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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: J_F_Shepard who wrote (573639)	6/25/2010 3:02:48 PM
From: longnshort	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1574098

My Son’s Textbook Denies Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II Their Rightful Place in History Posted by Jeff Dunetz Jun 25th 2010 at 5:09 am in Featured Story, History, media bias \| Comments (66) I spent much time during the past few weeks helping my son study for the state-wide World History test he took a few days ago. Working with him through his studies, I learned his class presented a brand new version of history, a version that never occurred. Some can argue different versions/interpretations of events that happened centuries ago, but his text book and curriculum distorted events I saw with my own eyes. The text-book in question is called World History Patterns of Interaction, and is published by McDougal Littell. Particularly upsetting was the section of the book covering the period from the end of WWII through the 1980s. It sets up the Cold War period with the mistaken politically correct explanation that both sides were aggressors. On page 983 it says: Both sides believed that they needed to stop the other side from extending its power.” What it should have said was that the Cold War was a battle between the Soviet side wanting to expand its communist philosophy across the world, and the west trying to prevent the takeover. The book also whitewashes the tyranny of Castro’s communist Cuba. Page 985 says “Soviet aid to Cuba ended abruptly with the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. This dealt a crippling blow to the Cuban economy.” There was no mention of the brutality of the Cuban regime; the fact that all opposition newspapers had been closed down, all radio and television stations were in state control, or that moderates, teachers and professors were purged. Nor was there any mention of the torture and inhumane treatment in Cuban prisons that is still happening today. Perhaps the biggest rewriting of history was the discussion regarding the end of the Cold War. It talks about Nixon and detente, then boom on page 991: … fiercely anti-Communist U.S. president, Ronald Reagan took office in 1991. He continued to move away from detente. He increased defense spending, putting both economic and military pressure on the Soviets. And how does the book explain the result of Reagan’s policies? “Tensions increased.” That’s it! According to the text book, an increase in tensions was the only result of that “evil” Reagan’s policies. But never fear because, there arose a leader in the USSR who knew not the cold war. Later on page 991, the book explains “.a change in soviet leadership in 1985 brought a new policy toward the United States and the beginnings of a final thaw in the cold war.” Wow, look at that… out of the blue the USSR woke up one day and decided to play nice. uGorbachev-a That explanation doesn’t mesh with history (or my eyes). The peace-through-strength strategy executed by the Reagan Administration drove the Soviet economy into the sewer. I saw Reagan announce, what may very well be the greatest bluff in the history of man, the Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars). This initiative posed a technological challenge to the Soviet Union and the communist regime spent tons of cash trying to catch up technologically. The part we never told the Soviet Union (until President Obama blurted it out a few months ago) is the technology posed a challenge to us also. The communists thought we were holding a royal flush, but all we really had was a pair of threes; being chess players, instead of poker players, they resigned. chess-resign The prospect of Star Wars Technology scared the pants off the USSR, and so did the fact that they thought that Reagan was crazy enough to use it. Crazy like a fox he was. Reagan’s willingness to apply significant rhetorical and other pressures against the Soviet Union, or as he called it, the “evil empire,” made the Soviets pour even more money that it didn’t have into weapons technology (why does that sound familiar?) At a session of the Russian Politburo in October 1986 Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev tried to sell a groundbreaking disarmament plan including a 50 percent reduction in nuclear arsenals. If he didn’t propose these cuts, Gorbachev told his colleagues, the USSR’s weak economy could not keep up with Reagan’s military expansion. We will be pulled into an arms race that is beyond our capabilities, and we will lose it because we are at the limit of our capabilities. … If the new round [of an arms race] begins, the pressures on our economy will be unbelievable. This military and economic pressure from Reagan was on top of the political pressure applied by a Pope born in a Soviet satellite country, Poland. John Paul II provided a moral focus with his constant anti-communist sermons. The Pope’s visit to the very Catholic country of his birth Poland in 1979 stimulated a religious and nationalist resurgence centered on the Solidarity Union movement that galvanized opposition. Reagan imposed economic sanctions on Poland to protest the suppression of Solidarity. In response, Mikhail Suslov, the Kremlin’s top ideologist, advised Soviet leaders not to intervene if Poland fell under the control of Solidarity for fear it might lead to heavy economic sanctions by the west. These potential sanctions could result in further catastrophe for the Soviet economy. That “non-intervention” of the USSR, because Reagan’s threats had bled them dry, was the beginning of the slippery slope leading to the easing of the communist oppression, and the fall the Soviet Union. It is said that history is written by the victors, and in the past this may have been true. But in the case of Cold War history, it has been rewritten by the progressives who want to indoctrinate our children to their inaccurate version of facts many of us saw with our own eyes. bigjournalism.com

To: J_F_Shepard who wrote (573639)	6/25/2010 3:06:32 PM
From: longnshort	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1574098

Sea eagles being killed by wind turbines By Brian Unwin Published: 12:00PM BST 27 Jun 2007 Previous Sea eagle; The RSPB is anxious that the Smøla The RSPB is anxious that the Smøla 'mistake' should not be repeated in Scotland The planned release of 15 young sea eagles in Scotland as part of a reintroduction programme has been overshadowed by a spate of deaths in their native Norway caused by wind turbines. Following the successful re-establishment of the majestic birds on Hebridean islands over the past 30 years, more are due to be released in eastern Scotland. A total of 100 birds are due to be introduced back in Britain over a five-year period. The bird of prey, with a wing span of up to 8ft, is thought to have been widely distributed throughout the British Isles 5,000 years ago, occurring around coasts, along large rivers and on islands lakes and marshes with open water. Related Articles * Lamb attacks eagle in rare animal confrontation * China powers ahead as it seizes the green energy crown from Europe * Seven-year-old boy dies after going missing in river * UFO turbine mystery: the theories in full * Greek wildfires: water-bombing brings Athens flames under control * Man killed in powerboat regatta horror But their lack of manoeuvrability in the air leaves them vulnerable to that increasing feature of the 21st century UK rural scene - the wind turbine. Northern Europe's largest raptor blundering into a windfarm in bad weather hasn't the ducking and weaving skills to easily avoid swooshing rotor arms. There is a certain irony about efforts to restore the species to a landscape that, if most of the plans bear fruit, will be progressively covered with neat rows of turbines as the drive for clean and renewable energy continues. The warning signs for birds that don't adapt readily to living with this type of renewable energy have been vividly illustrated in Norway where the sea eagle still thrives. As the Norwegian Air Force was preparing to fly them across the North Sea after they were removed from eyries around the country, reports emerged of continuing eagle deaths at a 68-turbine windfarm at Smøla, a group of islands about 300 miles up the coast from Bergen. Eddie Chapman, a UK-born ornithologist resident in Norway, said he had been reliably informed that a further sea eagle was killed last September and three more so far this year. That brings the total to 13 since the windfarm - spread over an area of 20 square kilometres - became fully operational in the country's main eagle population centre two years ago. Statkraft, the Norwegian state-owned enterprise aiming to be "a European leader in environment-friendly energy", has not yet made a public statement about these latest deaths but last October it admitted there was a problem It said: "Since start-up of Phase 2 of Smøla Wind Farm in August 2005, a total of 10 sea eagles have collided with rotor blades on the turbines and died. This is a serious problem and Statkraft is doing everything in its power to find a solution to this situation. "Statkraft co-operates closely with the best experts in Norway from the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) in reviewing possible means of reducing the danger of collisions and thus helping to reduce sea eagle mortality, both within and outside the confines of the wind farm." The statement went on to say that overhead power lines to the mainland were one known cause of bird deaths and these had since been laid as a ground cable. "One serious danger to sea eagles has thus been removed, and it is hoped that this measure will go some way towards compensating for eagle deaths caused by collisions with windmills." However, the deaths did not come as a surprise to Statkraft as, well before the first turbine was constructed, environmentalists warned that the concentration of eagles at Smøla was such that it was a totally inappropriate place for a windfarm. The protests from various bodies, including Britain's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, were ignored. Dr Rowena Langston, senior research biologist with the RSPB, said: "Four birds were found dead in just over a week last spring and if reports of these new deaths are true, a similar pattern is emerging suggesting these birds are facing specific risks during their breeding season. "Even more worrying is that DNA analyses last year indicated that birds from elsewhere are being killed as well as local breeding birds. With numbers of sea eagles on the wind farm site so significantly down others may be moving in - at their peril." She added that the birds killed so far had been both adults and juveniles. "Smøla has the world's highest concentrations of breeding sea eagles and their fortunes have been hit hard in the two years since the turbines started turning. "Just as significant is the disappearance of other sea eagles, seemingly unwilling to return to their traditional breeding site. "Before the wind farm was built, there were at least 16 nesting pairs where the wind farm stands. "We think as many as nine of those territories could have been abandoned with no evidence that the displaced birds are nesting elsewhere on Smøla. "Eagles do not breed every year but these deaths will seriously dent sea eagle numbers on Smøla. "In short, the Smøla wind farm has caused birds to die and driven many others away with no evidence that they are breeding elsewhere." Now the RSPB, which has a major role in the Scottish eagle re-introduction project, is anxious that the Smøla "mistake" should not be repeated. Particularly in mind is the proposal to place a total of 181 turbines, each towering 462ft over a very large area of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. That, it fears, will not only affect both golden and sea eagles but will also place a devastating hazard in the path of whooper swans migrating to Britain from Iceland and white-fronted and barnacle geese from Greenland, as well as having an adverse effect on a wide range of other species that nest in the area earmarked for the project and the peatland habitat in general. Dr Mark Avery, RSPB conservation director, said: "The fate of white-tailed eagles on Smøla shows just how much harm poorly sited wind farms can do. It is a timely reminder for those now deciding whether to allow a much bigger wind farm on the Isle of Lewis. "Wind energy can make a hugely significant contribution to tackling climate change and many in the renewables industry have been working with us and others to ensure that turbines are built where damage to wildlife is minimised." Meanwhile the RSPB is assisting with a new case against the Smøla windfarm its Norwegian equivalent, NOFG-Birdlife is due to place before the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention on European Wildlife and Natural Habitats in November. It calls on the committee to consider the problems posed by the turbines with a view to making a recommendation to the Norwegian government questioning the legality of the windfarm's continuation and suggesting its removal.

To: J_F_Shepard who wrote (573639)	6/25/2010 3:07:50 PM
From: longnshort	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1574098

Beyond their agreement about the need for the benign energy production of wind turbines, however, disagreements arise and we could be headed for gridlock. Perhaps the best example of this is to be seen in the headline over an otherwise reasonable newspaper statement by Elmer Marien, president of the Buffalo Audubon Society. It reads: "Keep Wind Turbines out of Migration Routes". Since birds migrate across broad fronts that cover all of North America, that order could effectively end wind power. Indeed wind turbines can kill birds. Today's windmills are giants. You can see ten in action in the Wyoming County Town of Wethersfield. Each 213-foot turbine tower there supports three 77-foot blades. Thus they reach a height of about 290 feet, still, however, well below the usual flight path of both day and night-flying bird migrants. Their blades turn at 28.5 revolutions per minute but, while they appear to be moving slowly, that is an illusion. Their tips swing at over 150 miles per hour and no bird could survive being hit by a blade at that speed

To: J_F_Shepard who wrote (573639)	6/25/2010 3:09:34 PM
From: longnshort	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1574098

Eagles 'killed by wind turbines' A white tailed eagle - image courtesy of Andy Hay - rspb-images.com Wind turbines are harming Europe's largest bird of prey, according to wildlife campaigners. Nine white-tailed eagles have died in 10 months after flying into turbines at a wind farm in Norway, the RSPB says. The number of chicks at the site on the Smola islands has plummeted since the wind farm was built. There used to be 19 pairs of birds breeding chicks, now there is just one pair, and it's thought all of last year's babies have died.