City of Clayton Stands Up to Abuse of Power

I first read about this in the Clayton Pioneer, our local paper. The publisher of the paper, Tamara Steiner, wrote an excellent editorial on this abuse of power by Thomas Peele, a Contra Costa Times investigative journalist. Refer to page 4 of the Clayton Pioneer 2-19-10. Another opinion article appeared in the Contra Costa Times that heralds the same alarm.

To be honest, I applaud Mr. Peele’s interest in keeping an eye on public expenditures, out tax dollars at work. Government is here to work for us and should be viewed something we need to keep lean and honest; it belongs to us after all. It should serve us while at the same time, stay out of our way.

Nevertheless, this is typical of the arrogance that we see with many of the folks who pursue a career in journalism.

American Journalists MIA on Global Warming

Our media, no way!

Click on the link below for the full story:

American Journalists MIA on Global Warming

PACT WITH GAIA | Daily Telegraph Tim Blair Blog

Actor Danny Glover, now an expert on seismology and plate tectonics, is telling us that climate change is responsible for the Haitian quake. To make matters worse, he gives to planet earth (that’s this wonderful chuck of rock we live on) the status of a supernatural sentient being; in other words, planet earth is a God, not a creation. This God, Gaia, is pouring force its wrath upon us for our failure at the Copenhagen summit by zapping poor Haiti. What the Spank? If Gaia were to be truly retributive, she would have zapped Rush Limbaugh’s home in south Florida. Guess she missed by a few hundred miles. If you follow his reasoning, earthquakes should never happen in Hollywood (Los Angeles) or San Francisco were many of her worshipers live and breathe. By the way, when they breathe, they do not exhale CO2.

Click on the link below for the story and video.

PACT WITH GAIA Daily Telegraph Tim Blair Blog

The Avatar Challenge: Can We Separate Style From Content?

I have been wondering about this movie for some time now. Admittedly, I have not seen it. I will confess this right up front. Simply looking at the previews made me recoil a bit though, giving me reason to consider waiting until it comes out on DVD.

So much of what Hollywood puts out is part of a bigger agenda. Friends of mine who have seen it said it scored high on the “wow” factor. When I asked them if it seemed anti-American, their response was fairly universal: “Yes, I guess it is, when you think about it.” I guess they were not thinking when they paid good money to be “wowed” with the latest special effects, all the while being seduced with subliminal messages designed to tear down all that we cherish as good.

Then, I stumbled across this article that gives another angle critical of the movie in a way that is perhaps even more disturbing. It is a subliminal message that erodes and degrades the human being as a unique creation. I am fond of many of James Cameron’s works. I am sure this one rates high on entertainment value through its use of the latest and powerful effects technology. My deepest concern is whether most can “separate style from content” in a critical way. I like a good chocolate bar once in a while, but you can not live on it; it nourishes neither the body nor the soul.

Clikc here for the complete story:  Vatican Says Avatar No Masterpiece