Three taxpayer advocacy groups plan to protest outside Congressman John Murtha's annual fundraising event tonight for defense industry lobbyists who have benefited ? or hope to benefit ? from millions of dollars worth of earmarks. Robert Novak calls the event Murtha's "annual payback dinner by defense contractors." Tickets for the Pennsylvania Democrat's dinner go for $1,500 for individuals and 5,000 for political action committees.
Murtha has $115 million worth of earmarks in the 2008 Defense Appropriations bill. He was recently voted the 2007 "Porker of the Year" by Citizens Against Government Waste ? for his total of $150 million in earmarks in the 2008 budget.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
to be fair he only beat out the Reb from Alaska by a wisker--Pork is non partisan.
--other tidbits you won't find in main stream news-
Cold Reception
Tuesday we told you about several areas around the planet experiencing record cold and snowpack ? in the face of all the predictions of global warming.
Now there is word that all four major global temperature tracking outlets have released data showing that temperatures have dropped significantly over the last year. California meteorologist Anthony Watts says the amount of cooling ranges from 65-hundredths of a degree Centigrade to 75-hundreds of a degree.
He says that is a value large enough to erase nearly all the global warming recorded over the past 100 years. Watts says it is the single fastest temperature change ever recorded ? up or down.
Some scientists contend the cooling is the result of reduced solar activity ? which they say is a larger driver of climate change than man-made greenhouse gases.
Men Not Allowed
Harvard University has instituted women-only access times to its school gymnasium in order to accommodate female Muslim students. A Boston University student newspaper reports six hours per week have been set aside in which men are prohibited from working out ? after requests from the Harvard Islamic Society and its women's center.
One male student says the women-only hours are inconvenient ? discriminate against men ? and are impractical and purely symbolic measures to further a useless policy.
But an officer with the Islamic Society says the new policy does not discriminate against men ? and is not a case of minority rights trumping majority preference.
Murtha has $115 million worth of earmarks in the 2008 Defense Appropriations bill. He was recently voted the 2007 "Porker of the Year" by Citizens Against Government Waste ? for his total of $150 million in earmarks in the 2008 budget.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
to be fair he only beat out the Reb from Alaska by a wisker--Pork is non partisan.
--other tidbits you won't find in main stream news-
Cold Reception
Tuesday we told you about several areas around the planet experiencing record cold and snowpack ? in the face of all the predictions of global warming.
Now there is word that all four major global temperature tracking outlets have released data showing that temperatures have dropped significantly over the last year. California meteorologist Anthony Watts says the amount of cooling ranges from 65-hundredths of a degree Centigrade to 75-hundreds of a degree.
He says that is a value large enough to erase nearly all the global warming recorded over the past 100 years. Watts says it is the single fastest temperature change ever recorded ? up or down.
Some scientists contend the cooling is the result of reduced solar activity ? which they say is a larger driver of climate change than man-made greenhouse gases.
Men Not Allowed
Harvard University has instituted women-only access times to its school gymnasium in order to accommodate female Muslim students. A Boston University student newspaper reports six hours per week have been set aside in which men are prohibited from working out ? after requests from the Harvard Islamic Society and its women's center.
One male student says the women-only hours are inconvenient ? discriminate against men ? and are impractical and purely symbolic measures to further a useless policy.
But an officer with the Islamic Society says the new policy does not discriminate against men ? and is not a case of minority rights trumping majority preference.
