Clipmarks | jklugman's Pops

Rick Warren Refuses To Condemn Proposed Ugandan Law T

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:28:34 GMT

clipped by: Spiritualmonkey
clipper's remarks: Rick warren is just another bigoted, hate-monger with a slick smile and easy grin.

But underneath it all is just another rich televangelist who wold make abortion illegal and put gays in camps if someone gave him half the chance.

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Rick Warren, the pastor who delivered the invocation at President Obama's inauguration, is once again on the defensive -- this time for his work with a Ugandan pastor who would like homosexuality to be punishable by death.

Newsweek tried to get Warren's reaction to the anti-gay work of Martin Ssempa, a Ugandan pastor who has come to his Saddleback Church multiple times. (Warren has distanced himself from Ssempa in general terms, saying the Ugandan minister does not represent him or his church.) Warren wouldn't reject the idea:

But Warren won't go so far as to condemn the legislation itself. A request for a broader reaction to the proposed Ugandan anti-homosexual laws generated this response: "The fundamental dignity of every person, our right to be free, and the freedom to make moral choices are gifts endowed by God, our creator. However, it is not my personal calling as a pastor in America to comment or interfere in the political process of other nations."

Tags: rick-warren, uganda, sexuality, death-penalty

Glenn Greenwald comments on Sue Myrick's calls for an investigation of CAIR

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:18:29 GMT

clipped by: enbar
clipper's remarks: I don't know the full context of this, but it's something I'd like to learn more about.

Clip Source: www.salon.com

Glenn Greenwald

GOP House members call for investigation of Muslim political activity

A group of House Republicans is calling for an investigation into whether a leading American Muslim advocacy group tried to "spy" on congressional offices by placing interns on key security committees.

Rep. Sue Myrick, North Carolina Republican, cited an internal January 2007 memo in which the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) discussed placing Muslim interns on Capitol Hill to "focus on influencing congressmen responsible for policy that directly impacts the American Muslim community."

That's consistent with what virtually every political advocacy group in the nation does; it's normally called activism and democracy. But because, in this case, it's a group of Muslims who are doing this, these House Republicans are depicting it as some sort of nefarious espionage plot against the U.S. that demands a criminal investigation.

Tags: activism, conservatives, gwot, islam, pluralism, politics, possible_blog_post, religion

List of threatened Arctic animals is growing

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 21:33:19 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: www.canada.com

Polar bears may be the most iconic Arctic creature threatened by climate change, but they've got plenty of company.

Hooded and ringed seals, Arctic foxes, ivory gulls, narwhals and Pacific walruses are also faring poorly as temperatures climb, say leading northern researchers, who report that climate change has "severely perturbed" Arctic ecosystems.

Little Hitlers

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:05:07 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad
clipper's remarks: Oh no, not again

Clip Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Encouraged by Silvio Berlusconi, groups of far-right vigilantes are patrolling the streets of Italy, awakening fears of a return to fascism

Wearing neo-fascist insignia, Gaetano Saya gives a salute at the first meeting of the vigilante Italian National Guard, in July

Gaetano Saya’s staccato voice rises to a near-hysterical pitch as he points skywards, jabbing his finger in the direction of four giant marble eagles with outspread wings that tower above the semicircular porticoes of Rome’s Piazza della Repubblica. “Look! There they are — symbols of the mighty Roman Empire. They are everywhere!”

Tags: facism

'Massive' ancient wall uncovered in Jerusalem

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:19:54 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: "This is the most massive wall that has ever been uncovered in the City of David," Reich and Shukron said in a joint statement about the find. It marks the first time "that such massive construction that predates the Herodian period has been discovered in Jerusalem."

It appears to be part of a "protected, well-fortified passage that descends to the spring tower from some sort of fortress that stood at the top of the hill," according to the joint statement.

The spring "is located in the weakest and most vulnerable place in the area. The construction of a protected passage, even though it involves tremendous effort, is a solution for which there are several parallels in antiquity, albeit from periods that are later than the remains described here."

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

The wall is built of enormous boulders, confounding archaeologists as to how ancient peoples built it.

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- An archaeological dig in Jerusalem has turned up a 3,700-year-old wall that is the largest and oldest of its kind found in the region, experts say.

Standing 8 meters (26 feet) high, the wall of huge cut stones is a marvel to archaeologists.

"To build straight walls up 8 meters ... I don't know how to do it today without mechanical equipment," said the excavation's director, Ronny Reich. "I don't think that any engineer today without electrical power [could] do it."

Archaeologist Eli Shukron of the Israel Antiquities Authority added, "You see all the big boulders -- all the boulders are 4 to 5 tons."

The wall is believed to have been built by the Canaanites, an ancient pagan people who the Bible says inhabited Jerusalem and other parts of the Middle East before the advent of monotheism. Watch report on the discovery of the ancient wall »

Tags: ancient, history, archaeology, jerusalem, science

If you have a paid holiday today, thank a union member

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 18:26:51 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: It's unlikely that we'd be working eight-hour days or have much of any time off if it weren't for hard-fought campaigns by sacrificial workers.

Clip Source: crooksandliars.com

If You Have A Paid Holiday Today, Thank A Union Member

In the United States, Philadelphia carpenters went on strike in 1791 for the ten-hour day

In 1864, the eight-hour day quickly became a central demand of the Chicago labor movement

In August 1866 the National Labor Union at Baltimore passed a resolution that said, "The first and great necessity of the present to free labour of this country from capitalist slavery, is the passing of a law by which eight hours shall be the normal working day

But

The United States is the only advanced economy that does not guarantee its workers any paid vacation time

European workers are legally guaranteed at least 20 paid vacation days per year, with 25 and even 30 or more days common in some countries.

The United States does not guarantee any paid holidays, but most rich countries provide between 5 and 13 per year, in addition to paid vacation

28 million Americans don't get any paid vacation or paid holidays.

Tags: unions

Devout Muslim dies after savage beating by 'race-hate' gang

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 22:06:59 GMT

clipped by: foxyarse
clipper's remarks: Three of the earlier victims were also pensioners. As local community tensions grew, police stepped up patrols near the Idara E Jaaferiya mosque where Mr Haque was attacked last Monday.

The culprits, who were black and wore hooded tops, are believed to be as young as 12.

Police say they are treating the attack on Mr Haque as racially motivated.

Clip Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Devout Muslim dies after savage beating by 'race-hate' gang in front of his granddaughter, three

The devout Muslim pensioner attacked by a race-hate gang of schoolboys died today.

Ekram Haque, 67, lost his fight for life a week after he was battered to the ground in front of his three-year-old granddaughter, Marian.

As revealed in today's Daily Mail, he suffered horrific head injuries in the assault outside a mosque in Tooting, South-West London, where he had just prayed.

As he and Marian waited for a lift, the gang ran up behind him and clubbed him around the head.

Two other worshippers chased the thugs away but Mr Haque - described by friends as a 'gentle giant' - had suffered horrific head injuries.

His granddaughter has been left 'very shaken and disturbed', said her father, Mr Haque's son Arfan. Graphic images of the attack were caught on CCTV.

Ekram Haque was beaten to death by a 'racist' gang outside a mosque

Witness to the attack: Mr Haque's three-year-old granddaughter Marian

Tags: racism, racial hate, hate crimes

In Seattle, thousands rally in favor of health-care reform. But not even the local media cover it.

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 22:27:57 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar

Clip Source: crooksandliars.com

I've been in California this week, but my friend Goldy back in Seattle managed to make it out to last week's massive rally in support of health-care reform.

There were several thousand people there, with only a tiny smattering of teabaggers opposed to reform. Goldy has photos and reportage on just how large the support for a public option was.

And yet, guess what? The media completely ignored the rally. Even the local paper -- the ostensibly neutral but in fact Republican-run Seattle Times -- ran not one single word about it.

Of course, forget about the national media bothering to report this, too.

They've been too busy telling us that the public option is dead because of the supposedly massive opposition to it created by teabaggers.

As Goldy says:

and nothing apparently is going to get the media to move from the well-entrenched meme that support for reform is steadily slipping as the public turns against Obama and the Democratic Congress… not even a show of force by the public itself.

Tags: healthcare, reform, media, coverage, rally, seatle, obama, change

The Age Of Megafires

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:00:21 GMT

clipped by: lifecyce1898
clipper's remarks: "You know, there are a lot of people who don't believe in climate change," Pelley remarks.

"You won't find them on the fire line in the American West anymore," Tom Boatner says. "'Cause we've had climate change beat into us over the last ten or fifteen years. We know what we’re seeing, and we're dealing with a period of climate, in terms of temperature and humidity and drought that's different than anything people have seen in our lifetimes."

They need some of our angry, know it all, bring on Armageddon clippers to set them straight.

Clip Source: www.cbsnews.com

(CBS) Professor Swetnam wanted to show 60 Minutes just how much has changed, so he brought Pelley to the top of Arizona's Mount Lemon. Two megafires there killed everything, even the Ponderosa Pines.

"As fires continue to burn, these megafires continue to burn, we may see ultimately a majority, maybe more than half of the forest land converting to other forest, other types of ecosystems," Swetnam says.

"Wait a minute. Did you just say that there's a reasonable chance we could lose half of the forests in the West?" Pelley asks.

"Yes, within some decades to a century, as warming continues, and we continue to get large scale fires," Swetnam replies.

Swetnam says that this is what we have to look forward to. He estimates, in the Southwest alone, nearly two million acres of forest are gone and won't come back for centuries. The hotshots are already planning for the next fire season. In 2006, the feds spent $2 billion on fire fighting, seven times more than just ten years ago.

Why Turn Sheep Herders into Potential Terrorists?

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:42:11 GMT

clipped by: nedhamson1
clipper's remarks: People who live in fear try to make a living and some try to be less fearful by making others fear them. Make any sense?

Clip Source: samuelnichols.blogspot.com

[Video]

Settlers Use Slingshots Against Palestinians

Settlers chased Palestinians off Palestinian land and then threw stones with slingshots at the Palestinians and internationals. These Palestinian shepherds are not trying to be provocative or antagonistic, but are simply trying to graze their flocks on land where there is food.

Tags: gaza, israe, palestine, unsanity

So where's your birth certificate, congressman?

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:26:33 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.politico.com

Last week, POLITICO asked the 11 House Republicans co-sponsoring the so-called birther bill — requiring presidential candidates to prove they were born in the U.S.— for copies of their own birth certificates.

It is not, of course, a requirement for members of Congress to either produce a birth certificate or be natural-born citizens of the United States.

But we decided to ask anyway:

The bill’s original sponsor, Rep. Bill Posey of Florida, is out of the country but sent this e-mail: “I do not have a copy of my certificate handy, because there is no constitutional requirement for it.” He says he'd authorize us to get it from the Bureau of Vital Statistics, though, and will present a certified copy if he ever runs for president.

Some of the six Texans co-sponsoring the bill had an easier time of it, since the Houston Chronicle had already asked for their birth certificates.

Tags: birth, politics

Why good teachers quit (hint: it's not just "burnout")

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 04:36:07 GMT

clipped by: enbar
clipper's remarks: This is a point I've made over and over again -- we live in a society that does not value education, period. We might pay lip service to the work teachers do, but at the same time, Americans tend to look down on teaching as a profession for "nice" people without a lot of ambition. They're not respected by students, by parents, by school administrators, or by the culture at large, and teachers are frequently used as convenient scapegoats for a whole range of societal failures. No wonder good people decide not to stay.

Clip Source: www.washingtonpost.com

Schools Need Teachers Like Me. I Just Can't Stay.

So why am I leaving?

When people ask, I tend to cite the usual suspect -- burnout. I just couldn't take it anymore, I explain.

Nationally, half of all new teachers leave the profession within five years, and in urban schools, especially the much-lauded "no excuses" charter schools, turnover is often much higher.

But there is more to those numbers than "burnout."

Another friend describes her struggle to make peace with the fact that a portion of the American public sees teaching as a second-rate profession. "I want to be able to do big things and be recognized for them," she says. "In the world we live in, teaching doesn't cut it."

I often feel the same way. Teaching is a grueling job, and without the kind of social recognition that accompanies professions such as medicine and law, it is even harder for ambitious young people like me to stick with it.

We are not used to feeling consistently defeated and systemically undervalued.

Tags: autobiography, commentary, education, opinion, schools, social_justice, teaching, via:friendfeed

Right wing healthcare protester taking a collection to pay medical bills

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:59:16 GMT

clipped by: lifecyce1898

Clip Source: www.washingtonmonthly.com

GLADNEY THE UNINSURED ACTIVIST.... Over the last few days, a conservative activist in St. Louis named Kenneth Gladney seems to have become something of a cause celebre in far-right circles. Depending on which version of events you choose to believe, Gladney either initiated or was involved in a scuffle at a town-hall event late last week.

Wait, the conservative opponent of health care reform, fighting (literally) to defeat a plan that would bring coverage to those who lose their jobs, lost his coverage because he got laid off?

Either way, the new right-wing cause celebre needs to take up a collection to pay for his medical bills because he doesn't have health insurance. It's a fascinating sign of the times.

watching the video

Protesters demand justice for man injured at health care town hall

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 22:18:54 GMT

clipped by: disenchantedcitizen
clipper's remarks: Tea Party member starts brawl in town hall during health debate, gets injured and is now asking for donations for health bills because he has no insurance.

Maybe this is how they think all Americans should pay their health care bills. Instead of putting an 'unfair' hardship on the poor health care providers, thereby cutting into their profits, we should instead ask for donations.

Clip Source: www.kansascity.com

Protesters are demanding justice for a man who was injured during fighting that erupted last week when audience members at a St. Louis-area aging forum began yelling about health care reform

Backers of Kenneth Gladney, 38, of St. Louis, gathered Saturday at the offices of the Service Employees International Union for an event organized by the pro-limited government Tea Party coalition.

The group claims union members attacked the politically conservative Gladney at the event two days earlier. But members of the union, which supports the president’s health care plan, say Gladney initiated the fight.

Gladney’s attorney, David Brown

told the crowd that Gladney is accepting donations toward his medical expenses. Gladney told reporters he was laid off recently and has no health insurance

Thomas the Transformer Engine

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:37:02 GMT

clipped by: enbar
clipper's remarks: The Ebay.co.sg auction (bit.ly/f9sZ2) for this item has expired, but it's still cool. Just in case anyone's wondering, that's not Thomas. The blue one is too long to be Thomas. I think it's probably Edward, but maybe Gordon. The red one is James and the green one has got to be Henry. I saw this because Airam F. (a.k.a. haraya) twittered about it (bit.ly/j7nEB).

Clip Source: likecool.com

	Tomas the Transformer!
	By Ben on Thu Jul 30 2009

It is Thomas The Tank, and also the Transformer. The Transformer is made up of three Thomas The Tanks: red, bule and green Thomas. Available in on eBay for all of $8.50 Singapore dollars(about $5). COol! More Pis after more.

Tags: children, funny, random_sh!t, toys