Tantric Sex: What Is It? EmpowHer (blog) Believed to date back more than 5000 years, Tantric sex is an ancient Eastern spiritual practice. Its purpose: enlightenment. ... |
Feature Film Review: The Kids Are All Right
A remarkable family drama with five endearing characters whose struggles and foibles are both genuine and touching.
Feature Film Review: Despicable Me
A spunky 3D animated feature that shows how a supervillain can follow his heart and be transformed from within.
Feature Film Review: The Girl Who Played with Fire
Another compelling installment in the best-selling Millennium trilogy.
Book Excerpt: Roots and Wings
Margaret Silf on taking time to reflect and absorb the living presence in wood, trees, and forests.
Edward Gonzalez for Congress – California, on "Libertarian Politics Live"
by Jim Lagnese, "Right Guy" blog
Edward Gonzalez is running for congress in the 16th congressional district in California. He is running as a libertarian in a race with no republicans.
We interviewed him on Libertarian Politics Live last night. Listen to it here. It was a good interview and those who are libertarian and libertarian leaning will find his positions refreshing.
Excerpts:
"I believe in the free market economics of Henry Hazlitt, Frederich Hayek, and Ludvig von Mises..."
"Our economy is a disaster. Let's put all the social issues aside, and concentrate on bringing our economy back."
"The social entitlements have failed California"
Gonzalez is a teacher at a private school in northern California and talks about his experience. He added:
"Completely, I would advocate the abolishment of the Dept. of Education..."
Note - It is yet to be determined if there will be a Republican write-in candidate on the ballot in this race. But Gonzalez sought the GOP nomination, as well.
Heavy Randian influence on a soon-to-be United States Senator
And we're not talking Rand Paul
From Eric Dondero:
Mike Lee is poised to be the next US Senator from the State of Utah. His election is now virtually secured, having won the GOP primary run-off.
Lee is firmly affiliated with the Tea Party, and has often referred to himself as a Constitutionalist. Now, we have firm evidence that at least among his staffers, there's a heavy Ayn Rand influence, as well.
From the SLC Tribune, Utah News, July 5 "Rolly: Mike Lee and the big tent theory":
When Curtis Mortensen, of Kaysville, tried to contact Lee to get a better idea of how he plans to represent Utah in the Senate, he had a good discussion with a campaign staffer who said Lee followed the personal-responsibility philosophy of author Ayn Rand, author of Atlas Shrugged, a legend among conservative, small-government advocates, whose followers also include former Fed chief Alan Greenspan.
Lee’s campaign manager, McKay Christensen, has listed Rand’s books as among his favorites.
So this shows flexibility in the campaign.
When ya ain’t got nothin’ else, resort to sliming your opponents
Remember George Allen and Macaca?
From Eric Dondero:
Democrats in absolute panic mode, reading the poll numbers, and seeing a massive Hurricane coming their way, are now going back to the only weapon they've got left in their arsenal; attacking Republicans personally.
From WaPo "Democrats digging harder than ever for dirt on Republicans" July 7:
Democratic officials are advising campaigns to hire trackers to follow their Republican opponents to public events with video cameras, ready to catch any gaffe or misstatement. And the Democratic National Committee last week issued a call to the public to submit any embarrassing audio or video of Republicans, as well as copies of their direct-mail advertisements.
Republicans don't need dirty tricks, "we just need C-SPAN"
Joe Sciarrino, Spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) told Libertarian Republican:
“After a failed $787 billion stimulus, record high unemployment, and a healthcare takeover that grows more unpopular by the day, this is clearly a Hail Mary as Democrats attempt to cling to power. It’s disappointing, but not surprising, that national Democrats are dredging the bottom of the barrel in an attempt to discredit Republican candidates campaigning to fix the problems Speaker Pelosi and her minions have perpetuated.”
Republican Party of Texas (RPT) spokesman Bryan Preston told Libertarian Republican:
"Once you get past the branding and hoopla, the Democrats' 'macaca campaign' shows how desperate they are. They're cornered on the issues and know that they're about to lose big, not just here in Texas but everywhere. They're scared to come home in August to face voter wrath before facing defeat in November. Their astroturf Obama activist army has been an unending source of embarrassment for them here in Texas, as we keep catching them pushing out outrageous messaging and fundraiser emails. Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden contribute their own gaffes nearly every day, like Pelosi saying that unemployment checks create jobs. Republicans didn't need trackers to get that one, we just needed CSPAN."
(H/t Memeo)
Obama deeper Under-water: Worst poll ratings ever on RCP
From Eric Dondero:
Fantastic poll number this morning for those of us on the Right (conservatives and libertarians): Obama is now under-water at Real Clear Politics. And not just barely. He's .3% under.
Real Clear Politics takes the culmulative average of all the major polls: Pew, Gallup, Fox News, CNN, Rasmussen, McClatchy, Bloomberg, ect...
Obama is currently at 46% approvals, with 46.3% disapprovals. This is the very lowest approval rating he's ever received. He came close to this only one other time, with 46.1% on April 11.
The LA Times has taken a look at the numbers and concluded that Obama's tanked with Independents, and mostly over Jobs. From the LA Times "Crucial independent voters abandoning Obama, now under 40%, lowest ever":
The worst -- from Gallup -- finds that for the first time since Obama took the oath, his support among independents, a key voter segment in his decisive 2008 coalition election win, has fallen below 40%. The new tracking finds that Obama's support among all voter segments has declined in the past year, but nowhere more than among independents.
Only 38% now support him, an 18-point drop from 52 weeks ago, when polls first began showing the nation's rapidly-growing population of independent voters peeling off, as Obama relentlessly pushed his healthcare plan and ignored polls saying jobs and the economy were uppermost on voters' minds.
Another interesting factoid: For the first time ever, every single poll cited by RCP is in the 40s, not 50s for Obama approval. Even Obama-loving Newsweek, CBS and Pew can only muster 47 and 48% approvals in their polls. All others are in the 44 and 45% range.
Republicans poised to Sweep the Board on Governors races
From Eric Dondero:
Could it be a clean sweep? It's starting to look so, with maybe one or two exceptions. Just about all the hot Governor's races where Democrats currently control the seats, are now trending GOP.
Ohio - the latest polls have John Kasich (photo with running mate) comfortably ahead by 7 points.
Pennsylvania - GOPer Tom Corbett has been consistently ahead of Democrat Onorato by 8 to 12 points. The seat is currently held by Democrat incumbent Ed Rendell.
Maine - Democrat Baldachi cannot seek a 3rd term. Republican Paul LePage - a working class libertarian-leaning GOPer - has a 7-point lead over his Democrat challenger.
Michigan - Easy Republican pick-up here. Congressman Pete Hoekstra (photo - above) has been leading the Republican pack. But every Republican in the race, including Mike Cox, scores well ahead of two likely Democrat nominees.
Tennessee - There's a nasty GOP primary race for Governor. But all Republicans are polling way ahead of a likely Democrat nominee.
Wyoming - A Democrat currently holds the Governship in this very Republican state. But that's about to change, with both Republicans vying for the position 15 to 20 points ahead of potential Dem opponents.
Colorado - Former Republican Congressman Scott McInnis (photo - above) from the Western Slope, appears well-poised to gain the Governorship.
Kansas - Another pick-up here, from the Democrat column. Held by Kathleen Sebelius, her Lt. Governor couldn't catch on. Republican Sam Brownbeck is comfortably ahead 15 to 20 points.
New Mexico - The Bill Richardson Governorship may be handed over to Republican Susana Martinez, who is 1% ahead of her Democrat challenger in the very latest poll.
Two more expected easy GOP pick-ups - Wisconsin and Oklahoma.
And now for some absolute Shockers...
We reported recently on Bob Ehrlich taking over the lead in Maryland over incumbent Democrat Martin O'Malley, by 3%. This is a huge development. Of all the Governors races, this one has the potential to symbolically emphasize the huge turn-around for the GOP. Maryland is the bluest of blue states.
And just this morning, news breaking out of another deeply blue state. In Oregon, Hedgehog is reporting that former NBA Star, Republican Chris Dudley (photo) has pulled ahead of Governor John Kitzhaber 41% to 40%.
There are only two states where the Democrats have a decent shot of picking up a Republican seat - California. The very latest poll has Jerry Brown above Meg Whitman by 1%. But other polls have had Whitman slightly ahead. The Dems have a better shot of picking up the Hawaii Governorship.
If the GOP keeps the California seat, (note there are a large number of undecideds in Ca), and all others hold, that could mean the Republican Party controlling as many as 38 Governorships after November.
Lastly, two wildcards: Massachusetts where Charlie Baker, currently behind incumbent Dem DeVal Partick by 5 to 7, is gaining steam, and Illinois where downstate conservative Bill Brady has a decent shot of picking off incumbent Dem Pat Quinn over Blagojevich scandals. If the GOP prevails with these two seats, that would bring the number up to 40.
If We Stop Spending, Will it Usher in the Great Depression?
By Evan Matthews, a Hoosier Libertarian
“Spend now, while the economy remains depressed; save later, once it has recovered. How hard is that to understand?”
Thus begins Paul Krugman’s June 20 article. The answer to his question is that it’s quite difficult if we are living in reality. When speaking in simplified, self-righteous rhetoric, this concept is [...]
Support for UC Merced med school grows – Fresno Bee
Support for UC Merced med school grows Fresno Bee A proposed medical school at the UC Merced has overwhelming support in the San Joaquin Valley, with a growing coalition ... |
Puff, the Magic Dragon?
A dragon-shaped cloud of dust seems to fly out from a bright explosion in this infrared light image (bottom) from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, a creature that is entirely cloaked in shadow when viewed in visible part of the spectrum (top). Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Penn State/DSS - Full Image and captionA dragon-shaped cloud of dust seems to fly with the stars in a novel image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope (bottom). In visible light (top), the creature disappears into the clouds -- perhaps it's "frolicking in the autumn mist" like Puff, the Magic Dragon, from the well-known Peter, Paul and Mary song.
The infrared image has exposed that this creature, a dark cloud called M17 SWex, is forming stars at a furious rate but has not yet spawned the most massive type of stars, known as O stars. Such stellar behemoths, however, light up the M17 nebula at the image's center and have also blown a huge "bubble" in the gas and dust that forms M17's shining left edge.
The stars and gas in this region are now passing though the Sagittarius spiral arm of the Milky Way (moving from right to left), touching off a galactic "domino effect." The youngest episode of star formation is playing out inside the grimy dragon as it enters the spiral arm. Over time, this area will flare up like the bright M17 nebula, glowing in the light of young massive stars. An older burst of star formation blew the bubble seen in the region to the far left, called M17 EB.
The visible-light view of the area clearly shows the bright M17 nebula, as well as the lustrous hot gas filling the "bubble" to its left. However the M17 SWex "dragon" is hidden within dust clouds that are opaque to visible light. It takes an infrared view to catch the light from these shrouded regions and expose the earliest stages of star formation.
The bottom image is a three-color composite that shows infrared observations from two Spitzer instruments. Blue represents 3.6-micron light and green shows light of 8 microns, both captured by Spitzer's infrared array camera. Red is 24-micron light detected by Spitzer's multiband imaging photometer. The bottom visible-light image is a composite of visible-light data from the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) from the UK Schmidt telescope. The image combines two observations that symbolize the blue and red light from the region.
For a more detailed feature story about the science in this image, visit http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/news/1143.
This image was taken before Spitzer ran out of its liquid coolant in May 2009, beginning its warm mission.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Spitzer Space Telescope for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at the California Institute of Technology, also in Pasadena. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.
For More information visit http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-225
Exclusive – Oval Office Watch – Friday, July 9 – Family Security Matters
 Los Angeles Times | Exclusive – Oval Office Watch – Friday, July 9 Family Security Matters Berwick, a professor at Harvard Medical School and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (a think tank), has expressed his disdain for free-market ... Health IT leaders praise appointment of CMS chiefGovernment Health IT With Donald Berwick's appointment, the doctor is (finally) inWashington Post While Congress is awayBaltimore Sun Politico -New York Daily News -WND.com all 877 news articles » |
Upping exercise in obese kids no answer – UPI.com
Daily Mail | Upping exercise in obese kids no answer UPI.com Researchers of the EarlyBird Diabetes Study, based at the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth, England, found physical activity had no impact on weight ... Inactivity's Role In Childhood Obesity DownplayedAHN | All Headline News Does fat lead to inactivity?NHS Choices Which Comes First, Inactivity or Childhood Obesity?TIME (blog) Telegraph.co.uk -BBC News -WebMD.Boots.com all 146 news articles » |
To catch a predator: familial DNA | Gene Expression
I already blogged this general issue, but the ‘grim sleeper’ murderer was caught because of a match of old samples with those of us his son. If I had to bet money I think this sort of result (California and Colorado are the two American states which have a system in place to allow for this) is going to allow for a push toward more widespread usage of the technique. It may be that we need to stop talking about privacy as if we can put off the inevitable future, and start talking about accuracy and precision with the data that is going to be easily available to authorities. By the way, I found this objection somewhat strange:
“I can imagine lots of African-American families would think it is not fair to put a disproportionate number of black families under permanent genetic surveillance,” said Jeffrey Rosen, a law professor at George Washington University who has written about this issue.
A disproportionate number of black families have relatives incarcerated. The American public does not seem particular worried about that. As I noted before, criminal behavior is not randomly distributed across families. Rather, there are distinct clusters, so familial genetic data is going to be more efficacious than you would expect if the commission of crime consisted of a sequence of independent events.
I have to add that worries about this technology strike me as a bit rich, in light of the fact that methods which are proven to be highly subjective and often inaccurate, such as fingerprinting and eyewitness identification, are accepted in the criminal justice system. I worry about what the state could do with DNA data if the state became malevolent, but despite its flaws it seems to me far preferable as a means of assessing evidence than some of the “tried & true” techniques. So let’s keep some perspective.
SIU School of Medicine celebrates 40th anniversary – The State Journal-Register
SIU School of Medicine celebrates 40th anniversary The State Journal-Register He is one example of “mission accomplished” for Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. The Springfield-based medical school was founded 40 years ... |
As a foreign refuge closes in Kabul, local mosques are at risk, too – Washington Post
As a foreign refuge closes in Kabul, local mosques are at risk, too Washington Post The most famous of all is Jalalladin Rumi, a 13th-century Persian poet, whose search for spiritual enlightenment and a direct, passionate relationship with ... |
What Kind of World Do We Want to Live In?
Ecosocialism and ecofeminism might be new phrases to some people, but they are growing movements in the United States. The U.S. is a latecomer to these topics in many respects because Ecosocialism is already an established movement in Europe and Australia and elsewhere. But finally the U.S. is starting to catch up. The video below was recorded at the U.S. Social Forum in Detroit that was held at the end of June. It was a workshop titled Building Ecosocialism and led by environmentalist Joel Kovel. Described as, “Meeting at USSF in which ecosocialist activists discussed commoning, ecofeminism, the destruction of capitalism, strategy, convergence.” (I have to admit to lack of familiarity with “commoning”.) Here is just one of many websites about ecosocialism.
Ecosocialism is a growing movement because many people are asking themselves the question “What kind of world do we want to live in?”
If you are born in the United States, it’s a given that you grow up with certain things drilled into your head. One is that buying and selling, capitalism, and profits, having a job to make a lot of money, is the purpose of life on the path to the American Dream. We are told that capitalism equals freedom, and it’s the natural desire of every human being everywhere. (This is how they sell wars to us too).
Then we are told that this system, which is built on pursuing money (a human invention) as a life goal, is the dream of people everywhere, so we must help them pursue it. Think about how unnatural that all is. The system is based on a cutthroat philosophy that some people get rich (those who are successful) and some people don’t, (those who are failures) so you should try very hard to pursue this life goal of having a “good job” (i.e., one that pays you a lot of money) is the dream of all people everywhere. On the path to this “success” you must buy and discard and buy and discard many things, some of which are status symbols, like expensive cars and expensive clothes and jewelry, etc.
Of course a LOT of people don’t pursue jobs just for money, but those other jobs are simply not as valued in the U.S. as much because we are a super-capitalist country. An investment banker in the U.S. is much more admired by many people than a scientist, who’s status is somewhere between garbage collector and public school teacher. (Many right-wingers want to destroy public schools). Look at the scorn heaped on James Hansen, NASA Scientist and climate change expert — if Americans have heard of him at all. Look at the climate change deniers and who they hate — scientists. (Look at who they revere — religious leaders, even the most fake and perverted.)
This is all due to cultural brainwashing, in my opinion. But eventually as people grow older they realize that other things matter a lot more than business, profits, denying science they don’t [...]
Beth Israel Pathologists Press for Personalized Medicine Training
Leading pathologists from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Harvard Medical School are among those advocating for making genomic and personalized medicine training part of all pathology residency training programs in North America over the next two years, according to “A Call to Action” published in the June issue of the American Journal of Clinical Pathology.
“No field of medicine has really taken this on, but there is a clear need for pathology to be out in front of this type of analysis in medical practice,” said Jeffrey Saffitz, M.D., Ph.D., BIDMC’s chief of pathology.
The suggested training curriculum would be modeled on that offered by the Genomic Medicine Initiative (GMI), which was launched by the BIDMC pathology department in 2009. “By July 2012, we want every pathology training program in the United States and Canada to have this program in place,” said Saffitz, adding that GMI officials have had discussions with CAP leaders about developing standards, as well as a funding model, for these programs.
The curriculum includes lectures on current genomic testing technology, including next generation sequencing, as well as analyzing what the results mean—both for patients and other medical providers. Pathology residents also have the opportunity to analyze their own genome.
An important component of the training program is to understand what current genomic technology can offer in terms of information. “We want the residents to have a clear sense of what the current limits of this testing are, even though this is changing daily,” said Saffitz. “But overall, the goal of the training is to demystify personalized and genomic medicine to our residents.”
