Tuesday, March 31st, 2015
Tom Boggioni, - The Raw Story
Stephan: I am always amazed at how nakedly hateful Rightist politicians are. That comments such as those of the Ohio attorney general, as reported in this story, are so nakedly prejudiced, and that this is considered acceptable political speech in the second decade of the 21st century is bizarre. He is of course, as all these Rightists do, playing to his base. Thus, ultimately, this is a report on the state of a large portion of the American electorate.
In a legal brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court, Ohio’s attorney general defended the state’s ban on same-sex marriages by claiming that LGBT people don’t deserve to be a protected class.
Voters in Ohio approved an amendment to the state constitution in 2004, excluding same-sex couples from marriage or claiming any legal status similar to marriage.
As reported by Think Progress, the brief submitted to the Supreme Court by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, states that the 14th Amendment defers such decisions to “vigorous democratic debates in each state community.”
“Heightened scrutiny does not apply because there is no fundamental right to the recognition of out-of-state same-sex marriages. Such a right would conflict with our Nation’s traditions in two ways,” the brief states. “All States denied the asserted right to same-sex marriage until recently. And a right to ‘protection and recognition’ falls outside the general right to privacy within which the specific marriage right sits. Nor has a new consensus emerged for a new right. Even today, a majority of States would adhere to marriage‟s traditional definition absent federal judicial mandates. And an international perspective does not change the analysis.”
According to DeWine, massive governmental support for same-sex marriage is proof […]
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Tuesday, March 31st, 2015
The Editorial Board, - Indianapolis Star
Stephan: The Indiana Theocratic Rightists have exposed themselves as the haters they are, and the decent people of the state have had enough. I hope citizens all over the country understand what is happening here. This is what citizen action can do. Here is the front page editorial (a very rare occurrence) of the largest and most influential newspaper in Indiana. Governor Mike Pence has brought shame upon himself and his state, the voters of Indiana have pushed back, and the media has heard their message.
I consider this extremely good news.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence holds a news conference at the Statehouse in Indianapolis, Thursday, March 26, 2015. Pence has signed into law a religious objections bill that some convention organizers and business leaders have opposed amid concern it could allow discrimination against gay people.
Credit: AP Michael Conroy
We are at a critical moment in Indiana’s history.
And much is at stake.
Our image. Our reputation as a state that embraces people of diverse backgrounds and makes them feel welcome. And our efforts over many years to retool our economy, to attract talented workers and thriving businesses, and to improve the quality of life for millions of Hoosiers.
All of this is at risk because of a new law, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, that no matter its original intent […]
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Tuesday, March 31st, 2015
David Ewing Duncan , - The Daily Beast
Stephan: If you read SR regularly you know that for several years I have been writing about, and publishing reports on, genetic engineering which I see as the driving science behind the Homo Superior Trend —the manipulation of DNA to produce a new species of humans.
For the last five years the issue has been mostly an esoteric concern of a few medical ethicists but, now, the realization of what is possible is beginning to penetrate into general consciousness. And humans are just one aspect of this new technology. This line of research very quickly gets seriously weird and alarming, and it has been progressing with almost no public conversation about the subject. Finally, as this report shows it is being addressed.
We won't hear a word about this in the upcoming election, but this technology has the power to transform human society. Imagine the 1% engineering their children to be Homo Superiors while not covering it by insurance, thus making the process to0 expensive for the 99%. What kind of social order do you think that would produce?
“We have within our grasp the technology to change evolution. This could change the course of biological life.”
— Paul Berg, Nobel Laureate and a pioneer of genetic engineeringIn 2012, scientists in the U.S. and Sweden invented a technology as potentially life-altering as splitting the atom. One that you haven’t heard of—yet—called “CRISPR-Cas9”. This innovation with the cumbrous name allows biologists to edit DNA almost as easily as cutting and pasting words and letters on a laptop.Scientists say that CRISPR-Cas9 may soon allow them to perform miraculous fixes to eliminate or alter mutations that cause everything from some cancers to Parkinson’s disease. More whimsically, the technology could be used to create, say, a unicorn, or a pig with wings; though it’s unlikely they could make swine fly. More nefariously, terrorists or the military might create pathogens that could harm far more people than splitting the atom has so far. Or, an accident could occur unintentionally.The question is how to turn this seemingly earth-shattering technology from a yawn in the public perception into a topic that society is aware of, and one that is discussed, thereby preventing or making highly unlikely the bio-equivalent of a nuke exploding. This is […]
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Tuesday, March 31st, 2015
Joe Romm, - Think Progress
Stephan: Here is a report describing exactly what I have been predicting since 2000. I have just returned from Virginia Beach and Norfolk Virginia where this story would also apply. The collapse of the high end coastal real estate market, and the migration away from the coastal low lying areas is going to radically change our economy. This report describes what I mean.
The corporatist Theocratic Right, with its fact-free view of the world, and its fear based social manipulations is on track to destroy America. I consider it, as I have said before, to be the most toxic social force in the world. I am much more concerned about Republican governors like Rick Scott, Mike Pence, Scott Walker, Sam Brownback then I am some middle eastern ISIS fanatics. And beneath that I believe is the growing ignorance, fanaticism, fear, and hate driving Theocratic Rightist voters.
Miami streets see heavy flooding from rain in September 2014. Some neighborhoods flood regularly during deluges or extreme high tides.
Credit: AP Photo/Lynne Sladky
Governor Rick Scott (R-FL) has made Florida the punchline for countless jokes since we learned in early March he barred state officials from using the term “climate change.” As Jon Stewart joked last week holding a copy of “Roget’s Denial Thesaurus,” Florida is headed toward “statewide jacuzzification,” and “It appears by 2020, Miami will be involved in a surprise pool party.”
But the joke is on all of us: Florida has led the way in all but ignoring the growing twin threats created by human-caused climate change — sea level rise and superstorm surge — thereby creating a trillion-dollar real-estate bubble in coastal property. When the next superstorm like Katrina or Sandy makes its target Florida and bursts that bubble, the state can declare bankruptcy. So too […]
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Stephanie Castillo , - The Raw Story
Stephan: Research has begun to make it clear that the modern American diet based on processed foods, and high fat high sugar foods filled with additives is literally killing us. And it is not just that this diet harms people who eat it physically. It is that it impairs us psychologically and intellectually.
Source: Bruce-Keller, AJ et al. Obese-type Gut Microbiota Induce Neurobehavioral Changes in the Absence of Obesity. Biological Psychiatry. 2015
Credit: www.iamthatlady.com
So often we hear about the negative effects of a high-fat diet: The more fatty foods we eat, the more we put ourselves at risk for diseases, such as obesity and heart disease. But do high-fat foods threaten our psyche, too?
A study recently published in the journal Biological Psychiatry hypothesized a high-fat diet produces changes in health and behavior (partly) by altering a person’s gut microbiota. Prior research suggests “alterations in the microbiome may underlie the host’s susceptibility to illness, including neuropsychiatric impairment” — and present researchers decided to put this theory to the test. The transplanted gut microbiota from mice maintaining a high-fat or control diet to non-obese mice maintain a normal diet.
When evaluating recipient mice for changes in behavior and cognition, the mice who received microbiota from the mice maintaining a high-fat diet experienced increased anxiety, impaired memory, and repetitive behaviors. They also showed “many detrimental effects in the body, including increased intestinal permeability and markers of inflammation.” This is all in addition to signs of inflammation in the […]
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