inkbluesky

leisure haven by hamish macewan

A fringe Right organization calling itself Accuracy in Media is like a funeral home calling itself an amusement park, room, Joe McCarthy Is Alive and Well and Writes for AIM

This is too funny. At the hilariously misnamed Accuracy In Media (AIM), Cliff Kincaid is on a tear about Barack Obama’s connections to international Communism.

In “Obama’s Communist Mentor,” Kincaid charges that Obama was imprinted with the cause of Communism by a “mentor,” Frank Marshall Davis. Back in the early 1950s, Davis (along with about half of the population of North America) was identified as a Communist by the House Un-American Activities Committee. Now it comes to light that this same Frank Marshall Davis was a friend of the family who gave young Barack fatherly advice before he went off to college. Hence, Obama is a Communist dupe.

Accuracy is lying about Davis. He denounced communism when he was a newspaper editor; the Right has been trying to taint civil rights leaders with the tar of communism since the 1950s. A time when just about everyone that ever gave a speech about civil rights made their way onto some enemies list as suspected commies. Have these guys even looked at Obama’s state senate record. He’s awfully friendly with big coal and ethanol cheerleaders for someone that supposedly hates capitalism. But for many folks the world of politics has always been more about smears and hysteria then issues. More here.

bridge maintenance. i saw a special on the golden gate a few years ago that said that they start at one end and it takes about a year to finish. then its time to start painting again.

Geared for Change: Products for the Impoverished

That’s where D-Rev comes in. Founded by a veteran humanitarian and staffed by a circuit-designing engineer, D-Rev collaborates with for-profit companies to develop new products. Right now they’re working with Cascade Designs, a big outdoor company, on a $300 water purifier that churns out 1,300 gallons a day, and with an as-yet-unnamed electronics company on a small, powerful generator that’s fueled by bicycle pedaling. (How does a bicycle generator help someone earn a living? Imagine pedaling from village to village, storing electricity in a battery along the way and then charging people’s cellphones for a few cents a pop.)

Part of a series at PopSci. What products can poor people make that benefits them short and long term plus the technology is appropriate for their circumstances.