 Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson)5/20/11 1:45 PM If Jesus actually arrives May 21, it'll be easy to convince skeptics. If he doesn't show up, do the faithful become atheists? |
Edited on the fly
Friday, May 20, 2011
Sadly, not even close.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
People who believe in equal rights for all can not stand still while bigots attempt to enshrine their hate in our state constitution.
Marshall/Buffalo Ridge PFLAG meeting 5/12: "Making Marshall Welcoming to All People: Opening Our Doors to the LGBT Community"
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BluestemPrairie/~3/B91JIfUfsVI/marshallbuffalo-ridge-pflag-making-marshall-welcoming-to-all-people-opening-our-doors-to-the-lgbt-co.html
via Byline
The Marshall Independent reports in Gay marriage debate grips Minnesota:
[Winning Marriage Equality executive director Denny] Smith will speak at next week's Marshall/Buffalo Ridge PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) public forum titled "Marking Marshall Welcoming to All People: Opening Our Doors to the LGBT Community" on the issue at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Marshall Adult Community Center. The gay marriage ban is an issue that affects him personally. His son, Kyle, is gay and has been forced to live separately from his partner because the two can't get married in Minnesota.
"Joe was here on a student visa and when it expired he was forced to leave," Smith said. "If he had the same rights as heterosexuals they would've been able to be married. Instead, we have two people who love each other very much - they're bright, well-employed people who are very lonely. As a father, it's gut-wrenching to see your kids not have the same rights as other people. That's one of the reasons I'm involved.
Joe currently lives in the Philippines. He and Kyle have been together for 16 years and their relationship, Smith said, was totally accepted by both families. But state law, which currently prohibits marriage between two men or two women, is standing in their way of being together, and Smith wants that to change.
"We have to start treating each other better as human beings across the board," Smith said. "We were all made by the same creator; we're all on this ball of mud called Earth together."
The Independent story led with the Internet sensation Youtube posted by the Uptake of a statement by State Representative Steve Simon:
The gay marriage issue in any state is a hot enough button that it doesn't need any help making headlines, but in Minnesota, it's gaining steam at a quicker-than-usual pace thanks, in part, to the Internet.
Video of remarks on the subject made by Rep. Steve Simon, DFL-St. Louis Park, had more than 170,000 views by Thursday morning after getting linked on national blogs. In the recording of a Capitol hearing on Monday, Simon asked, "How many more gay people does God have to create before we ask ourselves whether or not God actually wants them around?"
Simon says he was speaking off the cuff after talking about the issue with friends and constituents, and that he wasn't angling for the attention he's getting. He told the Associated Press he doubts his speech and the attention it's getting will keep the issue off the ballot, but hopes it influences voters who are going back and forth on the issue.
Simon talked to MSNBC about the debate, and funding flowing into Minnesota from outside groups to enshrine discrimination in our state constitution:
Watch until the end: Simon makes some great points about the process of people changing their minds about sexuality.
As I write this on Saturday morning, The Uptake Youtube has been viewed 412,539 times. It's a wonderful statement, soft-spoken, calm, and deliberate.
The Marshall Independent closes with Smith's own faith that the whole of the state can now discuss issues of equality:
Smith, meanwhile, remains optimistic.
"I have optimism that people of Minnesota really are so much more open and understanding now than even four, five years ago," he said. "We've been shy talking about this in the past. Now we're having reasonable dialogue about it instead of being intimidated. We can just talk normal."
I agree with Smith, who coached high school sports in Montevideo and St. Cloud for years, and Simon. My straight friends here in greater Minnesota tend to be inclusive in their attitudes--regardless where they land on the political spectrum--because gay, lesbian and bisexual people are part of our lives. We've gone to school, to work, to worship and (some) to war beside each other, and the bonds born from those shared experiences transcend ideology if we're willing to be honest about it.
A linguistics prof told me back when I was in college that an old word for neighbor--I don't remember what language--translated as "sets besider." She thought that was pretty good description of a neighbor, the person whose property, business and life sits beside yours. Increasingly, like Smith, I see common sense, practical values like neighborliness and cooperation (a pretty important quality for people who spend a lot of time digging each other out from snowstorms) leading people to conclude that there's much more prosperity and happiness to be gained from respecting all those who "sets beside" you.
Photo: Denny Smith, director of Winning Marriage Equality, is an advocate for marriage equality for same-sex couples. Tribune photo by Tom Cherveny.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Maybe a chunk of that TARP money could have bailed out student loans.
http://minnesotaindependent.com/80847/student-loan-defaults-escalate-as-obama-republicans-push-pell-grant-cuts
via Byline
As Republicans and the Obama administration seek cuts to the Pell Grant system, a new federal tracking system shows that student loan defaults are on the rise. For students who began repaying their loans in 2008, 13.8 percent have since defaulted. For-profit institutions had 25 percent of their graduates defaulting after three years, while public four-year colleges had 10.8 percent of their graduates defaulting after three years.
“These disturbing numbers clearly indicate the need for local, state, and national leaders to strengthen their prioritization of higher education,” said United States Student Association President Lindsay McCluskey. “Young people face a staggering unemployment rate far above the national average and cannot afford to begin a post-collegiate life while saddled with tens of thousands of dollars of debt.”
U.S. House Republicans sought $64 billion in cuts in Pell Grant mandatory funding over the next 10 years as a result of the deep reduction it would make in the 2011 fiscal year, through H.R. 1. It would go on to make a 30 percent reduction in 2014 to Pell grants, and a 34 percent reduction in 2017.
U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) proposed budget for FY 2012 would also bring Pell Grants down to “pre-stimulus” levels.
The current proposal in the House would bring the maximum grant down from $5,550 to $3,040 per year, its lowest level since 1998. The grants would go down to $2,090 in the 2012-13 school year. It would also throw 1.4 million students out of eligibility.
In 2008, 83,246 Minnesota students received assistance through Pell Grants.
President Barack Obama’s proposed 2012 budget would keep the maximum grant at $5,550. However, the Obama administration is putting forward the idea of scaling back year-round Pell Grants, eliminating summer assistance. That proposal was included in the Continuing Resolution signed on April 15, but colleges say they are awaiting guidance from the U.S. Department of Education before proceeding.
Citing a 2005 study by the University of Oregon, Ryan argues that as Pell Grants increase, so too does the average tuition to attend college.
The Institute for College Access & Success defends against the study, saying most economists who study higher education do not find a link between federal aid and increases in tuition.
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the head of the Senate HELP committee, told the Iowa Independent in March that private non-profit universities were pleading with the U.S. Senate not to cut Pell Grants because of the effect it would have on other students and their budgets.
“They came in to see us and said if [the government] whacks the Pell Grants, their tuition will greatly increase,” Harkin said. “What happens is if some of these students don’t get that Pell Grant, then they can’t go to school. Now if they can’t go to school then the private colleges then have to increase the tuition on other students who may come in. If you increase that tuition that means some more may drop out, and that creates this ripple effect if you cut the Pell Grants.”
Harkin has been adamant that cutting assistance for students to attend higher education is not the answer. He criticized major companies who have been avoiding their taxes. He mentioned Carnival Cruise Lines bringing in $5 billion last year, but rather than paying their 35 percent tax bill, Harkin claimed they only paid 1.8 percent.
Student Debt Burden Growing
Minnesota currently ranks sixth in the nation (pdf) with an average of $27,467 in student debt.
The Pew Center for Research found there has been a trend over roughly the past decade of students taking out larger loans and more students borrowing to pay for college. In 2008, 60 percent of all college graduates had borrowed, compared with 52 percent in 1996.
Student loan debt outpaced credit card debt for the first time in 2010, and the indebtedness of collegiate students is expected to top $1 trillion for the first time in 2011.
The Obama administration did implement new rules for federal loans, to forgive student debt after a certain number of years. The income-based repayment forgives remaining debt if one pays 15 percent of their income for 25 years; 10 years, if they work in public service.
And already, the president is using Republican proposals to scale back student aid as he begins to campaign. Instead, Obama has told college students he would tax the wealthy and trim the Pentagon’s budget.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
I WILL go fishing this weekend.
After work tonight I decided to take a quick trip around our happy hunting ground to see if the lakes were free of ice. Here's a quick rundown:
Here's a nice grainy close-up of the sign to illustrate the water level.
I decided to head south next to check out East Twin Lake. Sanderson Slough was open. Here's a photo of East Twin from the East side:
The next stop was Currant Lake. Also completely open. Here's a photo from the County park:
I made a quick detour to check out Rock Lake, it was also completely open. Here's a shot from County Road 60 on the north side:
Goose Lake: Open
Dead Coon Lake: about 75% open and about 2-3 feet above full. The road along the north shore is pretty muddy and that side contains all of the broken ice. Here's a photo from the public water access on the south end:
Here's a nice grainy close-up of the sign to illustrate the water level.
I decided to head south next to check out East Twin Lake. Sanderson Slough was open. Here's a photo of East Twin from the East side:
The next stop was Currant Lake. Also completely open. Here's a photo from the County park:
I made a quick detour to check out Rock Lake, it was also completely open. Here's a shot from County Road 60 on the north side:
The last stop was a quick trip to the north side of Russell. Clear Lake was totally open.
I was able to catch the strobe from my T-Mobile cell tower in the background.
Because Minnesota closes seasons on gamefish until May I will be fishing for Bullheads, but I will get a line wet this weekend.
Happy 30th birthday, space shuttle.
Wired provides us with an excerpt from the Shuttle Owner's Manual.
via Byline
Space and engineering geeks alike will love this excerpt from the new book NASA Space Shuttle Owners' Workshop Manual.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Happy First Contact Day! 4-5-63
Even if Erin won't let me celebrate by watching every episode or movie
with a Cochrane reference. http://startrek.com/article/happy-first-contact-day
with a Cochrane reference. http://startrek.com/article/happy-first-contact-day
Sunday, April 3, 2011
In Remembrance of Two Great Men 4-4-1968
What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness; but love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country
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