National Parks Going Corporate

'North Rim Grand Canyon Cape Royal' [Shutterstock]

‘North Rim Grand Canyon Cape Royal’ [Shutterstock]

The National Park Service is opening the door to corporate sponsorship by expanding the definition of philanthropy.

Corporate sponsors won’t be able to place advertising or marketing slogans at the 411 national parks, but they will be allowed to prominently display their logos and gain naming rights for some features in return for their gifts, reported the Washington Post.

Proposed new rules — which are set to go into effect later this year — will allow corporations to design and build park buildings and operate them over the long term, and some donors will be granted naming rights to park programs, positions and endowments.

[…]

The new rules for park managers include a shift away from protecting environmental resources toward fundraising.

“Does that become a major part of the job?” said John Garder, budget and appropriations director for the National Parks Conservation Association. “Can the park service say, ‘This person’s doing an awesome job protecting bison, but they’re not raising enough money?’”

Full Story Here. Every day, I get the feeling that a huge sign has been put out, ‘AmericaLand Park! A fine example of how to fuck up a country.’

Marriage Farm: Cries of Persecution

Quiverfull founder and blogger Vaughn Ohlman.

Quiverfull founder and blogger Vaughn Ohlman.

Once denied permission to hold the retreat, Ohlman and the Quiverfull cult began to cry persecution, believing that people’s horror over the idea of marrying off children has more to do with Christian religion rather than the idea that children are neither physically or mentally prepared for marriage. It was also the girls’ lack of choice that enraged many, as Ohlman himself wrote that “there is no decision to be made once the betrothal is final. There is no approval required or veto allowed.”

Once the Quiverfull retreat was cancelled, Ohlman took to his blog to express his own disgust at the “left wing” media and “anti-Christian” sites that expressed disgust over the idea of children marrying.

“Well our main blog and my daughter-in-law’s blog have been picked up by Raw Story, Free Jinger, and a dozen or so more left wing and anti-Christian sites. Words cannot describe how much we appreciate their well thought out, pleasantly written, Biblical commentary on our various posts. They are especially impressed with our proposed ‘Get Them Married’ retreat idea.”

Ohlman then tries to claim that arranged marriage forced upon children, as advocated by the Quiverfull movement, is preferable to what else is offered.

“The government schools and other organizations charged with managing the sexual lives of our children seem to believe that our children should learn all about the joys of anal sex at five years old, and by twelve should be getting condoms out of vending machines, rolling in the sack with their partner of choice, and then (when the condoms fail) going out and murdering their children at taxpayer expense without even bothering to inform their parents.”

Ohlman’s blog has since become protected, but he did make previous claims that the Bible “provides many reasons for marriage, and most if not all of them demonstrate that marriage typically ought to happen in the youth (as in, before the age of 20).” But, Ohlman claims that he and his fundamentalist Christian cult does have limits — the children must be over the age of 11. They also have to have breasts.

There’s more at Inquisitr. It’s good to shine a light on such things, but the downside is that they will simply go further underground, but this practice won’t stop. I wonder, will any women be able to get out in the future?

McCrory: no clear definition of gender identity.

With a Monday deadline looming and federal funds on the line, Gov. McCrory said he needs more time to consider how he addresses his state's anti-LGBT legislation.

With a Monday deadline looming and federal funds on the line, Gov. McCrory said he needs more time to consider how he addresses his state’s anti-LGBT legislation.

In a Sunday interview with Fox News host Chris Wallace, he revealed that he had requested an extension from the federal government. In response, officials offered a week-long deadline “if the governor admits publicly that their language regarding bathrooms does in fact discriminate.”

“I’m not going to publicly announce that something discriminates,” McCrory said, continuing, “there is no clear definition of gender identity. It is the federal government being a bully.”

Everyone’s a bully except for you, right, Pat?

[…]

Wallace questioned McCrory’s classification of the federal government’s response to HB 2 as “overreach,” comparing the debate to bathrooms segregated by race.

“We can definitely define the race of people. It’s very hard to define transgender or gender identity,” McCrory responded.

It is? How about a person’s gender being what they say it is? Problem solved. I’m getting flashbacks to when people used to grouse and complain that you couldn’t tell men and women apart because of those damn dirty hippies and that long hair, oh my.

Sir David Attenborough turns 90

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Tributes have been paid to renowned naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough who has turned 90.

CBBC wildlife star Steve Backshall said Sir David “completely transformed my view of the wild world”.

Sir David did that for me too, and much more. Growing up, it was Sir David’s journeys across the world and his science narratives that helped to keep that love of learning alive in me. Thanks aren’t enough. Happiest of birthdays to Sir David, and I hope he’s with us all a long time yet.

The BBC has a special page: Celebrating Attenborough at 90.

Police Lives Matter, So Screw You

Protestors outside Beyoncé concert in Houston -- (KHOU screen grab)

Protestors outside Beyoncé concert in Houston — (KHOU screen grab)

Beyoncé got a rude hometown welcome on her return to Houston, when local law enforcement officers and supporters protested outside her concert on Saturday.

As fans lined up to see Beyoncé’s sold-out concert at NRG Stadium they were treated to cops, sheriff’s deputies and supporters — some wearing “Police Lives Matter” T-shirts — railing against her appearance, reports KHOU.

“Some of her performances we believe to be anti-police,” explained Tony Ragsdale, from the Pasadena Police Department and a member of the Coalition for Police and Sheriffs (C.O.P.S.).

To make their point, the members of C.O.P.S. shined a large blue light on the outside of the concert venue.

[…]

Besides references to Black Lives Matter — which many law enforcement officials see as a slam at their profession following the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson — Beyoncé‘s video also featured a police cruiser sinking in the flood waters of New Orleans.

Previously, the Tampa Police Department encountered difficulties getting cops to volunteer to work security at her sold-out show in April.

Cops – don’t criticize us! Don’t make references to us! Don’t ever mention the numerous times we fuck up! Don’t say a word about all the murders we commit and get away with! Don’t suggest we police ourselves! Don’t suggest we’re scarily power mad! Don’t suggest we’re bigoted! And on and on it goes.

Article at Raw Story, along with a video.

Sunday Facepalm

On a recent episode of his “Pray In Jesus Name” program, Gordon Klingenschmitt declared that gays are driven by a demonic “spirit of persecution” that makes them attack Christians and “demand to have sex in your guest bedroom.”

“There is a spirit of persecution that is coming out of this homosexual movement,” Klingenschmitt said, “and it’s not enough that they get weddings in their own private churches, they want to come to your church, they want to come to your business, they might even come to your home — if you are a bed and breakfast owner, they’ll come right into your home and demand to have sex in your guest bedroom and there’s nothing you can do, they say, to deny them service because they have a right to violate your freedom.”

“That is an evil spirit of persecution,” he stated. “There are also evil spirits influencing them to come after the church and we’ve got to stand up, not necessarily against the humans, we’ve got to stand up against Satan, who is inside of them.”

From Right Wing Watch.

Medicine as Metaphor

landeta-3

© Sara Landeta.

 

http://www.saralandeta.com/2015/05/la-medicina-y-sus-metaforas-medicine-as.html

http://www.saralandeta.com/2015/05/la-medicina-y-sus-metaforas-medicine-as.html

A most poignant series by Sara Landeta. Her description:

The project includes a collection of 120 boxes of drugs that have been consumed by different patients to overcome their illnesses. All boxes are illustrated inside with a broad classification of birds from different families, being the only animal that although it gives it a meaning of freedom, because it is the only one able to connect with the earth and the sky, is also one of the main animals in captivity. This juxtaposition of the natural and the synthetic interprets the patient as a captive animal, and the bird as its metaphor.
Draw a collection of birds inside these boxes holding a single reflection ; l will learn to be birds in captivity, but they are wanting to fly, and that is what keeps them alive. 
I can’t speak for every chronic pain person out there, but this touches me deeply. There’s more at Colossal Art and The Jealous Curator.

Six Amazing Moms

It’s Mother’s Day. This is not a day which affects me personally, in either direction. That said, I want to thank all those women who are also mothers, and are doing an amazing job at raising up thoughtful, accepting, inclusive children. Here are some of those moms, via HRC.

1. Michelle: Michelle is just your average mom in Northern California. She is the mother of three children, including her transgender daughter, Malisa. “Malisa is your typical pre-adolescent girl,” Michelle said in a video for HRC. “She loves to craft and sing.” Michelle and her father, Congressman Mike Honda, have both been open about their undivided support for Malisa and equality for the transgender community.

2. Annie: Annie always knew there was something special about her grandchild, Kaycee. “I knew it was something different about Kaycee,” she said in a HRC video. “Kaycee didn’t have to tell me. I knew it.” While Kaycee was worried about coming out to her family as transgender, her grandmother stood by her side every step of the way.

There are four more wonderful moms, check them out at HRC.

Interesting Positions

I decided to sit on the front deck today. It’s a small deck, but the birds don’t mind me if I’m not being an obvious nuisance. A little Black-capped Chickadee did the neck twist, and a juvenile Grackle posed for me. (The juveniles are easy to spot, because they are mostly brown. This was one was just coming into adult colours.) Click for full size.

IP

IPa

© C. Ford. All rights reserved.

95 Million Year Old Octopus, Still Awesome!

Esther van Hulsen at work on an octopus drawing using 95 million-year-old ink. Photo by Stian Steinsli

Esther van Hulsen at work on an octopus drawing using 95 million-year-old ink. Photo by Stian Steinsli

Dutch wildlife artist Esther van Hulsen was recently given an assignment unlike her typical drawings of birds and mammals from life—a chance to draw a prehistoric octopus 95 million years after its death. Paleontologist Jørn Hurum supplied Hulsen with ink extracted from a fossil found in Lebanon in 2009, received as a gift from the PalVenn Museum in 2014. After several millennia Hulson was surprised to find that the color had remained so vibrant, preserved all of this time in the cephalopod’s ink sac. “Knowing that this animal has used this ink to survive is absolutely amazing,” said van Hulsen of the prehistoric ink.

More at Colossal Art.

Rape Pregnancies A Silver Lining From God

Ugh. I can’t even suppress the nausea induced by this mess of a person.

via YouTube Republican State Rep. Tila Hubrecht held a press conference Thursday to defend her views on rape pregnancies.

During an intense Tuesday floor debate on the measure, Hubrecht made the case that women should not be allowed to abort pregnancies caused by rape.

“When God gives life he does so because there’s a reason, no matter what,” she said. “Sometimes bad things happen, horrible things, but sometimes God can give us a silver lining through the birth of a child.” Because, yeah, rape sucks, but there’s nothing like nine months of living with your rapist’s baby growing inside you to help you get over it!

Full Story Here.