November 27, 2016

Evolution in Action: African Elephants Are Increasingly Born Without Tusks

due to poaching, researchers say

The species could become extinct in some areas, with those elephants that do survive evolving to be almost completely tuskless

An increasing number of African elephants are now born tuskless because poachers have consistently targetted animals with the best ivory over decades, fundamentally altering the gene pool.

In some areas 98 per cent of female elephants now have no tusks, researchers have said, compared to between two and six per cent born tuskless on average in the past.

Almost a third of Africa’s elephants have been illegally slaughtered by poachers in the past ten years to meet demand for ivory in Asia, where there is still a booming trade in the material, particularly in China.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/elephants-africa-tusks-ivory-poaching-born-without-a7440706.html

November 26, 2016

Boycott Continues, Nordstrom Refuses to Drop Ivanka Trumps Brand

Unlike Macy’s, Nordstrom isn’t interested in discontinuing sales of any Trump products, whether they’re causing lawsuits or boycotts. Ivanka Trump‘s products have been being boycotted for months with pretty substantial results, but according to Fortune, Nordstrom isn’t caving to the numerous calls for discontinuation that are pouring in on social media. (Note that Macy’s, too, is not necessarily unwilling to stock the Ivanka Trump line, but has not sold Donald Trump‘s items for over a year.)

While some designers refuse to even dress Melania Trump when she becomes First Lady, Nordstrom’s co-president Pete Nordstrom sent an email to staff on Monday that said this:

We’ve heard from customers, including some who are long time loyal customers, threatening a boycott of Nordstrom if we continue to carry the line. Similarly, we’ve heard from customers who say they will boycott Nordstrom if we stop carrying the brand. This is a sharply divisive subject. No matter what we do, we are going to end up disappointing some of our customers …We strive to be agnostic about politics and to treat all our customers with respect.

He went on to say that they stock items based not on the person or group that makes them, but on how well the items sell. The Ivanka-branded items sell well, so they stay in spite of spirited calls from those in the #GrabYourWallet boycott movement.

http://www.mediaite.com/online/as-boycott-continues-nordstrom-refuses-to-drop-ivanka-trumps-brand/

November 24, 2016

Atheist Group Vows to Defend Religious Minorities Threatened by Donald Trump

There are a lot of questions regarding what Donald Trump will do to Muslim Americans in this country once he takes office, but the San Luis Obispo (California) chapter of Atheists United is vowing to stand up for all religious minorities in the name of freedom.

A letter from one of the group’s board members, David Leidner, was just published in the SLO Tribune:

The words and deeds of President-elect Donald Trump during his campaign have caused concern among millions of Americans who value the separation of government from religion. From policies targeting religious minorities, to selecting a vice president opposed to gay rights on religious grounds, to pledges to appoint Supreme Court justices who would set back the rights of women under the guise of “religious liberty,” Mr. Trump is at odds with the majority of Americans and with true religious freedom.

To anyone whose status as an equal member of our community is threatened by religious discrimination, know this: Atheists United stands with you.

That’s a wonderful message — and one local atheist groups everywhere would do well to use as a template. We have our theological differences with religious groups, but atheists should be aware that if the government begins targeting one religious group, it won’t be long before they come after us, too. All the more reason to defend everyone’s right to peacefully practice their faith as they see fit.

November 24, 2016

presidential elector suing to unbind from state's election result

A presidential elector leading a historic protest against the Electoral College system is planning to take his fight to court.

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A lawyer for Michael Baca, a Colorado elector, told Politico that his client is preparing a lawsuit challenging state laws that force electors to vote for their party’s nominee.

There are currently 29 states with laws on the books that bind electors to the election result in their respective states, but those laws have never been enforced.

Further, the penalty for violating the law is typically a small fine.

There are at least six “faithless" electors who say they plan to undermine the Electoral College by voting for someone other than their nominee.

If they move forward with their protest, it will be the largest electoral defection since 1808, when six Democratic-Republican electors refused to vote for James Madison.

Art Sisneros, a GOP elector from Texas, told Politico he will decide next week whether to join the protest and cast his vote for someone other than Donald Trump.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/307481-anti-trump-presidential-elector-suing-to-unbind-from-states

November 23, 2016

Fighting Terrorists Since 1607

‘The beginning of genocide’: Historian debunks myth of Thanksgiving honoring Native Americans

Renowned indigenous historian Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz explained this week that the Thanksgiving holiday was “never about honoring Native Americans” as many children are taught in U.S. schools.

In an interview with Democracy Now’s Nermeen Shaikh on Wednesday, Dunbar-Ortiz addressed misconceptions about the holiday.

“Actually, it’s never been about honoring Native Americans,” she remarked. “It’s been about the origin story of the United States, the beginning of genocide, dispossession and constant warfare from that time—actually, from 1607 in Jamestown—until the present. It’s a colonial system that was set up.”

Dunbar-Ortiz, who is the author of An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States and co-author of All the Real Indians Died Off: And 20 Other Myths About Native Americans, asserted that the idea that Thanksgiving was created to honor Native Americans “is a completely made-up story to say the Native people welcomed these people who were going to devastate their civilizations.”

According to the historian, President Abraham Lincoln envisioned the holiday as “a day for families to be together and mourn their dead and be grateful for the living.”

“And I think that’s an appropriate holiday, that—how people should enjoy it,” she said. “But they should take Native Americans and Puritans out of the picture for it to be a legitimate holiday of feast and sharing with family and friends.”

Dunbar-Ortiz observed that “nationalism” made it difficult for people to let go of the myth.

“Americanism is white supremacy and represents negative things,” she concluded. “There’s almost no way to reconcile it. It simply has to be deconstructed and faced up to; and, otherwise, there will be no social change that’s meaningful for anyone.”

Native peoples are expected gather in Plymouth, Massachusetts on Thursday to commemorate the 47th National Day of Mourning.

“Many Native Americans do not celebrate the arrival of the Pilgrims and other Europeean settlers,” organizers of the event noted in a statement posted to Facebook. “Thanksgiving day is a reminder of the genocide of millions of Native people, the theft of Native lands, and the relentless assault on Native culture.”

November 23, 2016

Tony Perkins On Thanksgiving

Be Sure To Praise Jesus For This New Opportunity To Undo LGBT Rights (because I'm a Supremacist and everyone else is wrong)



Via press release from hate group leader Tony Perkins:

Americans should be eternally thankful for the wisdom possessed by our Founding Fathers, who, rooted in their Christian belief that there is no king but Jesus, instituted a form of government that requires the political leaders to be elected by the people. This means that no single president, administration or Member of Congress can govern without the approval (or disapproval) of the people.

The election two weeks ago was another stirring reminder that the American people are anything but predictable. With virtually every mainstream media outlet and almost every poll predicting a liberal victory, voters chose a different path. In what felt like an overnight seismic shift, the people placed a new party in the White House and gave one party unified control.

As we have made clear over the last two weeks, this election is a God-given opportunity to right some of the wrongs done to life, natural marriage, and religious liberty over the last eight years. This reprieve that the Lord has given is all the more reason to be particularly thankful this year. On behalf of Family Research Council, we extend our deepest thanks to you and your family for helping us bring about a culture in which human life is valued, families flourish, and religious liberty thrives.

November 22, 2016

Howard Dean: Steve Bannon Is A Nazi

http://www.newschannel6now.com/story/33755463/howard-dean-calls-trump-strategist-bannon-a-nazi

OTTAWA, Canada (CTV/CNN) - Former Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean made a strong accusation against one of Donald Trump's White House appointees.

Dean slammed Trump's newly named chief strategist, Steve Bannon, during an interview on a Canadian news program.

Speaking about Trump, Dean said, "He's a complicated guy. He appoints a reasonable person, who's much more conservative than I am, but for somebody who can talk to as chief of staff and then his senior advisory is a Nazi."

Dean was referring to Bannon, the former Breitbart CEO, went on to accuse him of several discriminatory beliefs.

"He's anti-Semitic, he's anti-black and he's anti-women," Dean said. "It's a big word, and I don't usually use it unless somebody's really anti-Semitic, really misogynist and really anti-black."

Dean said Trump's appointment of Bannon makes him "very nervous" and said it calls into question the president-elect's judgement.

November 22, 2016

Want to Boycott Trump? There's an App For That

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/boycotttrump/id1171663655?ls=1&mt=8

As Democratic lawmakers debate how much to fight President-elect Donald Trump's agenda in Congress, some voters want to go even further by organizing protests and boycotts.

While it would be easy enough to avoid Trump's hotels or golf resorts, Trump has less-obvious ties to many other businesses. So a Democratic super PAC created an app to help would-be boycotters identify hundreds of Trump-related companies.

The simple app from the Democratic Coalition Against Trump lets users search a database of company names. It includes both obscure businesses, like generically named property management companies on whose board Trump sits, and well-known brands like Home Depot, whose co-founders are vocal Trump supporters.

The super PAC, which formed to stop Trump, intends to keep operating to resist the Trump White House.

"The election may be over, but the fight against Trump has just begun," said Nate Lerner, the group's executive director. "Our Boycott Trump app enables people to take action against Trump by turning their purchasing power into a tool for protest. This hits Trump and his allies where it hurts them most - their wallets."

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/boycotttrump/id1171663655?ls=1&mt=8

November 21, 2016

Dear HAB911

In recent years it's become clear that planets are common around stars in our Galaxy and the number of possible abodes of life number in the billions. The number of civilizations that inhabit our Galaxy is still unknown, but thanks to SETI@home anyone can help search for those civilizations using their home computer or mobile phone. But SETI@home still needs your help.

It's been an exciting year for SETI@home. In addition to our ongoing search for extraterrestrial radio emissions at with the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico, we've started analyzing data collected by the Breakthrough Listen project at the Green Bank Telescope, the largest fully steerable radio telescope in the world. Breakthrough Listen will soon start collecting data at the Parkes radio telescope, the largest steerable radio telescope in the Southern Hemisphere, and SETI@home could analyze these data.

I'm hoping that you will give generously. Together we can reach the stars.

Happy Holidays!
Eric Korpela
Director of SETI@home

P.S. Donors contributing $250 or more will receive invitations for themselves and a guest to the Berkeley SETI Research Center (BSRC) Holiday Party to be held December 16 in Berkeley. The event will feature behind the scenes tours of our labs, talks on the latest developments in the search for advanced life from BSRC Researchers and special guests. There will also be giveaways of one-of-a-kind souvenirs of Berkeley SETI history! Those unable to attend in person will be given access to an exclusive online question and answer session with BSRC Researchers.

http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/donor_letter_nov16.php

November 21, 2016

Wall St. Journal: Trump Must Liquidate His Assets

http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-trump-family-political-business-1479426984

The Rupert Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal, a stalwart of the conservative media, has published an editorial calling on Donald Trump to sell off all of his assets and put the money into a true blind trust to avoid serious conflicts of interest.


One reason 60 million voters elected Donald Trump is because he promised to change Washington’s culture of self-dealing, and if he wants to succeed he’s going to have to make a sacrifice and lead by example. Mr. Trump has so far indicated that he will keep his business empire but turn over management to his children, and therein lies political danger…

Some of Mr. Trump’s lawyers have called the plan a “blind trust,” which past Presidents have used to protect their assets from the appearance of conflicts-of-interest. But that set-up typically involves liquid assets like bonds and stocks, not buildings or a branding empire. Mr. Trump will know how any given decision will affect, say, the old post office property in Washington, D.C. that he’s leasing from the federal government (another conflict). By law blind trusts are overseen by an independent manager, not family members…

Mr. Trump’s best option is to liquidate his stake in the company. Richard Painter and Norman Eisen, ethics lawyers for George W. Bush and President Obama, respectively, have laid out a plan, which involves a leveraged buyout or an initial public offering.

Mr. Trump could put the cash proceeds in a true blind trust. The Trump children can keep the assets in their name, and he can transfer more to them as long as he pays a hefty gift tax. Finally, Mr. Trump should stipulate that he and his children will have no communication about family business matters.

The alternatives are fraught, perhaps even for the Trump Organization’s bottom line: Thanks to a Clinton Administration precedent, Presidents can face litigation in private matters—so the company will become a supermagnet for lawsuits.

The political damage to a new Administration could be extensive. If Mr. Trump doesn’t liquidate, he will be accused of a pecuniary motive any time he takes a policy position. For example, the House and Senate are eager to consider tax reform—and one sticking point will be the treatment of real estate, which will be of great interest to the Trump family business. Ditto for repealing the Dodd-Frank financial law, interest rates and so much more.

The conflicts span the globe, including a loan from the Bank of China and likely dealings with sovereign-wealth funds.

It won’t happen, of course, but nice to see the Wall Street Journal stating the obvious.