Bali Conference on Climate Change Carbon Neutral?

It is being reported that 15,000 people from 190 nations will be flying to Bali to discuss reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Of course, these flights will create millions of pounds of carbon dioxide. Is it us or is there something wrong with this picture? The December 3-14 conference is being sponsored by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and will utilize the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report to begin formulating the Post Kyoto protocol, which expires in 2012. Has the United Nations made arrangements to offset their carbon footprint? We hope so. We do not know.

We do know that it would take a massive amount of carbon dioxide credits to offset the burning all of that jet fuel. That is why AAEA has established a program to address such a need. It is our Green Carbon Bank (GCB). Hey U.N.? Need to offset your footprint? Give us a call. Or simply click on the penquin.

Derrick Freeman: Nuclear Power Advocate

Derrick Freeman is the Senior Director for Governmental Affairs at the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI). He joined NEI in July 2007 after working on Capitol Hill for many years. Mr. Freeman served as Legislative Counsel to Senator Mark Pryor (D-Arkansas) where his responsibilities included advisement on energy, taxation, and economic policy.

His professional experience encompasses several years in the financial services industry in New York City and on Wall Street. He served as Vice President and Counsel at the U.S. Investment banking arm of the Netherlands based ABN/AMRO.

Derrick graduated from Washington and Lee University with a Bachelor's Degree in Economics and received his Juris Doctorate from Howard University School of Law. He is a member of the New York State Bar.

Dr. Bruno Comby: First To Support Nuclear Power

Dr. Bruno Comby, left, is the godfather of environmentalists who support nuclear power. He was the very first environmentalist in the world to publicly support nuclear power starting in 1996. Based just outside of Paris, France he is internationally known and led the environmental movement there to establish that country as the world leader in nuclear power plant electricity production. France now gets 80% of its electricity from nuclear power and Dr. Comby should be more widely recognized for his early support. AAEA promotes our president, Norris McDonald, as the first environmentalist to publicly support nuclear power in the United States, but we have always recognized Dr. Comby as the original visionary and activist in this area.

Bruno Comby is a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique, with a postgraduate degree in nuclear physics. He is a well known European environmentalist, the author of eight books on health, energy and the environment, including the best seller 'Environmentalists For Nuclear Energy'. His books and his work have been widely presented in over 1500 TV and radio programmes and press articles around the world. He is the scientific director of the Bruno Comby Institute, which promotes non-smoking, better nutrition, and solutions to famine in the Third World. Bruno Comby created the association Environmentalists For Nuclear Energy (EFN) in 1996. It now includes over 9,000 citizens, members and supporters of clean nuclear energy in more than 56 countries, and provides information and activities to the public in 15 languages. AAEA is a member.

Information Tribunal User Group

Notes from the first meeting of the Information Tribunal's User Group have been published. The Tribunal's website states:

"The aim of the group is to provide an opportunity for users of the Tribunal to discuss matters relating to its operations and processes of a non case specific nature with representatives of the Tribunal’s judiciary and administration, so as to identify better ways for the Tribunal to serve users."

Read the meeting notes here.

Lurie: Peace in my lifetime?

J. Zel Lurie, the retired founding editor of Hadassah Magazine, concludes the following column, prepared on Nov. 29 (the 60th anniversary of the UN General Assembly vote for two states in Palestine) for publication in the Jewish Journal of South Florida, December 4, by noting, "Meanwhile I became 94 today, December 4. Will I see peace in my lifetime?"

My reply: Despite all the obstacles and all our doubts, may it be so! Happy Birthday, Zel.

On November 27, 2007 at Annapolis. a few moments after the President of the Palestine National Authority and the Prime Minister of Israel had promised, to begin vigorous, serious and continuous negotiations to arrive at a peace pact within 13 months, a CNN reporter commented: ‘This is the beginning of the beginning."

I would have called it the end of the beginning. The beginning actually occurred 60 years ago less two days, on November 29, 1947, when in a converted factory in Lake Success, the United Nations General Assembly voted by a two-thirds majority to create two states in Palestine, a Jewish state and an Arab state.

I was there. I watched the furious Arab delegates, led by Azzam Pasha, the Egyptian head of the Arab League, and Prince Faisal of Saudi Arabia, stalk out of the room. I followed them to the press section where Azzam Pasha declared war. He said "any partition line drawn in Palestine will be a line of fire and blood."

The Jews were ecstatic. A state at last. In the lobby outside they were dancing. In the delegates lounge they had surrounded Abba Hillel Silver, head of the Jewish Agency, to drink a lechayim. The Israeli delegation had left for the ailing Chaim Weizmann’s hotel room to give him the good news.

At Annapolis, the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, who is Prince Faisal’s son or grandson, led the Arab League delegation into the hall and not out of it. [Although he could not quite bring himself to shaking an Israeli's hand - ed.]

November 29, 1947 was the real beginning but there were several other ends of the beginnings over the years, There was Anwar Sadat’s startling visit to Israel in 1977 and his declaration "No more war." Israel and Egypt had fought four wars since 1948.

This was the beginning of negotiating an Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty. It took over a year for President Jimmy Carter, devoting his time and energy with constant visits to Cairo and Jerusalem to hammer out a peace treaty that has held up for the last thirty years.
President Bush has made it clear that he will not mediate. ... He will not make bridging proposals as did President Carter, with the invaluable help of Moshe Dayan; they were successful 30 years ago. ...

Reaching an agreement with the Palestinians will be much harder, as President Clinton discovered. The core issues dividing them - Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, borders, water, security from suicide bombers - are much broader, deeper and more ingrained than the Sinai. ...

The Oslo Accords were signed in September 1993 on the White House lawn with President Clinton’s arms around Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat, exactly the same posture as the Annapolis photo of Bush embracing Olmert and Abbas.

The Oslo Accords might be called another end of the beginning. They were followed by several implementation meetings, in Cairo, Paris, Wye River and Sharm al Sheikh. They covered economic relations and the gradual transfer of territory to the Palestine Authority. All of these agreements, none of which dealt with the core issues, were abrogated on the outbreak of Arab violence and suicide bombers in 2000, following Ariel Sharon’s provocative march onto the Temple Mount.

The Army took over completely. Over 500 checkpoints confined the Palestinians. Jewish settlements in the West Bank almost doubled. Expensive roads, forbidden to the Palestinians, were constructed. A separation barrier was built on Palestinian land destroying tens of thousands of olive trees and separating Arab farmers from their fields. Hamas terrorists took over Gaza.

Now Olmert and Abu Mazen (a.k.a. Mohammed Abbas) have promised to try to solve all these issues and many more in 13 months. I wish them well.

Annapolis was essentially a show place but I don’t wish to denigrate its achievements. ... Olmert has appointed high level committees to deal with the core issues. The United States will mentor the negotiations. President Bush has appointed General James Jones, the retired commander of NATO forces to oversee the security problems. Tony Blair will convene a donors conference to provide funds for Palestinian Prime Minister Saalam Fayed. ...

DVD price drop

Starting Dec. 1st, the price of Hamburger America on Amazon will drop to $12.90something and on my website the price is already down to $9.99...

DVD price drop

Starting Dec. 1st, the price of Hamburger America on Amazon will drop to $12.90something and on my website the price is already down to $9.99...

A movie and soon a book

Hamburger America began as 54 min. documentary film about 8 hamburger joints in America. Seven years since I took the first bite of my 'research', the film has premiered on the Sundance Channel, PBS, and various film festivals, it has become required viewing at Princeton University, and a book deal was struck.  In April 2008 Hamburger America - One Man's Odyssey to Find the Best Burgers in the Nation hits bookstores.  The state-by-state guidebook is the ultimate reference for the burger adventurer or the nostalgic preservationist.  The book includes 100 of my personal favorites as well as 120 full-color portraits of burgers and their creators. This blog should have been started years ago. Starting today, I will attempt to share my vast burger knowledge with the world...as it happens.

A movie and soon a book

Hamburger America began as 54 min. documentary film about 8 hamburger joints in America. Seven years since I took the first bite of my 'research', the film has premiered on the Sundance Channel, PBS, and various film festivals, it has become required viewing at Princeton University, and a book deal was struck.  In April 2008 Hamburger America - One Man's Odyssey to Find the Best Burgers in the Nation hits bookstores.  The state-by-state guidebook is the ultimate reference for the burger adventurer or the nostalgic preservationist.  The book includes 100 of my personal favorites as well as 120 full-color portraits of burgers and their creators. This blog should have been started years ago. Starting today, I will attempt to share my vast burger knowledge with the world...as it happens.

California Demands Environmental Justice for New Road Projects

SACRAMENTO – State authorities said Tuesday that highway, rail and port improvements funded through a voter-approved transportation bond must not worsen air pollution.
The 8-1 vote by the California Transportation Commission marked a reversal by the panel and the Schwarzenegger administration in deciding how to spend $2 billion in bond funds.

AP

This was a huge victory for the grassroots environmental justice movement in California.

Our hats are off to honor some serious emergency organizing by this powerful coalition. Here is one of their main groups.

California Demands Environmental Justice for New Road Projects

SACRAMENTO – State authorities said Tuesday that highway, rail and port improvements funded through a voter-approved transportation bond must not worsen air pollution.
The 8-1 vote by the California Transportation Commission marked a reversal by the panel and the Schwarzenegger administration in deciding how to spend $2 billion in bond funds.

AP

This was a huge victory for the grassroots environmental justice movement in California.

Our hats are off to honor some serious emergency organizing by this powerful coalition. Here is one of their main groups.

Present for Peace at Annapolis, Part 2

The following is from Meretz USA's immediate past president, Lilly Rivlin:

I went to Annapolis to cheer on the peace conference on Tuesday.

Three-quarters of those traveling with me on the bus from NYC were young people. Tammy Shapiro, the Director of Union of Progressive Zionists who ran the rally, is a young person. In fact, most of the speakers there were under the age of 30. Leading us in song were the two co-chairs of Habonim-Dror. Noam Shalef, representing Americans for Peace Now, is also a young person. Halleluyah. The baton has passed; at the very least it's shared.

It was exhilarating, yet I also had mixed feelings, especially since we stood on the lawn of St. Anne's Church not far from the Annapolis State House, probably no more than 30 miles from the moshava where I went to summer camp more than 50 years ago to be inculcated with the socialist-Zionist values that have influenced me throughout my life.

It was a beautiful and windy day. I held my sign "Negotiate for Peace," standing next to my peers, facing the traffic circle before us, cars honking, people staring at the more than 100 mainly young people who care, who in the face of much skepticism, put their bodies where their hopes are, to take a political action that may end up on the nightly news for one minute.

But it was more than that: it was acting in concert with other people that make me yearn to remember the words of Hannah Arendt--- something about participating in the public sphere that makes one more human.

And the surreal: We walked from the church to the waterfront, towards the closed off area where the dignitaries were meeting. We were guided by the Maryland Police to one side of the broad street, across from the Lubavitcher contingent who had come on a bus from Monsey, NY to voice their opposition to the Annapolis conference. We stood across from each other waving opposing signs. A group of four townies from Annapolis stood nearby, "Don't these American Jews have peace?," one asked cynically.

On the way back to our bus, I was stopped by two tall and well-groomed women who introduced themselves. They were evangelical Christians who had come to Annapolis to pray. They had been praying all day, they said. One of them, with long flowing blond hair, recounted that she had been to Israel many times, that Israel was the apple of God's eye, and that Israel should not give up one inch of land. I differed with her, I said, but our differences deserved more time than we had. She accompanied me to the bus overflowing with faith that God would intervene and do his best. I was not assured, I said politely.

On the bus, a few of us old timers engaged and disagreed mightily about the details of the two opposing narratives, Israeli Jewish and the Palestinian--- surely echoing, I thought, the back-and-forth agreements and disagreements, accusations and recriminations among the negotiators.

Am I hopeful? Well, nine organizations came together for the rally. And 49 countries (including most Arab governments) came together with Israel in Annapolis. This has never happened before.

A Request from Prague

Dear All,

For the next issue of Carbusters, we are going to focus on the theme of street conversion and street design. This is a wide call-out for any relevant news material, articles, books worthy to review, images or anything else that you think would fit well with the theme. Also, if you know of any streets or intersections or formerly car-dominated spaces that have been converted to a more useful pedestrian/non-motorized transport area, and whose mention should not be omitted from the next issue, please also send this in. We will also focus on PARKing examples.

Please send your submissions, comments and questions to editors@carbusters.org. We'd appreciate to hear from you before the end of the year.

Thanks,

Justin for the CB editorial team

A Request from Prague

Dear All,

For the next issue of Carbusters, we are going to focus on the theme of street conversion and street design. This is a wide call-out for any relevant news material, articles, books worthy to review, images or anything else that you think would fit well with the theme. Also, if you know of any streets or intersections or formerly car-dominated spaces that have been converted to a more useful pedestrian/non-motorized transport area, and whose mention should not be omitted from the next issue, please also send this in. We will also focus on PARKing examples.

Please send your submissions, comments and questions to editors@carbusters.org. We'd appreciate to hear from you before the end of the year.

Thanks,

Justin for the CB editorial team

Present for Peace at Annapolis, Part 1

Meretz USA’s president Lawrence I. Lerner, executive director Charney Bromberg, past president Lilly Rivlin, board member Shirley Rausher, and Ralph Seliger joined with staff and activists of the Union of Progressive Zionists, Americans for Peace Now, Brit Tzedek V’Shalom, Ameinu, Hashomer Hatzair and Habonim-Dror to rally for peace in Annapolis, Maryland. Charney Bromberg was among those who addressed the rally jointly sponsored by this coalition of pro-Israel peace groups at St. Anne’s Church in downtown Annapolis, across from the Maryland governor’s official residence.

Other speakers included two friends from Israel, Mossi Raz, a former Meretz Member of Knesset and director of Israel’s Peace Now, and Gavri Bargil, co-director of Israel’s Kibbutz Movement and a former Shaliach (Zionist emissary) headquartered in New York. In attendance, cheering us on, was Nidal Fuqaha, a Ramallah-based Palestinian who is executive director of the Geneva Initiative.

Collectively, this progressive Zionist coalition was among the largest groups making its presence known in Annapolis. As we strolled through this charming town toward the gates of the United States Naval Academy where the conference was staged, we found the only possibly bigger bunch— that of the Neturei Karta, an oddball Chasidic sect demonstrating against Israel’s very existence. Also a sizeable group– almost identical in attire with the Neturei Karta– was another band of ultra-Orthodox Jews demonstrating against the conference on the premise that West Bank territory is Israel’s sacred real estate. A smaller group of less visibly religious Jews opposed the conference on the grounds that it was planning to surrender territory to Arab terrorists; they stood with their signs in close proximity to an even smaller bunch of anti-Israel demonstrators (apparently Arabs and a few sympathizers).

Sadly, ours was apparently the only pro-negotiations, pro-peace demonstration, but at least there was no massive anti-peace mobilization. I’m including links here to the public remarks at Annapolis by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and
Pres. George W. Bush.

Click here for a thumbs-down view of the conference from the ever-skeptical Ami Isseroff
but he usefully includes the joint statement signed onto by Israel and the PLO, pledging "vigorous, ongoing and continuous negotiations and ... every effort to conclude an agreement before the end of 2008."

Charney Bromberg and Ofer Gutman (a World Zionist Organization official who is a member of Meretz) are two hopeful voices recorded as against some negative remarks registered at the Mideast Youth website.

International Conference of Information Commissioners

The 5th International Conference of Information Commissioners is taking place this week in Wellington. Details of the programme can be found on the ICIC 2007 website, together with abstracts and papers for the open sessions (day one was a closed session for commissioners only)

FOI Podcast

Ibrahim Hasan has asked me to post the following:

Episode 9 of the UK’s first Freedom of Information podcast has just been published.

In September and October 2007, the Information Commissioner published thirty eight decisions whilst the Information Tribunal published nine. My latest podcast guides you through some of these:

In this episode we will be discussing decisions involving

* Vexatious requests and what makes them such

* Disclosure of celebrity pay packets by the BBC

* Disclosure of staff attendance at work

* The applicability of section 21 to information on the internet

* The link between the fees provisions and section 16

* The first Tribunal decision on disclosure of dead peoples’ information

* AND disclosure of information about police speed meters

You can listen directly to the podcast at : www.informationlaw.org.uk

All you need is Windows Media Player or Real Player (most computers have these or are freely downloadable) and a set of headphones.

The direct raw feed is : http://informationlaw.jellycast.com/podcast/feed/5

(Note this only works with specialist podcast software.)

Feature Story on Philly CarShare

here.

Feature Story on Philly CarShare

here.

Carfree in Minneapolis

John Akre is doing it.

Carfree in Minneapolis

John Akre is doing it.

Saudi Gender Apartheid

Meretz USA’s immediate past president, Lilly Rivlin, has passed along this item:

Young girls are left to burn to death in a school fire because they are not suitably attired to be seen in public if rescued. A rape victim is ordered to be whipped 200 lashes and imprisoned six months. Welcome to a few of the horrors of gender apartheid in Saudi Arabia, says Mona Eltahawy.

NEW YORK -- Once upon a time, in a country called South Africa the color of your skin determined where you lived, what jobs you were allowed, and whether you could vote or not. Decent countries around the world fought the evil of racial apartheid by turning South Africa into a pariah state. ...

Today in a country called Saudi Arabia it is gender rather than racial apartheid that is the evil but the international community watches quietly and does nothing.

Saudi women cannot vote, cannot drive, cannot be treated in a hospital or travel without the written permission of a male guardian, cannot study the same things men do, and are barred from certain professions. Click here to read entire article.

Scheinberg: Qassam Rockets, No Easy Solution

Week after week primitive Qassam rockets fired from Gaza land in or near the Israeli town of Sderot. [So far, they have killed about a half dozen Israeli civilians and injured more-- ed.] They have seriously wounded soldiers camped near the town and they certainly threaten everyone from school children to the very old. The problem is that there are no easy solutions.

Of course the right-wing parties want the IDF to march right into Gaza and stop this outrageous assault on a civilian population but what would that mean? Would the IDF be able to track the elusive fighters operating on their own turf, amidst their own people? Would it mean a repeat of some of the tragedies of the 2nd Lebanon War, which inflicted grave losses on both sides? Would it necessitate a stupid and wasteful reoccupation of Gaza? None of these scenarios are very appealing.

Defence Minister Ehud Barak offered a kind of interim measure, tightening the screws on Gaza by cutting back on the electricity supply along with limiting gasoline shipments and a sharply curtailing commercial ties with the strip. There was a loud outcry against these measures from human rights groups, the United Nations and the European Union and the term they all used was – "collective punishment". In other words, Israel was proposing to punish the entire population of Gaza, some 1.5 million people when the real culprits were a handful of terrorists and the Hamas officials which allowed them to operate. Human rights groups turned to the Israel high court arguing that the power cut was illegal and would harm innocent civilians.

Israel’s leading political columnist Nahum Barnea declared that Barak had made "a stupid decision." First, even if not carried out, the threat to electric supplies and fuel gave Hamas excellent propaganda. Second, punishment of the entire Gazan population can only drive it into the open arms of Hamas. Third, as Israel seeks a dialogue with moderate Palestinian and Arab nations she appears to them as a cruel occupier. Even if the threats of sanctions are not carried out Israel has egg on its face. Undoubtedly, with that in mind, Attorney General Menachem Mazuz prohibited the electricity cut, at least for the time being.

This all leaves Israel with a predicament in which she has seemingly no good options and several poor ones. One is that she can maintain the status quo, tolerating the rockets until one hit a school or other sensitive location and then be forced to invade while suffering the taunts of right wing critics, who had urged preemptive action. Two, Israel might yet turn to electricity cuts and other harsh sanctions but suffer the diplomatic storm which would ensue, as well as adding to the ranks of Hamas. Three, the IDF could be turned loose on Gaza, with unknowable results, but this is probably not an option until after the Annapolis peace conference, while even then a poor choice. In sum, there are situations which admit of no easy solutions and the rockets from Gaza present just such a problem. Sober men and women at the cabinet table will be facing a major test of their humanity and of their wisdom. We can only wish them well.


Dr. Stephen Scheinberg is emeritus professor of history at Concordia University (Montreal) and co-chair of Canadian Friends of Peace Now. More of his opinions can be found at http://thejewishliberal.blogspot.com.

More American Environmentalists Should Support Nuclear Power

Only two American environmentalists are actively supporting nuclear power: 1) Norris McDonald and 2) Christie Todd Whitman. Our president was the first American environmentalist to publicly support nuclear power (2001) and is still the only head of an American environmental organization supporting the emission free technology. AAEA is the only American environmental organization actively supporting nuclear power. Some of AAEA's nuclear work is illustrated at the following links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. AAEA is the David fighting the anti-nuclear movement Goliath to allow this technology to provide the electricity we need while mitigating global warming.

Former New Jersey Governor and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Todd Whitman cochairs a coalition that started publicly supporting nuclear power in 2005. She speaks to groups around the country about the emission free benefits of nuclear energy.

The pro-nuclear movement needs more American environmentalists to ACTIVELY support nuclear power. We accent actively because, although some folk give lip or blog service support, they do not show up at the public hearings, forums and press conferences to support the renewed interest in developing this technology. They are also not doing the homework needed to promote the building of new nuclear power plants. Although there is much discussion and many plans to build these new plants, not one order has been placed. No one really knows if this rennaisance will happen and the anti-nuclear movement has not gone away. Wall Street and Main Street will still have much to say about a possible nuclear power future. AAEA could use some help out here in the field of battle. More American environmentalists need to step up to the plate. Global climate change is the most important environmental issue facing us today.

(More)

America's Most Dangerous Cities

According to CQ Press based on FBI data, the most dangerous cities in America are listed below. There is also a gnashing of the teeth about how the data should be used but we will not shy away from the reality of the carnage. It is pathetic. And it is Black-on-Black violence because these cities are either majority Black or have very large Black populations.

City / % African American (added by AAEA)

1. Detroit 82%

2. St. Louis 51%

3. Flint, Mich 53%

4. Oakland, Calif 36%

5. Camden, N.J. 53%

6. Birmingham, Ala 73%
7. North Charleston, S.C. 50%
8. Memphis, Tenn 61%
9. Richmond, Calif 36%
10. Cleveland, Ohio 51%
11. Orlando, Fla 27%
12. Baltimore, Md 64%
13. Little Rock, Ark 40%
14. Compton, Calif 62%
15. Youngston, Ohio 44%
________
27. Washington, DC 60%

Source: Wikipedia (2000 U.S. Census), CQPress is a division of Congressional Quarterly, Inc.

Yael Dayan Addresses Meretz USA Executive Committee

On Monday, November 12, Yael Dayan (Meretz), Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv and Jaffa, spoke before a meeting of Meretz USA's Executive Committee. Her talk concentrated on the Annapolis Conference and its prospects for commencing a new peace process between the Israelis and the Palestinians. In particular, she bemoaned the low expectations that all parties now seem to have for it, citing as an example the fact that the "conference" is now being called a "meeting."

These feelings, she said result primarily from skepticism, fatigue, and attempts to please different parties inside the Israeli and Palestinian societies. With the anniversary of Rabin's assassination recently passed and years gone by since Oslo, the Israeli street lacks enthusiasm for a peace process. Every time Israel and Palestine have come close to peace, they have faced a schism within their respective populations.

In Israel, this mindset is supported by the widely-held belief that Hamas is succeeding in its takeover, as well as by fear that another evacuation (i.e., that of the West Bank) would further bolster Hamas and put more Israelis in danger. These convictions are also backed by the intelligence services.

Ms. Dayan stressed that, no matter what happens at the Annapolis Conference, it is vital to be well prepared for the day after. The Conference will be a green light to negotiations, and all pro-peace communities should help make sure that the Israelis, Palestinians, and Americans carry on with negotiations.

In these negotiations, Ms. Dayan believes that Israel will have the responsibility of taking the first step - largely because it has done very little to ease conditions thus far. For their part, the Palestinian authorities must take better control of security in the West Bank. The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) must also negotiate with Hamas and work to reduce Qassam fire on Sderot.

Nevertheless, Ms. Dayan explained, it is also the responsibility of the Israeli government to provide better security and shelter for its citizens living in Sderot. After all, the only thing that will fully stop the Qassam fire is peace. Quoting Yitzhak Rabin, "We must fight terrorism as if there is no peace process, and we must pursue peace as if there is no terrorism," Ms. Dayan explained that it is futile to wait for quiet. If Israel does so, peace will never come. Security must be a result of peace, not a precondition.

Closing, Ms. Dayan asserted that waiting for peace has been detrimental to Israeli society. She observed that, despite a strong economy, the country used to be much stronger in sciences, basic education, and other disciplines. She also pointed out the huge gap between Jewish and Arab education, and the gap between general Israeli education and education for immigrants. These things have been neglected with the understanding that, once peace comes, they will improve. However, Ms. Dayan argued that Israel cannot afford to think that peace is around the corner; some reforms must come now. And she said, peace may not be enough to push these necessary changes forward once it comes.

Summarized by Amy Kapit, Meretz USA Program Director

Public awareness of FOI in Scotland

SIC press release 19 Nov 2007:

"Research published today by the Scottish Information Commissioner has revealed that public awareness of freedom of information (FOI) remains high, with 74% of those surveyed reporting that they were aware of the law. However, the report also indicated that awareness may be lower within particular groups, including young people, the elderly and people with disabilities.

The research, which was carried out by Progressive Scottish Opinion as the fifth wave of the Commissioner annual public awareness survey, also found that:

• 64% of respondents believed that Scottish public authorities were becoming more open and accountable as a result of FOI;
• 69% felt that more information was available from public authorities than ever before;
• 69% felt that Scottish public authorities are more open and accountable than their equivalents in the rest of the UK;
• 57% nevertheless believed that public authorities would find a way round their FOI responsibilities if they didn't want to provide information.

The study also revealed that the majority of respondents (73%) who reported having made an FOI request to a public authority received all of the information they had asked for."

Full press release here.

Public Awareness Research Report here

U.S. Subways Falling Apart

Nearly 25 percent of the Chicago Transit Authority's 242 miles of track — some of it elevated, some of it underground — is so shoddy that in some stretches, trains designed to travel more than 50 mph must plod along at 5 mph — about the pace of a horse at trot. The average rail car is 23 years old, and nearly one-third exceed the 25-year maximum recommended by federal authorities.

AP

Meanwhile, back in the First World, Beijing plans to build the world's largest subway by 2020.

Treehugger

U.S. Subways Falling Apart

Nearly 25 percent of the Chicago Transit Authority's 242 miles of track — some of it elevated, some of it underground — is so shoddy that in some stretches, trains designed to travel more than 50 mph must plod along at 5 mph — about the pace of a horse at trot. The average rail car is 23 years old, and nearly one-third exceed the 25-year maximum recommended by federal authorities.

AP

Meanwhile, back in the First World, Beijing plans to build the world's largest subway by 2020.

Treehugger

New Biblical Studies Journal

I received this email today and thought that it would be of interest to others:

THE ORTHODOX CENTER FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF BIBLICAL STUDIES (OCABS) is pleased to announce the launching of its new, on-line academic journal, The Journal of the Orthodox Center for the Advancement of Biblical Studies (JOCABS).

The mission of JOCABS is to promote scholarship in biblical studies, homiletics, and religious education among Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Christians around the world.

Although submissions in English are preferred thus ensuring greater accessibility, academic papers in other languages (especially Arabic, Armenian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, and Spanish) will be considered by our multi-lingual editorial board and its international associates.

Articles may be submitted in the following areas:

• Old Testament and Cognate Studies. Including (but not limited to) critical studies in Hebrew Bible; Septuagint; Pseudepigrapha; Ancient Near Eastern History and Culture; Syro-Palestinian Archaeology.
  
• New Testament and Cognate Studies. Including (but not limited to) critical studies in New Testament; Early Christian Literature; Apocryphal Literature and Traditions; Classical Studies; Archaeology of the Hellenistic and Roman periods.
  
• The Bible in Homiletics and Christian Education. Including theoretical and methodological studies dedicated to the practical applications of biblical scholarship to both preaching and pedagogy.
  
• Book Reviews. Submissions of critical reviews of books related to the field of biblical studies will be accepted and invited.

JOCABS is committed to promoting scholarship among scholars and graduate students and encourages them to submit papers to its peer-reviewed process. The first issue will appear in the Summer of 2008, and semiannually thereafter.

For additional information, please contact Dr. Nicolae Roddy, at nroddy@creighton.edu or Fr. Vahan Hovhanessian, at vartabed@stnersess.edu.

To submit an article online, please visit http://www.ocabs.org/journal/.

Automakers v. California: "You're Not the Boss of Me!"

The nation's largest car companies on Monday sought to persuade a federal judge to toss out California's strict tailpipe emissions standards, which they say could wreck the domestic auto market and trigger job losses at auto plants and dealerships nationwide.

The standards, which were passed into law in 2002, force automakers to build cars and light trucks that pump out 30 percent less greenhouse gases by 2016. More than a dozen other states have vowed to adopt them.

The auto industry also has filed three federal suits challenging the rules' validity, asking the courts to scrap the standards on grounds they require manufacturers to produce vehicles using too many different fuel efficiency standards.

California can set its own vehicle pollution standards because it started regulating air pollution before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was created.

AP

Rather than moving forward with green vehicles, as European and Japanese car manufacturers already have, Detroit is choosing to lay on the ground kicking and screaming. Petulance through litigation. What a sad commentary on a once groundbreaking sector of the US economy.

Automakers v. California: "You're Not the Boss of Me!"

The nation's largest car companies on Monday sought to persuade a federal judge to toss out California's strict tailpipe emissions standards, which they say could wreck the domestic auto market and trigger job losses at auto plants and dealerships nationwide.

The standards, which were passed into law in 2002, force automakers to build cars and light trucks that pump out 30 percent less greenhouse gases by 2016. More than a dozen other states have vowed to adopt them.

The auto industry also has filed three federal suits challenging the rules' validity, asking the courts to scrap the standards on grounds they require manufacturers to produce vehicles using too many different fuel efficiency standards.

California can set its own vehicle pollution standards because it started regulating air pollution before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was created.

AP

Rather than moving forward with green vehicles, as European and Japanese car manufacturers already have, Detroit is choosing to lay on the ground kicking and screaming. Petulance through litigation. What a sad commentary on a once groundbreaking sector of the US economy.

Google hosted site search goes global

Posted by Engin Yilmaz, Product Marketing Manager, Enterprise Europe

July 2007 saw the launch in the United States of our hosted site search solution, the Custom Search Business Edition (CSBE), for organisations and businesses of all sizes. Today we are pleased to announce that the CSBE is now available internationally in 40 languages and will be offered in almost 80 countries.

Early interest in the global offering has been positive, for example, we recently worked with the UK Parliament to implement the CSBE on their website so that nine million documents have become easily accessible by the public.

Some of the reasons why the UK Parliament and other organisations and businesses choose Google hosted site search include the:

• Highly relevant and sub-second query response times which are characteristic of Google.com
• Speed of implementation with there being no need to install or maintain additional technology
• Power and reliability of Google’s infrastructure
• Ability to setup and manage results online
• Reporting features which give and insight in to visitor behaviour

Google’s Custom Search is also available as a free, ad supported version and the Business Edition provides incremental benefits such as:

• Full customisation of the search results through an XML API
• Options for e-mail and telephone support available through the Google Enterprise group
• The choice of whether or not sponsored adverts are served against visitors search queries

Custom Search Business Edition can be purchased online and starts at $100 a year for up to 5,000 webpages and extends to $2,250 for 300,000 webpages with larger page volumes supported through Google’s Enterprise sales group.

For more information about hosted site search please visit http://www.google.com/sitesearch

Pew Research Center Race Study

A new Pew Research Center survey entitled "Optimism About Black Progress Declines" has found that African Americans see a widening gulf between the values of middle class and poor blacks, and nearly four-inten say that because of the diversity within their community, blacks can no longer be thought of as a single race. By a ratio of two-to-one, blacks say that the values of poor and middle class blacks have grown more dissimilar over the past decade. In contrast, most blacks say that the values of blacks and whites have grown more alike during this same time period.

Whites share the view that there has been a convergence in black and white values in the past decade; they also agree that the values of middle-class and poor blacks have grown less alike. Blacks and whites alike agree -- by solid majorities -- that immigrants work harder than both blacks and whites at low-wage jobs. One constant over the last two decades has been the nearly unanimous favorable views that blacks and whites express toward each other – roughly eight-in-ten of each group says they have a very or mostly favorable view of the other group. As of 2002, blacks remained the nation’s most segregated racial or ethnic group.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 4th Report

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has issued its 4th Assessment Report on climate change. The report is a summary for policymakers and will serve as the discussion document for the upcoming Dec 3-14 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) conference in Bali, Indonesia. The IPCC (formed 1988) and the UNFCCC (formed 1992 at Rio Summit) are part of the United Nations (More). The report shows that human influences have:

• Very likely contributed to sea level rise during the latter half of the 20th century
• Likely contributed to changes in wind patterns, affecting extra-tropical storm tracks and temperature patterns
• Likely increased temperatures of extreme hot nights, cold nights and cold days
• More likely than not increased risk of heat waves, area affected by drought since the 1970s and frequency of heavy precipitation events.

The report also states that:

1) Altered frequencies and intensities of extreme weather (heat waves, heavy
precipitation events, droughts, more severe storms, extreme sea level
events), together with sea level rise, are expected to have mostly adverse
effects on natural and human systems.

2) Anthropogenic warming could lead to some impacts that are abrupt or
irreversible, depending upon the rate and magnitude of the climate change.

3) Anthropogenic warming and sea level rise will continue for centuries due to
the timescales associated with the climate processes and feedbacks, even if GHG
concentrations were to be stabilized.

4) Climate change preferentially selects the poorest and most vulnerable in any
society. (Grist)

Bulletin of the Evangelical Theological Society (BETS) Table of Contents on-line

As part of my ongoing project I have tonight completed the table contents for volume 1 - 11 of the Bulletin of the Evangelical Theological Society. After volume 11 the publication changed from a bulletin to a journal - my next project.

Winterizing isn’t a welcome time

For many campers and RVers, putting away the gear for winter is a chore that must be done, but not without remorse that the camping season is over.

While many Snowbirds take to the road and head to warm weather states for the winter, many of us are still tied to a job or kids in school, or both, and must put our rigs away for the next camping season. It’s almost like putting the Christmas and New Year’s decorations away after a festive holiday season.

But when it comes to winterizing your RV, there are items you shouldn’t forget.

Winterizing the RVs water system is the most important piece of winterizing your unit.

Complete steps should be in your RV owner information.

There are also suggestions for RVs not stored inside, such as wheel covers and tarps to protect it from the elements.

While instructions and suggestions for preparing your unit for winter can be found in your owner’s manual or RV papers, don’t fear, if this is something you don’t want to do yourself, or don’t feel confident. Most RV service centers offer winterizing services, and can give you suggestions for storage. Just make an appointment, hitch up your RV one more time, and take it to the pros. Once it’s done, you can take it home for winter storage.

For those of you who can still get out and enjoy the RV, there are some great winter destinations, and below are just a few of the many great parks available.

Florida:

Whispering Palms in Sebastian, Fla. caters to the 55-plus crowd with 572 sites in its RV resort and manufactured home community. Situated along Florida's Treasure Coast, Sebastian offers beaches, fishing, and an average year-round temperature of 73 degrees. Whispering Palms amenities include: activities, billiards, dancing, outdoor games, a lake, Internet access, tennis and pets are welcome. In addition, there is a recreation room and library. There is also nearby golfing, sailing and windsurfing and numerous fishing and sightseeing opportunities.

Whispering Palms Mobile Home and RV Community, 10305 US Hwy #1, Sebastian, Fla. 32958; (800) 414-0814, (772) 589-3481; fax: (772) 589-3477; e-mail whisperingpalms@bellsouth.net

Indian Creek RV Resort is a Florida 55+ Community with numerous amenities, including shuffleboard courts, five tennis courts, three heated pools, spas, 21 private lakes and Wi-Fi, and just a short bike ride form Ft. Myers Beach. Nearby activities are boating, fishing, shelling, golf, museums, historic homes, nature preserves, dog racing, and major league baseball spring training.

The resort offers 1,204 sites, with various options, including pull-thru sites, 50-amp service and full hookups. Other site amenities include phone service, cable TV and Internet access.

Indian Creek, 17340 San Carlos Blvd., Ft. Myers Beach, Fla. 33931; (800) 967-0138.

Arizona:

Prospectors RV Resort is a two-season park open year-round with activities planned for each season. The 96 full hookup sites include cable TV, Internet access and phone service. Other amenities include a heated pool, spa, game room, laundry room, fitness room, and organized activities that include ice cream socials, bingo, popcorn and movie night and organized dinners and holiday events.

Prospectors RV Resort, 4750 N. London Bridge, Lake Havasu City, Ariz. 86404; (928) 764-2000, fax: (928) 764-2108.

Voyager at Juniper Ridge is in the White Mountains and offers a 9-hole golf course, tennis court, bocce, shuffleboard, billiards, pool, hot tub, craft rooms, entertainment, and a fishing lake. The 529 sites include 17 pull thru sites, 125 50-amp sites and 125 full hookups. There are also four Cabins and six RV rentals available.

Voyager is an adult Park.

Voyager at Juniper Ridge, 1993 Juniper Ridge Drive, Show Low, Ariz. 85901; (186) 653-4345; info@juniperridgerv.com; www.juniperridgerv.com.

Shangri-La RV Resort is family-owned and operated with a swimming pool and spa, planned activities, shuffleboard, horseshoes, volleyball and free cable TV. The 302-site resort offers 18 pull thru sites; 302 30-amp, 302 50-amp, and 302 full hookup sites, as well as an RV rental. Additional amenities include concrete patios, a marina, planned recreation and it is equestrian friendly.

Shangri-La RV Resort, 10498 North Frontage Road, Yuma, Ariz. 85365; (928) 342-9123; info@shangrilarv.com; www.shangrilarv.com.

Texas:

Bay Colony RV Resort is located just 20 minutes outside of Houston and offers 71 full hookup sites with private patios. Amenities include: cable TV hookup, swimming, Internet access, laundry and a pool, and pets are welcome. The resort is also near the ocean, surfing, fishing, golf, shopping and sightseeing opportunities.

Bay Colony RV Resort, 217 FM 517 W, Dickinson, Texas 77539; (866) 442-2978, (281) 614-5252, fax: (281) 614-1999; e-mail: bay_colony@verizon.net.

Amarillo Ranch RV Park has large pull-thru sites, an indoor pool, hot tub and sauna, and is pet friendly. With 64 full hookup sites, 25 offer pull thru access. Amenities include cable TV, Internet access, phone service and complimentary coffee and donuts.

Amarillo Ranch RV Park, 1414 Sunrise Drive, Amarillo, Texas 79104; (806) 373-4962; info@amarillorvranch.com; www.amarillorvranch.com

Have a great winter camping season!

Livable Copenhagen: The Design of a Bikable City

Download this New Report (Large file.)

Livable Copenhagen: The Design of a Bikable City

Download this New Report (Large file.)

Car Sales Collapse in USA

Three top investors in the automotive industry painted a grim picture on Sunday for the sector in 2008, with one executive predicting a possible slump in U.S. sales to levels not seen in 15 years.

Reuters

Perhaps the one bright aspect of the Bush Recession.

Car Sales Collapse in USA

Three top investors in the automotive industry painted a grim picture on Sunday for the sector in 2008, with one executive predicting a possible slump in U.S. sales to levels not seen in 15 years.

Reuters

Perhaps the one bright aspect of the Bush Recession.

Beilin: It’s Better to Stay Home [unless...]

.... The three leaders [Abbas, Bush, Olmert] can "leverage" their weakness in the upcoming meeting. They have very little to lose and a great deal to gain. After trying everything - and we have all paid an unnecessary price - they are returning to the year 2000, and they can try to go on from there. ...

They can agree in Annapolis about the principles of the final-status agreement (the Bush vision, the Clinton plan, the Geneva Initiative, the Ayalon-Nusseibeh plan) and immediately afterward begin negotiations, which will be conducted for several months and end as early as possible, in 2008.

The implementation of the agreement should be conditioned on the ability of Palestinian security forces to carry it out, and for this purpose a multinational force can be deployed on the Palestinian side.

Virtually the entire Israeli public is ready for a final-status agreement, according to the familiar principles. Virtually the entire Palestinian public supports these principles, according to all of the most recent surveys. Olmert is guaranteed an unprecedented parliamentary majority; more than 65 MKs will support the agreement he will reach. Even if he loses the support of Yisrael Beiteinu and Shas, the Knesset will be with him. ...

Click here for entire article in Haaretz by Meretz party chair Yossi Beilin.

Becher: Annapolis -- More than words needed

Talks, promises no longer enough; timetables, actions are key to peace by Susie Becher

Hardly a day goes by without some new twist in the preparations for the Annapolis conference, and speculation is rife on whether it will end in success or failure. The Israeli prime minister is trying to lower expectations, emphasizing that it is not a peace conference but a starting point for negotiations toward a peace accord. The Palestinian president has his eye on the day after Annapolis. ...

All the key players want to put on a good show for their respective audiences and know the cost of a flop. They will take to the stage with their lines well rehearsed and – supported by extras from the Arab League - will lock arms as they take their collective bow at the end. The curtain will fall, and only then will the real drama begin.

In his speech before the Saban Forum, Prime Minister Olmert stressed his commitment to negotiations. Ongoing negotiations, in the words of the prime minister; open-ended negotiations, if he has his way. Olmert is insistent that there be no timetable, although he has said that he hopes to sign an agreement by the end of President Bush's term. Note that the operative term here is sign, not implement. Deputy Premier Haim Ramon has suggested that the talks should begin with the broader issues on which there is agreement, leaving the disagreements for a later stage. Ramon appears to have learned nothing from Oslo, and all the talk about talking leads one to suspect that the Israeli government is studying a different history lesson.

Shortly after his defeat in the 1992 elections, former Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, who headed the Israeli delegation to the 1991 Madrid Peace Conference, was quoted in a Ma'ariv interview as admitting that his intention had been to drag out negotiations with the Palestinians for a decade while continuing to strengthen the Jewish presence in the occupied territories.

Although he was not the one to accomplish it, Shamir's plan to talk and build has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. When he left office there were just over 100,000 settlers in the West Bank; today, they number close to 270,000. As they went from Madrid to Oslo to Wye River to Camp David to Sharm el-Sheikh, successive Israeli governments have talked, talked, talked and built, built, built. Click here for entire article at Ynet News by Susie Becher, a member of the Meretz-Yahad party national executive.

Christian Brethren Research Fellowship Journal Table of Contents on-line

This weekend I completed work on the table of contents for the Christian Brethren Research Fellowship Journal and the Christian Brethren Review. Some of the articles from these series are already on-line and others will be added in due course.

Fresno Petanque on a roll

Only 3 months old, but very alive and kicking.
And whenever they travel they come back with medals & prizes!

Have a look at their October newsletter (pdf)

Also, they are talking to their Parks Department about public courts and got kudos for the proposal they submitted. A good source of inspiration for other groups. Thanks to Tim & Co for sharing it!

Fresno Parks Dept Proposal (pdf - 6.6 Mb)

Fresno Petanque on a roll

Only 3 months old, but very alive and kicking.
And whenever they travel they come back with medals & prizes!

Have a look at their October newsletter (pdf)

Also, they are talking to their Parks Department about public courts and got kudos for the proposal they submitted. A good source of inspiration for other groups. Thanks to Tim & Co for sharing it!

Fresno Parks Dept Proposal (pdf - 6.6 Mb)

Vanity plates drive

After driving around for years with our bumper sticker, I thought it was time for something more original....



Most likely the DMV people looked it up to make sure it wasn't a bad word.

Coincidence, the same day I received it there were a lot articles in the press about the vanity plate phenomenon. 9.3 mio cars now have vanity plates, or 3.83 % of a total fleet of 243 mio.
Virginia (where they cost only $10) ranks first in the nation, followed by New Hampshire and Illinois.

How about getting the first (and de facto only) "petanque" plate in your state?
To offset the DMV charge, and to help explain to your significant other or neighbors that you have not become deranged, we will give you a $ 75 discount on your next order (of min. $75). And of course your plate will appear on this blog as - why not - another salute to Petanque 100.

AAMVA - Press release
Cool licence plates!
AP article about personalized plates
Wikipedia on vanity plates

UPDATE
Bad luck -- apparently most states allow only 7 letters. In those cases, how about "PETANQE"?

Vanity plates drive

After driving around for years with our bumper sticker, I thought it was time for something more original....



Most likely the DMV people looked it up to make sure it wasn't a bad word.

Coincidence, the same day I received it there were a lot articles in the press about the vanity plate phenomenon. 9.3 mio cars now have vanity plates, or 3.83 % of a total fleet of 243 mio.
Virginia (where they cost only $10) ranks first in the nation, followed by New Hampshire and Illinois.

How about getting the first (and de facto only) "petanque" plate in your state?
To offset the DMV charge, and to help explain to your significant other or neighbors that you have not become deranged, we will give you a $ 75 discount on your next order (of min. $75). And of course your plate will appear on this blog as - why not - another salute to Petanque 100.

AAMVA - Press release
Cool licence plates!
AP article about personalized plates
Wikipedia on vanity plates

UPDATE
Bad luck -- apparently most states allow only 7 letters. In those cases, how about "PETANQE"?

Balls in pairs

For the growing number of folks who always play in teams of 3 or 4 players, and never need more than 2 boules, we now have Match competition boules available in pairs.

In 180 different combinations! That's right: five diameters (72-73-74-75), eleven weights (from 700 to 800 grams) and four patterns (1, 2, 3 & 4).


A nightmare from an inventory point of view, but we have already made many people happy, from Yuma, Arizona to Zephyrhills, Florida. And that's what counts.
If you want to feel what it's like to play with heavy boules, without paying the out-of-range extra, this is your chance.

Match2 - $ 54.00

Balls in pairs

For the growing number of folks who always play in teams of 3 or 4 players, and never need more than 2 boules, we now have Match competition boules available in pairs.

In 180 different combinations! That's right: five diameters (72-73-74-75), eleven weights (from 700 to 800 grams) and four patterns (1, 2, 3 & 4).


A nightmare from an inventory point of view, but we have already made many people happy, from Yuma, Arizona to Zephyrhills, Florida. And that's what counts.
If you want to feel what it's like to play with heavy boules, without paying the out-of-range extra, this is your chance.

Match2 - $ 54.00

Google Docs Deep Dive

Posted by Kevin Gough, Acting Product Marketing Director

A few weeks ago a representative from PC Magazine contacted me to let me know that Google Docs had won the magazine's editors choice award. In the online review, the editor mentioned the number of new features added over the last year and called Google Docs "more elegant, efficient, and enjoyable" than other online productivity suites. Since we at Google have a launch early and often mentality, I've gotten comfortable with new features appearing in the Google Apps products that I use on a weekly basis. However, this award caused me to pause and take a look back at all of the new features that have been added to Google Docs since I started using it. There were some features, like presentation capabilities and accessing documents on my mobile phone that I've become instant an convert to. However, looking at the "What's new" page of Google Docs, there were a lot that I'd missed.

One of the most interesting enhancements that I discovered were functions within Google Docs spreadsheets that can automatically pull external data from Google search results, Google News and other sources into spreadsheet cells. Check out the video below to see how these functions can make Google Docs a powerful tool for maintaining up-to-date research on competitors, customers or business opportunities.

Good News for Bike Lovers...

everywhere.

BBC

UPDATE:
This is not the first legal case involving someone simulating sex with an inanimate object.

- In 1997 Robert Watt, 38, was fined £100 for trying to have sex with a shoe in an Edinburgh street
- In 2002 the same man was arrested for simulating sex with a traffic cone in front of a crowd of people
- Earlier this month, sentence was deferred on teenager Steven Marshall, from Galashiels, who admitted simulating sex on a pavement while drunk.

Good News for Bike Lovers...

everywhere.

BBC

UPDATE:
This is not the first legal case involving someone simulating sex with an inanimate object.

- In 1997 Robert Watt, 38, was fined £100 for trying to have sex with a shoe in an Edinburgh street
- In 2002 the same man was arrested for simulating sex with a traffic cone in front of a crowd of people
- Earlier this month, sentence was deferred on teenager Steven Marshall, from Galashiels, who admitted simulating sex on a pavement while drunk.

"Tell Me More" Should Be Five Days A Week

Hey NPR, you are confusing the dedicated listeners of Michele Martin's "Tell Me More" show by only broadcasting on WAMU four days a week. Although your replacement Friday show is fine, couldn't you split that two hour segment up and give Mrs. Martin the consistency of a one-hour Friday show. We listeners of the show and fans of Mrs. Martin get in a groove and then it is not there on Friday. It is frustating. We are waiting for Michele's rapid-fire, intelligent, witty, curious questioning and it is not there. We encourage our readers to contact NPR and let them know. Click on the Office/Service/management button, then Ombudsman or NPR Management and send a note or call.

Now we're not trying to second guess your programming but NPR has to see the logic behind what we say. You launch this show with an A-list star and then broadcast it 80 percent of the time through WAMU. And you keep this talent from communicating with her fans on relax-day Friday when she could really be creative. Come on NPR. Listen to us. We have solved some of our planet's most complex energy and environmental problems (theoretical mostly of course) and you should consider implementing this recommended fix over there at WAMU. Now we do not know whether this is an NPR issue or a WAMU issue, but regardless, the show should be broadcast on Fridays at 2 p.m.

"Tell Me More" Blog

And while we're at it give Michele call-in too. The "Talk of the Nation Science Friday" show has call-in and Michele does not during her Mon-Thurs WAMU broadcasts.

Carolina Petanque

And ... speaking of North Carolina, some more news!
On October 21, nine of us decided to start Carolina Petanque, a club that will have multiple "home" bases throughout the Carolinas and sponsor gatherings at each location on a rotating basis.

Incidentally, Super Mario was visiting from Florida and witnessed the founding meeting, which took around 5 minutes. But the idea had been brewing for months so there was no need for lengthy discussions. There was however need for brew and for another game, in which Mario got his butt kicked for the first time on Carolina soil.

Whether it was his sudden appointment as president, or the tension of the last game, Bob - whom many of you met at the NY Open - had to have his arteries urgently checked the next day (as in "stent") . And Gary left the same day, so our flying start slowed down a bit.
But since then Bob is playing again, the blog is up thanks to Gary, and François of Chapel Hill became member # 10! And next week I will be in Charleston to meet with Louis and his die-hard players.

Carolina Petanque Blog

Carolina Petanque

And ... speaking of North Carolina, some more news!
On October 21, nine of us decided to start Carolina Petanque, a club that will have multiple "home" bases throughout the Carolinas and sponsor gatherings at each location on a rotating basis.

Incidentally, Super Mario was visiting from Florida and witnessed the founding meeting, which took around 5 minutes. But the idea had been brewing for months so there was no need for lengthy discussions. There was however need for brew and for another game, in which Mario got his butt kicked for the first time on Carolina soil.

Whether it was his sudden appointment as president, or the tension of the last game, Bob - whom many of you met at the NY Open - had to have his arteries urgently checked the next day (as in "stent") . And Gary left the same day, so our flying start slowed down a bit.
But since then Bob is playing again, the blog is up thanks to Gary, and François of Chapel Hill became member # 10! And next week I will be in Charleston to meet with Louis and his die-hard players.

Carolina Petanque Blog