15 Jun 2005
Give Them a Pass to Observe Religion

Asatru gets a mention in a list of religions:

One interfaith calendar lists observances for 26 religions, varying from Asatru, Baha'i and Christianity to Hellenismos, Wicca and Zoroastrian. Next January, 14 sacred events for world religions are listed, including the Sikhs' Maghi; the Mahayana Buddhist New Year; the Baha'is' World Religion Day; Chinese New Year observed by Confucians, Daoists and Buddhists; and Hijra, a New Year celebration observed by Islam.

It ain't much, but every little bit of recognition helps when you're a minority faith! So kudos to the Star for seeing that there are more religions out there than Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

Students should be excused for legitimate religious observances provided schoolwork is made up.

(link) [Indianapolis Star]

00:00 /Asatru | 0 comments | permanent link

US House votes to curb Patriot Act, defies Bush

Well, the House apparently grew half a testicle, anyway. But the thing that really caught my eye here is this gem of a quote from Rep. Christopher Shays, a Republican from Connecticut:

"You all seem to want to wait until the crime is committed and then you can use your criminal law to get at it. We want to detect and prevent it," Shays said.

That's right, Mr. Shays: we fervently believe that the province of criminal law is one of punishment, not prevention. Think about what you're saying here: we could prevent about 70% of all violent crimes by locking up all African-American males between the ages of 18 and 34 ... is that the kind of country you want to live in? Imagine the crimes we could prevent by having all communications monitored, all travel recorded, all purchases tracked. Is this what you're trying to accomplish? No thank you, sir. I'll take my freedom as straight up as I can get it, for as Thomas Jefferson once said, "Those who desire to give up Freedom in order to gain Security, will not have, nor do they deserve, either one."

Reuters - The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday defied President Bush by approving a measure making it harder for federal agents to secretly gather information on people's library reading habits and bookstore purchases.

(link) [Yahoo! News: Top Stories]

00:00 /Politics | 0 comments | permanent link

Ancient structures found near highway

These finds date very early - from around the first century of the common era. This is about the same time frame as the famous artworks known as helleristninger - rock carvings - which should help shed more light on the culture that produced them.

Two longhouses estimated to be about 2000 years old have been found during excavations near the E6 highway just south of Sarpsborg.

(link) [Aftenposten]

00:00 /Asatru | 0 comments | permanent link

Red meat 'raises risk of cancer'

OK, while this isn't quite qualify as a "Study in Stupidity" it does highlight an interesting problem with studies involving food. The problem, in a nutshell, is defining what, exactly is being studies.

I don't really doubt that this study is "true" - what I seriously doubt is that "meat" is the culprit. Why? Because humans, being biological omnivores, are "designed" to eat meat. In fact, in our dim past as hunters and gatherers, meat probably accounted for the bulk of our diet. And we still, as a species, consume a great deal of meat.

But in today's agricultural environment, we're eating a lot more than meat when we munch a steak. We're grubbing all the antibiotics, hormones and "additives" that the poor cattle are stuffed with prior to slaughter.

And as if that's not enough, we often take these contaminated meats and "process" them - adding sugars and preservatives, flash frying in hydrogenated oils and then irradiating the whole mash for better shelf life.

But when we do a study like this, it's "meat" that's the villain. Go figure.

Scientists find fresh evidence that eating lots of red and processed meat raises the risk of bowel cancer.

(link) [BBC News | News Front Page | World Edition]

00:00 /Agriculture | 0 comments | permanent link

Senators Consider Boosting Retirement Age

Well, I suppose it's fine for a Senator to work until age 69 before being allowed to retire. It's probably OK for anybody who sits on their fat ass and "thinks" for a living. But for the rest of us, well... I cannot imagine my father-in-law pouring concrete until was 69 (last year). He barely made it until he was 62. Do you really want a 68 year old trucker with arthritis and a heart condition trying to maneuver that big rig down the interstate at 70 miles an hour?

On a certain level, this proposal highlights one of the biggest problems we face: we are represented by professional representers, lawyers for the most part, most of whom have never done an honest days physical work in their lives. I got a real kick out of recent news reports about Bill Clinton getting exhausted while traveling and touring areas hit by last years tsunami ... try tossing three or four hundred bales of hay up into the how mow, Bill, if you want to find out about real exhaustion. And oh, by the way, keep doing it until you're 70 ...

AP - Work till you're 69 before getting full Social Security benefits?

(link) [Yahoo! News: Top Stories]

00:00 /Politics | 0 comments | permanent link