How to recognize a civilized country.

Recent Comments

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  Erich Vieth on Welcome to Prom Night
  A lesbian high school student embroiled in a legal flap over her school's prom policy has received a $30,000 scholarship on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/19/ellen-gives-30000-to-cons_n_506465.html »
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  Dan Klarmann on Climate and Conspiracy
  So those who are publicizing the knowledge of global warming are those few with enough money to do so; those who are already in a position to make back their expenses and then some. This is supposed to be a surprise?Cap and trade may do little in the short term. But the precedent of monetizing waste products will force people to consider the long t... »
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  Niklaus Pfirsig on Using the U.S. census as a teachable moment
  Some suggestions for the Race-Other box: Indy 500 Tour de France Ironman Triathalon Rat Daytona 500 (or any other NASCAR event) Arms Three-legged Baja 1000 »
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  Niklaus Pfirsig on Climate and Conspiracy
  Dan, It would seem that way in a superficial sense, but the major proponents of anthropogenic CO2 as the major cause of global warming are those in a position to profit greatly from trading carbon credits as a commodity. The groundwork has already been laid for the open trading of carbon credits in commodity brokerages. The result of cap and trad... »
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  Dan Klarmann on Climate and Conspiracy
  Aren't you making my argument? Shall we trust the results presented by the multi-trillion dollar fossil fuel industry, or those of the the struggling, liberal, independent "green" studies?Again, who has the money and profit motive to spin climate results? »
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  Erich Vieth on Time to take a wide open look at U.S. policy regarding Israel
  Naomi Klein discusses proposal of a highly influential Israeli think tank:"[T]he Reut Institute, arguably Israel's most influential think tank, published a very controversial report about "hubs of delegitimization." It attempted to equate tactics of non-violent resistance—like the growing movement to use Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) to ... »
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  Erich Vieth on Geoffrey Miller’s “Spent”: an evolutionary psychology romp through marketing and consumerism
  Double display product:"So, here's the worst idea I've heard all week: Lip gloss that lets everyone around you know you're horny. 'The saucy slap changes from clear to deep crimson as the wearer feels frisky,' reports The Sun. 'It works by reacting with a girl's body chemistry. And each £12 tube comes with a colour chart so men can work out how ran... »
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  Erich Vieth on Amy Goodman talks health care and wars with Ralph Nader and Dennis Kucinich
  From the Independent:"Five years of occupation have destroyed Iraq as a country. Baghdad is today a collection of hostile Sunni and Shia ghettoes divided by high concrete walls. Different districts even have different national flags. Sunni areas use the old Iraqi flag with the three stars of the Baath party, and the Shia wave a newer version, adopt... »
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  Erich Vieth on Another anti-gay reaction formation
  From the Daily Dish:"It's not exactly startling to see that Karl Rove has denied he was aware his own father was gay, even as he guided the GOP into anti-gay wedge politics in the last decade (the Christianists, he coolly calculated, had potentially way more votes for the GOP than gays and their families). But it is important to note that it is unt... »
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  Erich Vieth on New graphically illustrated book is filled with sex and violence.
  "'Much to my surprise, the Islamic scriptures in the Quran were actually far less bloody and less violent than those in the Bible,' Jenkins says. Jenkins is a professor at Penn State University and author of two books dealing with the issue."http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124494788 »
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  Erich Vieth on Wikileaks struggles to stay alive
  "To the list of the enemies threatening the security of the United States, the Pentagon has added WikiLeaks.org, a tiny online source of information and documents that governments and corporations around the world would prefer to keep secret."http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/18/us/18wiki.html »
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  Erich Vieth on Using the U.S. census as a teachable moment
  Tim: My census arrived today (as you can see from my photos above). I did laugh at the note that accompanied the census:"Your answers will only be used for statistical purposes, and no other purpose."Understood, I think. But then tell me, U.S. government. How will those STATISTICS be used? As if a statistic is an end in itself . . . They trul... »
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  Erich Vieth on Using the U.S. census as a teachable moment
  My parakeet was apparently trying to tell me that much of the census form was for the birds.I think my parakeet was most distressed by the "race" question. Me too. If the government can present even one thoughtful scientist who can explain that "race" is a meaning concept, I would be willing to enter some information. Until then, the "race" que... »
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  Erich Vieth on It’s time to break the taboo and to talk frankly about human overpopulation
  Public service announcement run by GPSO: »
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  Erich Vieth on The so-called interview
  Check how Bret Baier interviewed President George W. Bush compared to the way he interviewed Barack Obama. Dramatic contrast.http://thinkprogress.org/2010/03/18/baier-bush-obama/ »
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  Brynn Jacobs on Climate and Conspiracy
  Niklaus, I couldn't agree with you more. The worst of the impacts of climate change are projected decades into the future. We have already begun to feel the impact of the end of cheap energy, and it's quite painful. These effects are here now, and by solving the energy problem, we will most likely have automatically solved the climate quandary. »
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  NIklaus Pfirsig on Morning Smoke
  Are you guys talking about my sainted great-great-great... uncle Nick? »
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  NIklaus Pfirsig on Climate and Conspiracy
  Here is a great illustration outlining the problem with the cap and trade concept. Dan, I have tracked medical research concerning autism since 1995 when my son was diagnosed. I've seen all types of unproven hypotheses and bogus "cures", but I have seen a very specific social dysfunction in research that is driven by corporate profit. Most medic... »
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  Mark Tiedemann on Climate and Conspiracy
  Dan,Karl seems to be suggesting that because grants are being handed out to people who research climate change (and global warming) their results are automatically suspect because they will fudge their research to guarantee continued grantflow.Unless one is a hermit on a hill doing research, money makes all conclusions self-serving and suspect. »
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  Dan Klarmann on Climate and Conspiracy
  Karl, is there any connection between my question and your answer? I can't figure it out.Have you bothered to peruse the evolution of climatological understanding over the last three decades during which global warming oozed from an odd idea that explains all the observations to a near certainty? »
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