tough challenges, said Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., who sits on the Appropriations Committee. With two wars and a financial crisis sucking up federal dollars, there won't be much money to expand programs, he said.   It's possible Daschle would have to make incremental moves in his quest for a national health insurance program, such as adding money for the state-federal Children's Health Insurance Program or for community clinics, Johnson said. "In the long run, we are the only industrialized nation on the planet without some form of national health care strategy," Johnson said. "It's inexcusable for us to have no health care agenda."   Congress may make job more difficult Daschle also would have to deal with competing reform proposals in Congress, said Grace-Marie Turner, president of the Galen Institute, a conservative think tank that focuses on health care issues. Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, among others, all have health care reform agendas, Turner said. "It's going to be quite a challenge to deal with all of these competing priorities for a major health care reform agenda at the same time we have significant budget pressures that were not in place when all of these plans were developed," Turner said.   Daschle was the Senate Democratic leader when he was defeated in 2004 by Republican John Thune, who persuaded voters back home that Daschle was more concerned with Washington than with them.   Reviewing lobbyist connections Daschle stayed in the capital after his defeat, becoming a public policy adviser and member of the legislative and policy group at the law and lobbying firm Alston & Bird. Daschle isn't registered as a lobbyist. He advises clients on issues including health care, financial services, taxes and trade, according to the firm's Web site. Health care interests, including CVS Caremark, the National Association for Home Care and Hospice, Abbott Laboratories and HealthSouth, are among the firm's lobbying clients.   One area of review will include the lobbying connections of his wife, Linda Daschle, who has worked mostly on behalf of airline-related companies. Linda Daschle was acting administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration in the Clinton administration and is one of Washington 's top lobbyists. Her clients in the past year included American Airlines, Lockheed Martin and Boeing, Senate records show. Daschle's lobbying firm said Wednesday that she would be leaving the group at the end of the year.   Decision thrills Native Americans No one would welcome Daschle's appointment as HHS secretary more than Native Americans. For 12 years, tribes have been pushing to modernize the Indian Health Service. Again this year, legislation to update the service died in Congress, pushed aside by more pressing issues, said Stacy Bohlen, executive director of the National Indian Health Board, an organization that represents Indian tribes. "When he was (Senate) majority leader ... he was a champion for American Indian health care," Bohlen said. "He had an open-door policy. He had excellent Indian health care staff. He comes from a state where he certainly understands the urgency of reforms to the Indian health care system and the need for funding."   Although Daschle's ties to South Dakota aren't as strong as they were, heading HHS would help keep him firmly in the state's pantheon of successful leaders, said Ken Blanchard, political science professor at Northern State University . "He's a national figure now, for better or worse," Blanchard said. " South Dakotans will continue to look to him as one of our favorite sons and a success story. When he does come back, there will be a crowd, and not just journalists, for the rest of his career." Argus Leader wire services contributed to this report. Contact Faith Bremner at fbremner@gns. gannett.com.   About the job The Secretary of Health and Human Services, 10th in line for the presidency in the order of succession beginning with the vice president, supervises the Department of Health and Human Services. The department is the principal agency protecting the health of Americans. With 12 operating divisions and more than 300 programs, the department's responsibilities include public health, biomedical research, Medicare and Medicaid, welfare and social services. The department, originally called the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was created April 11, 1953. Source: www.hhs.gov  The end   ((((((((((((((((000000000))))))))))))))))))    My sis sent this. She assures me it works. Our remote doesn't work so I can't test it. Might be a good idea.   CAR KEYS   PUT YOUR EXTRA CAR KEY BESIDE YOUR BED AT NIGHT       Tell your spouse, your children, your neighbors, your parents your Dr office, the check-out girl at the market, everyone you meet. Put your car keys beside your bed at night. If you hear a noise outside  your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies.   This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this: It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain. It works if you park in your driveway or garage If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break in your house, odds are the burglar/rapist won't stick around... After a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want t hat. And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there .... This is something that should really be shared with everyone.  Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime. Could also be useful for any emergency, such as a heart attack, where you can't reach a phone. A lady has suggested to her husband that he carry his car keys with him in case he falls outside and she doesn't hear him.  He can activate the car alarm and then she'll know there's a problem.

Nov 19 08

Thought you might find this album interesting. Jeff Beck in concert. I haven't listened to the samples but can't imagine it could really be anything other that great. http://www.eaglerockent.com/e-cards/JeffBeck/index.htm   @@@@@@@@@@@@@   Don't forget the stuffed cat. Where's the stuffed cat? Is this anti-feline discrimination?   Thousands Gather For Stuffing Of Giant Rockefeller Center Turkey NEW YORK—'Lines were long but I wanted my son to be there when they peeled back the skin and threw salted butter and grease into the crowd,' said Dean Carlson     +++++++++++++++++++++++   Submitted to GovDoc-l by Larry Romans Head, Government Information and Media Services Political Science and Communication Studies Bibliographer Vanderbilt University Libraries   Letter from President-elect Obama regarding the EPA   John Gage National President American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO 80 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 Dear President Gage, I am writing to share my views with you regarding the importance of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in an Obama Administration. The mission of the EPA is to protect the environment of the nation. In recent years, however, the pursuit of this goal has slowed, and in some cases, has been jeopardized outright. This is due to the failed leadership of the past eight years, despite the strong and ongoing commitment of the career individuals throughout this agency. During this same period, inadequate funding for the EPA has resulted in the ineffective allocation of resources, thus weakening enforcement and oversight of many environmental laws and regulations that protect the American people. That's why I am committed to pursuing greater funding for the EPA so that its responsibilities are carried out. Clean water, land and air, and ensuring the health and safety of our citizens, especially children, will be high priorities in an Obama Administration. In addition, EPA was established to be the nation's leader in environmental science, research, and education - yet these are the three fields which have been damaged by politics and ideology. I strongly oppose attempts by the Bush Administration to thwart publication of EPA researchers' scientific findings, as well as the attempt to eliminate the agency's library system. In an Obama Administration, the principle of scientific integrity will be an absolute, and I will never sanction any attempt to subvert the work of scientists. Thank you, John, for all you and AFGE's members do for America, and for the protection of our environment. Sincerely, Barack Obama   ##########################   Mother Earth News online http://www.motherearthnews.com/print-article.aspx?id=74532 Make Safe, Natural Paint October/November 2006 Issue #218 By Bill Steen @@@@@@@@@@@@@@