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<DIV>From Science News</DIV>
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<DIV class="topic content_description print"><FONT size=6>On 'Earmarks' for My Favorite Science Centers</FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class="content_authors print">By <A class="anonymous print" href="http://www.sciencenews.org/view/authored/id/18/name/Janet_Raloff" target=_blank rel=nofollow>Janet Raloff</A></DIV>
<DIV class="content_edition print"><SPAN class=exclusive><FONT color=#ff0000>Web edition</FONT></SPAN> : <A class=anonymous title="Thursday, October 9th, 2008" rel=nofollow>Thursday, October 9th, 2008</A></DIV>
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<DIV class=inset_text><SPAN><FONT size=5>Some Overhead Projector!</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV class=inset_text><SPAN></SPAN><STRONG><FONT color=#ff0000><SPAN class=description>This is the aging Zeiss planetarium that Chicago hoped to get federal funds to replace: <FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff00"><U>The </U></FONT></SPAN><SPAN class=credit><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff00"><U>Adler Planetarium</U></FONT></SPAN></FONT></STRONG></DIV>
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<DIV>I realize that this is a judgment call, but I’m miffed at the example of egregious <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earmark_%28politics%29" target=_blank rel=nofollow><FONT color=#14487e>earmarks</FONT></A> that <A href="http://www.johnmccain.com/" target=_blank rel=nofollow><FONT color=#14487e>John McCain</FONT></A> chose to single out during Tuesday’s <A href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/07/presidential.debate.transcript/" target=_blank rel=nofollow><FONT color=#14487e>town-hall presidential debate</FONT></A>: “$3 million for an <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overhead_projector" target=_blank rel=nofollow><FONT color=#14487e>overhead projector</FONT></A> at a planetarium in Chicago” — one that he said <A href="http://www.barackobama.com/index.php" target=_blank rel=nofollow><FONT color=#14487e>Sen. Obama</FONT></A> had “voted for.’</DIV>
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<DIV>He made it sound like a silly <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boondoggle_%28project%29" target=_blank rel=nofollow><FONT color=#14487e>boondoggle</FONT></A>.</DIV>
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<DIV>And it would have been if it were indeed for an overhead projector — those things geeky academics scribble formulas and arrows onto during lectures in dark, windowless classrooms. To cost $3 million, it must be platinum-plated, right?</DIV>
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<DIV><STRONG><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff00" color=#ff0000>In fact, this earmark had been a request (and not by Obama) to purchase a new </FONT></STRONG><A href="http://www.zeiss.com/C125716F004E0776/0/9696B85AAFD07515C125719C002A377B/$File/innovation_16_32.pdf" target=_blank rel=nofollow><STRONG><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff00" color=#ff0000>planetarium</FONT></STRONG></A> — the device that projects stars, planets, and more onto the domed ceiling of educational theaters. It was to replace the heart and soul of the 78-year-old <A href="http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/" target=_blank rel=nofollow><FONT color=#14487e>Adler Planetarium</FONT></A>, home to the first planetarium in America. A renowned lakefront institution, this public museum is still operated in a building owned by the city’s Park District.</DIV>
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<DIV><STRONG><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff00" color=#ff0000>In other words, money had been requested for an educational tool — a precision-electro-optics-laden mechanical system used to teach astronomy to the public (mostly endless classes of school children) in the nation’s third largest city (pop. 2.8 million).</FONT></STRONG> The money wasn’t for a mindless upgrade, like buying a new car every three years whether you need it or not. Adler’s German-engineered Zeiss planetarium is approaching 40, and its manufacturer no longer supports nor services this instrument.</DIV>
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<DIV>Which can be a problem, since these babies are finicky. I know that all too well from the time I worked at Adler and watched the museum’s crack mechanics rush to tweak and service minor malfunctions between public planetarium shows that took place every few hours — every day of the week.</DIV>
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<DIV>In the early 1970s, I was an astronomy major at nearby <A href="http://www.northwestern.edu/" target=_blank rel=nofollow><FONT color=#14487e>Northwestern</FONT></A> — until I finally convinced the university’s very picky <A href="http://www.medill.northwestern.edu/about/default.aspx" target=_blank rel=nofollow><FONT color=#14487e>Medill </FONT></A>School of Journalism to let me transfer in. It was this unusual background in both journalism and astronomy that apparently persuaded Adler’s director (one of six staff astronomers) to take a gamble on me. He offered this college junior her first (albeit part-time) journalism job — and in her dream environment, a storied, world-class museum and learning center devoted to understanding the cosmos.</DIV>
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<DIV>In putting together what amounted to a colorful 50-page astronomy book, a guide to the museum’s antique instruments and educational exhibits, I worked intimately with all of the astronomers, most of whom had appointments at Northwestern or the University of Chicago. It was Adler’s astronomers who first introduced me to <EM><A href="http://www.sciencenews.org/" target=_blank rel=nofollow><FONT color=#14487e>Science News</FONT></A></EM>. It was at Adler that I got to touch its ancient scientific instruments (one might think of this place as the Smithsonian of astronomy). And it was at Adler that I sat in on dozens of shows in the Sky Theater — public astronomy lessons (some of whose scripts I had edited), which literally came to light via celestial imagery projected by is majestic Zeiss planetarium.</DIV>
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<DIV>Let me emphasize: The museum’s mission has always been to teach. It doesn’t make a profit. It serves the public. And legions of children depart its architecturally arresting Art Deco facility understanding that astronomy has nothing to do with horoscopes, that cosmology has nothing to do with hair styling and manicures (i.e. cosmetology). They encounter the science of black holes and quasars, they watch as projections depict the movement of celestial bodies over time, they absorb history lessons that mesmerize normally fidgety pre-teens.</DIV>
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<DIV>I would argue that the money would have been well spent. Moreover, Adler president Paul Knappenberger noted in today's <A href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/" target=_blank rel=nofollow><FONT color=#14487e>Chicago Tribune</FONT></A> that planetariums in New York and <SPAN>Los Angeles</SPAN> <A href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-obama-planetarium,0,4281920.story" target=_blank rel=nofollow><FONT color=#14487e>received federal funding</FONT></A> in recent years to replace their aging Zeiss systems. </DIV>
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<DIV>Although Obama — and other members of the Illinois congressional delegation — supported a similar earmark for Adler, it was never attached to a bill, notes Sarah Beck, a spokesperson for the museum. So Adler never got its requested funds and, strictly speaking, Obama can’t be blamed for wasting money on that “projector.”</DIV>
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<DIV>But I’m curious: Was McCain’s lambasting of this proposed earmark just his attempt to reign in all nonessential spending in this time of economic hardship? Or was he just looking for a chuckle by pointing to what seemed ridiculous — like those Defense Department projects that yielded a $200,000 hammer? Or was he indirectly arguing that major investments in public education — like Adler’s planetarium or a Smithsonian research lab — are, by their very nature, an inappropriate use of federal funds?<BR><BR><BR><BR></DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><FONT face=arial><STRONG><FONT color=#bf00bf>He defines mean: During his 1992 campaign, at the end of a long day, McCain's wife, Cindy, mussed his receding hair and needled him playfully that he was "getting a little thin up there." McCain reportedly blew his top, cutting his wife down with the kind of language that had gotten him hauled into court as a high schooler: "At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you cunt." Even though the incident was witnessed by three reporters, the McCain campaign denies it took place. . . . In 1998, the senator told a joke about President Clinton's teenage daughter at a GOP fundraiser. "Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly?" McCain asked. "Because her father is Janet Reno!". . . . Even his friends seemed to dislike him, with one recalling him as "a mean little fucker.". . . <A href="http://www.truthout.org/100508A" target=_blank
rel=nofollow>http://www.truthout.org/100508A</A></FONT></STRONG></FONT></FONT></DIV><BR><BR>--- On <B>Fri, 10/10/08, Hal Snyder <I><hal@drxyzzy.org></I></B> wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(16,16,255) 2px solid">From: Hal Snyder <hal@drxyzzy.org><BR>Subject: [CitizensTruth] reminder - CSA movie tonight in Palatine<BR>To: citizenstruth@six.pairlist.net<BR>Date: Friday, October 10, 2008, 9:05 AM<BR><BR>
<DIV id=yiv1631084705>FYI, we're showing The Real Dirt on Farmer John tonight in Palatine. This is the story of an individual who set about radically remaking the way we grow and distribute our food, pushing the envelope on community supported agriculture and sustainability.
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<DIV><A href="http://icjpe.org/actions/details/?id=1630" target=_blank rel=nofollow>http://icjpe.org/actions/details/?id=1630</A><BR>
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<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 17px Verdana; COLOR: #0a2154" face=Verdana color=#0a2154 size=5><B>Film: The Real Dirt on Farmer John</B></FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 14px Verdana; COLOR: #0a2154" face=Verdana color=#0a2154 size=4>Sponsored by: <A href="http://icjpe.org/organizations/?org-id=134" target=_blank rel=nofollow><FONT style="COLOR: #10378c" color=#10378c>Citizens Truth</FONT></A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 14px Verdana; COLOR: #0a2154" face=Verdana color=#0a2154 size=4>Date(s): 2008-10-10</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 14px Verdana; COLOR: #0a2154" face=Verdana color=#0a2154 size=4>Time: 07:00 pm</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 14px Verdana; COLOR: #0a2154" face=Verdana color=#0a2154 size=4>Description: Film screening: <A href="http://www.angelicorganics.com/ao/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=148&Itemid=182" target=_blank rel=nofollow><FONT style="COLOR: #10378c" color=#10378c>The Real Dirt on Farmer John</FONT></A> - Sustainable agriculture, literally from the grassroots.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MIN-HEIGHT: 17px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Verdana; COLOR: rgb(10,33,84)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 14px Verdana; COLOR: #0a2154" face=Verdana color=#0a2154 size=4>The epic tale of a maverick Midwestern farmer. An outcast in his community, Farmer John bravely stands amidst a failing economy, vicious rumors, and violence. By melding the traditions of family farming with the power of art and free expression, this powerful story of transformation and renewal heralds a resurrection of farming in America.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MIN-HEIGHT: 17px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Verdana; COLOR: rgb(10,33,84)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 14px Verdana; COLOR: #0a2154" face=Verdana color=#0a2154 size=4>Discussion to follow the film.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MIN-HEIGHT: 17px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Verdana; COLOR: rgb(10,33,84)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 14px Verdana; COLOR: #0a2154" face=Verdana color=#0a2154 size=4><B>Friday, October 10, 7:00 p.m. in Atherton Hall </B></FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 14px Verdana; COLOR: #0a2154" face=Verdana color=#0a2154 size=4><B>Countryside Church Unitarian Universalist </B></FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 14px Verdana; COLOR: #0a2154" face=Verdana color=#0a2154 size=4><B>1025 N. Smith Rd. (between NW Hwy. & Dundee Rds.) </B></FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 14px Verdana; COLOR: #0a2154" face=Verdana color=#0a2154 size=4><B>Palatine, IL 60067</B></FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MIN-HEIGHT: 17px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Verdana; COLOR: rgb(10,33,84)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 14px Verdana; COLOR: #0a2154" face=Verdana color=#0a2154 size=4>For more information, contact:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 14px Verdana; COLOR: #0a2154" face=Verdana color=#0a2154 size=4>Colleen Vahey, Director of Religious Education, 847-359-8440 x4; cvaheyuu@gmail.com</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MIN-HEIGHT: 17px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 14px Verdana; COLOR: rgb(10,33,84)"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 14px Verdana; COLOR: #0a2154" face=Verdana color=#0a2154 size=4>For complete updates on our 2nd Friday film series see the link:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT style="FONT: 14px Verdana; COLOR: #0a2154" face=Verdana color=#0a2154 size=4>More Information: <A href="http://www.citizenstruth.info/afdfilms/index.html" target=_blank rel=nofollow><FONT style="COLOR: #10378c" color=#10378c>http://www.citizenstruth.info/afdfilms/index.html</FONT></A></FONT></DIV></DIV>
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