Pictures of the Day
Every 30 or 40 years, the population of pine or white pine butterflies explodes in the Pacific Northwest, creating a unique kind of “snow” storm effect in the region’s ponderosa forests. The insects are native to the ponderosa forests of the West, but scientists still don’t know what causes such an increase in their numbers.
Filed under News
Quote of the Day
“I don’t care what the liberals say, I don’t care what the naysayers say, this nation was founded as a Christian nation, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob – there’s only one God, there’s only one God, and his name is Jesus. I’m tired of people telling me that I can’t say those words. I’m tired of people telling us as Christians that we can’t voice our beliefs or we can no longer pray in public. Listen to me, if you don’t love America, and you don’t like the way we do things, I got one thing to say: Get out! We don’t worship Buddha, we don’t worship Mohammed, we don’t worship Allah, we worship God, we worship God’s son Jesus Christ.”
– Dennis Terry, pastor of Greenwell Springs Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, LA, in a sermon this week in which Rick Santorum was in attendance.
Goddamn, he sounds mad!
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March 21, 2012 – 274 days Until Baktun 12
Survivalist Tip: As a token of appreciation to the Mayan gods for sparing your life when the apocalypse hits and allowing you to continue into the next Baktun, buy some traditional Indian blankets. I’m not talking about the flimsy ones made by kids in the slums of Mumbai. I mean good old fashioned North American Indian blankets; the type used for centuries by peoples like the Cherokee, Sioux, Kiowa and Detroit. They were hand-woven from the finest parts of bison and deer hides. Of course, you won’t have to slaughter any bison or deer and try to make an Indian blanket yourself. Just buy several from a reputable and authentic Native American shop or company. They’ll keep you warm during the likely power outages that will occur on December 21. Besides, they’re chic and fashionable; it’s how the native peoples of North America lived for eons before they invented centralized heating.
Filed under Mayan Calendar Countdown
Yellowstone Bison Shipped to Fort Peck
In this March 17, 2011, file photo, a free bison roams around the outside of a pen enclosing bison in Gardiner, MT, in Yellowstone National Park. AP Photo/Janie Osborne, File.
Sixty-three bison from Yellowstone National Park were shipped almost 500 miles northeast to Montana’s Fort Peck Indian Reservation; part of a long-planned relocation initiative meant to repopulate parts of the West with the iconic animals. A crowd of elated tribal members greeted the bison, as they arrived Monday night. There had been 64 animals, but a yearling died during the trip, which had been anticipated for months, but came without any formal announcement. State and tribal officials wanted to avoid a courtroom battle with opponents worried that the bison will compete with cattle for grazing space.
Helena attorney Cory Swanson, who represents several landowners and farmers, said the unannounced Monday night move was a “sneak attack.” Swanson said he would return to court with a request that the animals be ordered back to Yellowstone.
But, Fort Peck Chairman Floyd Azure says the state of Montana no longer has jurisdiction over the animals, since they’re now on federally-protected tribal land. “Now that they’re here, they’re here to stay,” he emphasized.
The Assiniboine and Sioux tribes of Fort Peck declare that the relocation offers a chance for them to revive their ancient connection to an animal that once numbered in the millions in North America and provided food and clothing for indigenous peoples.
Bison often are confused with buffalo. They have similar appearances and share some genetic traits. But, bison are native only to North America, while buffalo are primarily indigenous to Africa and Asia. There’s a small population of buffalo in Eastern Europe. Bison once roamed almost all of North America, numbering anywhere from 20 – 30 million at the time of Europeans’ arrival. By 1900, they’d been driven nearly to extinction. But, conservation efforts throughout the 20th century saw their numbers increase dramatically.
Surely some people have wondered why Indigenous Americans used bison only for food and not as draft animals. Don’t think some didn’t try over the centuries! Bison are notoriously ferocious and, despite poor eyesight, somewhat aggressive and very stubborn. Saddling one up and attaching it to a cart isn’t just impractical; it’s impossible. Because of the bison’s majestic appearance and tenacious nature, most Indigenous American communities revered it as sacred. Yes, they used its flesh for food and hide for clothing, but in that process, it was a circle of life. Unlike their European counterparts, Native Americans didn’t hunt for sport.
The relocation issue, however, isn’t over quite yet. Some Montana lawmakers and local landowners have vowed to fight it.
“They just seem to think they are above the law,” said State Sen. Rick Ripley, a Wolf Creek Republican, about Fort Peck. “They’re going to have a lot of problems with damage to private property that they could have addressed prior to translocation.”
But, Fort Peck residents remain steadfast. “This has deep spiritual meaning for us,” said Leland Spotted Bird, a Dakota tribal elder and spiritual leader. “They are the sole survivors from our ancestors.”
Filed under News
White House Anti-Bullying Conference Comes to UT Arlington
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett flank my friend, Rafael McDonnell, communications and advocacy manager at the Resource Center of Dallas, at last night’s conference.
In a gathering that’s certain to aggravate some social and religious conservatives, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett gave keynote speeches at an anti-bullying conference held at the University of Texas – Arlington yesterday evening. It was the third in a series of eight conferences the White House and the U.S. Justice Department has scheduled since February to address the issue of bullying in schools. The first two conferences took place in Philadelphia and Detroit.
I say last night’s event will aggravate some conservatives because the conferences dare to include gay and lesbian youth in their discussions. Texas saw a rash of homophobic hate crimes in the 1990’s, some of which made national news. The James Byrd Hate Crimes Act had a tough time passing the Republican-controlled Texas State Legislature, in part because it included queer folks in its verbiage. Governor Rick Perry reluctantly signed it into law in May of 2001. While the act resulted from the 1998 dragging death of James Byrd, a Black man, by 3 White supremacists in Jasper, Texas, it was written to encompass all forms of expressed hate, including gender, religion and sexuality. It also would be used to address bullying in schools.
No one normally would have a problem with providing a safe environment for all schoolchildren, but such groups as the Texas Eagle Forum and Concerned Women for America got upset with that sexuality thing. It seems they and others would rather see kids bullied to death than to include protection for a handful who might be gay or lesbian. As a victim of bullying throughout my school years, I understand the implications of being targeted and the fear it causes. Even in this enlightened 21st century society, just being labeled gay in school – especially for males – can be a psychological death sentence.
The conferences, which were announced in February, will continue through June.
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Today’s Famous Birthdays
If it’s yours, too, Happy Birthday!
Director Peter Brook (Lord of the Flies, King Lear) is 87.
Actor Al Freeman Jr. (A Patch of Blue, Finian’s Rainbow, Ensign Pulver) is 78.
Actor Timothy Dalton (Centennial, Licence to Kill, The Lion in Winter) is 68.
Pianist – singer Rosie Stone (Sly & the Family Stone) is 67.
Guitarist – singer Roger Hodgson (Supertramp) is 62.
Singer Russell Thompkins Jr. (The Stylistics) is 61.
Actor Gary Oldman (Sid and Nancy, Bram Stoker’s Dracula) is 54.
Actor Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, War Games) is 50.
Actress Cynthia Geary (Northern Exposure, 8 Seconds) is 47.
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On March 21…
1685 – Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany.
1826 – The Rensselaer School in Troy, New York was incorporated. The school, known today as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, became the first private technical school in the United States.
1868 – Writer Jane Cunningham Croly established the first club for professional women in New York City, Sorosis.
1946 – The Los Angeles Rams signed Kenny Washington, the first black player to join a National Football League team since 1933.
1960 – In the Black township of Sharpeville, near Johannesburg, South Africa, Afrikaner police open fire a group of unarmed Black demonstrators, killing 69 and wounding 180 with submachine-gun fire.
1963 – Alcatraz Prison in San Francisco Bay closed.
1980 – In response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan the previous December, President Jimmy Carter announced a U.S. boycott of the upcoming Summer Olympics in Moscow.
Filed under History
