EPA Chief Under Fire for Ignoring Scientists

“Johnson has faced mounting criticism from within his own agency and a Congressional investigatory panel for allegedly ignoring scientific findings when they have contradicted the Bush administration’s political aims.” (read article)

I guess it really is an inconvenient truth. . . .

In an interview at Alternet titled Michael Pollan Debunks Food Myths, author Michael Pollan discusses his new book, In Defense of Food. He talks about why news of the latest scientific nutritional studies is probably not the best source for nutrition information, and how the best eating advice given to Americans in the past five decades is probably the simplest — that fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are good for us. According to him, we’re likely best off getting back to basics.

Pollan says:

“I’m not a Luddite; I’m not anti-science. I’m fascinated by nutritional science. But I’ve also acquired a healthy skepticism about how much and how little they know. It has only been around for about 175 years. Its history is of one overlooked nutrient after another. As I see it, nutrition science is kind of where surgery was in the year 1650, which is to say very interesting and promising, but do you really want to get on the table yet?” (read article)

Further on, Pollan mentions how the “imitation rule” was eliminated by the FDA, without going through Congress, and how what we eat has in some sense become a political statement. According to Pollan, cooking our own food from scratch may now be a subversive act:

“It’s funny to think of something as domestic as cooking and gardening as subversive, but it is. It is the beginning of taking back control from a system that would much rather do everything for you.” (read article)

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont writes in OpEdNews about The State of the Union Bush Forgot to Talk About.

According to Sen. Sanders, since Bush has been in office the true state of the Union has changed dramatically in conrast to Bush’s SOTU: (more…)

If you’re having trouble with mainstream media coverage in keeping up with the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, as far as where they stand in the primaries and caucuses and the number of convention delegates allotted to them so far, try these sources, which cut out all the hype:

Real Clear Politics: 2008 Democratic Delegates

Real Clear Politics: 2008 Republican Delegates

Wikipedia: Results of the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries

Wikipedia: Results of the 2008 Republican presidential primaries (more…)

Who I’ll Vote For Now

I still plan to vote for Dennis Kucinich in the primaries, regardless of his withdrawal from his presidential campaign, since there’s no other candidate who fills the bill for me, and his name is on my primary ballot in California. Even if it wasn’t, I think at this point I’d write him in. (more…)

Video: Kucinich withdraws from Presidential race 01 25 08 (YouTube video)

Text format: Kucinich withdraws from Presidential race (more…)

Yesterday Dennis Kucinich stood on the House floor and called the Bush administration what it is, basing his charge on this report by the Center for Public Integrity:

False Pretenses
Following 9/11, President Bush and seven top officials of his administration waged a carefully orchestrated campaign of misinformation about the threat posed by Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.
(read report)

Others objected to his wording and Kucinich retracted his “offending” speech, since that’s just not done in Congress, calling a liar a liar. (more…)

Two articles posted yesterday about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his vision stood out for me, as a voter who plans to vote for Dennis Kucinich. (more…)

An interview by Chris Hedges, posted at AfterDowningStreet.org explores Dennis Kucinich’s Fight to Bring Credibility to the Democratic Party.

The U.S. Supreme Court won’t hear Kucinich’s appeal, and that means that although he’s fulfilled all other requirements besides signing an oath to “fully support” the party’s nominee, his name still won’t appear on the Texas primary ballot. OpEdNews has more to say about the shutout from the ballot in Texas.

Elizabeth Kucinich has begun a campaign tour of California, and Dennis Kucinich has gained an endorsement from the Mexican American Political Association (MAPA). (more…)

I can’t believe it’s Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday again. Didn’t I just post a tribute to him? Wasn’t that, like, yesterday? My dad turned 85 two days ago, so maybe I’m feeling aware that time moves very swiftly, more so the older we get. I’m not sure why I mark Poe’s birthday and not the birthdays of other poets I love. Perhaps because he seems to have been such a mystery.

Today I’m fascinated by this mystery “Poe toaster” who visits Poe’s grave in Baltimore each year on his birthday, and leaves three red roses and 1/2 a bottle of cognac. Thanks to Brill Crider for the link.

You may not be aware that one of the mysteries surrounding Poe is that it isn’t known for certain what caused his death. A couple of years ago, I came across an online reference to Poe’s death, and a theory by a cardiologist that Poe died of rabies, possibly from a cat bite. He liked cats, and the theory is that he may have been bitten by one of his own pets, or a stray, and contracted the disease.

Our loss.

In any case, Happy 199th Birthday, Mr. Poe.

on Tuesday, January 15, when NBC/General Electric shut him out of its MSNBC debate in Las Vegas?

A couple of days ago I thought we’d never know. Then I found this interview at truthout.org by Amy Goodman, in which she presents the debate questions and the answers from his Democratic opponents, and allows Rep. Kucinich to respond: (more…)

The Race for the White House

It’s kind of surreal, watching the drama unfold for Dennis Kucinich in the 2008 Presidential primaries and caucuses, and difficult to know what will happen next.

Rep. Kucinich enjoyed what some are calling his “15 minutes of fame” as he spent the past few days as the only Democrat campaigning in Michigan, the state that has been abandoned by the rest of the Democratic Party just because it moved up the date of its primary election. Now Kucinich heads to Nevada, where he’s won his lawsuit, but everyone is uncertain whether he’ll be allowed to debate. Meanwhile his appeal to appear on the Texas ballot remains in question. (more…)

The NBC Debate —

NBC has decided, after earlier inviting him to participate, to change their own rules and exclude Dennis Kucinich from yet another major debate. I think every American should be angry about it: NBC Rewrites its Own Rules to Prevent America from Hearing Kucinich. (more…)

This is all very confusing. Let me see if I get this straight: In protesting a move by the state of Michigan to change the date of its primary election to January 15th, closer than the Democratic Party-approved cutoff date of February 5th, both John Edwards and Barack Obama wound up with their names off the primary ballot there, and aren’t campaigning in the state. I’ve read that they also didn’t turn in the necessary paperwork to allow write-in votes for them.

Isn’t that a classic case of throwing the baby out with the bath water? (more…)

According to the Associated Press, ABC has cut 3 candidates from its upcoming Presidential Debates. The Seattle Times reports that Dennis Kucinich is contesting this decision:

NEW YORK — Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Friday after ABC News excluded him, fellow Democrat Mike Gravel and Republican Duncan Hunter from today’s debates. (read article)

Kucinich is contesting his and the other candidates’ exclusion, and he’s filing a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Consider that a few weeks ago, Republican Mike Huckabee was nearly as far behind in the polls as some of those now being excluded. It’s not up to ABC or any other network to decide for us how we should vote, or who is a viable candidate at this point in the process, when only one state has chosen its nominees in the two major parties. The American people own the US airwaves, not ABC or any other network. What good is the free press if that press won’t provide us fair, objective, and balanced coverage of something as important as a presidential election? If you wish to let ABC know what you think of this decision, they have a contact page here.

In a completely new take on foreseeing the future, scientists are using a “new technique to track changes in the extent of Arctic sea ice over the past 1,000 years.” Find the BBC News story here: Arctic muds reveal sea ice record. Scientists hope the information obtained will help reveal to what extent global warming is manmade.

“The indications are that the natural cycles of change over the past have been very rapid - but the likelihood is that we’re now seeing the effects of manmade warming on top of that.” (read article)

A report from Edward Mazria, an architect who turned to spreading information about global warming and the contribution to it by the building industry, has produced a set of images showing what he predicts some large coastal cities in the US will look like in 2030, with rising water levels due to global warming. His work is featured in an ABC news report, What Global Warming Looks Like.

Meanwhile, arctic ice melt has opened a Northwest Passage.

Thanks to The Daily Grail for the links.

I’ve never found a way to enjoy the taste of soy, and goodness knows I’ve tried. I’ve only been able to bring myself to eat it in the relatively tasteless form of tofu, or as soy sauce, which I like. I’ve always wondered if soy is really as good for me as I’ve been led to believe, or if there’s something else my body is trying to tell me. In any case, the taste just doesn’t do it for me.

Here’s an interesting article on the possible health risks of eating a lot of soy:

The Dark Side of Soy