nerdgirl

In thinking about the direction that this thread has taken – health/sex education classes in American education and parental consent – I’m taking from it a reminder on the critical need to involve *all* the potentially impacted people earlier rather than later. Yes, it takes more work … & sometimes work that one might feel ‘should not be your job.’ W/r/t health & sex education curricula, my goal are education not ignorance (nor controversy) and that extends to factual, science-based knowledge with respect to the biology of reproduction, the potential consequences, and effective countermeasures (from abstinence to condoms) -- curricula that enables young adults access to accurate, allopathic-based, evidence-based *information* to (hopefully) make good fact-based choices. Morals should come from the parents to enable them to make good moral-based choices. (Because teenagers never make short-sighted choices or act impulsively.) I strongly suspect what I would like in a curricula is more ‘liberal’ (I would use the descriptor “comprehensive”) than what Marc and others whose views he reflects want. In the end, for me the lesson from this thread is to get parents involved earlier. Yeah, some parents just won’t bother, some don’t have time (working multiple jobs, etc,), some expect teachers to teach morality … but if the end goal is greater education, more work to get parents to feel that they have vested interest up front is worth it. I also wondered how different my views were from “mainstream America”: a 2003 NPR/Kaiser Foundation/Harvard School of Government poll found that 93% of Americans surveyed thought some form of sex education should be taught in schools … 15% thought abstinence only-education was appropriate, 46% percent supported ‘abstinence +’ some information on condoms & contraception, 20% thoughts schools should focus on “teaching teens to make responsible decisions about sex,” what that constitutes more specifically is discussed in the linked pdf. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Some consider basic health and 'sex' education a public health issue, in addition to being an basic education issue. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Why? & Why to Sen Edwards? [Curious as to the thinking/reasoning behind your statement not challenging nor endorsing it.] VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

A colleague sent me an interesting observation from Adam Gadahn’s ("Azzam the American Al-Qa’eda") recently released Video: Gadahn has sitting on the desk next to him a black coffee cup w/a gold emblazoned Al Qa’eda logo (!) [screen capture attached]. Can anyone else imagine John Stewart having one of those made up just to mock it? Is this the next wave of “public relations” Al Qa’eda style? Would love to have one those brought back … sit it right next to the Australia MNF-I “YESFORN” coffee mug and Bay Area Terrorism Working Group mousepad. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Nope. It does go long way to relieve misery, however. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

After listening to the last Saturday’s Democratic candidate debates on-line w/no video (I’m of the minority that prefers to *listen* rather than *watch* debates) and reading portions of the transcript, I was impressed with Sen Obama and the thoughtfulness he exhibited particularly w/r/t ‘pointy things w/fins’-related issues. Senator Clinton’s responses were firm, strong, assertive, and – imo – were based on deterrence ideas, which worked for the Cold War but has yet to prove utility against terrorists or asymmetric warfare. Senator Clinton [w/r/t terrorist detonation of nuclear device on U.S. soil]: “I don't think we've done what we need to do on homeland defense [“Homeland Defense” is DoD; “Homeland Security” is DHS; yes, it’s a fine distinction but with significant implications, e.g. Posse Commitatus. – nerdgirl]. “If we can demonstrate that the people responsible for planning the nuclear attack on our country may not themselves be in a government or associated with a state, but have a haven within one, then every state in the world must know we will retaliate against those states.” “So I think we have to be very, very clear. You know, deterrence worked during the Cold War in large measure because the United States made it clear to the Soviet Union that there would be massive retaliation [we’re not in the Cold War anymore – nerdgirl]. “We have to make it clear to those states that would give safe haven to stateless terrorists that would launch a nuclear attack against America that they would also face a very heavy retaliation. “We haven't done enough on port security. We have not made the kind of commitment that is necessary to protect us from this kind of importation. [Yes, port security is very important. I am concerned with the focus on vulnerability; need to address capability and motivation, the other two components threat analysis/reduction. – nerdgirl] Senator Edward's responses sounded & read to me not as substantive in content as I would prefer. He did, however, get proverbial ‘bonus points’ for mentioning AQ Khan. Senator Obama “On the broader issue of nuclear proliferation, this is something that I've worked on since I've been in the Senate. I worked with Richard Lugar to pass the next stage of what was Nunn-Lugar so that we would have improved interdiction of potentially nuclear materials. And it is important for us to rebuild a nuclear nonproliferation strategy … “And my job as commander in chief will be to make sure that we strike anybody who would do America harm when we have actionable intelligence do to that. [Wish Gibson would have pushed him more on this: what strategy does Sen Obama have in mind to insure that the US has such capabilities & actionable intelligence? – nerdgirl] [w/r/t use of a nuclear device by terrorists on US soil]: ”We would obviously have to retaliate against anybody who struck American soil, whether it was nuclear or not. It would be a much more profound issue if it were nuclear weapons. That's why it's so important for us to rebuild the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. “These are all things that we should be taking leadership on. And part of what we need to do in changing our foreign policy is not just end the war in Iraq; we have to change the mindset that ignores long- term threats and engages in the sorts of actions that are not making us safe over the long term. “We have not made a commitment to work with the Russians to reduce our own nuclear stockpiles [actionable item –nerdgirl]. That has weakened our capacity to pressure other countries to give up nuclear technology. We have not locked down the loose nuclear weapons that are out there right now.” I speculate (purely speculative) that he's been getting foreign policy advice from Sen Dick Lugar (yes, the Republican from Indiana). Obama's July 07 Foreign Affairs article "Renewing American Leadership" and Aug 07 speech to the Council on Foreign Relations received mixed reviews, especially in the latter w/r/t his abiity to answer questions off the speech. The lesson that he seems to have taken was to get advice from experts, including ones who didn't necessarily hold the same views or political ideas as he. How unfortunately novel in this time! I also like former Sec of the Navy Richard Danzig A LOT, who's advising Sen Obama on defense issues. He’s speaking to engagement - enabling soft power backed by hard power capabilities. This is a way forward -- secure nuclear weapons, reduce the stockpiles -- rather than 'rattling sabers' and making dire statements that 'we haven't done enough in homeland defense,' (which is true given that HD {w/in OSD Policy} has no ability to impact requirements, but that's a DoD issue not DHS.) Perhaps the problem is, we have focused too much port security (& commercial airline security, i.e., TSA). The solution, im-ever-ho, isn't to deepen the moat and add fire-breathing crocodiles (with domestic wire tap capabilities); it is to drain the swamp. VR/Marg Now back to discussing Senator Clinton’s crying? Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Maybe something like: "It's that time of the month boys; who can I blow up this time?" So many smart ass replies possible ... but mostly just makes me [sad] VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Thanks. Always enjoy recommendations for good and thoughtfully provocative books! Why was it insightful? VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Do you mean Z Corp & Dimension Printing? Or something else? What's it printing with? A polymeric epoxy or something else? From a nerd/geek perspective, the 3-D printers of which I am aware are *very* cool, but they're replicating a CAD design in a single material (sometimes w/dyes). I've been debunking folks who assert that those are prototype for a 'Drexlerian' nano-assemblers for a number of years now. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Tell me your vision of how that's accomplished. Short of Bill's idea of placing a big bubble over the US and telling everyone else to get f&%ked, I don't think it's possible. There will always be some person or country wanting to improve it's position at the expense of some other persons or countries. Any time that occurs there will be conflict. Somebody's not going to like what someone else is doing. You partially answered your question yourself two posts above the reply: The problem is that the referenced incidents occurred *before* the fall of the Soviet Union, which is when the balance of power shifted from a bi-polar world to the US as sole dominant superpower – or ‘hyperpower.' That was when America's role in the world changed. The more recent the invasion of Iraq (OIF), Abu Ghraib torture scandal, ‘extraordinary rendition,’ and Guantanamo has negatively impacted America’s standing & credibility. The collapse of the Soviet Union had a more profound impact on the US then the attacks of September 11th… & that’s not a novel assertion on my part: the attacks of September 11th did not alter the balance of power; instead, they aggravated differences in the imbalance that already existed. E.g., in 1995, in a survey conducted for USAID, majorities around the world said that the United States was intent on dominating them. Even during President Clinton’s tenure, America was considered a bully by 83% of people polled in Israel (remember who gets most U.S. foreign aid), 77% in Morocco, 71% in Colombia (again large recipient of foreign aid), and 61% in Britain. To quote you: “If they really don't like us they should decline our aid. I don't see any of them saying ‘no, we don't like you. Take your financial aid and stick it up your ass.’” It’s not a ‘blame President Bush’s administration’ issue (maybe it is for you but not for me). There have been other lesser contributors to the decline in America’s international standing: -- abrupt withdrawl from Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) additional protocol in July 2001 (something else which America initially led following the revelations of the former Soviet Union’s offense biological weapons program in the early 1990s) – Trust & Verify, -- failure to ratify the nuclear test ban treaty (CTBT), -- failure to join the International Criminal Court – rule of law must apply to *us* too. Many, including myself, had hoped that Europe would emerge as a balancing power to create a multi-polar world. That hasn’t happened. China may emerge. Until then America is the world’s lone hyper-power. Now back to “My vision,” since you asked.

Marc, I'm genuinely trying to understand better your position because you know that I adore you and am confident that you have strongly-based reasons behind your position. What do you see as the role of publicly-elected school boards, which have to approve curricula? Do you see examples where that has failed? Are there really public schools in the US that don’t require parental permission or have an opt-out option for kids to attend sex ed classes? {I’m genuinely asking because I don’t know; my speculation is that in our litigious society, no school board would approve a curriculum that did not include parental permission … but I’ve been wrong before.} Thanks. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Not even if doing the former would IMPROVE our ability to do the latter? Or if the former -- improving America's standing in the world -- enables, is perhaps even *critical* to accomplishing the latter -- "defend[ing] against radical muslims/[global Salafists] bent on our death & destruction" and returning to their warped vision/version of a 7th century AD caliphate, e.g., Taliban-controlled Afghanistan circa 2000 w/satellite phones. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Trying to ignore the Ad Hominem attack incendiary assertions, let's get back to discussing issues ... You've constructed a false dichotomy. "Enemy" is your label. This is the internet; it's not the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the DNI's National Counterproliferation Center (NCPC), or NATO. It's a psuedo-intellectual discussion ...

Umm..that's 593 people per day. The numbers just don't add up. That study has a big flaw. Household interviews are hardly accurate. On what do you base that assertion & authority? What was the flaw in the statistical method? Because the values do not fit what you (or I or anyone else) want does not invalidate them. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Richard Cobden?

Thank you. Aaah ... Huntington. That quote, the underlying ideas, and historical data deserves a thread of its own. Along with consideration of superior techology & some geographic luck - guns, germs, steel, climate, crops, and domesticable animals. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Your description resembles my recollections – including the mandatory parental permission. Parents were always able & *encouraged* to review the material covered. Wonder how many did? I’m sure some did. I also remember being one of the few who had had “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” talk with my mom (an RN) *before* the first class. Semi-tangential: Between the ‘subtle’ (or not so) sex of Britney Spears, etc. marketed to ‘tweens;’ thongs for pre-teen girls (while Abercrombie & Finch did get rid of the 'wink-wink’ and ‘eye-candy’ on the pre-pubescent and adolescent thongs “sales of thongs to tweens {a market now defined ridiculously broadly as ages 7 to 12} have quadrupled since 2000, from a modest $400,000 to $1.6 million, according to NPD Fashionworld, a market-tracking firm”); and the explicit sex (soft core porn to bdsm) of the internet, I’d be scared to *not* have sex education for my kids (future). For me (& owned very much as my perspective), it’s about education over ignorance. I also might be persuaded to the wisdom (?) of my father & start teaching girls to shoot at 16, 14, 12 …? (Of course, first I’d need to re-learn to do so safely myself …) And Krav Maga … I dunno. Saving the world from WMD terrorism seems so much easier & more straight-forward than the prospect of raising kids in the 21st century! VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Thanks!

Thanks. Well done. In whole, it’s not an evolutionary biology or cosmology text/monograph. Chapter 1 & 2 are science (e.g., biology, genetics, cosmology) with social science sidebars. Chapter 3 presents -- & debunks thoroughly -- the Creationist/intelligent design/young earth argument *in a scientific context* (nothing about religious context). I’m not sure if I understand the reasoning behind the inclusion of the chapter on creationism/‘young earth’/‘intelligent design’ (but no Flying Spaghetti monster ) critiques of evolution – as it may lend validation to the “teach the controversy” argument, Chapter 3 and the other sidebars are, nonetheless, very respectful and *not* at all dismissive. E.g., pp. 13-15 includes comments by Pope John Paul II, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Presbyterian General Assembly, and the Clergy Letter Project disputing the assertion that evolution is inherently in conflict with religious belief. I’m glad to see that minister at my church has signed. VR/Marg p.s. Don’t take my word for. While it can be fun to argue on principle alone, look for yourself: the booklet is available free in pdf form at the NAS site. It does ask for an email addy, altho’ I strongly suspect that one could submit a contrived one. Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

While I'm clearly not BillVon , love to introduce primary data. In this context of this thread, more recent numbers such the study published in the British medical journal Lancet last year: “Mortality after the 2003 invasion of Iraq: a cross-sectional cluster sample survey” by epidemiologists from John Hopkins University School of Public Health. That study estimated that close to 650,000 Iraqis had been killed between March 2003 and 2006 due to violence associated with war (i.e., from Coalition forces, insurgents, IEDs, air strikes, etc). The values are higher than any other count of which I am aware. For example, Iraq Body Count, which relies on cross-referenced reports of specific fatalities, indicates 78,690 - 85,711 violent Iraqi deaths since 2003. While I'm only an 'unauthorized armchair epidemiologist,' interloping into that field -- gave a talk recently on “Full Scale National Response Exercises and the Misuse of Epidemiological Models in Constructing Bioterrorism Scenarios,” on choosing transmissibility factors (R0) to fit the scenario rather than based on the epidemiologically observed values -- the sampling and analysis method (statistics) appears robust to me; and more importantly, has not been successfully challenged by folks who do epidemiology and health statistics for a living. The most resounding criticisms relate to the sampling methodology. It's such a *huge* number ... particularly in comparison to all other estimates (including the official Iraqi Ministry of Health, the UN, and WHO) ... that one kind of has to go 'huh'? Initial skepticism is warranted ... but the study and the values published do seem to hold up to scrutiny. Disambiguating direct deaths caused by US and coalition forces is difficult in no small part because the USG does not officially track foreign casualties, which is a strategic decision for which I can appreciate some of the arguments. Otoh, it's difficult to refute or refine other figures when the USG's response is "we don't track." The USG also does not openly track USG contractor deaths. One could also consider the 250,000 - 500,000 children then-UN Ambassador & former Secretary of State Albright asserted were likely to have died as a result of sanctions: "I think that is a very hard choice, but the price, we think, the price is worth it" 1996. (A comment which she later conceded was less than wise in her memoir.) VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Thanks! Fun thread. 'early nerdgirl' is of my fave pics of me. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

Being familiar w/the "out-of-way-istans" was useful too ... & infectious disease routes (e.g., polio from Nigeria to Indonesia, & avian influenza).

Which countries are 5 top recipients of US direct foreign aid (not even counting Iraq)? In what form does that vast majority of that foreign aid take? What percentage of the US's GDP goes to foreign aid? Where does the US rank w/r/t assistance as percentage for foreign aid compared other states? For the first time since Dwight Eisenhower was President, the US will be the second largest (in absolute amount) donor to the World Bank. The UK now surpasses the US contribution. China now contributes to the World Bank as a (albeit small) donor. Here's a intellectually provocative Op-Ed, originally published in the Washington Times, which argues: "if you look at which nation benefits most from foreign subsidies, the U.S. would come out on top by a very wide margin." I disagree with some of Rahn's underlying thesis, but he does provide something about which to think, regarding net benefit of 'foreign aid.' VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

On that I concur. Radical Islamists/members of the global salafists 'hate' me a lot more: independent, educated, feisty female! VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying

The Pew Global Attitudes Project has tried to do something akin to measuring that in their 47-nation survey, which found that international respect for America, China & Russia (what they call global powers) has declined over the last 5 years. Between 2002 & 2007, 26 countries opinion of America became less favorable, while only 5 became more favorable. Two remained approximately the same. Additionally, "Favorable ratings of America are lower in 26 of 33 countries for which trends are available." The Pew survey also notes that there are exceptions – opinion toward the US is largely favorable (very favorable in some cases) in African countries below North Africa. And then there are cases like Turkey – in which 83% of those surveyed like our way of doing business, but 81% dislike “American ideas about democracy.” Remember the worldwide positive feeling for the US immediately after the attacks of September 11th when France’s Le Monde proclaimed: “We are all Americans! We are all New Yorkers, just as surely as John F. Kennedy declared himself to be a Berliner in 1962 when he visited Berlin. Indeed, just as in the gravest moments of our own history, how can we not feel profound solidarity with those people, that country, the United States, to whom we are so close and to whom we owe our freedom, and therefore our solidarity?” Alan Caruba is, of course, entitled to his (partisan) opinion in that Opinion-Editorial, as are you.