Eugenics compensation public hearing set for Tuesday

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Leaders in the N.C. General Assembly say that it is too early to evaluate the prospects of proposed legislation that would give reparations to people who were sterilized under a state-sponsored eugenics program.

Victims of the states sterilization program will attend a public hearing Tuesday afternoon at the Legislative building in Raleigh.

The hearing is to help lawmakers better understand what the victims went through when they were forced to be sterilized by the former North Carolina Eugenics Board.

So far, 132 victims have been confirmed or verified by the state, including 118 living victims.

A Eugenics Task Force, created by Gov. Bev. Perdue, filed a final report in January issuing $10 million for victims. That money would be handed out in a lump sum worth $50,000 to eligible recipients. They have until Dec. 31, 2015 to file a claim.

The Sterilization Victims Foundation continues to assist individuals who believe that they or someone they know may have been affected by the N.C. Eugenics Boards program. For information, call toll-free hotline 877-550-6013.

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Eugenics compensation public hearing set for Tuesday

Raleigh students' documentary highlights NC eugenics story

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RALEIGH -- Last week, on the opening day of the 2012 legislative session, lawmakers put one issue on fast track: a proposal to allow the state pay compensation to victim's of its former eugenics program.

Up in the galley on that opening day, were four students from Carnage Middle School in Raleigh.

These students have a special interest in this legislation.

The 8th graders recently won a the state title in a National History Day contest for their documentary on eugenics. They will now represent North Carolina in the national competition next month.

I thought how could the government have so much power? said Raaj Pyada, one of the 8th graders. That they would just pick one person and then sterilize them.

Throughout the process of making "Eugenics: North Carolina's Emerging Secrets," these students said they learned a lot about this practice, which continued through the 1970s.

What shocked me the most wasn't the sterilization in America, said student Viraj Rapolu, was that Hitler, when he incorporated it, he sterilized over 400,000 people and somebody said 'The Germans are beating us at our own game'.

These students are now watching government in action, as legislators work to right this wrong.

They really want the Democrats and Republicans to combine, which they are doing, said student Nimit Desai, and they really want to educate people about it.

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Raleigh students' documentary highlights NC eugenics story

Eugenics compensation bill passes House committee

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RALEIGH A House committee overwhelming approved a bill to provide compensation for victims of North Carolina's forced sterilization program.

Rep. Larry Womble of Forsyth County asked the committee to put North Carolina on the right side of history and approve the bill, which provides $50,000 to victims.

He made his first appearance at the legislature since a wreck in December.

News 14 Carolina's senior political reporter Loretta Boniti has the latest.

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Eugenics compensation bill passes House committee

Lawmakers to debate compensation for victims of eugenics program

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Updated05/22/2012 08:11 AM

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RALEIGH North Carolina lawmakers are set to tackle a proposal that would compensate victims of the state's former eugenics program. They're holding a public hearing Tuesday at the legislative building in downtown Raleigh.

The state House set aside its rules and allowed a eugenics compensation bill to be read. Now, it's up for debate and votes.

If approved, the bill would pay $50,000 to people who were sterilized against their will. Many lawmakers have already shown their support for the proposal.

I am very excited and this is an issue that I thought was appropriate for Democrats and Republicans to come together on, said Rep. Earline Parmon, a Forsyth County Democrat.

According to the North Carolina Justice for Sterilization Victims Foundation, 132 victims have been identified, 118 of whom are still alive. The foundation expects more victims to come forward if the legislature approves the compensation bill.

The public hearing begins at 2 p.m.

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Lawmakers to debate compensation for victims of eugenics program

House Committee Passes Eugenics Compensation Bill — North Carolina Public Radio WUNC

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Wednesday, May 23 2012 by Gurnal Scott

Eric Hodge: The House Judiciary Committee has passed a eugenics compensation bill that would pay money to victims and the families. Gurnal Scott reports

Rep. Larry Womble: I'm beginning to see some light at the end of this long journey.

Gurnal Scott: Forsyth County Representative Larry Womble -- slowed by injuries from a car accident last year -- came back to see the bill he sponsored through. It sets aside 10 million dollars to pay victims of forced sterilization 50 thousand dollars each. Representative George Cleveland of Onslow County was one of two committee members who spoke against the bill.

Rep. George Cleveland: I personally have a problem with compensation. People today paying for something that happened in the past I do not believe is correct.

Eugenics victim Elaine Riddick was upset by that.

Elaine Riddick: I mean that just brought the eugenics right back. The eugenics is alive in full force in North Carolina.

The House Finance Committee will consider the bill next.

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Eugenics victims move closer to getting compensatio

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RALEIGH The tears of eugenics victims and their weakened champion's return to Raleigh in a wheelchair made the House committee vote endorsing compensation for people sterilized under the auspices of a government board more emotional than a run-of-the-mill debate on a bill.

The meeting room was nearly quiet Tuesday afternoon as Rep. Larry Womble, a Winston-Salem Democrat, urged the House Judiciary committee to endorse $50,000 payments for eugenics victims as a moral right. The committee approved the bill to applause from the audience, and it now moves to the House budget committee.

From 1933 to 1974, a board created by the legislature ordered that "mentally diseased, feeble-minded or epileptic" people be sterilized. The board also ordered sterilized people who were poor or who were thought likely to have disabled children. Other states had eugenics programs, but North Carolina's was one of the most robust. The board authorized the sterilization of about 7,600 people. About 1,500 to 2,000 are thought to still be alive.

Womble has been fighting for compensation for victims for 11 years. He had to make a special effort to make it to Raleigh on Tuesday. He was gravely injured in a car accident last year that killed another driver. Womble has lost weight, his voice is weaker, and his legs are elevated in the wheelchair he uses.

"This is not a perfect bill," Womble started, almost in a whisper, "but it is a bill that separates North Carolina from the rest of the world."

Under the bill, people verified by a state Office of Justice for Sterilization Victims and determined eligible by the Industrial Commission would each receive $50,000.

The N.C. Justice for Sterilization Victims Foundation has identified 132 people as being sterilized under the board's auspices, and 118 are still living, said foundation executive director Charmaine Fuller Cooper.

The bill sets a Dec. 31, 2015, deadline for filing a claim. People alive as of March 1, 2010, would be eligible.

Womble urged unanimous support from the committee.

"You will be on the side of right," Womble said.

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Eugenics victims move closer to getting compensatio

Eugenics victims move closer to getting compensation

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srocco@newsobserver.com

With Rep. Earline Parmon by his side, Rep. Larry Womble wipes away tears as he tells his fellow legislators to do what's right and approve funding for the Eugenics Compensation Program during a House committee meeting on Tuesday, May 22, 2012. The committee did approve the bill to provide compensation for victims of North Carolina's forced sterilization program. Womble has worked more than a decade on this bill. This is his first time back in the Legislature since being injured in an automobile wreck in December 2011.

The tears of eugenics victims and their weakened champions return to Raleigh in a wheelchair made the House committee vote endorsing compensation for people sterilized under the auspices of a government board more emotional than a run-of-the-mill debate on a bill.

The meeting room was nearly quiet Tuesday afternoon as Rep. Larry Womble, a Winston-Salem Democrat, urged the House Judiciary committee to endorse $50,000 payments for eugenics victims as a moral right. The committee approved the bill to applause from the audience, and it now moves to the House budget committee.

From 1933 to 1974, a board created by the legislature ordered that mentally diseased, feeble-minded or epileptic people be sterilized. The board also ordered sterilized people who were poor or who were thought likely to have disabled children. Other states had eugenics programs, but North Carolinas was one of the most robust. The board authorized the sterilization of about 7,600 people. About 1,500 to 2,000 are thought to still be alive.

Womble has been fighting for compensation for victims for 11 years. He had to make a special effort to make it to Raleigh on Tuesday. He was gravely injured in a car accident last year that killed another driver. Womble has lost weight, his voice is weaker, and his legs are elevated in the wheelchair he uses.

This is not a perfect bill, Womble started, almost in a whisper, but it is a bill that separates North Carolina from the rest of the world.

Under the bill, people verified by a state Office of Justice for Sterilization Victims and determined eligible by the Industrial Commission would each receive $50,000.

The N.C. Justice for Sterilization Victims Foundation has identified 132 people as being sterilized under the boards auspices, and 118 are still living, said foundation executive director Charmaine Fuller Cooper.

The bill sets a Dec. 31, 2015, deadline for filing a claim. People alive as of March 1, 2010, would be eligible.

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Eugenics victims move closer to getting compensation

Largest FloroChip Mica Blend Floor Installed in New Eco-Friendly Retail Space

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Newly installed, beautiful Florock FloroChip Mica Blend floor is the largest Mica Blend floor installed ever.Chicago, Ill (PRWEB) May 23, 2012 The largest ever Florock FloroChip Mica Blend floor, manufactured by Crawford Laboratories, Inc., Chicago, Ill., was recently installed in the new two-story, 21,000 sq. ft. Nashville, Tenn., location of a privately-owned bookstore known for its green ...

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Largest FloroChip Mica Blend Floor Installed in New Eco-Friendly Retail Space

2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco First Test

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Motor Trend testing director Kim Reynolds mentioned the U.S.S. Iowa during a powwow the other day, and it got me thinking. The decommissioned battleship that served in World War II and beyond is being converted into a naval museum after it's towed from Richmond, California, to the Port of Los Angeles. The U.S.S. Iowa and its story rekindled memories of all those war books I read in school.

While I'm fascinated by war, I recognize its terrible reality -- unless we're talking about the 21st century car wars. There's a fierce battle raging in the U.S. midsize segment, an arms race that involves more than 10 legit models. But unlike real war, civilians actually benefit. Chevy is one of several top automakers who have brought in the heavy midsize artillery this year, and it's just fired off its latest round in the form of the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco.

Approached in a vacuum, the 2013 Malibu Eco is solid. It may as well be brothers with the Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid. Brothers in the sense that both sedans -- stuffed with unconventional powertrains -- are the base players of their respective lines. The Chevy runs the most recent iteration of the Belt Alternator Starter mild hybrid system christened eAssist. An electric motor rated for 15 horsepower and 79 lb-ft of torque is mounted straight onto the engine, driven off the ancillary belt. On the gas side, a revised 2.4-liter Ecotec inline-four with direct injection pushes 182 hp and 172 lb-ft. In case you were wondering, combined peak production does not magically equate to 197 hp and 251 lb-ft of torque. Precise power output depends on when the control electronics decide to phase the electric motor in to directly help the engine.

The eAssist getup works, but it's not always obvious, making us wonder how the average soldier, er, buyer will perceive the technology. The six-speed automatic is geared for fuel economy and uses a tall-for-a-four-cylinder 2.64 axle ratio. It's a mostly silky transmission, though it hesitates when downshifting during moderate to hasty braking. The 2.4-liter is also one of the slowest-revving mills we've flogged in years, as if it's carrying extra flywheel weight. Nevertheless, our Malibu Eco tester cracked off an 8.5-second 0-60 mph run and the quarter mile arrived in 16.6 seconds at 83.8 mph, handing the 140-pound-lighter predecessor (a 2010 Malibu LT -- 9.0 sec, 16.8 at 84.1 mph) its not-as-attractive behind.

Mat the gas pedal on surface streets or the freeway and electric assist may or may not come on, regardless of the air-cooled, 0.5-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery's state of charge. You may as well guess what accelerator pedal position and speed you'll need to trigger blended gas/electric power. The 15-kW-rated regenerative braking system does top off the battery amply, though. Speaking of braking, the brake pedal is hard and possesses a long stroke, but the depression to braking response relationship is otherwise convincingly linear.

Wind noise suppression is excellent but road noise was worrying -- so much so that it compelled us to do a sound recording. Out on the smoothest stretch of road we could find, the firm-riding Malibu Eco recorded a best of 23.8 sones and 65.8 dBA at a gentle 60-mph cruise. Our present D-segment yardstick/reigning Car of the Year Volkswagen Passat went through the same exercise, returning 20.8 sones and 66.0 dBA. It's unlikely the human ear will pick up 0.2 dBA, but the three-sone difference equals a 14.4-percent increase in loudness going from the five-banger Passat to the Malibu Eco. Low-rolling-resistance tires likely shoulder some of the acoustic fault, but I don't recall the Cruze Eco or Volt suffering nearly as much on marginally narrower rubber (215/55-17 vs. Malibu Eco's 225/55-17). Additionally, associate editor Scott Evans noted an unusual, vacuum-cleaner like battery-cooling fan sound issue during his first drive of the car. In an attempt to replicate, I had web production editor Carol Ngo shuttle me around at irresponsible acceleration rates as I listened for the sound from the back seat, but I could not detect what Evans did.

Overall, there's a good sense of quality in the fit and finish, with the weakest link being the flimsy release on the center console storage box. The large, highly legible buttons and hefty dials on the center stack are fantastic, the hidden cubby behind the screen and blue ambient lighting are neat touches, and the vibrant MyLink interface is incredibly easy to operate. The optional Pioneer nine-speaker sound system is well-tuned and audio playback quality is better than some luxury cars out there.

The interior dimensions grow and shrink from the last generation depending on where you look, but there's no getting around the Malibu Eco's 13.2-cubic-foot trunk, recessed hinges and all. Sans the battery, non-Eco Malibus will have 16.3 cubic feet, putting those versions in the upper echelons of the current midsize cluster.

Our assessment: Chevy's midsizer is almost there. Reynolds wrung the Malibu Eco out on the figure eight in 27.8 seconds at 0.60 average g (0.9 sec quicker than 2010 car) on test day, and then drove it back to the office. Pressed for his analysis, he declared it more suited for the figure eight than the real world -- damning praise for a midsize sedan. But he's right: the overdamped chassis could stand to loosen up, the car wanders a little too much when traveling straight, and can someone get rid of the chromed plastic? As a matter of fact, bring us the impending 197-hp 2.5-liter four and turbocharged 2.0-liter sport model and we'll lock-and-load the Malibu again soon.

2013 Chevrolet

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2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco First Test

Monitoring Begins on the Beaches of Lake Superior

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May 21, 2012 Updated May 21, 2012 at 12:45 PM CDT

Duluth, MN (Northlands NewsCenter) Monitoring of Lake Superior beaches will begin after Memorial Day.

The Minnesota Department of Health will be monitoring the water quality along the Lake Superior shoreline from Duluth to Grand Marais, which includes 39 public beaches.

Staff will be checking the water to detect the presence of E.coli bacteria or other harmful pathogens or contamination.

The samples will be analyzed once a week from the beaches, while samples from the most heavily used beaches will be analyzed twice weekly.

The results will be posted immediately to the telephone hotline and beach website at http://www.MNBeaches.org.

If E.Coli is detected in the samples and exceeds certain standards, MDH staff will post an advisory on the beach and issue public notices through the website. Typically, if samples exceed the standards, the MDH recommends no water contact.

Last year, of 755 samples taken, 13.5% of them triggered water contact advisories.

A significant part of the states coastal recreational waters have a risk of contamination from a variety of sources including, wildlife and pet feces, storm water runoff, sewer line breaks and overflows, failing septic systems, dirty diapers, waste discharge from boats, swimmers and anglers, and animal feeding operations.

Minnesotas Lake Superior shoreline has almost 80% public beaches or recreational water access points.

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Monitoring Begins on the Beaches of Lake Superior

Appeals court rules against Open Beaches Act

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Appeals court rules beaches act unconstitutional

With Memorial Day weekend just around the corner, the federal appeals court has made a big ruling on Galveston's beaches.

"This is the death knell for the Texas Open Beaches Act," said Jerry Patterson, Texas Land Commissioner. "This is not a good day for Texas."

Patterson said he disagrees with the federal appeals court ruling that the Texas Open Beaches Act is unconstitutional.

The ruling means that Galveston Island's west end beaches are now private and not open to the public.

This all started after Hurricane Ike eroded the beach, pushing the vegetation line -- the marker between public and private land -- up against homes.

Galveston waterfront property owner Carol Severance took it to court. She wanted the beach private, since it's so close to her home.

"If these people own this property, it should be their beach," beachgoer John Steed said. "Everything else not by homes should be open to the public."

Other beachgoers disagree.

"Are they going to fence off the beach? Because everyone walks the beach," beachgoer Judy Martin said.

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Appeals court rules against Open Beaches Act

Appeals court orders retrial in Galveston Open Beaches Act case

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GALVESTON - A federal appeals court Monday ruled that the Texas Open Beaches Act is unconstitutional in the case of a Galveston Island property, a ruling that puts the fate of Texas public beaches in doubt.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sent the case back to Houston federal district court for retrial, but said that few issues were left to be decided.

"What issues must now be determined, aside from attorneys' fees accruing to the appellant, is unclear," the three-judge panel said in a three-paragraph opinion.

Chief Circuit Judge Edith Jones and Circuit Judge Edith Clement relied on an April advisory opinion by the Texas Supreme Court that essentially said the Open Beaches Act does not apply on West Galveston Island if the beach is rapidly eroded by storms, known as avulsion, rather than slowly eroded.

Circuit Judge Jacques Wiener Jr. dissented.

The majority said that a provision in the Open Beaches Act that allows the public beach to move landward with erosion, known as a rolling easement, did not apply to property owned by San Diego attorney Carol Severance. Severance filed suit in Houston federal court to prevent the Texas General Land Office from forcing her to remove her house from the public beach as required by the Open Beaches Act. The district court threw out the lawsuit.

The appeals court disagreed, saying that forcing her to remove the house was an unreasonable seizure in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Texas General Land Office spokesman Jim Suydam declined comment until agency attorneys had time to review the decision.

Rolling easement 'dead'

The attorney who represented Severance, David Breener of the California-based Pacific Legal Foundation, said, "Severance is gratified that, after six years, the rolling easement is dead in Texas and its enforcement now recognized as a violation of her constitutional property rights."

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Appeals court orders retrial in Galveston Open Beaches Act case

The May 20, 2012 annular solar eclipse in motion | Bad Astronomy

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So yesterday was the annular eclipse of the Sun, and I held a live impromptu video chat on Google+ about it. I was joined by Pamela Gay, Fraser Cain, Nicole Gugliucci, and Jason Major, and we had a live video feed using astronomer Scott Lewiss telescope. It was way too much fun! Ive embedded the video at the bottom of this post.

We asked for pictures, and my Twitter feed overfloweth with them! Im collecting them to put into a gallery which Ill have up soon, but until then, watch this incredible video taken by John Knoll in his front yard in northern California:

Isnt that amazing? What happened is that all the overlapping leaves made thousands of tiny holes that sunlight could poke through. This acts like a lens, focusing images of the Sun through every hole its how a pinhole camera works. [UPDATE: Timothy in the comments below points out that some people were confused by my wording. I can see why; I had started to explain how a pinhole camera works then decided it was too distracting and instead just linked to Wikipedia. I didn't mean the pinhole is a lens, just that you get a sharp picture if you use one. I should've chosen my words more carefully.] You can read about the details of this on Wikipedia. Heres a similar video, too.

Ill have the gallery up soon, so stay tuned!

Finally for now, heres the live webcast recording. Ill embed it here, but note it took me a long time to get it set up and running. It really gets started at 17:23, and I suggest you skim around to see the cool stuff.

Related Posts:

- Ring of fire eclipse on May 20 - Followup: Supereclipse - Eclipse followup part 2: tons o links on how to safely watch

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The May 20, 2012 annular solar eclipse in motion | Bad Astronomy

Gallery: When the Moon ate (most of) the Sun | Bad Astronomy

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Phil Plait, the creator of Bad Astronomy, is an astronomer, lecturer, and author. After ten years working on Hubble Space Telescope and six more working on astronomy education, he struck out on his own as a writer. He's written two books, dozens of magazine articles, and 12 bazillion blog articles. He is a skeptic and fights the abuse of science, but his true love is praising the wonders of real science.

The original BA site (with the Moon Hoax debunking, movie reviews, and all that) can be found here.

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Gallery: When the Moon ate (most of) the Sun | Bad Astronomy

Eastday-Museum plan boosts astronomy

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SHANGHAI will build a museum to popularize knowledge of astronomy and showcase the latest astronomical achievements, local science officials told the International Symposium on the Popularization of Science in Shanghai yesterday.

Zhao Shiming, deputy curator of the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, said the local government and scientists are discussing details of the museum, to be the second on China's mainland after the Beijing Planetarium.

Whether entry will be free also is being discussed by officials.

"Visitors will feel like they are traveling in space, instead of watching a 3D or 4D film as is common in many domestic museums," Zhang said.

Also, officials said a new Shanghai Natural History Museum will be finished next year in Jing'an District.

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Eastday-Museum plan boosts astronomy

Mufti’s Office to hold forum on Islamic Astronomy

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Posted on May 22, 2012, Tuesday

KUCHING: The State Muftis Office will hold a forum on Islamic Astronomy or Falak Syarie 2012 this Thursday at Islamic Information Centre (IIC) Auditorium at Jalan Ong Tiang Swee.

The one-day event is organised together with Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) Sarawak and Tabung Baitulmal Sarawak.

According to a press release yesterday, Assistant Minister in the Chief Ministers Office (Islamic Affairs) Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman would be officiating at the forum.

The forums objectives are to create awareness on the principles and practices of Islamic astronomy, to highlight a more specific approach towards understanding syariah astronomy and to provide a platform to discuss and understand Islamic astronomy, especially among the younger generation, the organisers said.

Speakers at the forum will be Dr Azhari Mohamed from the Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia (Jupem), Ustaz Hanafiah Abdul Razak from Johor Muftis Department and Ustaz Mohammed Zakuwa Rodzali from Jakim.

The forum is open to the public.

For more enquiries, contact Razalie Hussaini at 082-242170 or Muhamad Zakaria Ashmat at 082-420798 or 082-420799.

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Mufti’s Office to hold forum on Islamic Astronomy