Redefining Privacy

Now they want us to Redefine our definition of privacy to fit with the government's agenda. Here's a link to the CNN article.
Thankyou Debbyski of ClipMarks for bringing this to everyone's attention :)

IF Post - The Many Hats of Mom or Dad

Crow quill pen, india ink, and artist still getting the hang of it .

How Much Do You Value The Right To Free Speech?

You wouldn't have heard about it on the news, our journalists seem to be turning a blind eye to some of the things that have been going on in our government. If you blog, protest, or generally like your opinion heard you definitely want to read up on this new bill . Written by Jane Harman(Democrat-California) and passed by the House of Representatives by a 404 for-6 against vote on October the 23rd 2007.

The Terms"radical" or "extremist" is entirely up to State interpretation, anything the Government interprets it to be. This may include anti-war groups, environmentalism, universal health care, animal rights, labor organizing, social change, possibly even John Q Public's wish to return to our Constitution. HR 1955 is aimed directly at American citizens, and particularly bloggers.
Here are two quotes on the definitions of Radical extremist and Homegrown terrrorist

HOMEGROWN TERRORISM.--The term `homegrown terrorism' means the use, planned use, or threatened use, of force or violence by a group or individual born, raised, or based and operating primarily within the United States or any possession of the United States to intimidate or coerce the United States government, the civilian population of the United States, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives

VIOLENT RADICALIZATION.--The term `violent radicalization' means the process of adopting or promoting an extremist belief system for the purpose of facilitating ideologically based violence to advance political, religious, or social change

IDEOLOGICALLY BASED VIOLENCE.--The term `ideologically based violence' means the use, planned use, or threatened use of force or violence by a group or individual to promote the group or individual's political, religious, or social beliefs

Now consider the term "use of force". Does this include marching, demonstrating, organizing? When is the line crossed from protesting to terrorism? It's up for the States interpretation.

I'm probably not the greatest at explaining this so the best thing to do is look into it yourself. Here are some links to get some info:
Wikipedia
Indybay.org
GovTrack.us

Check it out , pass it on, and think about it . This is headed for The Senate right now.

British museum to return Aboriginal remains

If this were my great,great,great grandmother I would want her back at home and decently buried too.

clipped from wbztv.com LONDON (AP) A second British museum has agreed to return Aboriginal remains to Australia, including bones collected by explorers in 1849. National Museums Liverpool said it has decided to turn over the remains of three bodies, unconditionally fulfilling a request made by Australia in January 2006. The pledge follows a much more controversial dispute between Tasmanian Aborigines and the Natural History Museum in London for the return of 17 remains. After a 20-year dispute that involved a lawsuit, teeth, skulls and skeletons looted in the 19th century from Tasmania, an island south of Australia were turned over to the Tasmanian Aboriginal Center in May. Two American Indian tribes have also submitted demands. Since 1996, more than 1,000 Indigenous remains have been returned to Australia from other countries.

Too Much Awareness?

Honestly, I am kind of divided on this. You have the reality of cancer, and you have audience consideration.
Personally, my little sister died at age eleven due to brain cancer, and I have an aunt who died of breast cancer. Not everyone is a survivor, even though those are the stories we want, and need more of.

clipped from www.foxnews.com Comic Strip Character Succumbs to Breast Cancer Sparking Praise, Outrage October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But did the creator of the comic strip "Funky Winkerbean" take the "awareness" part too far? The decision by cartoonist Tim Batiuk to have Lisa Moore, the cartoon strip's wife, mother and lawyer, succumb to breast cancer last week has sparked both praise and anger, ABC News reports. "People have been incredibly kind and generous," cartoonist Tim Batiuk told ABC News, adding that hundreds of fans have e-mailed him about the story line. But others are unhappy. "You are a man who seems to be without any idea of the pain (you) are inflicting," wrote one grandmother on TheCancerBlog.com. "You do not have the right to put this horror in a family newspaper."

New Tool for Parents

Where some pediatricians are still unsure about the signs of Autism, this is going to help doctors and parents alike.

clipped from wbztv.com Web Site Seeks To Help Spot Autism Early Parents and even doctors sometimes miss these warning signs of autism, but a new, online video "glossary" makes them startlingly clear. A new Web site offers dozens of video clips of autistic kids contrasted with unaffected children's behavior. Some of the side-by-side differences can make you gasp. Others are more subtle. Added Wetherby, "We now know that one out of 150 children has autism, or one out of 94 boys. It's not a rare disability. We also know that early intervention is critical." Several autism specialists who reviewed the site at the request of The Associated Press called it an unusually helpful tool for parents and doctors.

IF Citrus

A quick post for Illustration Friday. This weeks theme is citrus.