“Whales and dolphins deserve 'human rights' because of their intelligence - Daily Telegraph” plus 3 more |
- Whales and dolphins deserve 'human rights' because of their intelligence - Daily Telegraph
- Steele: Paul's 'philosophy got in the way of reality ... - Washington Post
- Obituary: Dorothy Kamenshek / Player portrayed in 'A League of Their Own' - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- Steele: Rand Paul philosophy on discrimination ... - Politico.com
| Whales and dolphins deserve 'human rights' because of their intelligence - Daily Telegraph Posted: 23 May 2010 09:57 AM PDT "We affirm that all cetaceans [marine mammals], as persons, have the right to life, liberty and wellbeing," they said in a declaration after a two-day meeting led by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS). Thomas White, director of the Center for Ethics and Business at Loyola Marymount University in California, said dolphins could recognise themselves in a mirror, an ability rare in mammals that humans only acquire at about 18 months of age. "Whaling is ethically unacceptable," he said. "They have a sense of self that we used to think that only human beings have." Hal Whitehead, a biology professor at Dalhousie University in Canada and an expert on deep-water whales, said there was more evidence that whales have human-like culture. He said that sperm whales have sonars to find fish that are so powerful that they could permanently deafen others nearby if used at full blast. Yet the whales do not use sonars as weapons, showing what Whitehead called a human-like "sense of morality". Nations in the International Whaling Commission will debate a proposal to approve limited hunts for 10 years by the main whaling nations at a meeting next month, relaxing a 1986 moratorium imposed after many species came close to extinction. "We want a shift to putting the individual at the centre of conservation," said Nicholas Entrup, of the WDCS. That would mean giving minke whales, relatively plentiful and most often hunted, the same protection as endangered northern right whales. But one expert biologist, who was not at the conference, said many researchers had wrongly concluded that whales and dolphins were smart because they have big brains. "There's nothing to separate them from other mammals - seals, lions or tigers," Paul Manger of Johannesburg's University of Witwatersrand. He said they had evolved big brains largely to keep warm in the chilly waters. Saying whales were not especially bright was not the same as advocating hunts, he said. "We protect fish stocks even though no one argues that they are intelligent," he said. Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Steele: Paul's 'philosophy got in the way of reality ... - Washington Post Posted: 23 May 2010 11:37 AM PDT By Matt DeLong and Felicia Sonmez
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine said misleading statements by Connecticut Senate candidate and state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal about his service in Vietnam "were wrong," but pointed out that Blumenthal frequently stated his record accurately. Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele countered that Blumenthal "knowingly misrepresented what he did." Steele distanced himself from Kentucky GOP Senate candidate Rand Paul's controversial comments on the 1964 Civil Rights Act's prohibition of discrimination by private businesses. "I think in this case Rand Paul's philosophy got in the way of reality," Steele said. Kaine said he has "no idea" if the White House offered Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) a job if he stayed out of the Democratic primary race against Sen. Arlen Specter, as Sestak has claimed. Steele demanded to know, "what did the president offer and when did he offer it." Kaine said that if the question gets asked, the White House "should deal with it." Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said she still supports offshore drilling in light of the current oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, but "oil companies need to be held accountable" when they cause environmental disasters. She suggested the White House may have been slow to react to the spill because of campaign contributions President Obama received from oil companies. Palin said MSNBC host Rachel Maddow was "prejudiced" by her own agenda when interviewing GOP Senate candidate Rand Paul about his civil rights views. NBC: MEET THE PRESS - Sestak: White House offered me a job Sens. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) faced off on Tuesday's primaries. Cornyn defended Kentucky GOP Senate candidate Rand Paul (R), who on Friday canceled his appearance on the show, citing exhaustion at the end of a week in which he came under fire for remarks on the landmark Civil Rights Act. Cornyn said that canceling was "the right thing," emphasizing that Paul "needs to be talking to the voters back in Kentucky." On Paul's controversial comments, Cornyn chalked them up to the fact that Paul "is new to running for public office," noting that "you see novice candidates occasionally stumble on questions." He denied that Paul is a "weaker candidate" after the controversy. "He's leading by 25 points, so I'll let the numbers speak for themselves," Cornyn said. Cornyn also defended the Tea Party movement and libertarians such as Paul, explaining that they "don't believe in no government; they believe in limited government, smaller government." Still, Cornyn acknowledged of Paul, "I don't know what all his views are." Menendez characterized Paul as "an example of what's happening to the Republican Party across the country, being the Republican establishment, but it's the mainstream losing to the extreme." Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) also appeared on the show. He confirmed that he was offered a job by the administration in exchange for potentially withdrawing his primary challenge against Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), but he refused to give the details of the offer. "Anything that goes beyond that is for others to talk about."Sestak defended his votes for TARP and the stimulus, telling host David Gregory, "I did vote for those because they were needed." Asked what parts of Obama's agenda he has "stood up to," Sestak responded that he thought Obama "has done great, good things," but needed to go farther in terms of helping small business. -----
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs defended the administration's response to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. "We are working every minute of every day to ensure the response is everything it should be," Gibbs said. He said the Justice Department has been gathering information but declined to say if the spill is being investigated as a criminal matter. Gibbs dismissed the suggestion that the oil spill would be President Obama's "Katrina." Gibbs said Palin "get slightly more informed as to what's going on in and around oil drilling in this country" in response to the former Alaska governor's suggestion that campaign contributions from oil companies played a role in the adminstration's response to the disaster. Gibbs said the United States is "actively trying to find" American-born cleric Anwar al-Alwaki, who recently released a 45-minute video tape encouraging terrorist acts against the United States. Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) repeated his assertion that the White House had offered him a job in the administration if he didn't challenge Sen. Arlen Specter in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary. Sestak declined to say what job he was offered. Gibbs would not say if such an offer was made, but said "nothing inappropriate" had taken place. Sen. Lamar Alexander chalked up Rand Paul's civil rights comments to a rookie mistake. "Even a good baseball player sometimes has a hard time going from AAA to the major leagues," Alexander said. ABC: THIS WEEK - Steele won't condemn Paul's views Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said he was uncomfortable with Paul's comments on the 1964 Civil Rights Act, but declined to condemn them. "I can't condemn a person's views," Steele said, adding that "the people of Kentucky will judge" them. Steele pledged that as a senator, Paul will be "foursquare with the Republican Party looking forward on civil rights." Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine hammered some of Paul's other recent comments, in which the Kentucky candidate said that President Obama's criticism of British Petroleum was "un-American" and "accidents happen." Steele criticized the administration for not stepping in to take a greater role in stopping the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. "Here we are almost a month and a half later and it's still spilling oil," Steele said. Kaine said he was unaware of any contingency plan to select another Democratic Senate candidate following revelations that Attorney General Richard Blumenthal at times embellished his military service during the Vietnam War. CNN: STATE OF THE UNION - Pawlenty to candidates: 'Be for change' Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) reflected on the national impact of Tuesday's primaries. Pawlenty said that "the best advice for anybody running is to be for change." He added that the current anger among voters isn't just anti-incumbent. "It's dissatisfaction with the substance underneath it and it really relates profoundly to the economy," Pawlenty said. Rendell called the Tea Party movement "a difficulty for the Republican Party," noting that in recent months, the party has "lost some very good people" such as Florida Governor Charlie Crist (I) and Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah). Rendell also predicted that Tea Party candidates "are going to be easier to beat in the general election," adding, "I think that's the case with Rand Paul." Pawlenty said Paul's remarks this week on the Civil Rights Act "were unfortunate," noting that Paul later clarified that he would have voted for the act. Pawlenty also praised the new ideas and passion of the Tea Party movement, saying "it's still a little chaotic in some ways, but it's a good thing." Pawlenty added that the immigration situation between the United States and Mexico "is out of control," and that Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who criticized the Arizona immigration law this week in an address before Congress, "should actually read the law." ----- C-SPAN: NEWSMAKERS - Van Hollen: Voters are 'anti-business-as-usual' Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) highlighted the increasing impact of the Tea Party movement, which he said has become "a real phenomenon in the Republican primaries." Van Hollen said that Republicans "would love in some way to exploit that energy," but as a result, Tea Partiers are "very suspicious" of Washington Republicans. He added that most Tea Party views are "out of the mainstream," and that this week's controversy surrounding ophthalmologist Rand Paul (R) "is a reflection of the great uncertainty that surrounds a lot of the Tea Party candidates." Van Hollen said that in last week's special election in PA-12, Republicans "tried to make a big deal" about Rep. Mark Critz's (D) position on health care, but they ultimately "fell flat," since Critz "was very much against repeal." He also downplayed the role of anti-incumbent sentiment in the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic primary, noting that Sen. Arlen Specter's (D-Pa.) party switch was a "major issue," and that "this wasn't any ordinary incumbent senator running." On the greater national mood, Van Hollen characterized it as "anti-business-as-usual." And asked about the role that President Obama should play in this year's races, Van Hollen said, "I think he's going to be front and center in delivering the message. By 44 Editor | May 23, 2010; 2:42 PM ET Michael Steele in an idiot. Rachel Maddow conducted a good interview with Rand Paul. He just didn't want to answer her. What is with "Rand's philosophy got in the way of reality" bs by Steele? People in Kentucky will vote Rand in -- he is appealing to racists and he knows he is appealing to racists. As time goes on, it is getting more and more clear that Obama's race is one reason for the Tea Party's raison d'etre. If they were really mad about an out of control federal government, they would have been arounf during W's time in office. Posted by: creatia52 | May 23, 2010 5:45 PM | Report abuse .......Savious Saint Sarah stated: Oh God, this chick is putting herself out in left field more and more. From the hand gig, to drill baby drill. ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS !! She speak of it so lightly. This oil spill disaster will affect the rest of the 21st century. And tell me she hasn't (McCain too) didn't accept contributions from oil companies. This "reaction of the White House was slow". President Obama was on a helicopter the second day, reviewing the damage. Saviour Saint Sarah has to go back to her porch to watch Russia, or shoot Bullwinkle again. Posted by: TheBabeNemo | May 23, 2010 5:07 PM | Report abuse What the heck??? Steele's comment about Rand Paul's philosopy getting in the way of reality. Well, Rand Paul doesn't live in the real world then, he lives in the teabagger nation. Not good. We know where he's comin' from now. Showed his character right off the bat, didn't he? Attacking the Civil Rights of 1964 is not a good idea, especially for a rookie. It is one of the staunch, long lasting law of the land. Posted by: TheBabeNemo | May 23, 2010 4:52 PM | Report abuse
But it figures Sestak wouldn't answer. Rarely do elected officials answer the question (poised by reporters). Now, Blumenthal. The Vietnam issue. Well, look at it this way... But I am giving Blumenthal a break IMHO Posted by: TheBabeNemo | May 23, 2010 4:44 PM | Report abuse Yah MR steele. It is not like we need a personality living in the real world in office. Let's put a bunch of Philosophers and idealists. Wait -- maybe that is all the GOP has anymore. Posted by: racerdoc | May 23, 2010 4:12 PM | Report abuse Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Obituary: Dorothy Kamenshek / Player portrayed in 'A League of Their Own' - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Posted: 22 May 2010 05:04 AM PDT Former New York Yankee first baseman Wally Pipp called Dorothy "Dottie" Kamenshek "the fanciest-fielding first baseman I've ever seen, man or woman." Spurred by the personal philosophy that "anything less than my best is failure," she was known to jump three or four feet in the air and to even do the splits to snag the ball at first base as a player for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Ms. Kamenshek, who had dealt with various health issues since suffering a stroke nine years ago, died Monday at her home in Palm Desert, said Bridget Burden, a friend. She was 84. The left-handed first baseman and lead-off hitter for the Rockford (Ill.) Peaches was one of the brightest stars of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which was founded in 1943 during World War II when many male athletes were drafted into the armed forces. She won back-to-back batting titles in 1946 and '47 and was the league's all-time batting leader with a .292 lifetime average. She also was selected to seven All Star teams (1943, 1946-51). In 1999, Sports Illustrated for Women named Ms. Kamenshek No. 100 on its list of the top 100 female athletes of the century. "She was the greatest ballplayer in our league," said Pepper Paire Davis, a catcher and 10-year veteran in the league who remained friends with Ms. Kamenshek. "She was one of the few ballplayers in our league who hit .300, which is like hitting .400 in the majors." Added Ms. Davis: "She had the complete game, including the brains. She could hit with power, she could bunt, she could run, she could slide, and she played a great defensive first base. She had what I call the three H's -- head, heart and hustle -- besides all the talent in the world as a ballplayer." Ms. Davis, who served as a technical adviser on "A League of Their Own," the 1992 movie about the league, said the character played by Geena Davis "was symbolically named Dottie as the best ballplayer in the league, and that was after Dottie Kamenshek." Ms. Kamenshek, whose team won four championships, was such an exceptional player that an attempt was made in 1950 by the Fort Lauderdale club of the Class B Florida International League to buy her contract. But the girls' league board of directors rejected the offer. League president Fred Leo told United Press at the time that he told the Florida negotiators that "Rockford couldn't afford to lose her. I also told them that we felt that women should play among themselves and that they could not help but appear inferior in athletic competition with men." Not that Ms. Kamenshek was interested in making what would have been a historic move. "I thought at that time it would just be a publicity stunt, and they wouldn't let me play," she recently told Marquette Magazine. "So I stayed where I was happy, in Rockford." A back injury caused her to leave the league in 1953, a year before its final season. Ms. Kamenshek, who earned a bachelor's degree in physical therapy from Marquette University in Milwaukee, moved to California in 1961. She worked as a staff physical therapist, supervisor and chief of therapy services for the Los Angeles County Crippled Children's Services. After retiring from the county in 1980, she treated patients in acute care on a part-time basis for the next six years. Born in Norwood, Ohio on Dec. 21, 1925, Ms. Kamenshek was a high school senior playing for an industrial league softball team in Cincinnati in 1943 when a scout for the new All-American Girls Professional Baseball League held tryouts in Cincinnati. She was among those selected to participate in the final tryouts at Wrigley Field in Chicago and was one of two Cincinnati girls to join the league. In the beginning, she told Marquette Magazine, they were "getting only 500 people in the stands, and then it got up to 10,000, which is good for a town that supports minor league baseball. Eventually, we won them over. At first they just came to see the skirts, and then we showed them we could play." She never considered herself the best player in the league, she said. "Other people did. I just went out and played every game to the best of my ability." Baseball, Ms. Kamenshek is quoted as saying in "Women at Play: The Story of Women in Baseball," a 1993 book by Barbara Gregorich, "gave a lot of us the courage to go on to professional careers at a time when women didn't do things like that." She had no immediate surviving family members. Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Steele: Rand Paul philosophy on discrimination ... - Politico.com Posted: 23 May 2010 11:37 AM PDT May 23, 2010Republican National Chairman Michael Steel said on Sunday that Kentucky Republican Senate candidate Rand Paul is out of step with the rest of the country on issues of racial discrimination in private businesses or organizations. Paul, a libertarian, ignited a political firestorm last week after saying he disagreed with the 1964 Civil Right Act's prohibition on discrimination in private business or organizations. Paul later backed away from those comments. "I think his philosophy is misplaced in these times," said Steele, the highest-ranking African American in the GOP. "I don't think it's where the country is right now. The country litigated the issue of 'separate but equal,' the country litigated the rights of minority people in this country to access the free enterprise system in accommodations and all of that. That was crystallized in the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act of '64." "In this case, Rand Paul's philosophy got in the way of reality, and the reality of it is that was important legislation at the time, put in place important benchmarks for the progress of free people," Steele added. "I think, as [Paul] said, he stands four-square with the party on this issue, but he had a philosophical difference with the party." On ABC's "This Week," Steele said he had "talked to Rand" about this controversy. "Any attempt to look backwards are not in the best interests of the country and certainly not in the best interests of the party," Steele told ABC's Jake Tapper. "I've talked to Rand. He and I are on the same page. Our party stands four-square about moving forward on civil rights... Rand Paul as a United States senator will be four-square with the Republican Party, in lockstep in moving forward in moving forward on civil rights and not looking backwards." Steele, though, declined to fully repudiate Paul's views on the Civil Rights Act and its impact. "I can't condemn a person's view," Steele said. "That's like you believe something and I'm going say, 'I'm gonna condemn your view of it.' The people of Kentucky will judge whether or not that's a view they would like to send to the Senate... I'm not comfortable with a lot of things. But it doesn't matter what I'm comfortable with. I don't vote in that election. The people of Kentucky will." post a comment Back to topFive Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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