Bird Flu Pandemic, who ya gonna call... an Amtrak lawyer?!

I can here it now: "You're doin a heck of a job Stewie!"

... Meet Stewart Simonson. He's the official charged by Bush with "the protection of the civilian population from acts of bioterrorism and other public health emergencies"--a well-connected, ideological, ambitious Republican with zero public health management or medical expertise, whose previous job was as a corporate lawyer for Amtrak. When Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff for Secretary of State Colin Powell, recently speculated, "If something comes along that is truly serious...like a major pandemic, you are going to see the ineptitude of this government in a way that will take you back to the Declaration of Independence," many of those professionally concerned with such scenarios couldn't help thinking of Simonson. They recalled his own unsettling words at a recent Homeland Security subcommittee hearing on government response to a chemical or biological attack: "We're learning as we go."

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pacificviews.org: Another great moment in corporate courage

regarding the influence the Christian Right has on Corporate America.

Unfortunately, potential US corporate sponsors haven't been enthusiastic about the exhibit at all. Unlike most museum offerings of its size and scope, the Darwin exhibit doesn't have a single corporate sponsor. Instead, the US$ $3 million cost of the exhibit is coming out of the pockets of individuals and foundations.


also...

The AMNH has put up a great website to go with the Darwin exhibition. You'll find it here. Short film [RealVideo] about the importance of evolutionary theory to modern science.