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Thursday, March 22
CONTENTS
1. Pampers are not an invention of the devil
2. God and his gays
3. Cancer vaccine proposal stalls amid questions
4. Keeping charter schools in line
5. Provision against stem cell removed from House bill
1. Pampers are not an invention of the devil
By Tom Baldwin
The London Times
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
The world’s biggest manufacturer of household and grooming products voiced hopes yesterday that an urban myth linking it to Satanism was being crushed after four men were ordered to pay almost $20 million (£10 million) in damages for spreading the rumour.
At the end of a 12-year legal case in Salt Lake City, Utah, a US District Court jury found against a group of distributors from a rival company who had left voicemail messages alleging that part of Procter & Gamble’s profits went to devil-worshipping cults.
P&G — which owns brands such as Pampers, Gillette, Head & Shoulders and Ariel — has long been in despair over the stubborn refusal of such claims to go away.
Since the rumours first appeared in 1981, the corporation has had to battle boycotts from Christian groups, cope with more than 200,000 telephone inquiries from customers and fight the ability of word-of-mouth — and latterly the internet — to disseminate them.
The origins of this accusation are apparently based on a passage from the Book of Revelation in the Bible, stating: “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.”
P&G’s logo used to consist of a bearded and twin-horned man in the moon surrounded by 13 stars. Claims that this represented a deliberate mockery of the heavenly symbol were fuelled by others suggesting that a mirror image of the “Mark of the Beast” — the numbers 666 — could be seen inside the logo.
The corporation denied this, pointing out that the stars were intended as a tribute to America’s 13 original states and that the “666” pattern emerged only if an arbitrary game of connect the dots was played.
P&G eventually abandoned the old logo on everything except some of its buildings, but not before a new — and even more virulent — version of the urban myth emerged. This alleged that the corporation’s president had appeared on The Phil Donahue Show on March 1, 1994, to confirm that a large portion of his profits went to support the Church of Satan.
It went on to quote the P&G executive boasting to Mr Donahue that this would not hurt business because “there are not enough Christians in the United States to make a difference”. There have been repeated denials from P&G and TV companies that anybody from the corporation had appeared on such a show making such an extraordinary statement.
But in April 1995 Randy Haugen, a dealer for Amway Corporation, which sells similar household merchandise, placed an audio message on the company’s voicemail system repeating this allegation and urged listeners to boycott 43 listed P&G products. P&G accused three other Amway distributors of forwarding the message, including Stephen Bybee, who told the court that there was no malicious intent.
“My goal when I sent [the rumour] down was to fight the Church of Satan,” he said.
Terry Loftus, a P&G spokesman, said yesterday that the corporation had spent large sums of money defending its reputation from false allegations that had led to an unquan-tifiable loss of business.
“This rumour will probably never go away completely but the number of calls we get on it have fallen off significantly after we started taking legal action,” he added. Amway, which has defended itself against direct legal action, promises to help its former distributors if they seek to appeal against Friday’s court ruling.
Kate Makled, spokeswoman for Alticor, Amway’s parent company, said that despite the four men making public apologies, “P&G has spent 12 years destroying their lives”. She added: “P&G is a $68 billion company. What they got out of this case was what they could earn in about 2½ hours. We think that’s shameful.”
Well, I never. . .
It must be true — the Internet said so:
-Marlboro cigarette packs contain references to the Ku Klux Klan. Three Ks appear on the packaging, and the horses’ legs in the Philip Morris crest outline white Klan hoods
-The occult symbol of the horned owl is visible in the centre of the G8 2005 logo. The white space within the logo forms the head and body of the owl, and the horns are marked in white either side of the thistle flower
-An apple with a bite taken out of it may seem an innocuous logo, but to occultists the Apple logo represents the biblical fruit and symbolises the path to self-divinity achieved through knowledge
-The AOL logo can be viewed as a stylised all-seeing eye — a Masonic symbol. Other devices that depict this image are logos of the UN, Starbucks and Adobe Photoshop, and the American dollar bill
-The dollar bill also shows another Masonic symbol — the pyramid. However, the US Government claims that these illustrations represent the work of nation-building (the unfinished pyramid) and the divine eye of providence
-On close examination, a naked man with an erect penis can be seen in the Camel cigarette logo
-The figures 666 are visible within the World Economic Forum logo
Click here to view story.
2. God and His Gays
By Harold Meyerson
The Washington Post
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Science is stealing up on America's religious fundamentalists, causing much alarm. Consider the dilemma of the Rev. R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville and a leading figure in the Southern Baptist firmament.
Writing in his blog this month, Mohler acknowledged that " the direction of the research" increasingly points to the possibility that a "biological basis for sexual orientation exists." Should sexuality be determined in utero, Mohler continued, that still wouldn't justify abortion or genetic engineering.
Nonetheless, as Mohler noted in a later blog post, his admission that the data suggest that homosexuality may be as genetically determined as hair color produced a torrent of irate e-mail from his fellow evangelical Christians. Up to now, the preferred theory among Christian conservatives has been that homosexuality is behaviorally induced and thus can be unlearned. That gave added moral weight to the biblical proscriptions of gay and lesbian sex and to the Bible's condemnation of homosexuality as a sin -- though for those who believe in biblical inerrancy, no added moral weight was necessary.
But once you recognize homosexuality as a genetic reality, it does create a theological dilemma for the Mohlers among us, for it means that God is making people who, in the midst of what may otherwise be morally exemplary lives, have a special and inherent predisposition to sin. Mohler's response is that since Adam's fall, sin is the condition of all humankind. That sidesteps, however, the conundrum that a gay person may follow the same God-given instincts as a straight person -- let's assume fidelity and the desire for church sanctification in both cases -- and end up damned while the straight person ends up saved. Indeed, it means that a gay person's duty is to suppress his God-given instincts while a straight person's duty is to fulfill his.
Mohler's deity, in short, is the God of Double Standards: a God who enforces the norms and fears of a world before science, a God profoundly ignorant of or resistant to the arc of American history, which is the struggle to expand the scope of the word "men" in our founding declaration that "all men are created equal." This is a God who in earlier times was invoked to defend segregation and, before that, slavery.
This is a God whom vast numbers of this nation's self-professed believers (not to mention its nonbelievers, such as I) neither heed nor like very much, particularly the young, who in growing numbers support gay marriage and certainly don't consider gay coupling any more sinful than they do straight coupling. That said, this God still commands millions of followers, among them Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of Old Time Religion, who recently declared homosexuality immoral in an interview with the Chicago Tribune.
Indeed, this God commands so many followers that the initial tendency of presidential candidates who know better was to duck when they themselves were asked last week about the morality of gay sex. Sen. Hillary Clinton, when first asked if homosexuality was immoral, answered that it was for "others to conclude," before righting herself to say that she didn't think being gay was immoral. Sen. Barack Obama, according to Newsweek, avoided a direct answer three times before coming to his senses and disagreeing with Pace. The spokesperson for Sen. John "Straight-Talk Express" McCain said that "the senator thinks such questions are a matter of conscience and faith for people to decide for themselves." Such political and moral contortions are hardly confined to presidential candidates.
In Utah, a new law requires school principals to police every student organization to ensure that there's no discussion of "human sexuality" (though experts believe the topic may still come up among teenage students). Lest it seem discriminatory, the statute applies to every student group under the sun, but it is entirely a reaction to the formation of gay-straight clubs at Utah high schools.
There is, however, no ban as yet on high school biology teachers discussing the biological basis of homosexuality, and as the data confirming this thesis continue to mount, that could confront even those of Pace's persuasion with Mohler's conundrum: how to reconcile a God who creates homosexuals with a God who condemns practicing homosexuals to hell? A mysterious God may be well and good, but a capricious or contradictory God can inspire so much doubt that He threatens the credibility of the entire religious enterprise.
After all, there are few American believers who don't profess at least some faith as well in the verities of proven science and the rightness of our national credo's commitment to human equality. By effectively insisting that God is a spiteful homo-hater, his followers saddle him with ancient phobias and condemn him to the backwaters of American moral life.
Click here to view story.
3. Cancer vaccine proposal stalls amid questions
By Anne Geggis and Jim Saunders
Daytona Beach News Journal
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
The first cancer vaccine represents a breakthrough, but mass immunization is politically laden with controversy about sex and 13-year-old girls.
A proposed state law would make the new vaccine a part of girls' entrance into the eighth grade starting in the year 2011-12 just as childhood immunizations are now required for all children entering kindergarten.
This measure is more controversial, however, because it targets schoolgirls for vaccinations against the most commonly sexually transmitted infection that can develop into cervical cancer, called the human papillomavirus or HPV.
Tuesday, legislation stalled in a state House committee, and doctors are far from unanimous on whether it would be appropriate to have a program that vaccinates all eighth-grade girls, unless their parents opt out.
Dr. Al Smith, an oncologist at Halifax Medical Center, said making it part of school requirements would ensure that the most economically deprived -- and most vulnerable to the disease -- are protected.
"When it does occur, it's devastating," Smith said.
Another doctor hailed development of the vaccine -- but questioned the expense of a mass vaccination program. Preliminary projections show that such a program would cost in the tens of millions of dollars.
"Any vaccine that can eliminate 70 percent of deadly cancer and 90 percent of vaginal warts is a great vaccine," said Dr. Pam Carbiener, an area gynecologist.
She said she'll be getting it for her daughters. "However, when you mandate things, it's possible that it's money that could be better used elsewhere," she said.
But another gynecologist called the proposal "a horrendous idea" that's "sexist" and a clear example of misplaced priorities.
"You don't cough on someone and get HPV -- you have sex," said Dr. Chris Stanley, a gynecologist at the area's largest practice specializing in women's health. "We have an excellent way to prevent HPV that's 100 percent effective -- don't have sex."
He said the death rate from cervical cancer -- 3,700 women every year -- is dwarfed by the number dying from heart disease.
Further, he said, the vaccine doesn't have enough of a track record.
That's the issue that surfaced at Tuesday's House K-12 committee hearing.
The legislation's stall came down to safety issues -- at least on the surface.
"Unfortunately, this vaccine is just too new," said House K-12 Committee Chairwoman Anitere Flores, R-Miami, who tabled the bill Tuesday, jeopardizing its chances of passing this session.
Flores proposed changing the legislation to say that all parents of eighth-grade girls will receive information about the vaccine. But that amendment failed when it deadlocked, 4-4. A Senate committee is scheduled to take up the issue today.
The vaccine is targeted at relatively young girls, because it is not effective unless administered before the girl comes into contact with the virus -- before she has sex.
It was tested on 9- to 26-year-olds during trials.
Tammy Preis, whose twin girls, now in the fourth grade, would be in the second set of eighth-graders to be mass immunized, said it's fine to immunize girls against the virus -- if they're going to have sex. But she said she doesn't like the state assuming that's the case.
"That's ridiculous," said the Daytona Beach mother of four.
It's a sentiment echoed by other mothers.
Adrianne Austin, an Ormond Beach mother of four girls, all teenagers, said she's been looking into getting the vaccine for her daughters -- and was stunned by how expensive it is. She would like insurance to pay the full price of the vaccination, but doesn't think it should be a mandatory part of entrance into eighth grade.
"I feel the state should strongly encourage it," she said.
At a Glance
OPT OUT: The way the legislation is written, parents would be allowed to state that they don't want their daughter vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes 70 percent of cervical cancer.
OPT IN: Some have proposed that the current legislation should be rewritten so parents could have their daughter vaccinated against the virus without it being required to do so.
Click here to view story.
4. Keeping charters in line
Irregularities at four Brevard schools spotlight need for strict local control
Florida Today editorial
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Charter school proponents say they need freedom from regulations and oversight by school district officials so they can offer innovative approaches to classroom learning.
And sometimes, when the publicly funded schools are well-run, they offer just that.
But the current debacle at Explorer Elementary and Middle School, a charter in Melbourne, shows again why local districts shouldn't be stripped of the power to turn down charter school applicants or close schools that violate laws or standards of accountability.
Here's the disturbing situation:
Explorer, which serves 256 students, is in freefall after revelations Monday its finance director, Jay Maer, and his son Michael Maer, also employed at the school, are convicted felons on probation.
Background checks performed by the Brevard School District identified the two as felons, but charter school officials hired them anyway, says School Board member Larry Hughes.
The district is also investigating claims that Explorer is operating at a deficit and may have violated accounting principles and federal law -- including issuing personal loans to teachers with your taxpayer dollars.
Explorer board members, administrators and teachers have resigned -- along with finance director Maer who jumped ship Tuesday -- and upset parents are left wondering what they'll do if the school goes under.
Another Brevard charter, Einstein Montessori in Cocoa, faced district censure this month for having a felon on staff, but ultimately the board renewed its charter.
Meanwhile, Osprey Elementary and Sawgrass Academy in Rockledge are in a state of financial emergency. Both also have had a high staff turnover rate since opening in 2005 that we believe is injurious to students' academic success.
It's too soon to say what should happen at Explorer, Sawgrass or Osprey, as investigations continue.
But the serious problems show why an independent statewide charter school sponsor lawmakers created last year to let schools bypass all local control was a grave error.
While the district has no authority to hire or fire charter school employees, it is held responsible for cleaning up messes created through incompetence -- or possible fraud -- at the schools.
That includes investigating irregularities when they surface, helping struggling schools stay open if that's in the best interest of students, or shutting them down and fitting former charter students back into traditional classrooms, sometimes abruptly.
Unlike a distant state agency, the local district can step up quickly to stabilize troubled schools.
Brevard County residents count on local school officials -- including an elected School Board that can be held accountable at the polls -- to swiftly make hard decisions about whether or not charters must be closed.
But we have no confidence that help from Tallahassee would arrive promptly to safeguard local children and Brevard residents' taxpayer dollars.
That's why the Brevard School Board correctly appealed last fall to retain exclusive control over its charters.
The state should grant the request at once, so an already dangerous state of affairs in charter school management doesn't get even worse.
Click here to view story.
5. Provision against stem cell removed
By Jennifer Sorentrue And Michael C. Bender
Palm Beach Post
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
TALLAHASSEE — A provision that would have prohibited state money from going to embryonic stem cell research was removed Tuesday by the House Healthcare Council from a biomedical research bill.
Sen. Aaron Bean, who proposed the legislation, asked the council's members to remove the stem cell provision, saying it was "not the time to have that debate."
"I think we are all on different sides of the issue," said Bean, R-Fernandina Beach. "I'm looking forward to having that debate. The sole purpose of this bill is not to have that debate on stem cell."
The bill (PCB HCC 07-10) would consolidate how state money is doled out for medical research by establishing a 35-member review panel whose job would be to recommend to legislators which research projects should get money.
A 10-line section near the end of the bill would have prohibited state money from going to stem cell research that results in the destruction of a human embryo.
Deleting that gave one committee member pause. Rep. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, questioned whether the deletion would allow the review panel to give money to researchers who use human embryos.
"The deletion of these lines will allow, or at least not prohibit, the use of this money for embryonic stem cells," Hays said.
But Rep. Franklin Sands, a Weston Democrat sponsoring a bill that would provide state support for embryonic research, applauded Bean for removing what Sands called "offensive" language.
"This has basically untied researchers' hands," Sands said.
Republicans in the House Majority Office said they still oppose using state money to destroy embryos, and the debate over whether state money can be used for embryonic stem cell research will eventually happen - probably when, or if, competing bills from Sands and Rep. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, are heard.
The newest version of Bean's bill was not available Tuesday, council staff members said.
Bean, however, said the bill did not restrict the review panel's recommendations, or what kind of research it suggests money is spent on.
"There will be no restrictions on what this committee can recommend," he said.
Bean said his bill will help lawmakers to coordinate how research money is being given out, by requiring researchers to request grant money from one place.
The review panel would consist of scientists and researchers and health-care leaders.
Researchers would be required to request grant money each year. But the panel would have the authority to circumvent that by recommending that a grant be awarded for up to five years in a row, Bean said.
State lawmakers would have the final say on how the money is spent.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Click here to view story.
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Larry Helm Spalding
ACLU Legislative Counsel
Tallahassee, Florida
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