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Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Dominion Having Trouble Siting Natural Gas Station

Richmond, Virginia-based Dominion energy company is moving the location of a planned natural-gas compressor station from Middletown area of Frederick County, Md. to an 11-acre site in the unincorporated community of Jefferson, about five miles south of Middletown. The company faced fierce NIMBY opposition in the Middletown area claiming the $55 million complex would:

1) Ruin the landscape around the South Mountain Civil War Battlefield

2) Endanger their water supply and air quality.

3) Worries about increased commercial use on the 135-acre site.
Dominion said the compressor station is needed to pump natural gas from Pennsylvania to Virginia. The natural gas will be used by electrical power stations to meet the growing need of customers in the region.

Representative Roscoe Bartlett has asked federal regulators to review the project site. Compressor stations help keep natural gas moving through underground pipelines. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) also request the company to consider an alternative location. Based on the original proposal, construction would not start until 2012, with completion by 2014.

The Latest Member of the Enterprise Training Family



Living on the west coast of the US, I know it is hard (especially in winter) for some of our customers to make their way out to the east coast for training. I often make the 4 hour trip out east to visit my family. So we are really excited to announce our newest Certified Training Partner for Search, Innovent Solutions. Innovent will be teaching Google Search Appliance courses on a regular basis, starting May 14-16th in Irvine, CA. If you are registered, I look forward to meeting you at this course, as I am planning on being there. Don't worry if you cannot attend this class, they will have other sessions in the future.

We know that some of our customers learn better through self-study materials, so don't forget to:
* Browse our library of self-paced training videos (current customers only)
* Explore our online tutorials

George Soros on AIPAC and Israel

Regarding George Soros, his sober and sophisticated article in the NY Review of Books of April 12, 2007, referenced in Monday’s posting, tells us much about his impressive depth of thinking and values:

I am not a Zionist, nor am I am a practicing Jew, but I have a great deal of sympathy for my fellow Jews and a deep concern for the survival of Israel. I did not want to provide fodder to the enemies of Israel. ...

But now I have to ask the question: How did Israel become so endangered? I cannot exempt AIPAC from its share of the responsibility. ...

I am not sufficiently engaged in Jewish affairs to be involved in the reform of AIPAC; but I must speak out in favor of the critical process that is at the heart of our open society. I believe that a much-needed self-examination of American policy in the Middle East has started in this country; but it can't make much headway as long as AIPAC retains powerful influence in both the Democratic and Republican parties. Some leaders of the Democratic Party have promised to bring about a change of direction but they cannot deliver on that promise until they are able to resist the dictates of AIPAC. Palestine is a place of critical importance where positive change is still possible. Iraq is largely beyond our control; but if we succeeded in settling the Palestinian problem we would be in a much better position to engage in negotiations with Iran and extricate ourselves from Iraq. The need for a peace settlement in Palestine is greater than ever. Both for the sake of Israel and the United States, it is highly desirable that the Saudi peace initiative should succeed; but AIPAC stands in the way. ...

It is up to the American Jewish community itself to rein in the organization that claims to represent it. But this is not possible without first disposing of the most insidious argument put forward by the defenders of the current policies: that the critics of Israel's policies of occupation, control, and repression on the West Bank and in East Jerusalem and Gaza engender anti-Semitism.

The opposite is the case. One of the myths propagated by the enemies of Israel is that there is an all-powerful Zionist conspiracy. That is a false accusation. Nevertheless, that AIPAC has been so successful in suppressing criticism has lent some credence to such false beliefs. Demolishing the wall of silence that has protected AIPAC would help lay them to rest. A debate within the Jewish community, instead of fomenting anti-Semitism, would only help diminish it. ...

Another petanque map

Good to see other countries are following our example.

Here's "Petanque in the UK".



To further develop our USA map we now enclose this leaflet in every order that goes out:









Another petanque map

Good to see other countries are following our example.

Here's "Petanque in the UK".



To further develop our USA map we now enclose this leaflet in every order that goes out:









Tuesday, April 29, 2008

The boules juggler

Arsène (see previous post) is a well known juggler, magician or - simply put - "court jester". In between his numerous and popular appearances at Renaissance Festivals, he also juggles with ... boules.

The boules juggler

Arsène (see previous post) is a well known juggler, magician or - simply put - "court jester". In between his numerous and popular appearances at Renaissance Festivals, he also juggles with ... boules.

Lakeway, Texas tournament

Here's a full report from Geo of Lakeway Petanque Players:

The annual Parkfest Petanque tournament in Lakeway City Park was held on Saturday, April 26. Thanks to our resident magician, Monsieur Magikhana, Arsene Dupin, we had 6 doubles teams appear, direct from Paris, France (there is a Paris, Texas but no one cares). In addition 2 teams from Austin appeared and 2 from the Dallas petanque group blasted away on our courts. Competition was fierce. Christophe Chambers of NYC was our official arbiter and was able to keep the bickering and general discord to a minimum. Rules are meant to be arbitrated, right? Well, we managed to finish the tournament with plenty of daylight remaining which left us free to enjoy the music and festivities in the park.
In third place, accepting the bronze medals were Thierry and Guillermo. Arsene and Christophe came away wearing the silver medals. The premier team taking away the gold medals and trophies were Bill Baker of Dallas and Geo Durell of Lakeway. Congratulations to all who won and a heartfelt thanks to all who participated.

Thanks to Geo & Christophe for the pictures!

Update: Christophe also posted a 10 min. video on Youtube . Nice shots!
(pick the high quality version)


Lakeway, Texas tournament

Here's a full report from Geo of Lakeway Petanque Players:

The annual Parkfest Petanque tournament in Lakeway City Park was held on Saturday, April 26. Thanks to our resident magician, Monsieur Magikhana, Arsene Dupin, we had 6 doubles teams appear, direct from Paris, France (there is a Paris, Texas but no one cares). In addition 2 teams from Austin appeared and 2 from the Dallas petanque group blasted away on our courts. Competition was fierce. Christophe Chambers of NYC was our official arbiter and was able to keep the bickering and general discord to a minimum. Rules are meant to be arbitrated, right? Well, we managed to finish the tournament with plenty of daylight remaining which left us free to enjoy the music and festivities in the park.
In third place, accepting the bronze medals were Thierry and Guillermo. Arsene and Christophe came away wearing the silver medals. The premier team taking away the gold medals and trophies were Bill Baker of Dallas and Geo Durell of Lakeway. Congratulations to all who won and a heartfelt thanks to all who participated.

Thanks to Geo & Christophe for the pictures!

Update: Christophe also posted a 10 min. video on Youtube . Nice shots!
(pick the high quality version)


Westminster Theological Journal Table of Contents Now Complete

I have just completed the Table of Contents for Westminster Theological Journal and linked to all on-line articles that I am aware of. My thanks to Westminster Theological College and Tyndale House Library for this assistance.
SIC guidance

New 'Future Publication' and 'Relations within the United Kingdom' guidance has been published by the Scottish Information Commissioner.

Read the guidance here.

Theology on the Web group launched on Facebook

I have created a new group on Facebook called Theology on the Web. I am hoping that it will serve both to raise the profile of my websites and provide a forum for visitors to provide feedback on current and future projects. Feel free to sign up.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Bike Sharing in DC


NYT: Bicycle-Sharing Program to Be First of Kind in U.S.
"WASHINGTON — Starting next month, people here will be able to rent a bicycle day and night with the swipe of a membership card...."
One my favorite things I heard said about the Vélib program in Paris (in a documentary on the subject) was that it also fosters more Pariens having "beautiful bottoms".

Bike Sharing in DC


NYT: Bicycle-Sharing Program to Be First of Kind in U.S.
"WASHINGTON — Starting next month, people here will be able to rent a bicycle day and night with the swipe of a membership card...."
One my favorite things I heard said about the Vélib program in Paris (in a documentary on the subject) was that it also fosters more Pariens having "beautiful bottoms".

F.F. Bruce on When is a Gospel Not a Gospel?

The following article is now available in PDF:

F.F. Bruce, "When is a Gospel not a Gospel?" Bulletin of the John Rylands Library 45 (1963): 319-39.

Here is Bruce's conclusion:
To sum up, then, we may say that, according to the general consensus of New Testament teaching, a gospel is not a gospel when—

1. it is detached from the Jesus of history;

2. it gives little or no place to the passion;

3. it exalts human achievement in place of the grace of God;

4. it adds other conditions to the one which God has declared acceptable (even if those additions be things good and desir­able in themselves); or

5. it treats righteousness and purity as things which the truly spiritual man has outstripped.

On the other hand, a gospel is a gospel when—

1. it maintains contact with the Jesus of history, affirming that “this same Jesus “who came in the flesh and died is the vindicated and exalted Lord;

2. it embraces and proclaims “the stumbling-block of the cross”;

3. it extends the grace of God to men for their acceptance by faith;

4. it relies upon the power of the Spirit to make it effective in those who hear it; and

5. it issues in a life of righteousness and purity which is sustained and directed by the love of God.

F.F. Bruce on Christianity Under Claudius

The following article is now online in PDF:

F.F. Bruce, "Christianity Under Claudius," Bulletin of the John Rylands Library 44.1 (March 1962): 309-26.

F.F. Bruce summarises the facts and theories surrounding the Emperor Claudius' relationship with the early church.

Consumer Energy Center

"10 Ways to Reduce Your Fuel Costs, NOW!
"Here are ways to reduce your fuel costs in your vehicle....
"Alter Travel Practices - Save up to 30%
"* Use Carpooling / Public Transit / Non-Motorized Options: Ride the bus, carpool, bicycle or walk instead of driving alone. Sharing a ride to work with a friend or two effectively doubles your fuel economy for the trip and may allow you to use the diamond lane.
"* Take Advantage of Telecommuting / Telecommunications Technology: Many employers offer telecommuting as an option. Use the computer and telephone to replace vehicle trips for business, shopping and services when possible."
Consumer Energy Center

I don't know about the rest of you, but I spend zero (0) dollars on gas by not driving; "up to 30%"? Of what? At least they have a photo of a cyclist at the top -- too bad it isn't a a person biking for practical transportation.

Consumer Energy Center

"10 Ways to Reduce Your Fuel Costs, NOW!
"Here are ways to reduce your fuel costs in your vehicle....
"Alter Travel Practices - Save up to 30%
"* Use Carpooling / Public Transit / Non-Motorized Options: Ride the bus, carpool, bicycle or walk instead of driving alone. Sharing a ride to work with a friend or two effectively doubles your fuel economy for the trip and may allow you to use the diamond lane.
"* Take Advantage of Telecommuting / Telecommunications Technology: Many employers offer telecommuting as an option. Use the computer and telephone to replace vehicle trips for business, shopping and services when possible."
Consumer Energy Center

I don't know about the rest of you, but I spend zero (0) dollars on gas by not driving; "up to 30%"? Of what? At least they have a photo of a cyclist at the top -- too bad it isn't a a person biking for practical transportation.
Scottish Executive FOI disclosures

A couple of interesting recent disclosures on the Scottish Executive's disclosure log:

SIC Decisions 040/2008 and 052/2008: Information relating to the possibility of building new nuclear power stations or proposals to extend the lives of existing nuclear stations.
The Scottish Government has been required by the Scottish Information Commissioner (Decision 040/2008) to release copies of 4 papers, previously withheld, relating to building, and extending the life of nuclear power stations.
28/04/2008 - Government

SIC Decisions 052/2008 and 040/2008: the possible siting of new nuclear power stations in Scotland.
The Scottish Government has been required by the Scottish Information Commissioner (Decision 052/2008) to release copies of 4 papers, previously withheld, relating to building new nuclear power stations.
28/04/2008 - Government

SIC Decision 039/2008: Information relating to the drafting of response to UK Energy Review.
The Scottish Government has been required by the Scottish Information Commissioner (Decision 039/2008) to release copies of 8 papers, previously withheld, relating to the UK Energy Review.
22/04/2008 - Government
Local Govt Ombudsman FOI petition

There is an E-Petition on the Downing Street website calling for the removal of the statutory prohibition on disclosure in section 32 of the Local Government Act 1974, which prevents the Local Government Ombudsman from disclosing information obtained in the course of, or for the purposes of, an investigation under the FOI Act.

See http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/LGOandFOI/ for further details and to sign the petition.

Q & A on new dovish ‘Israel Lobby’

We’ve done a short e-mail interview with Jeremy Ben-Ami, the founder (along with Daniel Levy) of "J Street," the new dovish Israel lobby and its political action committee, "JStreetPAC." The following are our questions and Jeremy Ben-Ami’s answers in full:

Question: Perhaps a year ago, when stories or rumors started circulating of a new liberal Israel lobby, it was thought to be associated with George Soros. What (if anything) can you say about the role of Soros in your efforts?

Ben-Ami: George Soros is not involved in or funding J Street. J Street is the outgrowth of 18 months of planning and discussion among pro-Israel, pro-peace activists about how best to establish a new political voice on these issues. Some of those discussions did involve Mr. Soros, as was reported at the time. As Mr. Soros himself wrote in the New York Review of Books, he decided that his personal involvement in the launch of such an effort would, on balance, not help the effort so he decided to step out of the discussions.

Question: Wasn't your initial strategy for a two or three-way merger among the Israel Policy Forum, Americans for Peace Now and Brit Tzedek V'Shalom? What happened? How do you see your organization dovetailing, cooperating or coexisting with these groups now?

Ben-Ami: J Street is a political effort consisting of a PAC and a 501(c)(4) lobby. The existing pro-Israel, pro-peace groups are 501(c)(3) organizations and cannot organizationally be part of such an effort. However, as individuals and outside of their roles with those organizations, the leaders of all three organizations as well as of Meretz USA, Ameinu, New Israel Fund and other progressive Jewish organizations are members of the Advisory Council for J Street. We are very pleased at the broad support for the creation of J Street among progressive activists on this issue and their recognition that a unified political voice and arm will be an important complement to the work of the existing groups.

Question: In light of the writings of Mearsheimer and Walt on AIPAC and the "Israel Lobby," what would you like to say to progressive Americans about the purpose of your group and how this would impact the political scene?

Ben-Ami: For too long, the loudest voices in the American political and national policy debates when it comes to Israel and the Middle East have belonged to the far right – neoconservatives, right wing American Jewish leaders, and right wing Christian Zionists. These voices do not represent the mainstream of the American Jewish community or reflect its values. J Street will provide the first political voice for progressives on Israel. For the first time, candidates for political office and current office holders will know that there is organized support for sensible, mainstream positions on Israel and the Middle East – backing a two-state solution, opposing further settlement expansion, pursuing diplomatic opportunities to resolve conflicts rather than immediate resort to military options. These aren’t actually left or right positions; they are sensible, smart ways to be pro-Israel and to remain true to the values that the American Jewish community has always promoted of justice and peace for all.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

The Power of Prayer


Pray-in at S.F. gas station asks God to lower prices

Brian asked me to make fun of this article. The problem is: the answer is in the article; they have it. They just haven't finished thinking it through. I'm praying for rational thought.

"'People have to walk more, leave those cars at home, and carpool, man,' he (Twyman) said. 'We have to become more practical.'"

The Power of Prayer


Pray-in at S.F. gas station asks God to lower prices

Brian asked me to make fun of this article. The problem is: the answer is in the article; they have it. They just haven't finished thinking it through. I'm praying for rational thought.

"'People have to walk more, leave those cars at home, and carpool, man,' he (Twyman) said. 'We have to become more practical.'"

Saturday, April 26, 2008

20th Annual Fried Onion Burger Day Festival



The first stop on the Hamburger America book tour will be the El Reno, Oklahoma Burger Day Festival on May 3rd. I used the tour as an excuse to get back to one of my favorite burger meccas and eat my share of onion-fried burgers from Sid's, Johnnie's, and Robert's. All three burger joints are within a block of each other and will have lines a mile long at next weekend's burger bash. The festival is huge and promises a classic car show, live music, a burger eating contest, clowns, magicians, rides, a craft show, burgers, and me. That's right, the festival is setting up a booth for me to pen beefy burger blessings in my new book and I'm told the booth is across from the mechanical bull and very close to the Big Burger (check out the map). Every year the festival cooks a 750 pound onion-fried burger that's over 8 feet wide. Don't worry, I'll take pictures.

20th Annual Fried Onion Burger Day Festival



The first stop on the Hamburger America book tour will be the El Reno, Oklahoma Burger Day Festival on May 3rd. I used the tour as an excuse to get back to one of my favorite burger meccas and eat my share of onion-fried burgers from Sid's, Johnnie's, and Robert's. All three burger joints are within a block of each other and will have lines a mile long at next weekend's burger bash. The festival is huge and promises a classic car show, live music, a burger eating contest, clowns, magicians, rides, a craft show, burgers, and me. That's right, the festival is setting up a booth for me to pen beefy burger blessings in my new book and I'm told the booth is across from the mechanical bull and very close to the Big Burger (check out the map). Every year the festival cooks a 750 pound onion-fried burger that's over 8 feet wide. Don't worry, I'll take pictures.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Goldberg on ‘prisoners’ of conflict, Part 2

Jeffrey Goldberg is mostly a dove in our tradition of progressive Zionism. But there is one area of disagreement that I have with him: he holds strongly with the view that the Palestinians proved themselves incapable of making peace with Yasir Arafat as their leader. Hence, he has the same view as Dennis Ross that the breakdown in the peace process was mostly Arafat’s doing. I see the blame as more equitably shouldered by Arafat with Barak and the Clinton administration (including Ross).

The Clinton administration erred badly in publically blaming Arafat (endorsing Barak’s spin) and in not trying harder, sooner, to build upon the potential advances made at Camp David. Camp David need not have been interpreted as a failure at all. If the follow-up summit at Taba had happened earlier than January 2001, there might have been enough time to fashion a reasonable agreement that could have short-circuited or avoided the Intifada and concluded a workable peace.

I don’t write this to excuse Arafat for not doing all he could to squelch the all-consuming and peace-abnegating Intifada that began late in September 2000, but it is important to envision the Palestinians as capable of living in peace with Israel, and on this Goldberg may be too pessimistic in his long, engrossing and melancholic essay, "Unforgiven," in the May issue of The Atlantic.

Goldberg and I are in agreement that Israel missed a golden opportunity for not engaging sincerely and energetically with Mahmoud Abbas after he succeeded Arafat and won an electoral mandate from his people in 2005 to negotiate a peaceful two-state solution (this was a full year before Hamas narrowly won its election in January 2006) . Goldberg and I share the hope that this still may happen, but he has no such expectation.


His article is dramatically heralded on The Atlantic’s cover as "Is Israel Finished?" Goldberg does not answer this question, but neither he nor The Atalantic mean to be malicious in posing it. Perhaps his view is best summed up from his conversation with the historian, Benny Morris, when the latter says that even though Israel has been an enormous success, it simultaneously has come to a point where it’s future existence is in doubt.

Goldberg writes of the travails of novelist and dovish activist David Grossman, whose son was killed as a tank soldier in Israel’s last-ditch ground offensive during the final days of the 2006 Lebanon war. He used to be socially friendly with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert but has refused to talk with him since this tragedy. Curiously, Olmert dispatched Avrum Burg– the former prominent Labor dove and Zionist leader who has recently become a focus for controversy with his acerbic post-Zionist book, "Defeating Hitler"– to plead with Grossman to allow Olmert to visit him.

The notion that Olmert is so close personally with Burg and Grossman is a revelation. This also indicates that despite what people may think of Burg, he remains very much an Israeli in his being and he retains a sense of solidarity with his countrymen.

F.F. Bruce on Trends in New Testament Interpretation

The following article is now available in PDF:

F.F. Bruce, "Trends in New Testament Interpretation," Journal of the Transactions of the Victoria Institute 87 (1955): 37-48.

F.F. Bruce gives us a snapshot of New Testament interpretation as it stood in the mid-1950's. Many of the books he comments on are still "required reading" today.

Maryland Legislature Passes Energy & Environment Bills

Several environmental and energy bills were passed during the Maryland Legislature's General Assembly Session (Jan-Mar) and signed by Governor Martin O'Malley, including legislation that:

1) Sets out how to spend the regional auction proceeds,

2) Limits development near the Chesapeake Bay,

3) Establishes "green" building standards for new schools, and

4) Ratifies an agreement with Constellation Energy Group that provides $170, one-time rebates to residential customers of Baltimore Gas & Electric Company.

Carbon credit auction proceeds, for example, will go to energy efficiency and conservation programs meant to lower electricity usage and bills. There will be an increase in grants for solar energy and geothermal heat pump systems for homes. The new laws aim to reduce the state's energy consumption 15 percent by 2015 and to double the amount of renewable energy that power companies must provide for sale to customers to 20 percent by 2022.

The Constellation settlement is valued at $2 billion and ends a legal battle with the state. In addition to the credits, consumers would no longer be obligated to pay $1.5 billion in future costs for dismantling nuclear power plants in Southern Maryland, as had been stipulated as part of the state's 1999 deregulation plan. The settlement also gives the state some assurance that the company will build a nuclear power plant here. In exchange, the company avoids regulatory inquiries into certain costs consumers paid as part of the state's move to a deregulated energy industry.

Under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative - a cooperative effort of 10 northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states to fight global warming - carbon-dioxide emission "allowances" are to be auctioned this year. The cap-and-trade system in Maryland is expected to raise $80 million to $260 million a year.

The Department of the Environment plans to promulgate rules by January to set aside up to 5 percent of carbon credits under the regional auction for cleaner energy generators that come online before the summer of 2012. That would potentially include Competitive Power Ventures Inc., (CPV) plans to build a 640-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant in Charles County that would provide electricity to about 600,000 homes in Washington and Central Maryland. CPV is based in Silver Spring, MD. The set-asides would level the playing field for new power plants competing for energy contracts with generators in neighboring states such as Pennsylvania and Virginia, which are not part of the regional auction. The credits would have cost tens of millions of dollars and the exemptions would be limited to the first six years of the system.
(BaltimoreSun.com)
CFOI submission to 30 year rule review

The Campaign for Freedom of Information has responded to the review of the 30 year rule set up by the Prime Minister. The response summarises the 7 Information Tribunal decisions to date dealing with advice or internal discussion and points out that in almost every case the Tribunal has held that disclosure should have taken place at the time of the request, a few years or months after the decision. It says that this material should now be proactively released after 15 years, though if necessary, the reduction could be brought in in two stages, starting with 20 years initially.

Read the full response here (pdf).
Freedom of Information: Private Sector

House of Commons Written Answers
24 Apr 2008 : Column 2248W

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress he has made in his assessment of the desirability of extending the remit of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to private companies deemed to be delivering public functions. [201309]

Mr. Straw: The Government received over 130 responses to its consultation on extending the coverage of the Freedom of Information Act to organisations exercising functions of a public nature. The consultation officially concluded on 1 February 2008 but a number of responses received up to a month later were accepted and are being taken into account.

The Government are continuing to analyse the responses and assess the desirability and implications of designating additional public authorities under the Act.

BBC Researcher Seeks Aramaic Translator

I have been contacted by a researcher for BBC Television who needs someone to translate a small amount of English text into Aramaic for her. If anyone can help, please email me at rob(at)biblicalstudies.org.uk and I will send her contact address. Many thanks.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Riding the 405



Bikes now faster than cars in Los Angeles.

Riding the 405



Bikes now faster than cars in Los Angeles.

Senate Passes Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act

Update: President Bush signed the bill into law on May 21, 2008.

The Senate voted 95-0 to approve the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (H.R. 493), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of genetic information with respect to health insurance and employment. The legislation now goes back to the House, which passed in the House of Representatives on April 25, 2007 by a roll call vote of 420 Ayes, 3 Nays, 9 Present/Not Voting. President Bush supports the legislation. AAEA supported the legislation.

Title I - Genetic Nondiscrimination in Health Insurance: (Excerpt) Prohibits a group health plan from requesting or requiring an individual or family member of an individual from undergoing a genetic test. Provides that such prohibition does not: (1) limit the authority of a health care professional to request an individual to undergo a genetic test; or (2) preclude a group health plan from obtaining or using the results of a genetic test in making a determination regarding payment. Requires the plan to request only the minimum amount of information necessary to accomplish the intended purpose.

Title II - Prohibiting Employment Discrimination on the Basis of Genetic Information: (Excerpt) Prohibits, as an unlawful employment practice, an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee from discriminating against an employee, individual, or member because of genetic information. Prohibits, as an unlawful employment practice, an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee from limiting, segregating, or classifying employees, individuals, or members because of genetic information in any way that would deprive or tend to deprive such individuals of employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affect their status as employees.

Jody Platt Garcia and Corey Turner from the University of Michigan and the Genetics Equity Network, did an excellent job of coordinating educational outreach and support for this legislation. GEN also provided testimony before Congress in support of the bill. (The Washington Post) (2006 Howard Univ Conference)

Europeans Turning Backs on Cars



Europe generally has far better public transportation than the United States, with workers in countries like Britain, Belgium and France packing morning commuter trains and subways. Transportation planning increasingly factors in bike lanes, and more innovative mayors like those in Paris and London are designing schemes to facilitate alternative transport - and to make driving an ever more arduous option.

SF Gate

Related: Paris Skates!

Europeans Turning Backs on Cars



Europe generally has far better public transportation than the United States, with workers in countries like Britain, Belgium and France packing morning commuter trains and subways. Transportation planning increasingly factors in bike lanes, and more innovative mayors like those in Paris and London are designing schemes to facilitate alternative transport - and to make driving an ever more arduous option.

SF Gate

Related: Paris Skates!
More new SIC guidance

Updated guidance on the 'Court Records' and 'Communications with Her Majesty' exemptions has been published by Scottish Information Commissioner.

The guidance is available here.

Ted Turner Finds Religion But Misses Mark On Malaria

Mr. Turner, right, is apologizing to the religious for insulting religion most of his life, but partnering with churches to fight malaria. We applaud his interest but disagree with his method. Mr. Turner has chosen the politically correct route of bed nets instead of the effective route of utilizing DDT. Using heavy outdoor spraying of DDT would eliminate the mosquitos that carry the malaria parasite and after the pest is eliminated, stop the spraying. That is the way we eliminated malaria in the United States and is a very good model for eliminating malaria in the region where is is needlessly killing the most people: Africa.

The disease kills more than 1 million people a year — mostly women and children under the age of 5 in Sub-Saharan Africa Traditional environmental groups are more concerned about the health of birds than the lives of African children and have used their multibillion-dollar international might to crush the effective use of DDT to permanently solve this problem. All bird populations threatened by the use of DDT in America recovered after its use stopped.

Turner's United Nations Foundation, which he started in 1997 with a $1 billion donation, launched a $200 million anti-malaria project with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the United Methodist Church. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation also provided a $10 million grant that will help promote the campaign in churches. Turner's foundation is working with the Nothing But Nets campaign, which provides insecticide-treated bed nets in needy communities. Instead of wasting hundreds of millions of dollars on ineffective bed nets, several million dollars worth of DDT should be utilized to solve this problem. AAEA would be happy to make these arrangements.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Jeffrey Goldberg on ‘prisoners’ of conflict

A couple of months ago, my Upper West Side New York synagogue did something unusual in sponsoring a journalist as its Shabbat "scholar-in-residence." Jeffrey Goldberg, currently a correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly, has worked for The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine, as well as other publications, and is the author of "PRISONERS: A Muslim & A Jew Across The Middle East Divide."

He’s a very engaging and entertaining speaker, as well as an accomplished writer. His two talks at Congregation Ansche Chesed were on Israel and his involvement with it, his favorite subject. He made aliya in the 1980s as a young Zionist who used to attend the Hashomer Hatzair summer camp, Shomria, in New York’s Catskill Mountains. His book is about the relationships he cultivated with Palestinian prisoners he guarded in Ketziot prison during his time as a soldier in the IDF during the first Intifada.

He built upon these relationships years later when he returned as an American correspondent to Israel and the occupied territories, having gotten to know some individuals who later rose to prominence in Fatah and Hamas. In the course of his journalism, Goldberg was briefly held captive twice by armed groups in the Gaza Strip; since he once was an Israeli soldier, he is very lucky to be alive. (It struck me that his courage turned to foolhardiness in placing himself in a position to be kidnapped twice.)

A particularly powerful and disturbing story he told contrasts his visits to the homes of a Hamas leader and that of a Fatah official — both in the Gaza Strip. The Hamas activist related with pride that his adolescent son aspires to be a "shahid," a martyr, by which he means a suicide bomber. The Fatah official spoke earnestly with Goldberg about how he struggles against his son’s aspiration for death in such a mission.

Sadly, suicide-bombers and "shahids" in general have become rock stars for many, if not most, Palestinian youngsters in the territories. There is a veritable culture of martyrdom which is promoted in this society, with a viritual industry of posters, videos and bios making them into celebrities. Clearly, many or most Palestinians see this as a form of "resistance" to real oppression, but it only promises more death and destruction, not true liberation, which can only come in the form of a negotiated peace agreement with Israel. Click for Part 2 ...
Survey of FOI requesters
The Constitution Unit, based at University College London, is carrying out a survey of FOI requesters and is keen to hear the views of anyone who has used the Act. The survey is part of a research project aimed at evaluating the impact of the Freedom of Information Act on central government.

If you would like to take part in the study, please click the following link to complete the survey online http://tinyurl.com/622yto. Or, if you prefer, contact Ben Worthy at b.worthy@ucl.ac.uk or on 020 7679 4974 to ask more about the study.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

AAEA President on NPR on 38th Earth Day Anniversary



African American Environmentalist Association (AAEA) President Norris McDonald, left, appeared on National Public Radio (NPR) on the 39th Earth Day (April 22) and discussed environmental and environmental justice issues. During the program he discussed the upcoming State of Environmental Justice in America Conference 2008 and many other issues. Click on the link above to listen to the interview.



The theme of the program was, "How Does 'Going Green' Impact Black America?" NPR writes:



"The environmental movement has become increasingly mainstream, but on this 38th anniversary of Earth Day, we take a look at how it affects African Americans. For people struggling to survive a tough economy, do they have time to care about being "green"? We get insight from Monique Harden, co-director of Advocates for Environmental Human Rights, and Norris McDonald, president of the African American Environmentalist Association."

Here Comes the Press

As the new book rolls out to bookstores and hamburger lovers get their mitts on my state-by-state guide I'm starting to see the next phase - book reviews. Here's a nice one from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee that I just discovered. It's great to see that not only are people enjoying the book but they are getting the message that real burgers are made by real people with rich histories. The review also included this excellent photo of my book sidling up to a butter burger at Solly's. I'll be there soon for a reading at Schwartz, May 10th, 2pm. I'm looking forward to the reading but my real motive for going on the tour is to eat great burgers. Butter burger here I come...

Here Comes the Press

As the new book rolls out to bookstores and hamburger lovers get their mitts on my state-by-state guide I'm starting to see the next phase - book reviews. Here's a nice one from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee that I just discovered. It's great to see that not only are people enjoying the book but they are getting the message that real burgers are made by real people with rich histories. The review also included this excellent photo of my book sidling up to a butter burger at Solly's. I'll be there soon for a reading at Schwartz, May 10th, 2pm. I'm looking forward to the reading but my real motive for going on the tour is to eat great burgers. Butter burger here I come...
FOI statistics Oct-Dec 2007

The quarterly monitoring statistics on FOI implementation within central government have been published for the period October to December 2007.
Number of requests
Departments of State reported receiving a total of 4,078 information requests under the Freedom of Information Act and the associated Environmental Information Regulations during the quarter from 1 October to 31 December 2007 (Q4). Other monitored bodies reported having received 3,726 requests. Across all monitored bodies, therefore, a total of 7,804 requests were reported.

This overall total for Q4 of 2007 is 2 per cent fewer than in the corresponding quarter last year (i.e. Q4 of 2006). The number of requests received by Departments of State fell by 10 per cent compared to the same period last year, while the total received by other monitored bodies increased by 7 per cent. Departments of State accounted for 52 per cent of all requests received by monitored bodies in Q4 of 2007.

Timeliness of response to requests
The FoI Act requires public bodies to respond to written requests for information within 20 working days of receipt (with limited exceptions, for example to allow additional time for the consideration of public interest). Across all monitored bodies, 83 per cent of requests received during Q4 of 2007 were sent a response within this standard deadline. Ninety per cent of requests received during Q4 were “in time”, in that they either received a response within the standard deadline or were subject to a permitted deadline extension. Both of these measures are slightly lower than in the previous quarter and in the equivalent quarter last year.
Download the Q4 2007 stats here.

Initial outcomes of requests
Of the “resolvable” requests received during Q4, 60 per cent were granted in full, 12 per cent were withheld in part, and 20 per cent were withheld in full at the time of monitoring. The remaining 8 per cent had not yet received a substantive response.

The proportion of “resolvable” requests granted in full in Q4, 60 per cent, was higher than in the previous quarter (58 per cent). The proportion of requests in Q4 that were fully withheld, 20 per cent, was slightly lower than in the previous quarter.
Download the Quarterly statistics: October to December 2007 (pdf)

Monday, April 21, 2008

$117

yikes!

$117

yikes!

Passover and Hamas

Our friend and colleague, Hillel Schenker, co-editor of the Palestine-Israel Journal, sent the following message on his visit with relatives for the Passover seder at Kibbutz Hatzor:

"I am happy to report from the frontlines of Kibbutz Hatzor that they still have a very vibrant kibbutz seder in the cheder ochel (dining room), with their own kibbutz Hagaddah, lovely performances, shira b'tzibur (community singing) and their own very unique way of ending the seder. The 5th grade class chosen to perform 'Had Gadya' goes through the entire imaginative choreography, and then...they do it again. No one seems to know why, but it's a tradition. They even have an Em Haseder (mother of the seder) who runs things, and the seder was opened by a musical call played not by a bugle or a shofar, but a French Horn. They add their own interpretations of things, and also included Yerushalayim Shel Zahav (Jerusalem the Golden) and the Hebrew version of Shlach Na Et Ami (Let My People Go), which we never did at Barkai [the kibbutz where Hillel once lived].

"I was particularly impressed by the interpretation given to the 3rd cup of wine, when the blesser added that we should not rejoice that "Pharoah's army got drounded" in the sea, since we should feel empathy for the losses of the enemy who are also human beings. She added that God commanded us not to rejoice at the losses of the enemy. The seder even included a very sharp philiton (satirical, rhymed commentary?) which contained barbs about the elements of privatization that the kibbutz has undergone, while still maintaining its strong sense of community."

It’s part of the teachings and ritual of Passover that we do not rejoice at the suffering of our enemies. I have this in mind when I think of what’s going on in and near the Gaza Strip. Hamas is a particularly difficult enemy that has apparently escalated from random rocket attacks into Israel to shooting civilians and soldiers directly along the border.

These attacks appear to be cynical efforts to disrupt the supply of fuel from Israel into Gaza, abetting the humanitarian disaster that they decry. Such attacks further goad Israel into unwisely hardening its blockade and launching counterattacks. Under these circumstances, a cease-fire is absolutely necessary but hard to envision. The latest word from Damascus that Hamas might offer a long-term truce (but not peace) in exchange for Israel’s withdrawal from the West Bank and East Jerusalem seems more a propaganda ploy than a serious proposal. Is the demand that one side make an enormous concession, which would normally come in the give-and-take of negotiations, meant to be taken seriously?

If you read the article, as opposed to the headline, the NY Times report on what Pres. Carter has claimed to achieve in Syria is far from encouraging. The layering of complicated conditions would mean, in effect, a capitulation to Hamas, with a referendum including the participation of Palestinians outside of the territories likely to result in a demand for an unlimited Palestinian "right of return" to Israel. -- R. Seliger

Home Prices: Exurbs Decline/Cities with Transit Thrive



Economists say home prices are nowhere near hitting bottom. But even in regions that have taken a beating, some neighborhoods remain practically unscathed. And a pattern is emerging as to which neighborhoods those are.

The ones with short commutes are faring better than places with long drives into the city. Some analysts see a pause in what has long been inexorable — urban sprawl.

National Public Radio

Home Prices: Exurbs Decline/Cities with Transit Thrive



Economists say home prices are nowhere near hitting bottom. But even in regions that have taken a beating, some neighborhoods remain practically unscathed. And a pattern is emerging as to which neighborhoods those are.

The ones with short commutes are faring better than places with long drives into the city. Some analysts see a pause in what has long been inexorable — urban sprawl.

National Public Radio

Google Apps goes on tour



In our work on the Google Apps team, we come across all sorts of small businesses from around the country that use Google Apps – from tech start-ups to architecture firms to car dealerships to bookstores. As different as these businesses are from one another, each has something important in common with the rest: they're all looking for communication and collaboration tools that will help them work efficiently, save resources, and grow.

And so, to celebrate National Small Business Week, we're going on the road to meet small businesses that leverage innovative technologies. Throughout the week, more than 20 Googlers will be visiting the top entrepreneurial cities in each region of the U.S.* (Washington, D.C. Charlotte, NC, Kansas City, MO, Phoenix, AZ) to talk to small businesses – both current Apps customers as well as the uninitiated – about communicating and collaborating with Google Apps. The events are open to the public (no RSVP is required) so we hope to see you there. For more information, visit http://www.google.com/apps/citiestour.

And even if you don't live near these cities, you can still meet some of the small businesses across the US that are becoming more efficient, successful businesses by using Google Apps – just click play.




*Source: National Policy Research Council, 2006
PPP plan approved against expert advice

Rob Edwards
Sunday Herald
A former Labour minister rejected advice from senior officials to delay a deeply flawed and highly controversial £100 million plan for new schools and homes in Stirling and Dunblane, the Sunday Herald can reveal.

Top-secret documents disclose that the deputy communities minister in 2005, Johann Lamont, was strongly urged by government planners to call in the application for consideration by ministers. The plans were lambasted by advisers as "questionable", "worrying" and "poor".

Stirling Council, which promoted the development, was also accused of "procedural failings" and of maximising profit at the expense of decent housing. "Stirling Council's judgement in carrying out its statutory duty under the terms of planning legislation has been heavily clouded by its conflict of interests," warned the official advice to the minister...

Jim Thomson, an SNP councillor in Stirling, used freedom of information legislation to request the advice that had been given to ministers.

Despite being ordered to release the advice by the Scottish Information Commissioner, Kevin Dunion, the then Scottish Executive kept it secret, taking the highly unusual step of appealing his decision to the Court of Session.

Last week, however, the new Scottish government decided to abandon the appeal, and released the advice to Thomson. "It's hardly surprising it was denied us," he said. "Every aspect of the planning approval was deemed flawed, including the funding arrangements. The entire process has proven to be a sham." Thomson accused the Labour councillors who ran Stirling Council at the time of putting their political interests before those of the communities they represented. Their failure had been compounded by Lamont's failure to heed the advice of her officials, he alleged.
Read the full story.

See also Scottish Executive's disclosure log:
Scottish Information Commissioner Decision 231/2006: Jim Thomson - Information on related planning applications regarding Wallace High School, Stirling.

Wind Generation From Tribal Lands


The Rosebud Sioux turbine paved the way for the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota to commission a 65-kilowatt turbine in 2005. Tribal lands are rich in wind and it is estimated that the wind energy potential from reservations in the northern Great Plains is enough to power about 50 million homes annually. Tribal leaders are looking to wind-powered electricity generation to forge a renewable energy economy. Since 1995, a coalition of Great Plains tribes known as the Intertribal Council On Utility Policy (COUP) has worked to generate jobs and new revenue streams through tribal-owned wind energy projects. These utility-scale turbines are arrayed along federal transmission lines that carry hydroelectric power from the mainstem Missouri River dams. This will allow the tribes to sell surplus power to the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA), markets and transmits electricity from federal hydroelectric power plants.

Persistent droughts throughout the West have reduced federal hydropower production nearly 50 percent, so WAPA has filled the shortfall with lignite coal-fired electricity - significantly increasing emissions near tribal lands. Nationally, reservation households are 10 times less likely to be electrified than other U.S. households. Small wind and solar projects are expensive, especially for tribal communities, where unemployment may be 50 percent. In large-scale projects, however, the tribes have the opportunity to invest in renewable energy-based economies. The Rosebud Sioux tribe of south-central South Dakota initiated the phased wind-development plan. Dedicated in 2003, Rosebud's initial utility-scale, 750-kilowatt (kW) turbine, "Little Soldier," is installed at the Rosebud Hotel and Casino, the tribe's largest commercial development center.

In 1999, Rosebud became the first tribe to receive a grant - covering half the turbine's cost, about $500,000 - under the U.S. Department of Energy's Tribal Renewable Energy Grants. The tribe secured a loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service to finance the balance. The tribe decided to sell the bulk of the turbine's output as bundled "green power" to a local Air Force Base on a short-term contract. That established the precedent for tribes to be green power vendors to the U.S. government. The tribe sold off the remaining generation and environmental attributes of the turbine's output into separate markets, as "energy" to the local utility and as carbon offsets to marketer NativeEnergy, of which COUP has a majority equity stake on behalf of its member tribes.

The 195-foot turbine produces 2.4 million kilowatt-hours per year - keeping 25 million tons of lignite coal in the ground over its lifetime. The second phase of the Rosebud project is the 30-megawatt St. Francis wind farm, scheduled for construction this year. Together, the Rosebud turbines will comprise the nation's first large-scale Native American-owned and -operated wind farm. Integrating tribal wind with the grid, The Rosebud tribe's wind project was a landmark for tribal wind development, overcoming legal and business barriers that had discouraged utility-scale renewable energy development interconnected to the integrated regional grid system of federal and private operators. It paved the way for other Intertribal COUP tribes to install utility-scale turbines. These include 65-kW turbines commissioned on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota in 2005 and at the KILI Radio Station on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation in May, along with the multimegawatt project planned at Rosebud.

These turbine installations are but the first stage of the Intertribal COUP's wind-development plan. The Council vision is to tap the immense wind power potential on tribal lands, integrating two-dozen projects in six states with the federal hydroelectric generation and transmission grid. Tens of thousands of tribal members on 20 reservations would benefit directly from new, sustainable jobs and from the power and health benefits of local clean energy. The initial goal is for eight to 12 distributed projects totaling several hundred megawatts.

(Source: Pat Spears, president and Bob Gough, secretary of the Intertribal COUP, a nonprofit council of federally recognized Indian tribes in the northern Great Plains.)

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Kincaid's Fort Worth May Move



I've just learned from my good friend Ed Levine at Serious Eats that the decades-old Kincaid's Hamburgers may be on the move. The Fort Worth Texas institution is apparently facing a sizable rent hike and may have to relocate by this summer. Kincaid's operates three other locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but it's the Camp Bowie Blvd. location that started it all. Kincaid's is in my book and it would be a shame to loose this converted grocery store location, a beauty.

Kincaid's Fort Worth May Move



I've just learned from my good friend Ed Levine at Serious Eats that the decades-old Kincaid's Hamburgers may be on the move. The Fort Worth Texas institution is apparently facing a sizable rent hike and may have to relocate by this summer. Kincaid's operates three other locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but it's the Camp Bowie Blvd. location that started it all. Kincaid's is in my book and it would be a shame to loose this converted grocery store location, a beauty.

Petanque in Palm Desert

Of course I had to visit Gérard & his group in Palm Desert, about 125 mi east of L.A.
After a 2 hr drive through a pretty dry and barren landscape, with thousands of windmills, you arrive in a tropical, green setting, where water seems to be plentiful.


The grounds at Civic Center Park are somewhat unpredictable (sprinklers and concrete gutters here and there) , but nicely varied from soft to hard, and with lots of shade, tables and benches.

Several of their members are chefs, so you can rest assured that their picnics are always top of the line. They were at work when I stopped by, but I got to meet them at the San Pedro Open.
I found a new nickname for Gérard: CanaBOUM, because he misses few shots. And if William (from Hyères) is in charge of the picnic, they'll have to rename the club "La Boule du Dessert".

The club is only 5 yrs old, but growing fast and they are talking to the parks department to have a larger, dedicated area.
Thanks for the warm welcome!

La Boule du Désert website

Petanque in Palm Desert

Of course I had to visit Gérard & his group in Palm Desert, about 125 mi east of L.A.
After a 2 hr drive through a pretty dry and barren landscape, with thousands of windmills, you arrive in a tropical, green setting, where water seems to be plentiful.


The grounds at Civic Center Park are somewhat unpredictable (sprinklers and concrete gutters here and there) , but nicely varied from soft to hard, and with lots of shade, tables and benches.

Several of their members are chefs, so you can rest assured that their picnics are always top of the line. They were at work when I stopped by, but I got to meet them at the San Pedro Open.
I found a new nickname for Gérard: CanaBOUM, because he misses few shots. And if William (from Hyères) is in charge of the picnic, they'll have to rename the club "La Boule du Dessert".

The club is only 5 yrs old, but growing fast and they are talking to the parks department to have a larger, dedicated area.
Thanks for the warm welcome!

La Boule du Désert website

Biofuels for Cars = Hunger

On Friday, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said biofuels "posed a real moral problem" and called for a moratorium on using food crops to power cars, trucks and buses.

The vital problem of global warming "has to be balanced with the fact that there are people who are going to starve to death," said Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

"Producing biofuels is a crime against humanity," the UN's special rapporteur for the right to food, Jean Ziegler of Switzerland, said earlier.

AFP

Biofuels for Cars = Hunger

On Friday, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said biofuels "posed a real moral problem" and called for a moratorium on using food crops to power cars, trucks and buses.

The vital problem of global warming "has to be balanced with the fact that there are people who are going to starve to death," said Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

"Producing biofuels is a crime against humanity," the UN's special rapporteur for the right to food, Jean Ziegler of Switzerland, said earlier.

AFP

A Walk Around the World, at 80

Striding around Panama City on tree-trunk legs that have carried him through 66 countries, 80-year-old U.S. citizen Harry Lee McGinnis reckons he knows the secret of staying healthy into old age.

"Movement," he explains.

Reuters

A Walk Around the World, at 80

Striding around Panama City on tree-trunk legs that have carried him through 66 countries, 80-year-old U.S. citizen Harry Lee McGinnis reckons he knows the secret of staying healthy into old age.

"Movement," he explains.

Reuters

F.F. Bruce on the Sure Mercies of David

The following lecture is now online in PDF:

F.F. Bruce, The Sure Mercies of David. The Annual Lecture of the Evangelical Library, 1954. London: The Evangelical Library, 1954. pp.23.

This lecture examines how the prophecies given about King David and his posterity were fulfilled in the Person of Jesus Christ. My thanks to the Trustees of London's Evangelical Library for their kind permission to republish this material on-line.
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