From the New York Times:
From the New York Times, article by Teresa Tritch, "How the deficit got this big"
How did we get into this deficit mess?
July 26, 2011
102 Comments | 
Barack Obama, Economics, Politics, President Obama | Tagged: Budget, Deficits, Economics, Politics, President Bush, President Obama | 
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Posted by Ed Darrell
Slowpoke Comics on the light bulb wars
July 24, 2011Oh, while we’re looking at the genius of Jen Sorensen, let’s see what she’s got to cartoon about light bulbs:
Jen Sorensen's Slowpoke Comics, "Bulb Wars" - for a larger image at Jen's website, click the image
This strip appears Wednesdays at Daily Kos, and I understand some newspapers around the country have picked it up. Does it appear in a paper in your city?
5 Comments | Cartoons, Conservation, Energy, Humor, Political cartoons, Politics | Tagged: CFLs, Energy Conservation, Green Politics, Humor, Jen Sorensen, Light Bulbs, Political cartoons, Politics, Slowpoke Comics | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Slowpoke Comics on debt ceiling ultimata
July 24, 2011At least one other person in the universe rather agrees with me that it’s odd as hell that anyone would take the debt ceiling issue to use as a bargaining chip.
Jen Sorenson tells the truth, the whole truth and little else, at Slowpoke Comics:
Jen Sorensen's Slowpoke Comics - Debt Ceiling (click image to read it full size at Jen's website)
What are the odds we can get the Dallas Morning News to carry this strip?
1 Comment | Cartoons, Humor, Political cartoons, Politics, Public Debt, Rampant stupidity | Tagged: Cartoons, Debt Ceiling, Humor, Jen Sorensen, Political cartoons, Politics, Public Debt, Rampant stupidity, Slowpoke Comics, Uncivil Discourse, Unreasonable Demands | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Famine in Somalia: ‘This is a race against time to save lives’ | Need to Know (PBS)
July 24, 2011About genocide and other political issues that lead to the deaths of tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands of people: We keep saying “never again!” When is never? There is famine today in Somalia.
Alison Stewart of PBS’s Need To Know:
This week, the U.N. declared a state of famine in parts of Somalia. Need to Know speaks with Adrian Edwards of the U.N.’s Refugee Agency about the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the region.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
Video: Famine in Somalia: ‘This is a race again…, posted with vodpod
[2014 Update: Video expired, no longer available for streaming. Story and some details, here.]
More, Resources:
- Can this be right? Kansas City Star commentary said 160,000 people die every day
- Voice of America: Somali central government condemns militants’ refusal to allow aid workers to help refugees (Somalia has a central government?)
Leave a Comment » | Africa, Current History, Disasters, Famine, Foreign Aid, Immigration, Politics, United Nations, War | Tagged: Current History, disaster, Famine, History, Immigration, Politics, Refugees, Somalia, United Nations, War | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Haunted by Santayana’s Ghost: FDR warns about Republican hypocrisy and sarcasm, from 1936
July 23, 2011A haunting by Santayana’s Ghost:
Was this a convention speech? I wonder when and where it was. Can anyone help?
_____________
Ha! In comments, SBH points us to the text of the speech. FDR addressed the New York State Democratic Convention, in Syracuse, on September 29, 1936 (Can you imagine — does any state have such thing still — state party conventions so late in the year, today?). He found it at UC-Santa Barbara’s American Presidency Project website. Here’s the text of the excerpt above, plus a little:
In New York and in Washington, Government which has rendered more than lip service to our Constitutional Democracy has done a work for the protection and preservation of our institutions that could not have been accomplished by repression and force.
Let me warn you and let me warn the Nation against the smooth evasion which says, “Of course we believe all these things; we believe in social security; we believe in work for the unemployed; we believe in saving homes. Cross our hearts and hope to die, we believe in all these things; but we do not like the way the present Administration is doing them. Just turn them over to us. We will do all of them- we will do more of them we will do them better; and, most important of all, the doing of them will not cost anybody anything.”
But, my friends, these evaders are banking too heavily on the shortness of our memories. No one will forget that they had their golden opportunity—twelve long years of it.
Remember, too, that the first essential of doing a job well is to want to see the job done. Make no mistake about this: the Republican leadership today is not against the way we have done the job. The Republican leadership is against the job’s being done.
Read more at the American Presidency Project: Franklin D. Roosevelt: Address at the Democratic State Convention, Syracuse, N.Y. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=15142&st=Roosevelt&st1#ixzz1T2VHx1tx
6 Comments | Democratic Party, FDR, Franklin Roosevelt, History, Politics, Republican Party, Santayana's ghost, Social Security | Tagged: American Presidency Project, Democratic Party, Franklin Roosevelt, History, Politics, Republicans, Santayana's ghost, Social Security, UCSB | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
DDT “costly for Uganda”
July 22, 2011To aid researchers looking for news from Africa on malaria and DDT, I’ll reproduce the entire news story from Uganda’s New Vision here. Stories from this outlet frequently trouble me, in the unquestioning way writers take quotes from people where a more probing reporter might be more skeptical. I am not sure of the status of New Vision among Uganda’s media, but it’s one of the few available to us here on a regular basis.
So, here’s the story, on DDT usage to fight malaria. A couple of points we need to remember: First, it’s clear that DDT is not banned in Uganda, and that DDT usage goes on, despite the crocodile tears of Richard Tren, Roger Bate, and the Africa Fighting Malaria, Astroturf™ group; second, this story relates difficulties in using DDT, including cost. It’s not that the stuff itself is expensive. DDT doesn’t work on all mosquitoes anymore, and it’s dangerous to much other wildlife. Malaria fighters must do serious work in advance to be sure the populations of mosquitoes targeted will be reduced by DDT — that is, that the bugs are not immune to DDT — and care must be taken to control the applications, to be sure it’s applied in great enough concentrations, and only indoors, where it won’t contaminate the wild.
Here’s the story from New Visions:
DDT spraying costly for Uganda
Tuesday, 5th July, 2011
By Raymond Baguma and Gerald Kawemba
INDOOR residual spraying as a strategy to control malaria in Uganda is too costly and has affected the programme countrywide.
According to Dr. Seraphine Adibaku, the head of the Malaria Control Programme, this is why other malaria control strategies such as use of insecticide-treated nets and Artemisinin-based combination therapy are considered to be ahead of indoor residual spraying.
The Government is implementing the indoor residual spraying using pyrethrum-based and carbon-based insecticides in 10 malaria-endemic districts in the northern and eastern regions.
They include Amolatar, Apac, Kitgum, Kumi and Bukedea.
“About three million people in the 10 districts have been covered. We have reached over 90% of the population,” Adibaku said.
She added that under the Presidential Malaria Initiative, the budget for indoor residual spraying is sh4.5b per district each year.
Adibaku said it would be much cheaper if the ministry distributed insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
She, however, said indoor spraying has an advantage of delivering immediate impact compared to treated nets.
Adibaku disclosed that the health ministry is re-evaluating the effectiveness of using DDT for malaria control.
Dr. Joaquim Saweka, the World Health Organisation (WHO) resident representative in Uganda, said indoor residual spraying is highly effective and has been successful in Zanzibar and Rwanda.
He, however, added that it is capital intensive and needs a lot of money for each application done twice a year.
Saweka cited his previous posting in Ghana during which a town of 300,000 inhabitants required $3m for spraying each year.
He said with the high cost of spraying and low financial resources available, Uganda needs to prioritise usage of insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
Saweka added that Uganda is on the right path to eradicating malaria with efforts in prevention, diagnosis and treatment as well as universal coverage of insecticide-treated nets.
Health minister Dr. Richard Nduhura yesterday kicked off a nationwide programme to distribute 11,000 bicycles to health volunteers who will diagnose and treat malaria in homes. The programme is supported by the Global Fund.
It is part of the Government’s home-based management of malaria, which is part of a larger national strategy to deliver treatment to children within 24 hours after diagnosis.
6 Comments | Africa, DDT, Entomology, Environment, medicine, Politics | Tagged: Africa, DDT, Entomology, environment, Malaria, medicine, Politics, Uganda | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Long time coming: Current insanity
July 22, 2011I get e-mail from a friend on the high desert plains of the Mountain West:
On the other hand, maybe if we hadn’t been so polite for so long, they wouldn’t have had reason to think they could get away with this sort of thing: holding the country hostage to their latest demands.
Fruitcake isn't all that's illogical, Robot Spock!
It’s been a long time coming, no doubt about it. You could say it started decades ago, with that famously loopy math: “Let’s balance the budget by cutting everyone’s taxes and spending more on the military! That’ll work!”
Was it ridiculous on its face? Of course it was ridiculous on its face. And here’s the scariest part: Things have gotten much worse since then! The fringe thinking that gave us the Age of Reagan couldn’t even get a hearing now from those who claim to worship him! Too “moderate.” Not “pure” enough.
They’ve got their own loopy math. Twenty-first-century loopy math. And their own economic theories, too — except that they’re not theories, they’re certainties. Matters of unshakeable faith. And since they’re certainties, why waste time listening to anyone else’s views on the subject? Expertise is overrated.
So they’ve got their own economics. They’ve got their own climate science, of course. They’ve got their own history. (Paul Revere, anyone? Slavery and the Civil War?) They’ve even got their own electoral history. (2008 was a glitch. Barack Obama isn’t really president.) What’s next? Their own geography? Their own gravity?
And we’ve let them get away with it.
20 Comments | Economics, Politics, Reason | Tagged: Current Angst, Economics, Politics, Reason, Zeitgeist | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
War on science, war on education: Evolution under fire at Texas education board
July 21, 2011Ryan at the Texas Freedom Network laid out the stakes:
Just a reminder about what new chairwoman Barbara Cargill — and her five “conservative Christian” allies on the State Board of Education — have in mind for the meeting this week:
I am a little bit concerned in looking at some of these science online supplementary materials. I looked at one of the links and there was a picture of a — a graphic of a human fetus next to a gorilla fetus talking about how they only differ by one amino acid. Therefore, universal common decent. So that is of some concern. And I am not quite sure if we are going to have the votes to overturn that. We will work diligently to rectify and correct some of that. But remember we lost a conservative seat, so we’re down to six.
In this unguarded moment, Cargill drops the double-speak and is honest about her plan for the first meeting over which she will preside as chair — pressure publishers to censor scientific information from their materials and to insert bogus information questioning evolution. And she knows exactly what her task is: to get the extra votes necessary to accomplish this.
Stay tuned to TFN Insider on Thursday and Friday as we give you a front-row seat at the contentious hearing and board vote.
Live blogging the meeting starting at about 10:00 a.m today at TFN Insider at at Steve Schafersman’s blog, from the Texas Citizens for Science.
More, resources:
1 Comment | Education, Evolution, Politics, Science, Texas, Texas Citizens for Science, Texas Freedom Network, War on Education, War on Science | Tagged: Education, Evolution, Politics, Science, Texas, Texas Citizens for Science, Texas Freedom Network, Texas State Board of Education, Textbooks, War on Education, War on Science | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Debt ceiling: Pure politics?
July 20, 2011Courtesy of some guy who goes by the handle Americus Paulytics:
Here’s the count of how many Republican U.S. Senators voted to increase the debt ceiling the last eleven times it’s been done
1997: 55
2002: 31
2003: 50
2004: 50
2006: 51
2007: 26
2008: 34
2008: 33Then Obama was elected.
2009: 2
2009: 1
2010: 0
Bill Clinton occupied the White House in 1997; George W. Bush lived there the next seven times the Senate voted. Is there a trend here?
Is that account of events correct?
Tip of the old scrub brush to Marion Young.
Leave a Comment » | History, Politics | Tagged: Debt Ceiling, History, Politics | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
August 3, 2011 – potential quote of the moment, Social Security
July 20, 2011
“If Social Security checks don’t go out on August 3, it’s just old people. You know how they are. They’re just gonna blow that money on medicine and hips.” – Jon Stewart
6 Comments | Humor, Politics, Social Security | Tagged: Humor, Politics, Social Security | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Drive-by Christian Broadcasting Network School of Law for Government Infiltration
July 18, 2011Do we need to add anything?
1,929 views when posted here.
Leave a Comment » | Humor, Politics, Video and film | Tagged: Humor, Michelle Bachmann, Politics, video | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Bathtub reading for a broiling July
July 18, 2011Make that a cold bath. It hit 107° F here Friday. 15th consecutive 100°-plus day? 17th? 200th?
Birds refuse to bathe in the bird bath — they’re saving it to drink. The sprinkler system misfired yesterday — had to kill the power to fix a kitchen light and the clock on the sprinkler got a few hours off — and we were alerted by dozens of bluejays broadcasting the news. “Water!” they screamed. Dallas isn’t supposed to be home to robins, but there were three of them dancing on the wet sidewalk with the jays, plus assorted other birds — house finches, mourning doves, white-winged doves, cardinals, and that little scamp, the Bewick’s wren. The woodpeckers declined to land on the ground. No room for grackles.
While soaking, and cooling, what do we read? In total chaos, or at least, in no particular order:
Cartoon by Chicago cartoonist John T. McCutcheon, 1909
- At the Chicago History Journal, a story of New Year’s, 1909, illustrated with a cartoon by John T. McCutcheon. In 1909, Chicago spent $1 million celebrating the new year. Why not? The Cubs had won their second consecutive World Series the previous summer. McCutcheon’s political cartoons appear everywhere illustrating the Gilded Age, the Age of Imperialism, the Progressive Era, the Jazz Age, the Great Depression and the run-up to World War II – but usually without any attribution to him. I was happy to find a trove of his material, making it easier to identify his work. See, too, Roger Ebert’s Journal. McCutcheon’s work gives insight into the Great Depression, too. Chicago celebrates McCutcheon almost as much as he celebrated Chicago; the rest of us ought to catch up.
- Reagan’s mythology leading us off a cliff? Paul Rosenberg of Random Lengths, lists the false myths about Ronald Reagan that, he says, poison political discussion today and bring Washington to gridlock. Oddly enough, Rosenberg’s piece got carried on the English Al Jazeera site. Is it true that Bill Clinton was more popular than Reagan? Maybe progressives should get a group up to start naming things after Bill Clinton; or maybe we should just name it the Ronald Reagan National Debt.
- Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman gives a sober assessment of Republican politics these days in his New York Times column: “Getting to Crazy.” Sez Krugman:
A number of commentators seem shocked at how unreasonable Republicans are being. “Has the G.O.P. gone insane?” they ask.
Why, yes, it has. But this isn’t something that just happened, it’s the culmination of a process that has been going on for decades. Anyone surprised by the extremism and irresponsibility now on display either hasn’t been paying attention, or has been deliberately turning a blind eye.
And may I say to those suddenly agonizing over the mental health of one of our two major parties: People like you bear some responsibility for that party’s current state.
- What if they made a movie about Sarah Palin, and nobody came to see it in Orange County, California, the heart of American Republican conservatism?
- The third return of a cancerous brain tumor took away her ability to teach, so she turned to writing children’s books. First one coming out in time for Christmas.
- Chutzpah, with the proper pronunciation: Republicans demand $55 million from the federal government for security at their convention, ‘AND PAY IT NOW!’
- If you’re discussing whether various states execute innocent people, an informed discussion better include Herrera v. Collins 506 U.S. 390, the 1993 case in which Texas won the right to execute an innocent man — innocence being not a good reason to reopen the case, the Supreme Court ruled. If God is punishing the U.S., I think this case may be why.
- Ed Brayton has a story with stirring video about another innocent man, this time who got out of jail.
- You voted for Obama, but he’s not given the performance you think he should have? So you’re thinking of voting for a third-party candidate? Read this. It makes Santaya’s Ghost smile.
- Planning to join Texas’s candidate for Saul of the Year Rick Perry at his pray-in? Don’t bring your gun. That means you, Mr. NRA!
- Speaking of people who don’t think President Obama is doing all that he should, Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project kicks off a new round of . . . information? September. Don’t be caught on the glacier.
- 100 songs that Messed with Texas (from NPR)
You can only read until your fingers get all wrinkly. There’s still stuff on the reading stack!
Another soak, for another time.
1 Comment | Cartoons, History, Humor, Music, Political cartoons, Politics | Tagged: Cartoons, Chicago, History, History images, Humor, John T. McCutcheon, Music, Political cartoons, Politics | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Hard truths about the debt ceiling and uncertainty in the Treasury market
July 16, 2011Two organizations provide information to Congress in an unbiased manner, with great care for accuracy and completeness of information: The Congressional Research Service (CRS), an arm of the Library of Congress, and the General Accountability Office (GAO), formerly the General Accounting Office. Both agencies share the unique status of being organs of the Congress, and not the executive branch.
Consequently, we and Congress should give particular consideration to a report issued by GAO on February 22, 2011:
Debt Limit: Delays Create Debt Management Challenges and Increase Uncertainty in the Treasury Market
GAO-11-203 February 22, 2011
Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 52 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)Summary
GAO has prepared this report to assist Congress in identifying and addressing debt management challenges. Since 1995, the statutory debt limit has been increased 12 times to its current level of $14.294 trillion. The Department of the Treasury (Treasury) recently notified Congress that the current debt limit could be reached as early as April 5, 2011, and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that under current law debt subject to the limit will exceed $25 trillion in 2021. This report (1) describes the actions that Treasury traditionally takes to manage debt near the limit, (2) analyzes the effects that approaching the debt limit has had on the market for Treasury securities, and (3) describes alternative mechanisms that would permit consideration of the link between policy decisions and the effect on debt when or before decisions are made. GAO analyzed Treasury and market data; interviewed Treasury officials, budget and legislative experts, and market participants; and reviewed practices in selected countries.
The debt limit does not control or limit the ability of the federal government to run deficits or incur obligations. Rather, it is a limit on the ability to pay obligations already incurred. While debates surrounding the debt limit may raise awareness about the federal government’s current debt trajectory and may also provide Congress with an opportunity to debate the fiscal policy decisions driving that trajectory, the ability to have an immediate effect on debt levels is limited. This is because the debt reflects previously enacted tax and spending policies. Delays in raising the debt limit create debt and cash management challenges for the Treasury, and these challenges have been exacerbated in recent years by a large growth in debt. In the past, Treasury has often used extraordinary actions, such as suspending investments or temporarily disinvesting securities held in federal employee retirement funds, to remain under the statutory limit. However, the extraordinary actions available to the Treasury have not kept pace with the growth in borrowing needs. For example, unlike the past, the amount potentially provided by the extraordinary actions for 1 month in fiscal year 2010 was less than the monthly increase in debt subject to the limit for most months of the year. As a result, once debt reaches the limit, Congress will likely have less time than in prior years to debate raising the debt limit before there are disruptions to government programs and services. This trend is likely to continue given the long-term fiscal outlook. Failure to raise the debt limit in a timely manner could have serious negative consequences for the Treasury market and increase borrowing costs. Also, some of the actions that Treasury has taken to manage the amount of debt near the limit add uncertainty to the Treasury market. In the past, Treasury has postponed auctions and dramatically reduced the amount of bills outstanding, which compromised the regularity of auctions and the certainty of supply on which Treasury relies to achieve the lowest borrowing cost over time. GAO’s analysis suggests that borrowing costs modestly increased during debt limit debates in 2002, 2003, and most recently in 2010. In addition, managing debt near the debt limit diverts Treasury’s limited resources away from other cash and debt management issues at a time when Treasury already faces challenges in lengthening the average maturity of its debt portfolio. Observers and participants suggested improving the link between the spending and revenue decisions that drive debt and changes in the debt limit. Better alignment could be possible if decisions about the debt level occur in conjunction with spending and revenue decisions as opposed to the after-the-fact approach now used. This practice, which is similar to practices used in some other countries, might facilitate efforts to change the fiscal path by highlighting the implications of tax and spending decisions on changes in debt. To avoid potential disruptions to Treasury markets and help inform fiscal policy decisions in a timely way, Congress should consider ways to better link decisions about the debt limit with decisions about spending and revenue. Treasury provided technical comments on a draft of this report, which GAO incorporated as appropriate.
Recommendations
Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from “In process” to “Open,” “Closed – implemented,” or “Closed – not implemented” based on our follow up work.
* * * * * * *
Matters for Congressional Consideration
Recommendation: The projections of a growing debt burden have raised concerns both in Congress and in the public. Well-designed budget processes and metrics can help as Congress and the President seek to address the federal government’s long-term fiscal challenge. The current design of the debt limit does not engender or facilitate debate over specific tax or spending proposals and their effect on debt. In addition, the uncertainty it creates can lead to disruptions in the Treasury market and in turn to higher borrowing costs. To avoid these potential disruptions to the Treasury market and to help inform the fiscal policy debate in a timely way, Congress may wish to consider ways to better link decisions about the debt limit with decisions about spending and revenue. Such a process would build on the approach used in 2008 and 2009 when Congress passed and the President signed three laws that were expected to increase borrowing with a corresponding increase in the debt limit. This report presents a number of approaches that could serve as a basis for better linking decisions about spending and revenue with decisions about the debt limit.
Status: In process
Comments: When we determine what steps the Congress has taken, we will provide updated information.
Use the links near the top of the report to get to the full report.
Pay particular attention to this, repeated from above:
The debt limit does not control or limit the ability of the federal government to run deficits or incur obligations. Rather, it is a limit on the ability to pay obligations already incurred. While debates surrounding the debt limit may raise awareness about the federal government’s current debt trajectory and may also provide Congress with an opportunity to debate the fiscal policy decisions driving that trajectory, the ability to have an immediate effect on debt levels is limited. This is because the debt reflects previously enacted tax and spending policies. Delays in raising the debt limit create debt and cash management challenges for the Treasury, and these challenges have been exacerbated in recent years by a large growth in debt.
Tip of the old scrub brush to Michael A. Ryder.
_____________
Wall of shame: Bloggers and others who do not have a clue
14 Comments | Economics, Government, History, Politics, President Obama, Presidents, Primary Source Documents, U.S. Congress | Tagged: Debt Ceiling, Deficits, Economics, GAO, Government, History, Politics, Treasury Market, U.S. Congress | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Friends of science and evolution: Testify next week in the Texas textbook process?
July 14, 2011I get important e-mail from the Texas Freedom Network; they’re asking for help next week to fight creationism and other forms of buncombe popular in Texas:
Science and the SBOE: One Week to Go
Next week, the Texas State Board of Education will take a critical vote on science in our public schools. We need people like you to make sure the vote is in favor of sound, well-established science.
Up for board consideration are science instructional materials submitted by a number of publishers and vendors who want their product used in Texas classrooms. Even before the board meets, far-right groups have been hard at work trying to ensure materials approved by the board attack and diminish evolutionary science and include the junk science of “intelligent design”/creationism.
The attacks include one from a little-know firm out of New Mexico, International Databases, which submitted instructional materials rife with creationist propaganda.
It gets worse. Far-right SBOE members last month appointed creationists with questionable scientific credentials to teams tasked with reviewing the materials and making recommendations to the board.
And new board chair Barbara Cargill upped the stakes when in a speech just last week she framed the debate over science as a “spiritual battle.”
The board will hold just ONE public hearing on the science materials. Your participation is crucial.
Please note: The deadline to sign up to testify is 5 p.m. Monday.
We must insist that the SBOE keep junk science – including “intelligent design”/creationism – out of our children’s classrooms. The board must approve only instructional materials that are accurate, that are in line with sound and well-established science, and that will prepare Texas children to succeed in college and the jobs of the 21st century.
Texas Freedom Network advances a mainstream agenda of religious freedom and individual liberties to counter the radical right. www.tfn.org | www.tfninsider.org | General: tfn@tfn.org
Tell a friend to subscribe to TFN News Clips, Alerts or Rapid Response Teams. Subscribers may choose the issue areas that interest them. To change your TFN subscription preferences – or to unsubscribe – click here.
Copyright 2010, Texas Freedom Network
Trying to carve out time here. Can you help?
Hearings will be most interesting. Support for the Texas State Board of Education actually comes, often, from the Texas Education Agency (TEA). TEA this week laid off just under 200 workers, to deal with the 36% budget chopping done to the agency by the Texas Lege. Word comes this week that curriculum directors at TEA were let go, including the director of science curriculum.
It’s rather like the first 20 weeks of World War II in the Pacific, with the aggressors advancing on almost all fronts against science. When is our Battle of Midway?
Information, resources:
2 Comments | Education, Politics, Regulation, Religious Freedom, Science Education, Separation of church and state, Teach Them Science.org, Teaching, Texas Citizens for Science, Texas Freedom Network, Textbook Selection, Textbooks, War on Education, War on Science, War on Smart | Tagged: Biology, Education, Evolution, NCSE, Politics, Regulation, Science, Teach Them Science, Teaching, Texas, Texas Citizens for Science, Texas Freedom Network, Texas State Board of Education, Textbooks, War on Education, War on Science | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Annals of Global Warming: Toles cartoon, seven years ago we were a decade overdue for action
July 14, 2011
A Tom Toles cartoon from 2004
Insert a definition of “filibuster” here.
Then pray for action.
Then call your congressman, and him/her to act, now.
_____________
Note on Tom Toles from the Department of Earth Sciences, G-107 Environmental Geology, Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI): “A political cartoon from the Washington Post on climate change. Tom Toles, a political cartoonist, often pens cartoons on environmental issues. His cartoons are often reprinted in other newspapers (Washington Post/Universal Press Syndicate).”
2 Comments | Cartoons, Climate change, climate_change, denialism, Environment, Environmental protection, Global warming, Political cartoons, Politics, Science | Tagged: Cartoons, Climate change, denialism, Global warming, Political cartoons, Politics, Science, Tom Toles | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Millard Fillmore's Bathtub 