iTunes' App Store Pulls "Manhattan Declaration" for Being Anti-Gay, Anti-Woman, and Anti-Choice

We see more political hardball being played by Apple's iTunes ... this report is from The Christian Post:

App Store Pulls Manhattan Declaration

Apparently there's not an app for the 400,000+ signature declaration....

Trevor Persaud

Apple's iTunes App Store has removed a program for the Manhattan Declaration after critics decried the declaration as "anti-gay" and "anti-woman."  The app, which went online in October, enabled users to sign the declaration, visit the website, and take a survey relating to the declaration. Change.org posted a petition--which picked up over 7,000 signers in a few days--asking that Apple remove the "anti-gay and anti-choice" application.

Defining itself as "A Call of Christian Conscience," the 4700-word declaration announces its signatories' intention "to affirm our right—and, more importantly, to embrace our obligation—to speak and act in defense" of principles that include "sanctity of human life, the dignity of marriage as a union of husband and wife, and the freedom of conscience and religion." Released in 2009, the declaration has picked up over 400,000 signers, including drafters Charles Colson, Robert George, and Timothy George. (CT's editor-in-chief David Neff also signed the declaration.)

At some point in the last few days, the declaration app unobtrusively vanished from the App Store.  Observers have long puzzled over Apple's criteria for accepting and rejecting apps; in fact many people accused Apple of a double standard when they rejected a number of apps designed specifically for the gay community. The company said they rejected the apps for objectionable content, though many say that the cited content was no worse than that available in apps the company has accepted (like the one promoting the recent movie Bruno).

Apple has yet to explain its reasons for removing the declaration's app, which they originally rated "4+" for "No objectionable material." Supporters of the declaration, however, are definitely making their opinions known about the anti-app campaign.

"I am one of the 150 or so original signers of the Manhattan Declaration—I urge readers here to sign it—and I don’t hate gay people," wrote Tom Gilson on First Things's Evangel blog. "That’s an unjust and intolerant tag that a minority opposition group has fixed upon me for rhetorical effect. It’s wrong and it’s extremely judgmental."

"To a radicalized blog dedicated to promoting abortion, denigrating the dignity of women and the unborn, and supporting unnatural unions, this application is the scourge of human existence," writes Billy Atwell on the Manhattan Declaration's own blog. "What does that tell me? It tells me that we’re doing something right "
More reactions to come.

Interesting how Apple puts The Manhattan Declaration on a parallel with these other apps it pulled or rejected earlier:

- In February it was reported that Apple would pull sexually explicit apps, although curious how I still frequently run across them as I hunt for apps for my iPhone and iPad

- dreadful games such as "Baby Shaker" in which the user can quiet a crying baby by vigorously shaking the iPod or iPhone, or AMP's "Before You Score" game which gave young males tips for scoring and then sharing their exploits on Twitter or Facebook

- the app "I Am Rich" that people spent an outragous sum for ($1,000) simply to show off their wealth

- various political apps, such as Trampoline which uses the iPod's accelerometer to bounch political figures or iSinglePlayer that was rejected for daring to educate the public on the single-payer option of health care

Here's Brian Chen's take on Apple's predicament with his article "A Call for Transparency in Apple's App Store":

The issue is poised to grow as more iPads sell. To understand, you have to consider the logistics of embracing a new publishing medium such as the iPad. Media operations must integrate digital tablet production into their infrastructure, and it’s neither easy nor inexpensive to obtain the software developers, designers and content creators to make such a transition. And if advertisers invest more money in the iPad version of a publication, that pressures publishers to give priority to resources allocated to the iPad.

Given Apple’s lead in mobile, the rate at which Apple and the App Store are growing and the wild enthusiasm among advertisers lining up for the iPad opportunity, it seems inevitable that Apple will to some extent have influence over the content that publishers produce.

Education Reform: Some Advice from a Veteran, In-the-Trenches Teacher

With last month's opening of the movie "Waiting for Superman", and its
requisite discussion on Oprah, education reform has once again taken center stage. I was surprised to see that the movie did a decent job in bringing several of the issue's biggest hurdles to light, even daring to pin some of the blame on teachers' unions. I noticed it did appear, however, to avoid parental responsibility. I was curious about the marital status of the mothers that were featured and wondered if a father was active in the children's lives, but I guess that would politically insensitive. And, yet, parents are the schools' and children's biggest hope ... and hurdle. At times it seems that parents are more consumers of education rather than its supporters and advocates.

With Nixon having founded the Department of Education in 1972, I believe it was, many wonder if the nation's level of educational rigor hasn't consistently spiraled downward over the decades. Teachers and their unions have fought any vestiges of educational reform, kicking and screaming, with the most recent resistance being toward No Child Left Behind. All during the NCLB era, I frequently heard my colleagues snort with disdain at the mention of its or Bush's name. The unions their faithful adherents to the ideals of public education have quickly reacted with cries of foul whenever vouchers and school choice are mentioned. And, yet, in the early days of the 2004 elections when candidates' names were being bandied about, I marveled at how teachers seemed to gloss over Obama's embrace of vouchers.

Then, there are the ever-present calls for lengthening the school day and / or school year. Case in point: the teachers' union Darling himself. (See "Obama proposes longer school day.")  I know the teachers' union would fight, given its track record of fighting any attempts at education reform. The community should fight against such proposals, as well, because it is inhumane to have kids in class that long. But, unfortunately, those parents who are merely consumers of education would love the extra babysitting service the schools could provide them.

With all my years as a public school teacher, I have some very strong opinions about what we should and should not be doing in our schools. For true education reform, here are some ideas that must be taken into consideration, although not all of these will be "professional" or "cerebral" ... these are more reality- and practicality-based:

1) Adopt the 3-high-schools-type of public education used in other countries, against which U.S. schools are always compared -- college prep, business school, and trade school.  If American schools really want to compete, or be "as good", then we all need to be playing by the same rules.  In other words, our education systems need to be truly the same.  However, there are repercussions, such as the following realities ...

[Caveat to #1: In those countries that employ three different types of high schools, based purely on academic ability of the student, no special accommodations are to be made for kids with any disabilities. This is a critical fact that goes unmentioned when we get the annual news report that "our schools are crap." I am, however, saddened at this possibility when I think of students I've had in the past who were able to go on to college, but would have not been allowed to do so in other education systems.

When the annual "comparisons" are made, there truly is no genuine or fair comparison of US students to their counterparts around the world -- they are totally different education systems. The downside to other countries' education systems is that in those systems, students are sadly pigeon-holed into particular professions at an early age. For example, in Germany, a kid must make his/her decision of "what do I want to do with my life?" in the 5th grade. Pretty major decision for a little kid.]

2) Given the above situation in other countries, such a system adopted here would be the end of mainstreaming and inclusion in public schools. No accommodations are made in those countries for disabilities - not on the scale that they are here.

3) End social promotion of students to the next grade level. If the student can't demonstrate mastery of specified skills or maturity at his or her level, then the prerequisite for the next level has not been met and the student should be held back.

4) Set minimum attendance requirements: if a kid misses X number of days during the school year, he/she must repeat the year. There are too many enabling parents that keep their kids home for the most ridiculous reasons.

5) Pass a federal law that no class has more than 20 kids in it. That will solve just about all problems. It's criminal to put 30+ kids in a class, especially in elementary school. Also, elementary school teachers should not be forced to take on all the extra duty that it typically forced upon them. It's negligence how we treat elementary school teachers -- and at the most impactful time of children's lives, no less!

6) Do away with "ISS" -- "in-school suspension." It's a flippin' joke!!! If the kid acts up, make mom or dad come and get the kid. Behavior problems will drop drastically after dad or mom has had to leave work early a time or two because Junior can't / won't behave.

7)  Ongoing training and staff development of teachers need to be more practical than theoretical.  Teachers grow weary of "professional development" that frequently winds up being nothing but theory and little in the way of equipping teachers with concrete tools and new ideas for the classroom. 

Well, I'm sure that's just one installment of more suggestions to come.  It's now time to get ready for the lovely Thanksgiving holiday ... get some family time, some great grub, and some extra down time.  Maybe I won't be so cranky then ...

"Skyline" and another iPad experiment

IPAD EXPERIMENT #2: Will the newly loaded app help me blog as "naturally" as I had hoped?

Saturday evening I went with a friend to see the movie "Skyline." It was rather cliche ... to the point that I started predicting what the lines would be. There were several points in the film that I thought: "Oh, please don't say such and such", and a second later that would be the line. The special effects were cool, but the plot was a partial rip-off of Orwell's "War of the Worlds."

With the lame plot and predictable lines, My brain then launched into finding a metaphor of the film: that of the zombie effect of the aliens' blue light paralleling the brainwashing that many White Liberals fell victim to: the characters' succumbing to mind control being like that of White Liberals falling prey to PC-brainwashing. "Voting for Obama has everything to do with his skin color and nothing to do with his skin color ... but, I deny that this mentality flies in the face of King's dream of judging a man by the content of his character rather than the color of his skin."


[OK - let's see if this will post to Blogger as I would hope ...picture and all.]

ok, I'm happy with the basic post -- picture included and size and position as desired. Now, let's see if this addition shows up with the text style selected -- purple bold.

Liberalism in Your Genes?

It seems that one's political leanings are a matter of nature as well as nuture: one study shows that liberalism might be caused by a genetic variant.  This from the UK Online:

The gene that makes you lean to the Left: How genetic variant determines your political views

Political bias could be a matter of genetics, say scientists.

They have identified a so-called ‘Liberal Gene’ that makes people more likely to seek out less conventional ­political views.

The gene, a neurotransmitter in the brain called DRD4, could even be stimulated by the novelty value of radical opinions, claim the U.S. researchers.

It suggests some people are simply born to be politically radical rather than moulded that way either by their friends, family or teachers. Those with the gene supposedly seek out other people’s points of view and are influenced by them far more than those without the gene.

This comes into play especially during adolescence, for many a socially outgoing phase of life where new acquaintances are made and new interests formed.

If people with the gene have a socially active adolescence, says the study, they tend to be more open-minded and tend to form less conventional political viewpoints as adults.

The research by scientists from the University of California and ­Harvard, published in the UK-based Journal Of Politics, looked at 2,000 Americans.

It found those with a strain of the DRD4 gene seek out ‘novelty’ – such as people or lifestyles different from the ones they are used to.

In the U.S. study, this led them to have more liberal opinions politically, it found.

The person’s age, ethnicity, gender or culture appeared to make no difference – it was the gene that counted.

The University of California’s Professor James Fowler said: ‘It is the crucial interaction of two factors – the genetic predisposition and the environmental condition of having many friends in adolescence – that is associated with being more liberal.

‘These findings suggest that ­political affiliation is not  based solely on the kind of social environment people experience.’

"Genetic variant?"  Could one say "genetic mutation?" That would explain a lot.  Gee, since Liberalism would not be your fault, technically speaking, could you get some kind of money for that .... you know, an entitlement of some sort ... some kind of disability pension?  Hee, hee! 

The Palin Factor: Will Democrats Manufacture Her Alter-Ego in Time for 2012?

Sarah Palin: love her or hate her, she's a force with which to to be reckoned.  Ever since her bid for the Vice Presidency, there have been continuous whispers of her going for the presidential nomination in 2012.  Although I practically snorted milk out my nose one day at lunch back before the 2008 elections when someone naively said that Sarah was too inexperienced, in brainwashed fashion overlooking Palin's experience outweighing Obama's by a long shot, I presently do not wish to see her make a run for the Office.  I love how she makes Libs start frothing at the mouth just at the mere mention of her name, picturing Democrats throwing themselves to the floor either in a bratty temper tantrum or in exorcism-like revulsion at the invocation of "Saaraaaah!"  But, I think she has become too controversial, too hated, her faux-pas obsessively played and compulsively replayed, leaving her public persona filleted beyond repair.  Despite her accomplishments and the influence she wields, as evidenced by her popularity and successful endorsements of many candidates in the November 2010 elections, Sarah Palin has become too much of a "hot potato" -- a lightning rod, if you will.

Regardless of political ideology, the one individual I think that is truly cut out for the job as President of the United States is former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.  I love this woman!  She is brilliant, intelligent, poised and polished with impeccable credentials.  But, I'm sure this amazing woman has her very well reasoned reasons for not seeking the office ... at least, for now.  (By the way, I'm presently reading her book "Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family."  She lovingly and proudly tells of her parents, who made Condi the person she is today.)  

Currently, there are a number of names being thrown about as possible candidates for 2012.  However, I wonder whom the DNC is going to troll out as its PC- baby.  Will they parade about a Dem version of Sarah Palin?  Although late in sharing this with you, towards the end of summer I found an interesting opinion piece just about that, written by two Liberal feminist contributors at The New York Times.  Surprisingly, Holmes and Traister do give Palin her propers as they make their case for the DNC needing an equally influential female and criticize Progressives for doing little to counterbalance Palin's rise to fame and power (emphasis added):

A Palin of Our Own

By ANNA HOLMES and REBECCA TRAISTER

TWO years ago today, Senator John McCain of Arizona, the Republican presidential nominee, introduced the world to his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska. Chosen by Mr. McCain’s campaign strategists as a cynical rejoinder to the ill-starred presidential bid of Hillary Clinton, Governor Palin was a historic pick: the second woman to run for vice president on a major party ticket and the first Republican woman in history to do so. 

In the 24 months since her appearance onstage in Dayton, Ohio, Ms. Palin has enthralled pundits and journalists who devote countless television hours and column inches to her every Twitter message and Facebook update, while provoking outrage and exasperation from the left. Case in point: Ms. Palin, now a Fox news contributor, and her cable colleague Glenn Beck planned a rally for Saturday on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, 47 years to the day after the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington, a wily usurpation of an anniversary cherished by progressives and civil rights activists.
The left should be outraged and exasperated by all this — but at their own failings as much as Ms. Palin’s ascension. Since the 2008 election, progressive leaders have done little to address the obvious national appetite for female leadership. And despite (or because of) their continuing obsession with Ms. Palin, they have done nothing to stop an anti-choice, pro-abstinence, socialist-bashing Tea Party enthusiast from becoming the 21st century symbol of American women in politics. 

What makes this all the more frustrating, of course, is that progressives helped to give Ms. Palin her start; her political career was a natural outgrowth of feminist successes. As a teen, she played basketball thanks to Title IX; as an adult, she enjoyed a professional life made possible by the involvement of her load-bearing husband Todd, entering Alaska’s governor’s mansion at 42 with four children in tow and giving birth to a fifth while there.

Ms. Palin, in turn, has been making a greedy grab at claiming feminism as her own. She recently marked the 90th anniversary of the 19th Amendment by expressing her gratitude “to those brave feminist foremothers who struggled and sacrificed, endured imprisonment and ridicule ... to grant future generations of American women a voice.” On the same day, she sent out this Twitter message: “Who hijacked the term ‘feminist’? A cackle of rads who want 2 crucify other women w/ whom they disagree on a singular issue.”

The hijacking accusation goes both ways. Ms. Palin’s infuriating ability to put a new twist on feminism — after decades of the word’s being besmirched by the right and the left — allows her to both distance herself from and accentuate the movement’s maligned reputation. Her new spin, of course, is that she does not support policies that move women forward. 

You’d be forgiven for thinking she does. Ms. Palin has spent much of 2010 burnishing her political bona fides and extending her influence by way of the Mama Grizzlies, a gang of Sarah- approved, maverick-y female politicians looking to “take back” America with “common-sense” solutions.
Sure, the Grizzlies sound somewhat progressive on paper. But from their opposition to reproductive rights to their work against health care reform and labor policies that would empower American women, their ideas are just antiquated clichés dressed up in designer suits. Like Ms. Palin herself, their talk about being “mama bears” and “tough as an ox ... wearing lipstick” simply reduces female candidates’ political prospects to maternal worth and sex appeal. 

It’s easy of course, for liberals to laugh off Ms. Palin’s “you go, girl!” ethos and increasingly aggressive co-optation of feminist symbols. We progressives discount her references to the women’s movement — not to mention her validity as a candidate — by looking down on her as a dim, opportunistic, mean-girl prom queen, all spunk and no policy muscle. 

But the sad truth is that Democrats often prefer their women fulfilling similarly diminutive models for behavior. Consider how Hillary Clinton has been treated, at times, by those in her own party: Democratic leaders never really celebrated Mrs. Clinton’s nation-altering place in history as the first female candidate to get so close to a major party’s presidential nomination. Indeed, she is most appreciated when she plays well with others in the Senate or the State Department; when she behaves like a fierce competitor, she is compared to Glenn Close’s bunny-boiling virago from “Fatal Attraction.”

The left’s failure to nurture and celebrate female politicians has had a significant effect on its policies. In recent years, Democratic majorities and progressive legislation seem to have been built on steady trade-offs of reproductive rights, culminating this year when the first female speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, was forced to push through health care reform with a compromise on abortion financing.

An older generation of female Democrats, including Mrs. Clinton and Ms. Pelosi, are about as eager to mount a Palin-style girl-powered campaign as they are to wear a miniskirt on the House floor. For them, proudly or aggressively touting one’s feminist credentials (if you’re actually a feminist, that is) is taboo. It’s considered too, well, female.

But as women of a different generation — of, gulp, Sarah Palin’s generation — we wonder if Democrats shouldn’t look to her for twisted inspiration, and recognize that the future of women in politics will be about coming to terms with (and inventing) new models.

Imagine a Democrat willing to brag about breaking the glass ceiling at the explosive beginning, not the safe end, of her campaign. A liberal politician taking to Twitter to argue that big broods and a “culture of life” are completely compatible with reproductive freedom. A female candidate on the left who speaks as angrily and forcefully about her rivals’ shortcomings as Sarah Barracuda does about the Pelosis and Obamas of the world. A smart, unrelenting female, who, unlike Ms. Palin, wants to tear down, not reinforce, traditional ways of looking at women. But that will require a party that is eager to discover, groom, promote and then cheer on such a progressive Palin. 

If Sarah Palin and her acolytes successfully redefine what it means to be a groundbreaking political woman, it will be because progressives let it happen — and in doing so, ensured that when it comes to making history, there will be no one but Mama Grizzlies to do the job. 

I wonder: who would be the DNC's alter-ego of Sarah Palin?

I find it interesting that these two authors also complained about how Hillary Clinton and Palin were treated in the 2008 elections.  I, myself, was appalled at how Clinton was criticized for her fat hips, her "dike" haircut, and her "mansuits."  That election proved to me that the United States is ready for a minority to be in the Oval Office, but not ready for a woman. 

... I still think Condi would kick everybody's ass -- man, woman, White, or Minority.  She's got the goods that no one else comes even close to!  She epitomizes the American Dream.

Let's draft Condi for President in 2012!!!!!!  THAT'S a candidate worthy of America!!

Body Scanner Controversy: Some Humorous Input

A great alternative to body scanners at airports

The Israelis are developing an airport security device that eliminates the privacy concerns that come with full-body scanners at the airports.

It's a booth you can step into that will not X-ray you, but will detonate any explosive device you may have on you. They see this as a win-win for everyone, with none of the whining about racial profiling. It also would eliminate the costs of long and expensive trials. Justice would be swift. Case closed!

You're in the airport terminal and you hear a muffled explosion. Shortly thereafter an announcement comes over the PA system: "Attention standby passengers — we now have a seat available on flight number ____. Shalom."

[Get your in-your-face t-shirt at Artopia]

An iPad test -- UPDATE

OK, I finally bit. I've been drooling over the iPad for quite some time. Then, when I saw that Best Buy was offering free financing for 18 months, I weakened. I had. been telling myself that I would let Santa bring me one for Christmas, but then figured that iPads might be hard to find when the holiday shopping insanity begins. So, I made a trip to my local Best Buy last night.

Now, the experiment: I'm checking out how well it connects to my home's wireless Internet connection (great), downloading music, apps and books (I've been an iPod touch and iPhone user),checking out e-mail (just like being on your regular computer rather than the abbreviated version when using your iPod or iPhone), surfing the Net (iPad not using Flashplayer has been an issue once so far ... can't use the Weight Watchers site without it, but instead will have to use the WW app), etc.

So, now I'm checking out how it functions on Blogger. Let me see if I can now attach/upload a picture with this post ... one of a dog, of course.

Hmmmm ... no handy little button to upload the pic. I got a message that I can only operate in HTML mode and not "compose", which is the mode you need to uploading pics. I got a message saying I needed an updated version of Safari ... the only browser that iPad uses ... as far as I've read.

One controvery about the iPad is Steve Jobs' continuing refusal to use Adobe's Flashplayer in Apple products.  I found not having Flashplayer a disadvantage when trying to update my food tracker at WeightWatchers.com  (yeah, I'm back on the wagon).  I can go back to using the free WW app on either my iPhone or iPad, but will have to use a computer to have full access to the regular WW account.

So, now I'm off to see if I can update Safari, find a substitute for Flashplayer, and/or find other browsers that will solve my Blogger problem.
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UPDATE: Well, my mission to find a way to upload a picture from my iPad to a post within Blogger continues to be unsuccessful.  I have found several alternative browsers to use instead of Safari, but to no avail. 

So, I'll continue experimenting.  Let's see if the iPad is more than some of the critics have said, saying it was just basically a big iPod.  There are some other great-sounding apps I want to try, and there is a myriad of accessories ... for which I must budget wisely.  I can attest to the battery's capacity.  The specs say you can surf the Net on wi-fi for 10 hours and on 3G for 9.  (Today, my iPad had its second charging session ... and I would say that between Friday evening and today I was on the Net and doing other things for about 10 hours.)

Some additional things I have purchased at this time: a great leather padded case by Targus (Best Buy), I downloaded a number of free apps and a few cheap ones, I downloaded some free ebooks, as well as downloading some samples of books.  (This is a cool feature!  You can sample a book before deciding to buy it.)  I bought the revised version of "Freakonomics."  So far, reading a book with the iPad is nice. 

Oh ... and here's the picture I was trying to upload yesterday ... of course, it has to be a dog! 

Can You Smell What The Tea Party Is Cookin'??? GO VOTE!!

Sorry I've been MIA -- school continues to be bustin' my chops!

I'm excited about today's elections.  Here's to REAL "Hope & Change!

[Found this lil' gem over at Evil FoxNews ... ]