Current Events - Archived

This page is dedicated to current events and issues of interest; the resources are internal and external, designed to educate and arouse discussion.

2007-12-26: Arctic Ice Gone in Just Seven Years? Forget 2030? U.S. Researchers warn that the northern polar waters could be ice-free in summer by 2013 due to increased melting.

2007-12-26: A Victory for the People Despite the U.S. and Canada Attempts to Undermine Global Climate Talks: Arriving in Bali, most countries wanted to work towards a new global treaty on climate change as well as new targets for carbon emissions by rich countries. But late last week, the US and Canada teamed up to undermine the talks -- the US blocked the whole Bali summit consensus, and when a smaller group of Kyoto treaty countries tried to move ahead without the US, they were blocked by Canada. The summit was in danger of deadlock... Thanks Marilyn Stewart.

2007-12-26: Al Gore's Acceptance Speech for 2007 Nobel Prize: Read Al Gore's sobering speech, or see the video version.

2007-12-25 Building Extension: Dave Symonds has made available this update on the building extension.

2007-12-01: UUUS Recycling Day(Garage Sale)Saturday, December 1, 2007, 9 am- 1 pm: UUUS Recycling Day(Garage Sale) was a success. Many of us were able to get rid of our old stuff, while others got some bargains. We were able to recycle old cell phones and take back some hazardous waste from our members to the landfill. A great bit of appreciation must go out to Kathy Anderson for organizing the event, and many other that helped out including Kim and Cleve Williams, Chris Reid, Martha Kirby, Arlynn Mueller, Kathy Parry, and others.

2007-11-28: Oviedo's Water Conservation Proposed Incentives: Read about Oviedo's plan to conserve water and the public response to a meeting that took place on 11-27.

2007-11-28: Hitler's Fuel The coal industry is actively working to get American taxpayers to subsidize coal to liquid (CTL) process used by Nazi Germany. The powerful coal lobby wishes to brand CTL an alternative fuel, although it generates twice the greenhouse gases that gasoline does.

2007-11-21: The ongoing Darfur genocide was covered again by PBS's premiere journalistic show, Frontline, concerning the inaction of the United Nations to stop it. The problems outlined included Russia and China's support of the Sudanese government, and the distrust and lack of support the U.S. has since its 2003 invasion of Iraq. Now grassroots organizations along with one improbable hollywood star are shaming the Chinese for the 2008 olympics, calling it the Genocide Olympics, reminiscent of the 1936 Olympics hosted by Nazi Germany, for blocking meaningful efforts to stop the killing. The full broadcast is available online for free- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/darfur/.

2007-11-21: Want to carpool to the UUUS to save gas, money, and-or the planet? Normally, Pastoral Care handles those who cannot get transportation but they are extending those efforts. Please see or e-mail someone from Pastoral Care.

2007-11-21: Want to join in our energy and water saving efforts? E-mail SocialConcerns@UniversityUUS.org to tell us what you are doing so that we can add it to our master list.

2007-11-09: Going Green- Getting to the Bottom Line – Consumer advocate and author Ralph Nader will be speaking at UCF from 1:00-230 on Friday, November 9th on the subject of Global Climate Change.   Location Psychology Building 108.  This speaker is offered through UCF’s Global Perspectives series.

2007-10-22: Global Warming: Planet's CO2 Production Surges Today, a new study found that atmospheric carbon concentrations are now increasing by 1.93 parts per million each year--the fastest rate of buildup since monitoring activities began in 1959 and considerably higher than the 1.58-ppm average for the 1980s and the 1.49 ppm for the 1990s.

2007-10-06: An Inconvient Truth... On October 7th, immediately following the Sunday talk, Jerrine Mullon, of ClimateCrises.net, will show us the film that impacted so many Americans as a simple truth. We will give away CFL bulbs after the movie.

2007-09-29: Put On Your Work Clothes... John McCormack is organizing a fun day? of work on September 29th. For details, see FUN DAY.

2007-09-09: Global Warming: Polar Bear Population Predicted To Dwindle WIth Retreating Ice Due to Global Warming, future reduction of sea ice in the Arctic could result in a loss of 2/3 of the world's polar bear population within 50 years.

2007-08-25: Green Steps: THE CONNECTION TO BE EMAILED TO ALL WITH ACTIVE EMAIL ACCOUNTS….
In order to be more environmentally friendly and to save on postage we are working on having the monthly Connection automatically emailed to anyone with an active email account. If you still want a printed copy to be picked up or mailed to you,  please notify the office.

2007-08-25: A SAD FAREWELL….We had a lovely Potluck after services on August 12th and “roasted” the two families who are leaving us for Gainesville!  We will surely miss Allan and Janet March, who have both given so much of their time and talents to our congregation, from the “hostess with the mostest” to the presidency! Shannon, Bill and Harrison Coleman have been equally involved, providing new insight, energy and ideas for the running of the congregation to paving the way as the first church administrative assistant.  Harrison has been the congregation’s baby...we all helped raise him!  We will miss you all and wish you happiness and success as you follow your dreams!  Don’t forget to visit us.

2007-07-01: FDA: Caving to Industry Pressure Despite 71% of Americans are against irradiated meat, the FDA is proposing sweeping changes that would relax labeling requirements. Irradiated meat has been linked to 2-alkylcyclobutanones, or 2-ACBs, which have been shown to cause colon cancer in rats. One of the things pointing out in this article is that spoiled meat can be treated and sold. Irradiation is banned in Europe.

2006-06-25: How much future sea level rise? More evidence from models and ice sheet observations A chilling look at the current models of warming on the earth. An interesting sidelight is how scientists have used satellites to measure the loss of ice sheets.

2007-06-24: Global Warming: Where are the Carbon Sinks? Forests in the United States and other northern mid- and upper-latitude regions are playing a smaller role in offsetting global warming than previously thought, according to a study appearing in Science this week.

2007-06-24: The Crystals Cave Project In Mexico, the biggest crystals on the planet form a still unexplored forest. An unreal world, beyond imagination, beyond dream. A cave with a temperature of 50° C and 100% humidity; an infernal place, where man can survive just a few minutes.

2007-06-24: G-8's Climate Failure While trumpeting yet more rhetoric on climate change absent action goals and timetables as a victory, the G8 leaders have failed to reach agreement on immediate emission targets to keep global mean temperature rise below 2 degrees compared to pre-industrial levels. The G8 meeting [news search] failed to gain concensus on a mandatory 50 percent reduction in global emissions. The US and Russia remained isolated in their refusal to accept binding emission cuts; as Europe and Japan embraced goals of cutting greenhouse gases by 50% by 2050. The Bush administration has evaded mandatory emission cuts saying they will "seriously consider" setting reduction targets with the rest of the world at a later date.

2007-05-16: Varieties of Faith & Reason, Part One Take two Open Source starts with Christopher Hitchens pushing his new book God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. The next night continues with the same topic with the Rev. Dr. A. K. M. Adam, Professor of New Testament, Seabury-Western Theological Seminary Blogger, AKMA’s Random Thoughts, and the Rev. Dr. Allen Dwight Callahan, Interim Associate Protestant University Chaplain, Brown University Professor of New Testament, Seminário Teológico Batista de Nordeste in Bahia, Brazil Author, Talking Book: African Americans and the Bible.

2007-05-16: Ishmael Beah: Boy Soldier Tough true story of a boy made soldier, brainwashed into a killer. The story is powerful one for all soldiers and people manipulated into murder by their leaders.

2007-05-16: Futuristic Car- 230 MPG Tired of spending a $100 to fill up your bloated SUV? Tired of car manufacturers selling new cars with the same outdated technology? Tired of hearing about Venezuela's Chavez, excessive taxes, and government regulations being blamed for high costs versus good old fashioned American greed? Consider buying Citgo gas, or maybe getting an Aptera or other fuel efficient car.

2007-05-15: Frontline: Spying on the Home Front - Frontline's investigation into federal spying on Americans is a chilling show- not so much that it could, or did happen in America, but that it is still going on.

2007-04-12: Fat - What No One is Telling You - With 66 percent of U.S. adults either overweight or obese, our girth is a serious public health issue. Yet many of us still view being overweight as a character flaw, a lack of self-control, or even a moral crime.

2007-04-12: UU Florida District Annual Assembly - April 27-29, 2007 - Attend the annual UU FDAA at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Clearwater 2470 Nursery Road, Clearwater, FL 33764 727-531-7704; Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Clearwater.

2007-04-12: Anti-Wrinkle Compound Causes Pathological Reaction In Skin Cells - Researchers from Université Laval's Faculty of Medicine have discovered that DMAE (a compound commonly used in many antiwrinkle products) causes a pathological reaction in skin cells as presented in the latest edition of the British Journal of Dermatology. DMAE (2-dimethylaminoethanol) is used in many antiwrinkle products dubbed "instant anti-aging face-lifts." This compound, as well as other chemically similar ones, are also found in cosmetics, creams, lipsticks, shampoos, soaps, and baby lotions, although the way they work is not yet understood.

2007-03-25: What's A Religious Liberal to Do? - Today, Rev. Marni Harmony delivered this excellent talk at the UUU. Rev. Harmony discussed George Lakoff along with Luther Adams, see Unitarian Sage Luther Adams Predicted Rise of the Religious Right.

2007-03-24: Juan Cole: Iraq War Critic and Scholar to Speak March 26 at UCF - One of UCF's more interesting speakers will talk at 7PM on Monday, March 26th in the Visual Arts Gallery located in the Visual Arts Building at UCF’s main campus. For more information on Juan Cole, see his blog- Informed Comment. Thanks Bettie!

2007-03-24: House Democrats Approve Additional 124 Billion Dollars Funding the Iraq War - Despite rhetoric and a clear outcry from Americans and Iraqis to America's occupation of Iraq, the Democratically controlled House approved an additional $124 billion dollars for the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, adding "timetables" for the president to meet for a 2008 withdrawal. Republicans fought any controls on the President Bush's handling of the war while anti-war groups reject continued war spending, wanting an immediate withdrawal. UUA President William Sinkford has addressed this very issue in An Open letter to Congress.

2007-03-09: NOW: Books not Bombs - Ignoring fatwahs and death threats, American Greg Mortenson has set up 58 schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan, some of them in Taliban strongholds. His goal is to teach children who previously had few, if any, educational opportunities. Through sheer determination, Mortenson has enrolled some 14,000 female students, many from conservative regions where girls are often barred from attending school.

2007-03-09: Global Warming: Greenhouse Gas Threat From Tropical Peatland Under Investigation - A leading environmental researcher at the University of Leicester is to head an international team to protect an area that stores up to 70 billion tonnes of carbon.

2007-02-27: Frontline: News War - Frontline examines news in America in a special four part series.

2007-02-25: Vegetables, Not Fruit, Help Fight Memory Problems In Old Age - Eating vegetables, not fruit, helps reduce cognitive decline in older adults, according to a study published in the October 24, 2006, issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

2007-02-25: Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic - Chalmers Johnson is an eminent UC Berkeley and UC San Diego scholar in Asian (especially Japanese) affairs, who predicted the 9-11 attacks in his book Blowback. Nemesis concerns the on-going destruction of American democracy through special interests in maintaining empire and how it ultimately destroys democracies. Democracy Now interview with Mr. Johnson.

2007-02-25: Warming Climate, Cod Collapse, Have Combined To Cause Rapid North Atlantic Ecosystem Changes - Ecosystems along the continental shelf waters of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, from the Labrador Sea south of Greenland all the way to North Carolina, are experiencing large, rapid changes, reports a Cornell oceanographer in the Feb. 23 issue of Science.

2007-02-25: The History of Utopia - The Children of Men was an excellent film about a horrible not so distant world where woman cannot get pregnant. But this show is more interested in the long history of Utopias (and dystopias, their evil twins) — and how they’ve always reminded us about our most urgent desires, dreams, fears, and obsessions.

2007-02-04: An Enlightened Evening Dinner On Feb 25, the First Unitarian Church offers an evening of Zen instruction and dinning, 5PM, $15 donation.

2007-02-04: America Civil Rights Movement (1896-1954) 1955-1968 are two links to the movement covered in Lisa Ruckman's excellent talk on Feb 4th, 2007, see the Audio Page to listen to an MP3 version.

2007-02-04: Biggest Diamond is 10 billion trillion trillion carats, versus the biggest earth based diamond of 546 carats from South Africa. The cosmic diamond is a chunk of crystallised carbon, 4,000 km across, some 50 light-years from the Earth in the constellation Centaurus. Astronomers named the star "Lucy" after the Beatles song, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.

2007-02-03: Finding May Unshackle The Potential Of Composite Materials In an advance that could lead to composite materials with virtually limitless performance capabilities, a University of Wisconsin-Madison scientist has dispelled a 50-year-old theoretical notion that composite materials must be made only of "stable" individual materials to be stable overall.i

2007-02-03: Health Science: Decoy Pill Saves Brain Cells, May Lead To Neuroprotective Drugs For Stroke And Alzheimer's Patients Tricking a key enzyme can soothe over-excited receptors in the brain, say neuroscientists, calling this a possible strategy against stroke, Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.

2007-02-03: What Did the New Congress Pass in the First 100 Hundred Hours? The New York Times graphic.

2007-02-03: Global Warming: Nanoengineered Concrete Could Cut Carbon Dioxide Emissions While corporations, governments and individuals balk at addressing their excessive CO2 emmissions, a group of engineers at MIT has researched the nanostructure of concrete, the world's most widely used material, whose production accounts for 5 to 10 percent of the world's carbon dioxide emissions. This research has found that concrete's strength is a function of its structure, not its materials, making way for different materials that won't contribute to further global warming.

2007-01-29: Caregivers Needed The newly forming Pastoral Care Team is in need of one or two more discrete, dependable people who could make a one year commitment to provide support and care to members of our Fellowship. They will receive 24 hours of training by mid-May and will need to be able to attend meetings twice a month on Friday or Saturday mornings. The work hours are flexible and will average about 10-12 hours a month.  Guaranteed: a fulfilling and rewarding experience! Call or email: Sylvia Friedman.

2007-01-29: Winter With the Writers is a popular event held at Rollins College in January and February where well recognized writers visit for a critique (typically held at 4PM) followed by a talk (8 PM). For more info see the link.

2007-01-15: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 1929-1968 Without question, Dr. King was one of the most important Americans of the 20th century. His leadership exposed legalized racial descrimination in the south. But like any history story, it becomes whitewashed in time. Please read the articles to see how things really were in the 1960s, see also Martin Luther King, Jr. (wikipedia).

2007-01-15: New Gene Uncovered For Late-onset Alzheimer's; Findings Replicated In Four Different Ethnic Groups An international team of researchers, led by Columbia University Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine and the University of Toronto, has uncovered a major new gene – SORL1 – implicated in late-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

2007-01-07: The New Congress Dr. Terri Fine's excellent talk on January 7this available under on "The New Congress" is available under the audio section.

2006-12-31: Gerald Ford Dies at 93 Many of us who lived through the time of Gerald Ford remember a far different man that what is now portrayed by lawmakers, talking heads and mainstream network media. Many of us remember Gerald Ford's questionable pardoning of Richard Nixon which has led to the current crises of unchecked executive power. Ford We also remember that Ford gave the go ahead and supplied American weapons for dictator Suharto's invasion of East Timor which resulted in the deaths of 200,000 people, see Ford Supported Indonesian Invasion of East Timor that Killed 1/3 of Population and East Timor Revisited- Ford, Kissinger and the Indonesian Invasion, 1975-76.

2006-12-27: Are You on the NewsHour's Guestlist? FoxNews fair and balanced? No one has to spend a millisecond considering that one, but what about PBS's NewsHour? Fair.org reports that, "Groups that generally enjoy exceptional access to public communications were particularly privileged on the NewsHour, with five elite occupations dominating the list in number of appearances. Current and former government officials, including military officials, led all categories, accounting for 50 percent of total guests. Journalists amounted to 10 percent, with academics at 8 percent, corporate guests at 5 percent and think tank experts accounting for 3 percent." " The NewsHour’s five most frequent individual sources were all current government officials, and four out of five were Republicans: George W. Bush (102 appearances), White House spokesperson Scott McClellan (25), Sen. Arlen Specter (R.-Penn.) (24), Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (23) and Sen. Charles Schumer (D.-N.Y.) (19)"

2006-12-27: Gene Tied To Longevity Also Preserves Ability To Think Clearly A gene variant linked to living a very long life--to 90 and beyond--also serves to help very old people think clearly and retain their memories, according to new research by scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

2006-12-26: Science Teachers’ Organization Refuses To Accept Copies of Inconvenient Truth National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) has refused to accept 50,000 free DVDs of The Inconvenient Truth, expressing concern that other “special interests” might ask to distribute materials, too; they said they didn’t want to offer “political” endorsement of the film; and they saw “little, if any, benefit to NSTA or its members” in accepting the free DVDs. … [T]here was one more curious argument in the e-mail: Accepting the DVDs, they wrote, would place “unnecessary risk upon the [NSTA] capital campaign, especially certain targeted supporters.” As it turns out, those supporters already include “special interests,” including Exxon-Mobil, Shell Oil, and the American Petroleum Institute, which have given millions in funding to the NSTA. And while the NSTA showed no interest in helping educators get copies of Al Gore’s movie (which scientists gave “five stars for accuracy“), it has distributed oil industry-funded “educational” content, like this video produced by the American Petroleum Institute...

2006-12-26: FCC Sides with Verizon & Wireless and Votes to Strip Local Communities of Control Over Cable Franchising Along with the stripping of basic American rights, here is the latest blow from the FCC.

2006-12-22: This American Life: Shouting Across the Divide Interesting show about one family who was targeted in an American public school for being Moslem. After repeated efforts, the federal government stepped in but not before the damage was done. Unfortunately far too many Americans deal first hand with racial descrimination.

2006-12-10: Jon Stewart on Crossfire: "Stop, stop, stop, stop hurting America This exchange happened two years ago when Jon Stewart got serious with Crossfire, which thinks of itself as a hard hitting news show.

2006-12-10: What is the Iraq Study Group? Did the recent suggestions of the Iraq Study Group sound biased to you? What do they mean about winning and losing the war? Instead of ending the occupation of Iraq, they recommended new approaches to the war. "The Iraq Study Group was formed by and is part of an organization called the United States Institute of Peace. The United States Institute of Peace is a non-profit charitable organization funded by the US Treasury and indirectly controlled by the president, who appoints each of its 15-member Board of Directors."

2006-12-03: Palestine Peace Not Apartheid is Jimmy Carter's latest book. Judy Woodruff (NPR) does an interesting interview with Mr. Carter whose book has received a lot of negative press by mainstream American media which refuses to air a more objective view concerning Palestine.

2006-11-26: OUR WALLS BEAR WITNESS — DARFUR: WHO WILL SURVIVE TODAY? The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum is projecting wall-sized images of the escalating genocide in Darfur onto its façade during Thanksgiving week, marking the first time the national memorial’s exterior will be used to highlight contemporary genocide. Click on the link to see some of the images. See also: Darfur Diaries: Filmmakers Return From Sudan to Bring Stories of Oppression and Survival.

2006-11-26: This American Life Available as a podcast or streaming audio, this show was mentioned in the followup questions during the 11-26-06 service, see "Heretics," an episode about Rev. Carlton Pearson who was a protege of Oral Roberts whose church attendance fell from 5,000 to 200 after the minister realized that hell was a human invention, not God's punishment. Charisma and other Christian magazines have repeatedly attached Rev. Pearson for what they believe is heresy. As a note, Unitarian Universalist do not believe in a god-sponsored hell, but do belief in man-made hells, such as Darfur. Many Christian churches continue to believe in hell as doctrine.

2006-11-26: A Christmas Carol December 16, Sunday, 7p.m., join us at the UUU for "A Christmas Carol," performed by David A. McElroy playing 37 different characters. A minimal charge of $5 per person, or $10 per family is asked at the door. For reservations, call (407)737-4018. Click on the above link to see the PDF flyer.

2006-11-26: Resveratrol: The Fountain of Youth? High doses of resveratrol which is found naturally in grape skins and red wine can improve muscle endurance in mice, and the compound also keeps them slim, a new study shows. The source? cell.com, "Resveratrol Improves Mitochondrial Function and Protects against Metabolic Disease"

2006-11-05: Worst Congress Ever: Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi on How Our National Legislature Has Become a "Stable of Thieves and Perverts" Rolling Stone contributing editor Matt Taibbi takes an in-depth look at the outgoing 109th Congress in his article, "The Worst Congress Ever." In it, Taibbi writes that over the past six years, "The U.S. parliament became a historical punch line, a political obscenity on par with the court of Nero or Caligula -- a stable of thieves and perverts who committed crimes rolling out of bed in the morning and did their very best to turn the mighty American empire into a debt-laden, despotic backwater, a Burkina Faso with cable."

2006-10-22: United Nations Day! United Nations day is October 24th. The Campaign to Stop Genocide in Darfur encourages Americans to call President Bush (202)456-1414 or (202)456-1111, and have him move beyond words to put this issue as number #1 for the security council by implementing UN Resolution 1706.

2006-10-22: Military Commisions Act of 2006 President Bush signed this bill into law on October 17th. This law suspends habeas corpus and its wording makes possible the permanent detention and torture of anyone, including American citizens, based solely on the decision of the President, contradicting the Third Geneva Convention of which the United States is currently a signatory. Also, see Olbermann Addresses the Military Commissions Act in a Special Comment

2006-10-22: Gaza in Crisis: As Israeli Military Siege Enters Fifth Month Israel has ratcheted up threats of a massive ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. Israeli troops backed by tanks, helicopters and drones have already staged ground operations in parts of Gaza in yet another escalation in the ongoing assault on the Occupied Territories. Since June 25th, the Israeli military has led a wave of intense operations along the length of the Gaza Strip in operations that it said were intened to free a captured Israeli soldier and to halt Qassam rocket fire. Early on the Israelis bombed Gaza’s only power plant and they have kept Gaza’s crossing points to Israel and Egypt closed for most of the time. Since the start of the operation Summer Rain, more than 250 Palestinians have been killed, with one in five being children, according to The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights.

2006-10-01: UUUS Women's Group We are a Unitarian Universalist group, but women from all walks of life are more than welcome to join us. We'll be meeting on the last Friday of the month around 7pm. For each meeting we will have a group "Mother" and rotate homes to share our lives, knowledge, and friendship with one another. If you're willing to share a skill or hobby, or willing to share your living room with us for a few hours, we can get this group off to a great start! We have a Yahoo! Message board where you can enroll and view all of the latest group information at: UUUSWomensGroup-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or please contact the church office for more information.

2006-10-01: Senate Votes 100-0 for another $70,000,000,000 for Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan Despite the rhetoric about the war, both parties continue to fully fund the wars while even a recent state department poll show th at the majority of Iraqis want America to stop its military occupation, see Most Iraqis Favor Immediate U.S. Pullout.

2006-10-01: Life Without Religion As a teacher of English at the college level, the author faces an intellectual problem of reconciling a love for literature with a strengthening atheism. The Orlando Weekly raises a similar question with its artice, Atheists Among Us, where various atheists (including a former speaker at the UUU) are asked about living in Orlando.

2006-10-01: Will The Next Election Be Hacked? Robert F. Kenned continues his investigation into vote fraud. See also the collobarating piece, More Evidence of Diebold Vote Tampering Top Diebold corporation officials ordered workers to install secret files to Georgia’s electronic voting machines shortly before the 2002 Elections, at least two whistleblowers are now asserting.

2006-10-01: Senate Gives President Bush extraordinary power to detain and try prisoners in the so-called war on terror The legislation strips detainees of the right to challenge their own detention and gives the President the power to detain them indefinitely. The bill also immunizes U.S. officials from prosecution for torturing detainees who the military and the CIA captured before the end of last year.

2006-09-10: Civilian Casualties, Civilian Solutions: Family Members of 9/11 Victims Spearhead Movement Against War and Violence Shortly after the 9-11-2001 attacks, David joined with other family members of those killed to form a group that called for peace. As President Bush announced his war on terror, they advocated for non-violence. They called their organization Sept. 11 Families For Peaceful Tomorrows.

2006-09-07: The New Naysayers Newsweek article covers In the midst of religious revival in America, three scholars argue that atheism is smarter. Thanks Deborah H.

2006-09-03: Parent's Coffee Hour starts next Sunday, September 10th, at 9:30 am. We'll have coffee and converstation about issues relating to being parents and being UU parents. Hope to see you there! Thanks. Stephanie

2006-09-03: The Storm by Frontline was broadcast at the end of August in memory of Hurricane Katrina, which combined with the government's poor response resulted in many deaths of loss of property. This show answers a lot of questions and is available for a free download from PBS.

2006-08-13: How Mesopotamia Became Iraq Sheila Harty's interesting and timely talk explains the broken promises and meddling of the British, French and America after WWI. Britain created the Jewish homeland in Palestine (The Balfour Declaration) despite that the population was four fifths Arabs. The political games of greed and betrayal by the Allied powers have not been forgotten in the Arab world. The peace makers brought no peace to the Middle East, only a just and lasting war." - Sheila Harty. Some of the books mentioned were Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World by Margaret Macmillan, and Desert Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia.

2006-08-09: Surprise Finding For Stretched DNA If a human's double helix was stretched to its full length it , it would extend more than three feet, but, when wound up inside the nucleus of a cell, it measures about one millionth of an inch across. A recent experiment has shown that when a molecule of DNA is stretched, its double helix will not unwind as commonly believed.

2006-08-09: Former President of Morgan Stanley Int'l: "It's Now Considered the American War Against the Arabs...It Will Take Us Decades to Recover from What We've Done Richard Debs, who is also the Chairman Emeritus at the American University of Beirut, talks about the role that Syria, Iran, and the US media play in the crisis, and his view that "democracy has become a code word--and not a good codeword--in the Middle East.

2006-08-09: Report Confirms Chicago Police Tortured Black Prisoners For nearly two decades an area in Chicago's city jails was the epicenter for the systematic torture of dozens of African-American males by Chicago police officers. Close to 150 people say they were subjected to abuse including having guns forced into their mouths, bags places over their heads, and electric shocks inflicted to their genitals. Four men were released from death row after government investigators concluded torture led to their wrongful convictions. Yet to date no police have been charged with any crime. The findings of a four-year investigation into the cases were released and found evidence that several officers in the department tortured criminal suspects but concluded that they cannot be prosecuted because too much time has elapsed.

2006-08-06: Islam in Turkey is an article which discusses some of the items that Dr. Cook covered in todays talk. In particular there is discussion of Atatürk and the Alevis. You can find Dr. Cook's talk on the Audio Page.

2006-08-06: Unity08 is not another political party, but a non-partisan citizens movement that promotes leadership to elect a responsible president ready to deal with America's crucial issues. Thanks John Chase.

2006-08-03: Autonomous Lenses May Bring Microworld Into Focus Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed a tiny "smart" lens that it can adapt its focal length from minus infinity to plus infinity-without external control. Incorporating hydrogels that respond to physical, chemical or biological stimuli and actuate lens function, these liquid microlenses could advance lab-on-a-chip technologies, optical imaging, medical diagnostics and bio-optical microfluidic systems, see the Aug. 3 issue of the journal Nature.

2006-07-31: Undergraduates Devise Inexpensive Hand-held Braille Writer Undergraduates at John Hopkins University have invented a low-cost ($10 in mass production), lightweight, hand-held Braille mechanical writing device.

2006-07-29: A Family at War The Lebanese novelist Nada Awar Jarrar describes how her happy family life in Beirut was destroyed when Israel attacked. US Plans $4.6 Billion in Mideast Arms Sales The Bush administration plans to sell $4.6 billion of arms to moderate Arab states. This follows the New York Times report that the U.S. has rushed delivery of precision-guided bombs requested by Israel for use by its forces against Lebanon along with selling Israel its latest supply of JP-8 aviation fuel valued at up to $210 million to help Israeli warplanes "keep peace and security in the region." Despite world opinion, Congress gives Israel vote of confidence.

2006-07-27: Drug Triggers Body's Mechanism To Reverse Aging Effect On Memory Process A drug made to enhance memory appears to trigger a natural mechanism in the brain that fully reverses age-related memory loss, even after the drug itself has left the body, according to researchers at UC Irvine.

2006-07-26: Give the Congressional Gold Medal to the Dalai Lama? Check out the link and if you decide the U.S. Representatives should pursue this (the U.S. Senate has already voted in favor of this measure), than contact your representative.

2006-07-23: Wild Bees And The Flowers They Pollinate Are Disappearing Together The diversity of bees and of the flowers they pollinate, has declined significantly in Britain and the Netherlands over the last 25 years according to research led by the University of Leeds and published in Science (21 July 2006).

2006-07-23: Update Blowing the Whistle on Diebold Robert Kennedy's firm files a lawsuit. Kennedy's Challenge: Salon, Mother Jones and the Tortured Dialogue on Election Fraud 2004 explores the response of Salon and others to the Rolling Stone article- filled with many links. 2006-07-16: Was the 2004 Election Stolen? Article in Rolling Stone by Robert Kennedy scrutinizes the 2004 election which in many ways mimmicked the 2000 election fraud, first noted by Greg Palast. Reference from below the following: 2005-08-11: Vote Fraud in Florida and Ohio Votes: Many Americans are aware of the November 2004 voting irregularities where exit polling did not match the voting computer results. The above link shows computer programmer Clinton Curtis testifying on 2004-12-13 at the Congressional hearing in Columbus. In this twelve minute video, Curtis testifies that he designed and built a "vote rigging" software program at the behest of then Florida Congressman, now U.S. Congressman, Republican Tom Feeney of Florida's 24th Congressional District while working for Yang Enterprises, Inc. (YEI) in Oviedo, Florida (Feeney's home district). To see the whole transcript, see Ohio Election Fraud Transcript and click on the transcript. Thank you Frances.

2006-07-16: Study Alleging Dominant Influence of Israeli Lobby Sparks Heated Fallout In the recent study “The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy" (see The Israel Lobby for an edited version of this article), two distinguished political science professors charge that the United States has willingly set aside its own security and that of many of its allies in order to advance the interests of Israel. In addition the study accuses the pro-Israeli lobby, particularly AIPAC of manipulating the U.S. media, policing academia and silencing critics of Israel by labeling them as anti-Semitic.

2006-07-16: Noam Chomsky: U.S.-Backed Israeli Policies Pursuing "End of Palestine"; Hezbollah Capture of Israeli Soldiers "Very Irresponsible Act" That Could Lead To "Extreme Disaster"  Mainstream news mentions nothing of the long list of escalating events which lead to the current crises. Mention is made of kidnapped soldiers and Hezbollah missile attacks but no mention is made of Israel's illegal occupation of the 1967 occupied territories, or that Israel continues to hold Palestinian men, women and children, along with nearly one thousand male detainees (see Impact of Israel’s Ongoing Military Incursions into Palestinian). Civilians and public infrastrcuture (roads, bridges, residential buildings and electrical sub-stations) become targets (see Missing the Point and the Target in Gaza) as shown in the news coverage but no mention is made that many of the weapons used by the Israeli military were given to them through U.S. military aid: war planes (F4s, F15s, F16s), attack helicopters (Apache and Cobra) and missiles (popeyes and mavericks), see U.S. Arms Sales to Israel End Up In China, Iraq. Update: 2006-07-23: U.S. Arming of Israel: How U.S. Weapons Manufacturers Profit From Middle East Conflict Much has been made of the Syrian and Iranian origin of weaponry used by Hezbollah but there has been little discussion of where Israel's weapons come from. A new report by the World Policy Institute examines how the United States provides billions of dollars of military aid to Israel each year and how their current arsenal is composed of U.S made equipment. For further information, see AIPAC v. Norman Finkelstein: A Debate on Israel's Assault on Gaza, Hezbollah.

2006-07-09: Detecting Mad Cow Disease Researchers at the University of Texas in Galveston have come up with a method of detecting the disease just weeks after an animal has been infected and months before any clinical symptoms show up. "With this method, for the first time we have detected prions in what we call the silent phase of the infection, which in humans can last up to 40 years," said Prof. Claudio Soto of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, senior author of the paper.

2006-07-02: Bill Moyer's Faith and Reason Like Bob Flick mentioned today, I too am impressed by this show. Intelligent discussions with the likes of Salman Rushdie, Colin McGinn and others makes this a show you shouldn't miss.

2006-07-02: Supreme Court Blocks Guantánamo Tribunals by a 5-3 decision the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Bush administration had violated both American military law and the military's obligations under the Geneva Conventions. The recent stacking of the Supreme Court to the reactionary right almost tipped the balance the other way. Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel J. Alito Jr. dissented; Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. did not take part in the case, since he had ruled in favor of the government as an appeals court justice last year.

2006-07-02: Supreme Court Blocks Guantánamo Tribunals by a 5-3 decision the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Bush administration had violated both American military law and the military's obligations under the Geneva Conventions. The recent stacking of the Supreme Court to the reactionary right almost tipped the balance the other way. Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel J. Alito Jr. dissented; Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. did not take part in the case, since he had ruled in favor of the government as an appeals court justice last year.

2006-06-25: BClub: Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq On Saturday the 24th, the Book Club considered " Overthrow," by Stephen Kinzer, who sees America's attack against Iraq not as an isolated incident but consistent with a hundred and ten year pattern. For more American history, see How to Overthrow a Government Part I and Part II. The July 22nd book is the Case for Goliath.

2006-06-25: GOP Candidate's Call for Labor Camp Rebuked Don Goldwater, nephew of the late Sen. Barry Goldwater, caused an international stir this week when EFE, a national news agency of Spain, quoted him as saying he wanted to hold undocumented immigrants in camps to use them "as labor in the construction of a wall and to clean the areas of the Arizona desert that they're polluting." The article described Goldwater's plan as a "concentration camp" for migrants. The stance drew rebukes Friday from two GOP lawmakers, who labeled it a low point in the immigration debate.

2006-06-25: Global Warming: How much future sea level rise? More evidence from models and ice sheet observations A chilling look at the current models of warming on the earth. An interesting sidelight is how scientists have used satellites to measure the loss of ice sheets. For more info, see GlobalWarming.

2006-06-25: Police State: Homeland Security, Now Tracks and Enforces Local Police Warrants Author argues that many recent changes in American law do not directly challenge constitutional rights like the Patriot Act, but through subversive means the police state has arrived. Thanks- Deborah Helle.

2006-06-19: Global Warming: Climate Scientists Spotlight Arctic Warming, Plight Of Polar Bears A climate scientist at the University of Chicago and 30 of her colleagues from across North America and Europe are urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the polar bear as a threatened species because global warming is melting its sea-ice habitat. For more info, see GlobalWarming.

2006-06-17: Letter Concerning Gulf Coast Relief Fund This letter is one of thanks to the congregation on its effort on behalf of UU churches and individuals hit by Hurricane Katrina. Thanks- Chris.

2006-06-17: Global Warming: An Incoveniet Truth So far the best 2006 movie. A sobering but enjoyable film concerning Global Warming and Al Gore's efforts to get the message out throughout the world. Roger Ebert's Review

2006-06-17 (updated)- 2006-06-12: MyRegion.org Funding Partners Phase 1 and MyRegion.org Phase 2 Funding Partners is a collection of business, government and civic leaders wishing to set the agenda for Central Florida's future. Michael Barr's says just say no to their models of high density or city spraw. Michael asks if this is what we want? Also brought up during the talk was alternatives, including Arcosanti. Discussions after the talk included talk about bicycle paths designed for bicyclists not cars; Lisa provided the following link suggestion- http://www.floridabicycle.org/index.html.

2006-06-12: Astronomers Discover Universe's 'Smoking Gun' Massive star supernovae have been major "dust factories" ever since the first generations of stars formed several hundred million years after the Big Bang, according to an international study published in Science Express.

2006-06-12: American Psychological Association Should “Prohibit Any Involvement” of Psychologists in Interrogations Despite objections from the American people, the U.N. and Human Rights Watch ( U.S. Torture and Abuse of Detainees), America's leaders continue to use torture in Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere. Dr. Robert Jay Lifton about the psychological dimensions of war and occupation and the role of doctors in interrogation and torture. Lifton is co-editor of a new book titled "Crimes of War: Iraq."

2006-06-12: On Faith & Reason Although PBS's programming is increasingly extremist, Bill Moyers has a new show which airs on Fridays at 9 p.m. starting on June 23, 2006.

2006-06-11: Church Office Administrator The UUUS is looking for a part-time office administrator.

2006-06-04: The Age of AIDS was shown on Tue-Wed, May. 30-31, 2006, on PBS's Frontline. This is a must see show and it is available to watch online at the link above. The show (240 minutes) examines one of the worst pandemics the world has ever known. After a quarter-century of political denial and social stigma, of stunning scientific breakthroughs, bitter policy battles and inadequate prevention campaigns, HIV/AIDS continues to spread rapidly throughout the world. Through interviews with AIDS researchers, world leaders, activists, and patients, FRONTLINE investigates the science, politics, and human cost of this fateful disease and asks: What are the lessons of the past, and what can be done to stop AIDS?

2006-06-04: Nuclear Weapons are being talked about in mainstream American news but only in regards to Iran. In the past nuclear weapons were almost used between the U.S.S.R. and the U.S.A. The above link from the Arms Control Association shows the estimated arsenals for each nation:

China: Greater than 100 warheads.
France: Approximately 350 strategic warheads.
Russia: 4,978 strategic warheads, approximately 3,500 operational tactical warheads, and more than 11,000 stockpiled strategic and tactical warheads.
United Kingdom: Less than 200 strategic warheads.
United States: 5,968 strategic warheads,1 more than 1,000 operational tactical weapons, and approximately 3,000 reserve strategic and tactical warheads.
India: 45 to 95 nuclear warheads. The Pentagon projects that New Delhi has a relatively small stockpile of nuclear weapons components that could be assembled and deployed “within a few days to a week.”
Israel: Between 75 to 200 nuclear warheads. More information on its program can be found at Israeli Nuclear Program and Mordechai Vanunu.
Pakistan: 30 to 50 nuclear warheads.
Iran: No known weapons or sufficient fissile material stockpiles to build weapons. However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN body charged with verifying that states are not illicitly building nuclear weapons, concluded in 2003 that Iran had undertaken covert nuclear activities to establish the capacity to indigenously produce fissile material. The IAEA is continuing its investigation and oversight of Tehran’s nuclear program.
North Korea: One to two nuclear weapons, according to CIA estimates. Pyongyang also possesses enough spent nuclear fuel that could be reprocessed into fissile material for as many as six nuclear weapons.

2006-05-27: KOHLBERG'S STAGES OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT Mark Spivey's May 28 discussion involved a mention of Lawrence Kohlberg's states of moral development. Here is a summary.

2006-05-27: Communications Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act of 2006 Big telecomm is pushing this bill which would profit them at the expense of all of us. Common Cause is against it as well as a grassroots coalition of groups, called savetheinternet.com, see Why Consumers Demand More Freedom for more information.

2006-05-26: Greenhouse Gas, Temperature Feedback Mechanism May Raise Warming Beyond Previous Estimates A team of European scientists reports that climate change estimates for the next century may have substantially underestimated the potential magnitude of global warming. They say that actual warming due to human fossil fuel emissions may be 15-to-78 percent higher than warming estimates that do not take into account the feedback mechanism involving carbon dioxide and Earth's temperature. Feedback Loops In Global Climate Change Point To A Very Hot 21st Century Studies have shown that global climate change can set-off positive feedback loops in nature which amplify warming and cooling trends. Now, researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California at Berkeley have been able to quantify the feedback implied by past increases in natural carbon dioxide and methane gas levels. Their results point to global temperatures at the end of this century that may be significantly higher than current climate models are predicting. For more info, see GlobalWarming.

2006-05-26: Ex -US soldier: 'If he didn't answer the way we liked, we would shoot his youngest kid in the head' This 20 minute interview will change how you view the U.S. occupation of Iraq forever. An Iraq war veteran tells of atrocities he and other fellow-soldiers committed reguarly while in Iraq. For more on the Iraq occupation, see The Cost of the Iraq War.

2006-05-25: Purdue Researchers Find 'Switch' For Skeletal-muscle Atrophy Researchers in Purdue University's School of Veterinary Medicine have found atrophy of skeletal muscle in mice could be inhibited with both gene therapy and drug treatment using astemizole (as-TEM-uh-zole), an antihistamine. Atrophy is often caused by muscle disuse, as well as aging and diseases such as cancer. Scientists Restore Sight To Chickens With Blinding Disease University of Florida scientists have delivered a gene through an  eggshell to give sight to a type of chicken normally born blind. Neuroscientist Sue Semple-Rowland of the University of Florida  McKnight Brain Institute poses with a type of Rhode Island Red  chicken born blind. Rowland has developed a gene therapy that enables  these animals to hatch with their sight intact, which proves in  principle that a similar treatment can be developed for an incurable  form of blindness in children. The finding, reported Tuesday (May 23) in the online  journal Public Library of Science-Medicine, proves in principle that  a similar treatment can be developed for an incurable form of  childhood blindness. For more info, see Health Science.

2006-05-24: For The Future Hydrogen Economy, A Tiny, Self-powered Sensor Hydrogen has been called “the fuel of the future.” But the gas is  invisible, odorless and explosive at high concentrations, posing a  safety problem for hydrogen-powered cars, filling stations and other  aspects of the so-called hydrogen economy. This new sensor can  communicate with other sensors and derives its power from mechanical  vibrations rather than batteries.

2006-05-24: Listening To Music Can Reduce Chronic Pain And Depression By Up To A Quarter Listening to music can reduce chronic pain  and depression by up to 25 per cent and make people feel more in  control and less disabled by their condition.

2006-05-24: Any alcohol in pregnancy may be too much Women who drink even small amounts of alcohol during pregnancy are  more likely to give birth to children with lower IQs than those who  did not consume any alcohol, new research shows.

2006-05-22: Stephen Colbert's Blistering Performance Mocking Admin and the Press Goes Ignored by American Media These dinners are a chance for the President and Press to cozy up. Many Americans were disgusted at how the press laughed at a previous dinner where the President presented a video looking for WMDs around the White House, although 200,000 people have died in Iraq. As many of you know, Colbert didn't withold any punches and afterwards received no mention by mainstream American news outlets, although it was discussed heavily on the internet. Stephen Colbert, the host of the Comedy Central fake news program, The Colbert Report. Google has the video here from CSPAN - Colbert- WhiteHouse 2006 Correspondents Dinner.

2006-05-21: “Voices of Time”: Legendary Uruguayan Writer Eduardo Galeano on Immigration, Latin America, Iraq, Writing – and Soccer Spend sometime with one of Latin America’s most acclaimed writers - Eduardo Galeano. His works -- from the trilogy “Memory of Fire” to the classic “Open Veins of Latin America” are a unique blend of history, fiction, journalism and political analysis. His books have been translated into more than 20 languages.

2006-05-21: Scientists watching asteroid's path U.S. scientists are keeping an eye on a 1,000-foot-wide asteroid that could hit Earth 30 years from now with a force to destroy a small state. NASA scientists have fixed Sunday, April 13, 2036, as the likely date when Apophis could smash into Earth, reports The Chicago Tribune.

2006-05-09: Speaking Out on Moral Values: Setting Priorities That Really Matter An Interfaith Dialogue Sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa and its Defending Democracy Project to build a Florida Justice Network Tuesday, May 9, 2006, 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. Comfort Inn Conference Center 820 E. Busch Blvd., Tampa, Florida Admission: FREE Keynote Speaker Donna Brazile A community conversation to UNITE and INSPIRE PROGRESSIVE congregations and organizations to speak passionately for moral values honoring the INHERENT WORTH and DIGNITY of ALL PEOPLE and RESPECT for the ENVIRONMENT as part of the interdependent web of our existence. The goal is to TRANSFORM the dialogue from divisive views that promote prejudice and judgment to a broader focus on fundamental AMERICAN VALUES of EQUALITY, JUSTICE and COMPASSION. Click on the above link for more information or This event is funded in part by the Fund for Unitarian Universalist Social Responsibility and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. For More Information: 813-849-3919 or visit http://www.uutampa.org.

2006-05-04: Promising Treatment For Huntington's Disease Soon To Be Tested Clinically At the Institut Curie, CNRS and Inserm researchers have shown that cysteamine, which is already used to treat a rare disease called cystinosis, prevents the death of neurons in Huntington’s disease.

2006-05-04: COME SING A SONG WITH US Calling all voices! If you can carry a tune and love to sing, please come rehearse with us. We meet Wednesday evenings 6:30-7:30 and Sunday mornings at 10 a.m.. We are looking for soloists, duets, small ensembles (vocal or instrumental) for the Sunday service. Contact Rachel Christensen or a music committee member for details!

2006-04-24: Scientists Make Major Finding On Potential Cure For Type 1 Diabetes An important step toward a potential cure for type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes, has been made by a research team at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology (LIAI). The team used a combinatorial treatment approach in laboratory mice and found it reversed recent onset type 1 diabetes in the majority of animals tested.PBS's

2006-04-24: Supporting Workers Rights and a Healthy Environment Checkout the UUUS Social Concerns Sunday Talk on April 23!

2006-04-18: Dimming the Sun PBS's NOVA reports on the discovery of dimming sunlight reaching Earth, which has led scientists to realize that they may have miscalculated their models of the climate and how fast it's changing. And if their models are wrong, it means the worst-case warming scenario could be a lot worse than anyone has predicted. In "Dimming the Sun," NOVA unravels this baffling climate conundrum and the implications for Earth's future. Note: Tuesday's show was on Titan: Voyage to the Mystery Moon.

2006-04-13: Passover Seder! will take place on April 13, 2006 at 6:30 p.m. at the UniversityUUS. There is a $10 fee for adults, $5 for children 4-12 years of age. Main course, beverages, soup and traditional Seder food is provided. Please bring a vegetable or desert to share. For further information contact Bruce Schwartz or Nancy Milliron.

2006-04-12: Mike Reid is home from the hospital, see the home page for more details.

2006-04-12: Seymour Hersh: Bush Administration Planning Possible Major Air Attack on Iran Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh about his latest article in the New Yorker that the Bush administration has increased clandestine activities inside Iran and intensified planning for a possible major air attack.

2006-04-12: New Research Finds Direct Link Between High Cholesterol And Prostate Cancer Researchers from Italy have found what they believe to be the first direct link between high cholesterol levels and prostate cancer.

2006-04-09: Loose Change 2nd Edition is a troubling video available for free download. The film addresses many unanswered questions about the 9-11 attacks. The web site for the film is Loose Change.

2006-04-08: FAKE TV News: : Widespread and Undisclosed concerns how some television newsrooms use materials provided by PR firms on behalf of paying clients. See also Fake TV News: Widespread and Undisclosed... How Corporate-Funded Propaganda Is Airing On Local Newscasts As "News" As many of you are aware this practice is similar to the U.S. planting news stories about Iraqi, see Amy Goodman Questions Fmr. Chief Military Spokesman in Iraq About U.S. Killing, Detaining of Journalists and Planting of News Stories in Iraqi.

2006-04-08: Graduates versus Oligarchs is an article by Paul Krugman concerning the ever widening gap between the rich and poor in this country. A research paper by Ian Dew-Becker and Robert Gordon of Northwestern University, "Where Did the Productivity Growth Go?," shows that between 1972 and 2001 the wage and salary income of Americans at the 90th percentile of the income distribution rose 34 percent, or about 1 percent per year, compared to income increase at the 99th percentile which rose 87 percent; income at the 99.9th percentile rose 181 percent; and income at the 99.99th percentile rose 497 percent. For more information, see Oligarchy and An Interview with Walter Mosley concerning his recent book- Life Out of Context.

2006-04-02: Wisdom Page is a link to our April 2nd speaker, Copthorne Macdonald, who referred to a wisdom page on his web site, cop.com. The talk's audio is also available at the Audio Page.

2006-04-02: Amazing Juggling Finale Google video clip of Chris Bliss, 4 min 27 sec - Mar 3, 2006, reference- chrisbliss.com. "This is by far one of the most amazing things I've seen bar none. Choreographed ice skating? Yep. Kite ballet? Yep. Dancing? Yep. ... but juggling to music??? This guy is unbelievable! Rhythm and co-ordination that would seem impossible... and yet... Crank up your volume and enjoy. I sure did!" -- Dutton Ashcraft.

2006-03-19: Government Data Mining UU John Chase recommends this instructional video on the governments survelliance of its citizens.

2006-03-19: We Were Warned Tomorrow's Oil Crisis Deborah Helle recommends.

2006-03-11: UUA General Assembly 2006 SAVE THE DATE FOR GA June 21-25, 2006 St. Louis, MO! Experience what folks have been saying about GA! Meet UUs from around the world as you witness the Opening Ceremony, hear the well-known lecturers, join the largest gathering of UUs at the Sunday morning worship service, see history as it happens in Plenary as UUs vote on items like the Study/ Action Issues, decide which of the multitude of workshops to go to and enjoy the evening entertainment. For more information visit the link above. Volunteer and scholarship applications are due March 31; registration rates increase May 1; Children's registration closes May 31. Speak with a member of the Board if you are interested in representing our congregation's interests at the Plenary sessions in St. Louis this June!

2006-02-26: Training Benefits Brains In Older People, Counters Aging Factors New research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign shows that training re-ignites key areas of the brain, offsetting some age-related declines and boosting performance.

2006-02-26: Rapture Ready The Rev. Calvin Dame gave an excellent talk on the belief in the end times when according to Zoarastrian religion there would be accounting of those on the side of good or evil. The link refers to a website that Rev. Dame mentioned in his talk (available as an MP3 download), "The End of Time."

2006-02-26: Christian Movement Moving Into Palmetto State Cory Burnell, a 30-year-old financial adviser and founder of Christian Exodus, plans to turn South Carolina into a promised land for right leaning Christians by moving like-minded Christians there. Burnell believes thousands of religious conservatives across the USA agree with him that their influence on government is diluted by liberals. The state was a logical choice because it is already conservation and played a key role in the rise of the Republican Party since Ronald Reagan. And it's home to 750,000 Southern Baptists and Bob Jones University, a fundamentalist Christian institution. Thanks Deborah Helle.

2006-02-26: Calcium Plus Vitamin-D Supplementation Does An Older Body Good The older the woman, the more likely that consistent use of calcium and vitamin-D supplements plays a role in reducing her risk for osteoporosis, according to the results of a large national clinical trial conducted as part of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI).

2006-02-23: Winter with the Writers- Rollins College For those of you unfortunate enough to miss Nikki Giovanni last week, don't miss Dorothy Allison on Thursday. Meets at Bush Auditorium Rollins College Campus 4 p.m. Master Classes 8 p.m. Readings , On-stage Interviews, and Signings.

2006-02-22: Visiting Writer- Gelareh Asayesh, 'Saffron Sky: a Life Between Iran and America' Meeting at 7 p.m. at Trinity House at Trinitiy Prep. Contact dhbrlb@cfl.rr.com for more information.

2006-02-12: Report: Iraq war costs could top $2 trillion The Christian Science Monitor reports on a study by Columbia University economist Joseph E. Stiglitz, who won the Nobel Prize in economics in 2001, and Harvard lecturer Linda Bilmes. The new study takes into account the long-term costs of healthcare for wounded soldiers. For more on the Iraq occupation, see The Cost of the Iraq War.

2006-02-12: Last Tributes to Coretta Scott King: Maya Angelou, Rev. Lowery, Pres. Jimmy Carter, Bernice King Remember Civil Rights Pioneer Throughout the 40 years following the assassination of her husband, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King was an outspoken opponent of injustices ranging from capital punishment to apartheid in South Africa. She was also a vocal advocate of women’s rights, gay and lesbian rights, and HIV/AIDS prevention. In 2003, King also spoke out against the war in Iraq. If you can't understand the right wing presses attacks on those who honored her, you're not alone.

2006-01-31: National Security Agency Whistleblower Warns Domestic Spying Program Is Sign the U.S. is Decaying Into a “Police State” Former NSA intelligence agent Russell Tice condemns reports that the Agency has been engaged in eavesdropping on U.S. citizens without court warrants.

2006-01-29: Two Top Papers Ask: Is the World on a Path to Doom--With an Assist from the White House? Most Americans remain preoccupied, an issue that may dwarf all of those concerns receives major attention in the Sunday editions of The New York Times and The Washington Post. Thanks Deborah Helle.

2006-01-15: The Story of Harold Wilson: Convicted of Triple Murder, Sentenced to Die, Exonerated After 17 Years in Prison Scary interview what our courts and prisons have become, well worth reading or listening to the MP3 download.

2006-01-15: People Who Restrict Calories Have 'Younger' Hearts "Eating less, if it is a high-quality diet, will improve your health, delay aging, and increase your chance of living a long, healthy and happy life," said Luigi Fontana, M.D., Ph.D., from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri and the Italian National Institute of Health in Rome, Italy.

2006-01-12: Hooters - 2006 Calendar Dutton Ashcraft sent this. I thought it was a little too explicit to include, but feel free to click on the link.

2006-01-12: Update: Meek Mild and Menacing- Sidney Blumenthal's article on Judge Alito's belief in unbridled presidential power. Judge Alito was a member in a discriminatory group which opposed the acceptance of blacks or women at Princeton. Alito claimed he had no memory of being involved in the organization even though he mentioned the group on the job application. 2006-01-10: Alito: UUA Action Alert The UUA opposes the Alito confirmation as another threat to civil liberties. For more information about Judge Alito, the UUA recommends http://www.uua.org/news/2005/051212_alito/index.html or www.supremecourtwatch.org. Unlike Judge Roberts, Alito is not simply a corporate lawyer. Many experts claim that Alito has a record of consistently bias in favor of big business, big government, at the expense of ordinary people, including supporting the government's ability to intrude on our personal lives, see Abortion, Presidential Power and Civil rights: A Debate on the Nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, for a discussion of these issues. For more info, see the Federal Judge battle.

2006-01-08: Nova: The Mummy who would be King An outstanding story of detective science, the story follows one man's idea that a shriveled mummy with crossed arms that has lain neglected on a dusty museum shelf at Niagara Falls could be the remains of a long-lost Egyptian king. Following a trail of clues of how the looted mummy made its way to North America, archeologists, scientists, and even an orthodontist look to the latest genetic testing and imaging techniques in hopes of ascertaining the body's hidden identity.

2006-01-05: Forced Abortions & Sweatshops: A Look at Jack Abramoff's Ties to the South Pacific Island of Saipan Jack Abramoff helped run a think–tank called the International Freedom Foundation. According to a 1995 Newsday investigation, the organization was set up in 1986 to improve the white South African apartheid government’s image in the West while demonizing Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress as communist tools. Jack's also been involved in maintaing sweat shops and destroying many labor laws.

2006-01-04: Jack Attack Lobbyist Jack Abramoff sows panic through Washington The world gets a peek at political corruption American style as Jack Abramoff agrees to testify against several members of Congress who received "favors" from him and his clients. Who's mentioned?- Rep. Tom DeLay, Rep. Robert Ney, Rep. John Dolittle, Ralph Reed, Sen. Conrad Burns, Sen. Byron Dorgan & Grover Norquist.

2006-01-04: Top Science Stories of 2005 Scientific American lists the top 25 stories.

2006-01-02: 2005 in Review: Power, Politics and Resistance, Part I Part 2 For any of you that wish to remember what happened in 2005, Democracy Now (DN) offers these two shows as a free download, click on "Listen to Segment." DN was one of the few news programs that has consistently maintained a high level of journalistic integrity while many other "news programs" have disgraced themselves.

2006-01-01: Revising Earth's Early History Using refined techniques to study rocks, researchers at the Carnegie Institution's Department of Terrestrial Magnetism (DTM) found that Earth's mantle--the layer between the core and the crust--separated into chemically distinct layers within 30 million years of the solar system's formation, instead of over more than 4 billion years, as the standard model suggests.

2005-12-31: Winter Solstice Celebrations Religious people worldwide celebrate during the month of December. Most celebrations are linked to the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere; a season when the daytime hours reach a minimum and night time is at a maximum. In pre-historic times, winter represented the end of the growing season as the life-giving sun sank lower in the sky each noon. They feared that the sun would eventually disappear and leave them in total darkness and freezing cold. After the winter solstice, they would celebrate the sun's rising in the sky. The concept of birth, death, and rebirth became associated with the winter solstice, see Religious Tolerance for a clear Overview of the Winter Solstice Celebrations. Or, for a scientific explaination of the earth's tilt during the winter, see Wikipedia's Winter Solstice.

2005-12-31: Now: Global Warming For any of you that missed it, NOW had a great program on Global Warming. The program regarded the sound science behind Global Warming, while covering the politics involved, where Mobil-Exxon and others, spend millions attempting to discredit the scientists. At stake? Major impacts throughout the planet or reduced profits for some corporations.

2005-12-31: Depression is bad for your heart According to a large-scale study in Sweden, people who have been diagnosed with depression, especially younger patients between 25 and 50 years of age, are at increased risk of developing Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) later in life.

2005-12-25: Christmas Dinner at the UUUS: CHRISTMAS DINNER: Many joined us for a traditional Christmas feast on Christmas Day.

2005-12-23:: NSA Authorized to Eavesdrop on Americans Without Court Approval There has been a storm of protest from the right and left due to the President's decision to bypass FISA courts to spy on Americans. DN does an excellent job of explaining this case. Thanks to the ACLU and its series of Freedom of Information Act lawsuits, we now know the FBI has been spying on domestic groups involved in the peace movement (including the Catholic Worker), the environment, animal cruelty and poverty relief.

2005-12-23:: Study Links Length Of Chromosome Ends To A Rare Disease Of Stem Cells A Johns Hopkins geneticist and her team have discovered a critical link between the health of stem cells and the length of the chromosome ends (telomeres) within them.

2005-12-07:: Precise New Measurement Tests Key Physics Theory Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists have entered a new realm in the search for QED deviations by measuring light they generated in the extreme electric fields surrounding the nucleus of uranium.

2005-12-07:: Groundbreaking Guidelines Promote Early Detection
Tweleve million Americans suffer from peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Some of the guidelines include: questions & observations that can uncover hidden signs of peripheral arterial disease; a narrowing of the arteries that supply blood to the kidney—and a possible cause of poorly controlled high blood pressure or kidney failure; recommendations on when an aneurysm—a weakening and bulging of the arterial wall—should be treated with surgery or catheter-based therapy, as well as when “watchful waiting” is the best course.

2005-12-07:: Movie night, A Midnight Clear, is considered by many as one of the best WWII pics is showing this Wednesday. For more info, click on the banner at the right.

2005-12-05: UUA Alert: The House of Representatives reconvenes on Tuesday, December 6th; they'll be greeted by a massive mobilization in support of withdrawing US forces from Iraq. The Washington Office strongly encourages Advocacy-News subscribers to take two minutes on Tuesday, December 6, to call your Representative's Washington Office and share your opinion. In a letter to Representatives dated December 6, UUA President the Rev. William G. Sinkford gives his rationale for why such action is necessary: "I urge you to support legislation that would require the Administration to create and implement a plan to withdraw US forces from Iraq. I believe that continuing to pursue a military-based strategy that has failed to produce peace-a strategy that has tragic human consequences almost every day-is ethically and religiously bankrupt. The time for a change of course is long overdue." ACTION The Washington Office strongly encourages Advocacy-News subscribers to take two minutes on Tuesday, December 6, to call your Representative's Washington Office and share your opinion. You can reach the Capitol switchboard by dialing 202-224-3121 and asking for your Representative by name. You can also plug in your zip code at http://www.uua.org/uuawo/new/article.php?list=type&type=5 to find their direct number. For more on the Iraq occupation, see The Cost of the Iraq War.

2005-12-03: PARTY!   PARTY!   PARTY!  Let's welcome the beginning of the winter holidays with a "1st Saturday Gathering" at the home of Allan and Janet March on Dec. 3rd at 6:30 pm. Instead of a sit-down dinner the meal fare will consist of light to heavy hors d'oeuvres and BYOB (bring your own booze/beverage). Dress will be casual. As usual, I'll post the sign-up list on the green clip board on the table at the back of the church hall. We will call you to discuss what you would like to bring and to give you directions to our home at that time. NEWCOMERS WELCOME!  Here is another opportunity to enjoy each other's company in a casual setting!  Janet March

2005-11-27: The Man Who Sold the Iraq War: John Rendon, Bush's General in the Propaganda War: Investigative journalist James Bamford examines how the Bush administration and the Iraqi National Congress used the PR firm Rendon Group to feed journalists fabricated stories in an effort to sell the Iraq war. From Vietnam to Iraq: Sen. George McGovern Discusses the Lies of War from the Gulf of Tonkin to Iraq's WMDs: Democracy Now covers new information regarding the U.S government's deceptions during the Vietnam War. For more info, see The Cost of the Iraq War.

2005-11-27: The Great Debate of Our Season: "God and Country: Where the Religious Right is leading us" is the December 2005 issue of Mother Jones. Thank you- Cathy Giordano.

2005-11-25: THANKSGIVING DINNER: JOIN US AT UUUS FOR A THANKSGIVING FEAST! There will be a turkey and everyone is asked to share a side dish. This is a wonderful way to partake in good food, good company and give thanks. The meal is usually eaten around 1 pm, but guests usually arrive earlier to have time for visiting. Please call Kathy Anderson, who is organizing the feast, to find out more about it: 407 425-1065.

2005-11-20: Bush's FDA Ideologues Stop Emergency Contraception: Professor Frederick Sweet's article concerns the recent FDA ruling that denies a safe emergency contraception for American women.

2005-11-20: Global Warming: 2005-11-20: Study Shows Climate Warming To Shrink Key Water Supplies Around The World In the looming future, global warming will reduce glaciers and storage packs of snow in regions around the world, causing water shortages and other problems that will impact millions of people, according to researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, and the University of Washington in a review paper published in the November 17 issue of the journal Nature. 2005-10-24: Climate model predicts dramatic changes over next 100 years The most comprehensive climate model to date of the continental United States predicts more extreme temperatures throughout America. For more info, see GlobalWarming.

2005-11-16: Derrie Frost's Opening Words on Lydia Child: Derrie's opening words on 13 November concerned Lydia Child, the American abolitionist writer. For more info, see Lydia Child spoke against slavery.

2005-11-13: In Search of the Spiritual: Newsweek article finds that Americans are looking for personal, ecstatic experiences of God, and, according to our poll, they don't much care what the neighbors are doing.

2005-11-13: The Search for Justice: CLARENCE DARROW COMING TO FUCO… touring actor Gary Anderson is recreating the character of the famous lawyer for UU audiences throughout Florida. The show is titled: “The Search for Justice” and is based on highlights of Darrow’s greatest trials and legal arguments. The Board of Trustees of FUCO is sponsoring this event for the benefit of the Legal Aid Society, a non-profit United Way agency. Tickets are $20 each for the 7pm performance and are being sold on a first come, first served basis. Tickets are available in Gore Hall after services (at FUCO) or send a check to the First Unitarian Church of Orlando, the Darrow Event, 3563 Emerywood La., Orlando, FL 32812, to receive tickets by return mail. For information, call or email Joe DuRocher 407 859-0386; PDJWD@aol.com

2005-11-13: Once more on the Sony rootkit case- Can you say boycott? It is now known that thousands of titles (not just sales) of these CDs have been released on the market for the last year. Sony/BMG has not been open to what their software does or the damage inflicted (including a patch that didn't do what they claimed and denying that their software sent back personal information to Sony when this "feature," a.k.a.- spyware, was discovered). Now at least two viruses (Breplibot.c and Breplibot.b) are known to take advantage of their rootkit to infect PCs. If you run any Sony CD on your computer, you are taking a risk that it includes this rootkit. For more detailed info see Twit 29: Sony Baloney and Security Now! with Steve Gibson, Episode 12: Sony/BMG's Rootkit DRM. 2005-11-02: Sony, Rootkits and Digital Rights Management Gone Too Far: Sony BMGs new CDs exposes users to threats from hackers and virus writers and other record companies are joining the frey. For a more basic overview, see this Washington Post article Study of Sony Anti-Piracy Software Triggers Uproar.

2005-11-13: Alzheimer's Disease Onset Tied To Lapses In Attention: Early stage Alzheimer's patients have greater difficulty shifting attention between competing sources of information, a finding that offers new support for theories that contend breakdowns in attention play an important role in the onset of the disease.

2005-11-13: Amnesty International Urges Americans to Support the Senate Anti-Torture Amendment: The amendment, offered by Senator McCain a former Prisoner of War in Vietnam, is consistent with long-standing U.S. military doctrine, U.S. constitutional standards and U.S. international commitments. Former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Colin Powell, along with 29 other retired generals, admirals and prisoners of war, support the amendment as providing much needed clarity to soldiers and personnel in the field.

2005-11-13: Research Finds Cigarette Manufacturers Target Youth Market With Candy Flavored Cigarette Brands: New research from the Harvard School of Public Health finds that cigarette makers are targeting young smokers with candy and liqueur-flavored brands that mask the harsh and toxic properties found in tobacco smoke, and in one case, embedding a flavor pellet within the filter.

2005-11-03: Debate on case for war in Iraq comes back to top of agenda: The Democrats have held a special secret session to discuss the Iraq Invasion and its causes. Two reports, a 511-page report of the Senate intelligence committee last year and a 618-page report of a White House-appointed team led by Laurence Silberman and Charles Robb this year, reached nearly identical conclusions: that President G.W. Bush was a blameless victim of faulty intelligence. And both concluded that the intelligence was skewed by poor trade craft and weak analysis. These conclusions have never been persuasive, in part because they conflict with recollections of former officials (Richard Clarke, the former terrorism tsar, and Paul O'Neill, former Treasury secretary), along with Downing Street Memo.

2005-11-03: Grassley-Dorgan amendment to cap subsidy payments The U.S. senate passed this legislation to cap farm subsidy payments. Reaction from big farming was immediate and negative. The legislation is important because farmers in poor countries suffer under a flood of cheap US imports have been pushing for reform of US policies within international trade negotiations. It will also reduce pressure in America to cut funding for key anti-poverty programs such as food stamps and rural land conservation (one beneficial means of support for US family farmers). Oxfam America says it is a first step toward redirecting our farm support to the family farms that need it most, rather than to the largest producers who receive the majority of funding in the current system. This bill was supported by coalition including Oxfam America, US family farmers, poverty relief organizations, and environmental groups. See also Fairness for Family Farmers and Oxfam asked us to sign their petition to make trade fair, see Join the Big Noise.

2005-11-01: 40,000 file past casket of Rosa Parks: Congress broke with precedent and allowed Ms. Parks to lie in honor at the Capitol Rotanda for her act of civil disobedience. 2005-10-26: Rosa Parks Good article on Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat to a white man and ignited a successful black civil rights protests. Rosa died Monday at the age of 92. Hear a Rare 1956 Interview with Ms. Parks through Democracy Now. Thanks, Ms. Parks.

2005-11-01: Sharing Your Genius: Thanks- Nini Gaylon.

2005-11-01: Federal Judge Battle: 2005-11-01: Samuel Alito: Leading the Attack on Fundamental Legal Rights and Protections for All Americans People for the American Way cite the conservative judge's hostility to basic reproductive rights, rejection of protection for workers and his leadership against federal laws protecting individual. See also, The Next Antonin Scalia and Bush Picks Conservative Judge Samuel Alito Who Endorsed Abortion Restrictions for Supreme Court. 2005-10-27: Miers Supreme Court Nomination Withdrawn Under Conservatives' Fire. Want to Learn More? see- Federal Judge Battle.

2005-11-01: Religion: New ruling means lesbian pastor loses ordination

2005-11-01: PlameGate: 2005-11-01: Cheney Taps Torture Memo Author to Replace Scooter Libby Vice President Dick Cheney appointed David Addington to be his new chief of staff following the resignation of Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Addington once wrote the war on terrorism has rendered the Geneva Conventions "obsolete," see also Addington's Role In Cheney's Office Draws Fresh Attention. 2005-11-01: Libby's Criminal Indictments 2005-10-29: NIGER URANIUM FORGERY MYSTERY SOLVED? Interesting story of how the false story was planted that Mr. Wilson debunked. The Importance of the Plame Affair Thank you, Dutton Ashcraft - Covers the basics of Plame case, being the outing of Valerie Plame, a CIA operative and wife of Joe Wilson, by high members of the current administration as revenge against Mr. Wilson for this essay- What I Didn't Find in Africa. Both the New York Times (NYT) and Time Magazine have defended not only the decision to publish Plame's name; not to mention the NYT's disastrous support of Judith Miller, whose un professionalism allowed her to be manipulated into passing on false information regarding Iraq's WMD, and who now claims the journalistic high ground. See Lies Judith Miller Told Us and also the letter from Bill Keller (Executive Editor- NYT) to his staff. (Arianna Huffington says on her site- "Check out this memo from Bill Keller at The NY Times to his staff in it's entirety that I have verified from three sources.) Plus, Secrets, Evasions and Classified Reports which discusses the White House's manipulation of the mainstream American press.

2005-10-29: High Military Expenditure in Some Places Did you know that the US military budget was almost as much as the rest of the world’s? The recent damage caused by inadequate infrastructure funding to protect from Hurricanes, not to mention social issues such as education, poverty and health insurance, begs each American to consider how his tax dollars are being spent.

2005-10-29: Kansas Denied Use of National Science Education Standards 2005-09-26: New Analyses Bolster Central Tenets of Evolution Theory In a courtroom in Harrisburg, Pa., a federal judge will begin to hear a case that asks whether ID or other alternative explanations deserve to be taught in a biology class. But new tests add new validity to evolution. 2005-05-19: Money Trial or Kangaroo Court? In three days of testimony in Kansas, witnesses painted a picture of evolutionary biology as a tyrannical discipline that can be salvaged only by admitting the bright light of the supernatural.....

2005-10-29: Science: 2005-10-29: Nasa's First Space Elevator Competition 2005-10-10: A Hoist to the Heavens The author proposes a space elevator that could get men and materials into earth orbit cheaper than existing rockets.

2005-10-29: Abortion Does Not Raise Risk Of Depression as reported in the British Medical Journal.

2005-10-29: Vision Input: On Saturday, October 29th, the church will have three separate meetings on Vision Input. If you are not presently scheduled, please contact Kathy Anderson, (407)425-1065 or e-mail Dayle Peabody, E-mail: Vision Input Workshop, for information.

2005-10-27: State of the University Address Cornell's Interim President, Hunter R. Rawlings III, writes a good essay on intelligent design and its cultural, not scientific basis.

2005-10-27: White House Caves on Davis Bacon President Bush suspended the Davis Bacon provisions that guarantee prevailing wages on federal contracts in the aftermath of Katrina but has changed his mind.

2005-10-27: Preparing for a Pandemic Scientific American's new issue considers a highly contagious and lethal strain of influenza which will sweep across all humanity, claiming millions of lives. It may arrive in months or not for years--but the next pandemic is inevitable.

2005-10-27: Natural carbohydrate helps cut blood sugar Scientists have found a messenger inside cells which switch on enzymes that regulate blood sugar; these findings could lead to new drugs to treat type 2 diabetes.

2005-10-26: American Fascism I have received several e-mails concerning an article in Harper's called "We Now Live in a Fascist State." I cannot verify the Harper's story but the web site I've listed covers fourteen points of American fascism, based on "Fascism Anyone?" by Laurence W. Brittand, and is worth taking a look, including the numerous photos and links (including one at the bottom concerning the Harper's article).

2005-10-26: More Than 470 Physicists Sign Petition To Oppose U.S. Policy On Nuclear Attack The petition was signed to oppose a new U.S. Defense Department proposal that allows the United States to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states. 2005-09-17: Pentagon draft plan calls for preemptive use of nukes The Christian Science Monitor reports that the Pentagon has drafted a revised plan to allow use of preemptive nuclear bombs against other nations or groups. Critics say plan is designed for possible attack against Iran.

2005-10-26: National Debt Tops $8,011,000,000,000 Thanks, Deborah Helle

2005-10-26: A Question for Journalists: How Do We Cover Penguins and the Politics of Denial? Bill Moyers speech worth reading about the environment and politics.

2005-10-23: Something Fun: Jib Jab Cartoons that will make you laugh. Thanks, Deborah Helle.

2005-10-22: Hurricane Wilma: Hurricane Wilma Get the latest news from the NOAA.

2005-10-22: Health Science: 2005-10-22: Questions linger in U.S. CJD cases More unanswered questions about the safety of American beef. Consuming fish at least once a 2005-10-11: Eating Fish Associated With Slower Cognitive Decline Consuming fish at least once a week was associated with a 10 percent per year slower rate of cognitive decline in elderly people. 2005-10-10: A glass of red wine a day keeps the doctor away Cabernet Sauvignon, followed closely by Petit Syrah and Pinot Noir, reduces production of LDL cholesterol (also know as the "bad" cholesterol), boosts high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the good cholesterol) and reduces blood clotting. Grape juice has similar benefits but does little to lower LDL cholesterol. 2005-10-06: Even Moderate Caloric Restriction Lowers Cancer Risk In Mice A study by the National Cancer Institute dated April 23 that moderate caloric restriction reduced by 60 percent the number of pre cancerous intestinal polyps in mice at high risk of gastrointestinal cancers. Animals eating as much as they wanted of a diet high in olive oil, fruits a