Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt Pushes for Bibles in Public Schools

/8 Comments/in , /by

scottpruitt1_featuredThe attorney general of Oklahoma earlier this month defended schools who allowed citizens to distribute Bibles to students, and claimed that the country’s religious freedoms are under attack.

“Few things are as sacred and as fundamental to Oklahomans as the constitutional rights of free speech and the free exercise of religion,” Attorney General Scott Pruitt wrote in a letter to public school superintendents, according to Tulsa World. “It is a challenging time in our country for those who believe in religious liberty. Our religious freedoms are under constant attack from a variety of groups who seek to undermine our constitutional rights and threaten our founding principles.”

Pruitt sent the letter in response to complaints that a third-grade teacher in the Duncan Public School district in Oklahoma distributed Gideon Bibles to her students. After the American Humanist Association threatened to sue, the school district responded by forbidding teachers or administrators from distributing religious material to students, RNS reported.

Andrew Seidel, the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s attorney, told Tulsa World that the organization wrote to 26 Oklahoma school districts in February about complaints that Jamison Faught, the adult son of state Rep. George Fought, R-Muskogee, was working with Gideons International to hand out Bibles to numerous schools. (Read more from “Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt Pushes for Bibles in Public Schools” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Sad Bruce Jenner: ‘I’m a Republican and a Christian’ [+video]

/13 Comments/in , /by

bruce-jenner-e1429542862721After months of speculation that he was transitioning into a woman, Bruce Jenner confirmed the news in an interview with Diane Sawyer that aired on ABC Friday night, clarifying that he is also a Republican and a Christian.

When asked about Barack Obama addressing LGBT rights in his State of the Union, the 65-year-old former Olympic athlete said that didn’t affect him much.

“I’ve always been more on the conservative side,” Jenner said.

Jenner said he is a Christian as well.

“I would sit in church and always wonder, ‘In God’s eyes, how does he see me?’” (Read more from “Sad Bruce Jenner: ‘I’m a Republican and a Christian'” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

“Prestigious” John Hopkins University Votes To Ban Chik-Fil-A From Campus

/25 Comments/in , /by

chickfilahopkinsJohn Hopkins University students voted this week to ban Chick-fil-A from campus, according to reports.

Though there are currently no plans to bring the fast food restaurant to the school’s campus, the Student Government Association approved a resolution that called for University officials to dismiss any “current and future Chick-fil-A development plans,” if consideration was ever given to the restaurant becoming a food vendor on campus.

The resolution called for Johns Hopkins to consider “other non-discriminatory options” for vendors. A Chick-fil-A on campus, according to the SGA, would be a “microaggression” towards “visiting prospective and current students, staff, faculty, and other visitors who are members of the LGBTQ community or are allies.” (Read more from “John Hopkins University Votes To Ban Chik-Fil-A From Campus” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Mysterious X-37B Military Space Plane to Fly Again Next Month

/1 Comment/in , /by

x37b-space-plane-in-orbitThe United States Air Force’s X-37B space plane will launch on its fourth mystery mission next month.

The unmanned X-37B space plane, which looks like a miniature version of NASA’s now-retired space shuttle orbiter, is scheduled to blast off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on May 20.

“We are excited about our fourth X-37B mission,” Randy Walden, director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, said in a statement. “With the demonstrated success of the first three missions, we’re able to shift our focus from initial checkouts of the vehicle to testing of experimental payloads.”

The X-37B’s payloads and specific activities are classified, so it’s unclear exactly what the spacecraft does while zipping around the Earth. But Air Force officials have revealed a few clues about the upcoming mission.

“The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Space and Missile SystemsCenter (SMC) and the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (AFRCO) are investigating an experimental propulsion system on the X-37B on Mission 4,” Capt. Chris Hoyler, an Air Force spokesman, told Space.com via email. (Read more from “Mysterious X-37B Military Space Plane to Fly Again Next Month” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Russia Took Control Over 20% of US Uranium After Uranium One’s Associates Made Lavish Contributions to Clinton Foundation

/4 Comments/in , /by

Hillary ClintonA New York Times investigation reveals scandalous details of the Russian nuclear state corporation Rosatom’s acquisition of Uranium One Inc., that established one of the biggest uranium mining firms in the world.

“I am pleased to inform you that today we control 20 percent of uranium in the United States. If we need that uranium, we shall be able to use it any time,” Russian state corporation Rosatom’s head Sergey Kiriyenko said in his address speech to the Russian Parliament after Rosatom consolidated 100% of Uranium One Inc. (U1) in January 2013 and takes it private.

This speech was the final point that sealed the five-year-long-lasted Rosatom – U1 deal triumphantly for Russia, which gained control of more than 20% of uranium resources in the United States, as well as acquired lowest-cost production mines in Kazakhstan.

Today, NYT, based on dozens of interviews, as well as a review of public records and securities filings in Canada, Russia and the United States, claims that donations to Clinton Foundation made in 2006-2011 by U1’s chairman, company’s associates, advisers and other affiliates and totaled to more than $40 million, at least have special ethical issues, keeping in mind that the former president’s wife helped steer American foreign policy as secretary of state, presiding over decisions with the potential to benefit the foundation’s donors. (Read more from “Russia Took Control Over 20% of US Uranium After Uranium One’s Associates Made Lavish Contributions to Clinton Foundation” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Could Virtual Reality Bring Your Loved Ones Back From the Dead?

/1 Comment/in , /by

Project Elysium-970-80The hardware and software behind virtual reality is improving at a rapid rate, and that opens up new possibilities – like being able to chat with a computer-generated representation of someone who has long since shuffled off this mortal coil.

That’s the idea behind Project Elysium, a new app Paranormal Games is putting together ready for the Oculus VR Jam 2015. Details are scarce at the moment but the firm will have to submit screenshots for the competition next week and then video footage the week after that . . .

For people who lost loved ones when they were very young, it might offer more comfort than flicking through a faded photo album, for example – and the tech might also enable actors to keep on landing those starring roles long after they’ve passed on. Still, for most of us this is an idea that’s going to take a lot of getting used to. (Read more from “Could Virtual Reality Bring Your Loved Ones Back From the Dead?” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Why Does Washington Post, USA Today, NPR and the AP Get Its ‘Science’ Talking Points From a Convicted Felon Who Went to Prison for Medicaid Fraud?

/1 Comment/in , /by

Dr-OZ-Show-LogoIn recent days, Columbia University’s School of Journalism announced its 2015 Pulitzer Prize winners, and the list contained many of the usual suspects.

The New York Times picked up a couple more awards for a political corruption story, Ebola coverage and international reportage; The Wall Street Journal won for an investigative hit piece against healthcare providers who manipulate Medicare; the Los Angeles Times won for reporting how the state’s extreme drought has affected the “human condition”; a smaller South Carolina paper won a prize for reporting violence against women; the St. Louis Post-Dispatch picked up a Pulitzer for photography during the Ferguson riots; some guy won the Poetry Pulitzer for revealing the “scope of African-American experience” through poems that drew from “slave narratives.”

And so forth. In other words, these mainstream papers “went after” stories where reporters and editors had already decided the outcome, and as usual, Columbia University rewarded their pre-conceived orthodoxy as members of the journalistic “cool kids club.”

Why does this matter? Because it helps explain how a man like Dr. Oz could be so savagely attacked by a media so willing to pile on this suddenly not-so-cool kid without bothering to actually investigate the charges being made against him and, more importantly, by whom: When you’re out of “the club,” the cool kids have already decided you must be guilty as charged because that sounds about right.

As noted by U.S. Right to Know (USRTK), a non-profit organization advocating for more openness in the food industry, recent hit pieces against Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of a popular daytime television program that often focuses on bogus conventional health treatments and alternative medicine choices, were perpetrated willingly by a mainstream media too trusting of “establishment” medical sources, most likely because Dr. Oz doesn’t toe the cool club line. (Read more from “Why Does Washington Post, USA Today, NPR and the AP Get Its ‘Science’ Talking Points From a Convicted Felon Who Went to Prison for Medicaid Fraud?” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

With 50 Billion Barrels Awaiting the Drill Bit, Alaska’s New Governor Wants to Slash the Time Between Lease Acquisition and Drill Rotation

/0 Comments/in , /by

bill_walker_official_portrait_600-200x300Oil production is the economic locomotive of Alaska, funding about 90 percent of the state’s general fund revenue. The oil industry accounts for one-third of Alaska jobs and about one-half of the overall economy, according to Alaska’s Resource Development Council. When oil production expands or contracts, Alaska’s economy follows.

Oil & Gas 360® had an opportunity to speak with Alaska Governor Bill Walker about some of the state’s energy development and budget issues, particularly in light of the current oil price downturn. Walker, 64, is Alaska’s second native-born governor. He paid for college working on the construction of the Trans-Alaska pipeline. Walker was sworn in as Alaska’s 11th chief executive on Dec. 1, 2014.

OAG360: Governor, you have discussed in your ‘State of the Budget’ talk that about 90% of Alaska’s general fund comes from oil revenue, driven by oil price and production. Could you talk about the current oil price slide that we’re going through and the effect that it’s having on Alaska?

GOV. WALKER: Well, it’s significant. It virtually cuts our revenues nearly in half, and it is rather sudden. We’ve certainly been through this before. There’s been a period since the start-up of the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline in the late seventy’s where we’ve seen the downturn in the in the oil prices, so it’s not new to us. We have to adjust for it so that’s what we’re doing. (Read more from “With 50 Billion Barrels Awaiting the Drill Bit, Alaska’s New Governor Wants to Slash the Time Between Lease Acquisition and Drill Rotation” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

No Difference Between Fast Food, Protein Bars as Post-Workout Meals

/0 Comments/in , /by

questbarA recent study shows that eating a fast food meal after you work out is just as good for muscle-building as eating a protein bar. Of course it’d be nice to think that McDonald’s has switched its focus from greasy burgers to health supplements, but alas, that is not the case. Rather, sports supplements may not be all they’re cracked up (or marketed) to be.

As published in the “International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism,” the study examined how a post-workout meal affects a man’s muscle glycogen recovery. The researchers had 11 men perform an intense 90-minute workout, followed by a meal right after the workout, and then another meal two hours later. In each trial, the men’s meals were either sport supplements or fast food. The fast food meals consisted of hotcakes, hashbrowns and orange juice right after the workout (amounting to 2720 calories) and a hamburger, coke and fries two hours after the workout (amounting to 2845 calories). The sport supplement meals, on the other hand, consisted of Gatorade, Kit’s Organic PB and Clif Shot Bloks right after the workout (2775 calories) and Cytomax, Power Bar Recovery, PBCC and Power Bar Energy Chews two hours later (2678 calories). Tests measuring muscle growth, blood lipids and glucose showed that there was no difference between the fast food and sport supplement trials. In addition, participants noted the same level of discomfort or sickness following the meals.

This study seemingly backs up a 2009 study published in the “Journal of The International Society of Sports Nutrition,” in which the workout routines of 28 overweight or exercise-averse men were analyzed over the course of 12 weeks, along with their consumption of soy or whey protein. Results showed that neither type of protein was more effective for building muscle, and in fact there were no discernible differences between those 28 men and a third group which was given no added protein to their diet.

So if protein bars are essentially just as useful as fast food when it comes to post-workout nutrition, what is all the hype about? Naturally, there’s the protein factor. But all protein is not synonymous with health. In fact, many unhealthy products use the guise of “high-protein” labels to sell their highly processed, sugary content. For instance, the protein in many bars comes from soy protein isolate, which is made from processed soybeans. While natural soybeans can be a wonderful source of protein, processed soy is a whole other story. The processing of soybeans at high temperatures denatures the proteins, which essentially results in a low quality form of protein. In fact, most soybean meal (which is what’s used to make soy protein isolate) is used as livestock feed in the U.S. (Read more from “No Difference Between Fast Food, Protein Bars as Post-Workout Meals” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Disgusting: College Students Spit on Wounded Vet, Urinate on American Flag; University Apologizes

/27 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: Fox News

Photo Credit: Fox News

By Todd Starnes. Investigations have been launched at two universities over accusations that fraternity members taunted wounded war heroes, urinated on an American flag, and spit on a wounded veteran and his service dog in Panama City Beach, Florida.

The April 17 incident, involving Zeta Beta Tau fraternity members from the University of Florida and Emory University, has infuriated residents of Panama City.

“They were being treated like the Vietnam veterans were treated,” said Linda Cope, the founder of the Warrior Beach Retreat. . .

Cope tells me the fraternity members were staying in the same resort – and caused a night of mayhem. The college kids made derogatory comments about the warriors’ wives, threw items off balconies and desecrated an American flag.

She also said one of the warriors and his service dog were spit on. (Read more from “Disgusting: Frat Boys Spit on Wounded Vet, Urinate on American Flag” HERE)

_____________________________________________________________

Emory University Apologizes for Horrendous Frat Behavior

By News Herald. Emory University was appalled to learn of acts of disrespect and harassment that were directed at attendees of the Warrior Beach Retreat in Florida this past weekend.

Our brave veterans who have sacrificed much for our country deserve the utmost respect and appreciation for their service.

The disrespectful behavior exhibited by students toward our veterans is not acceptable and will not be tolerated by members of the Emory community.

When Emory received complaints that students from one of our fraternities might be involved, Campus Life administrators immediately began an investigation. To date, no evidence has been found to implicate Emory students in these reported incidents. If any members of our community are identified as being responsible, they will be held accountable for their actions by the university.

Emory University thanks veterans for the significant contributions they have made to our country, and for exhibiting the values that we hold with great respect within our university community. (Read more from this story HERE)

_____________________________________________________________

Community Shocked at Veterans’ Treatment

By Kelly Baumgarten. Twice a year Panama City Beach welcomes our wounded heroes into the community for the Warrior Beach Retreat, but an event aimed at honoring our nation’s veterans took a different turn at their hotel. . .

“This retreat has just been an eye opener. It’s been more amazing than I ever thought it would be,” said Gina Harden, the wife of a wounded veteran.

Our community has always gone above and beyond to give them a heroes welcome. However, during this Warrior Beach Retreat it was a different story when it comes to some of our visitors.

Some veterans say they now know how Vietnam Veterans felt when they came home. They say they were subjected to similar harassment by a group of college students.

“They actually spit on me and my service dog as well, and that’s just so disrespectful and it hurts. I come and I feel honored and I feel safe and that I belong, but now I feel like I’m defending myself,” said wounded veteran Nicholas Connole. (Read more from this story HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.