8 Ways to Sunday

My fellow workers in the non-profit arena may find something of interest in a two-day conference starting this Friday at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The topic is the potential downside for social justice organizations of incorporating as a non-profit in today’s socio-political climate. Alternatives to the classic section 501(c)3 status, based on examples from other countries, will be explored as part of the discussion.

Pre-registration is closed. If you’re in the area this weekend and want to attend, you might try calling the contact number at the bottom of the page to see if you can register at the door. (via LaughingMeme)

David Moles of Chrononautic Log has unearthed a recently declassified plan for the invasion of Canada by US military forces, circa 1935.

The military planning context of this document is War Plan Red, which was approved in May 1930 by the Secretary of War and the Secretary of Navy. War Plan Red and supporting documents are available from the US National Archives on microfilm, in the Records of the Joint Board, 1903-1947, Roll 10, J.B. 325, Serial 435 through Serial 641. In War Plan Red, the US Army’s theatre of operations is defined to be: “All CRIMSON territory” (p.80), and the US Army’s mission, in bold type: ULTIMATELY, TO GAIN COMPLETE CONTROL OF CRIMSON (p. 84). CRIMSON is the colour code for Canada. In 1934, War Plan Red was amended to authorize the immediate first use of poison gas against Canadians and to use strategic bombing to destroy Halifax if it could not be captured.

Damn Michael Moore, that plagiarizing liberal pinko bastard!

(citations: Chrononautic Log and Glastnost Berlin)

Chuck Hagel (R-NE) this morning told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing that, due to deteriorating security in Iraq, the United States may have to reintroduce the draft.

Last used during the Vietnam War and dormant since 1972, the draft would render almost all able-bodied men aged 18 to 25 in the United States eligible for compulsory military service in the Iraq War upon selection by the draft lottery. This process is handled by the Selective Service System, and registration is mandatory for American males. Women are not required to register for the draft, since they are not deployed in front-line combat scenarios.

Reinstating the draft would require an act of Congress. There are presently two pieces of legislation making their way through the legislative branch that would authorize a new draft, though many legislators insist they are not being taken very seriously. For its part, the Defense Department has stated its opposition to a draft as recently as January, but was nevertheless recruiting for members of local draft boards in November of last year.

The last draft, during the Vietnam War, spurred mass protests among members of the growing anti-war movement of that day.

(citations: WVTM-TV of Bermingham, AL via MSNBC)

ABC News reports that the American College of Physicians is recommending that diabetics take cholesterol-lowering medications called statins. Recent studies have indicated their ability to prevent some common complications of the illness such as heart attack, stroke, and even dementia.

“Statins do have an effect on cholesterol and cholesterol is in the brain,” said Dr. Ronald Petersen, director of Alzheimer’s research at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “They [the drugs] may also have an effect on the protein called ‘amyloid,’ which is thought to be a major culprit in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.”

My mother’s husband has diabetes, so I’ll have to be sure and pass this along.

(citations: ABC News)

McDonald’s chairman and CEO Jim Cantalupo died of a heart attack yesterday. No doubt stand-up comedians are already preparing jokes about this. A bit unfair, perhaps, since Cantalupo is the man who axed the word “Supersize” from the McDonald’s vocabulary in response to increasingly outspoken criticism of the company’s menu by health advocates.

(citations: Associated Press and ABC News)