Below is a roundup of news, politics science, and humor. I plan on doing this about once a week as long as people seem interested. I hope you enjoy.
This week I want to highlight three Congressional candidates supported by VoteVets.com.
Three Great Veteran Leaders
Tammy Duckworth needs no introduction - she sacrificed in service and returned home to become one of the great veterans' advocates in the House of Representatives.
Jim Mowrer is an Iraq War veteran running against xenophobe Tea Party ringleader Steve King in Iowa. He has a chance to win this November... with your support.
As an Iraq War veteran, Ruben Gallego has been a VoteVets State Captain for years and is the leading candidate in a race to fill an open Arizona House seat.
CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THESE THREE VETERANS RUNNING FOR CONGRESS.
And for those who know how important reforming the NY State Government is, we have a good year to win some key races that will make NY State the progressive state it should be. But we need your help: https://secure.actblue.com/...
More news, science and randomness below...
HEALTH, SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS:
Medical Experts vs. Big Agriculture: AMA Wants to Ban Antibiotic Use for Animal Growth Promotion
North Carolina takes a leading role in solar energy in the US: North Carolina adds 335 megawatts of solar capacity for total of 592 - ranking fourth in U.S.!
More info on the top 10 Solar States in the US: 2013 Top 10 Solar States
Carbon taxes...good for the environment AND the economy? B.C. put a price on carbon. What happened next will surprise you
Ranking the carmakers: America doesn't measure up in efficiency. Automaker Rankings 2014: The Environmental Performance of Car Companies
POLITICAL NEWS:
Senator Mark Pryor standing up for Medicare:
And Senator Pryor standing up for students:
(You can donate to keep Senator Pryor in office here).
The Article Google Doesn't Want you to see: Merrill's mess. Google has deleted this article from its European web searches. That means I consider it worth highlighting to you. (from 2007).
More Merrill Lynch scandal they don't want you to remember: (both before AND after the article Google deleted). My goal is to make the Merrill Lynch scandals MORE transparent to compensate the attempt of Merrill Lynch and Google to bury the scandals.
http://www.sec.gov/...
http://www.glassdoor.com/...
http://www.nytimes.com/...
http://www.cjr.org/...
Whole Foods and the great organic scam: Exposed: How Whole Foods and the Biggest Organic Foods Distributor Are Screwing Workers
The slippery slope part I: The Supreme Court has already expanded Hobby Lobby decision
The slippery slope part II: Hobby Lobby decisions [sic] reactivates gay-hating Kansas conservatives
In case we all forget, Hobby Lobby isn't the only right wing company to be refusing to cover women's contraception. Eden Soy caters to health conscious lefties but is run by a right wing president: Fundie President of Eden Foods Responds. Time to intensify the boycott of Eden Foods?
More on Eden Food's right wing agenda: Organic Eden Foods’ quiet right-wing agenda
Addressing sexism in Ghana? Lessons in girl power in Ghana's schools
HISTORY:
The liberal truth behind the Statue of Liberty! The Hidden Shackles and Chains on the Statue of Liberty
Speaking of the Statue of Liberty, my son and I recently discovered a neat connection between Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn and the Statue of Liberty. On top of Battle Hill, where George Washington was nearly trapped by the British at the beginning of the Revolution but managed to, um, "strategically withdraw," there is a statue of "Victory (as Minerva) saluting Liberty." This statue, built shortly after WW I (hence presumably referencing the victory over the Central Powers as well as over Britain in the Revolution) on the 144th anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn, is facing the Statue of Liberty, saluting her with an upraised arm. Liberty of course looks like she is waving her torch in response. (You can see pictures here.) Nearby is a memorial to the soldiers from NYC who gave their life for the Union in the Civil War (I love the unabashedly pro-Union sentiments in NYC). So in one place, the Revolution, Civil War, and WW I are all remembered on the site of the first battle of the Revolution. As an aside, a developer, in true NYC tradition, wanted to build luxury apartments at the end of 7th Ave in Brooklyn. He fought to build it nice and tall to maximize profits, but for once a developer overstepped himself and was turned down because his building would block the view Victory has of Liberty. So it is only a few stories tall (as can be seen in the pictures in the link above).
The shadow of a dictator cast over modern Indonesian democracy: Suharto casts shadow over Indonesia's election. The stability Suharto supposedly gave Indonesia makes him fairly popular among some in Indonesia, but here's a 1998 article discussing Suharto as a war criminal.
A Mexican-French war Frat boys don't get drunk over: The Pastry War: How a French Bakery Caused a War in Mexico
Born July 7, 1887: one of my favorite artists, Marc Chagall:
On July 9, 1942, the family of Anne Frank go into hiding in Amsterdam.
On July 10, 1925, Scopes Trial begins
Born July 11, 1767: John Quincy Adams, Sixth President of the United States (1825-1829).
RANDOMNESS:
Jon Stewart Moment: Mess O'Potamia
A real moment of Zen: The Ten Bulls was popular last week, so here is another version:
Why hate someone just because they are better protected against the sun than you are?
--my son Jacob commenting no racism
Great Quotes:
“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence”
--John Quincy Adams
From
BBC News: Today's African Proverb: (a universal proverb, perhaps?)
No matter how far a man urinates, the last drop always falls at his feet.
--Sent by Mohammed Nabila, Ghana; Kissa Albert, Uganda; Collins Osaghamwan, Nigeria; and Belinda N. Mike, Namibia
For last week's issue:
Mole's Cool News Roundup 12