A Virginia fourth-grade textbook falsely claims that “Thousands of Southern blacks fought in the Confederate ranks” during the Civil War. The author of the book relied heavily on a pro-Confederacy group she found on the Internet. Washington Post via NPR: The Sons of Confederate Veterans, a group of male descendants of Confederate soldiers based in Columbia, Tenn., has long maintained that substantial numbers of black soldiers fought for the South The group’s historian-in-chief, Charles Kelly Barrow, has written the book “Black Confederates.” The Sons of Confederate Veterans also disputes the widely accepted conclusion that the struggle over slavery was the main cause of the Civil War. Instead, the group says, the war was fought “to preserve their homes and livelihood,” according to John Sawyer, chief of staff of the Sons of Confederate Veterans’ Army of Northern Virginia. He said the group was pleased that a state textbook accepted some of its views. Read more Historians, of course, reject such nonsense. Most troubling of all, the book made it through a series of checks and was labeled “accurate and unbiased” by the Virginia Education Department.
Continue reading …By Scott Tucker I do not regard gay and lesbian soldiers seeking elementary legal equality as political heroes. It takes much greater courage for soldiers and veterans of all sexual persuasions to renounce war and imperial adventures. Related Entries October 20, 2010 The Thomas Clown Affair October 19, 2010 Waiting for Another Watergate
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Oh yes, humans — it’s happening again! After a painfully long wait, we’re finally kicking our reader meetups back into gear. The first in the series will take place in New York City on October 21st (that’s tomorrow!) , and it’s going to be a killer. The all-ages event is sponsored by Sprint and will feature a slew of amazing companies in attendance. What companies, you ask? How about Sony PlayStation , Research In Motion , Palm , Sony VAIO , Bug Labs , Panasonic , Nokia , Sling , Roku , Sonos , Boxee , Peek , and many more (we’re adding names as we type)! In addition to the tons of gadgets and gear you’ll be able to get your hands on, we’ll have giveaways, demos, music, food, and drinks for everyone. The meetup takes place in NYC at Espace (635 W. 42nd St, New York, NY, between 11th and 12th Ave.), and will run from 6:30PM until 10:30PM . Capacity for the venue is around 1000, and we’ll likely fill up — so plan on getting there nice and early! We’ll be coming at you with more details and an updated partner list, but for now, mark the date down and get ready to party. You can sign up and discuss the event at our Facebook page, too. Note: The image above? Soon to be another limited edition T-shirt collaboration between eBoy and Engadget! Continue reading Engadget’s reader meetup happens tomorrow in NYC — be there! Engadget’s reader meetup happens tomorrow in NYC — be there! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 17:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Photos: Gülnur Özdağlar Plastic bottles — that environmental bane of a disposable, modern society — can be both an abundant form of pollution in waterways and oceans , as well as a materials source for mind-boggling art. In the skillful… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …Just for grins and giggles, take a look at this Markos post from October 2008 where he scoffs at the notion the GOP will pick up Senate seats in 2010 .
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If you’re looking to spruce up your home with the hottest sustainable, responsibly made products (or if you just want to see some eco eye candy) check out our picks for the latest and greatest green home wares . … Read the full story on TreeHugger
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We’ve been trying to ignore a certain Senate candidate, but her latest display is so shocking (as the audience gasps during this debate confirm), it simply must be witnessed. Related Entries October 20, 2010 The Thomas Clown Affair October 20, 2010 Is Clarence Thomas’ Wife Trying to Pick a Fight With Anita Hill?
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Barack and Michelle Obama are clearly aware, in this perky lil’ PSA number, of how the results of next month’s midterm elections could dramatically change the tone of the presidency for the next two years, but they don’t come out and say as much.
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Alright, I was wrong. On the Engadget Podcast I said that Samsung is capable of navigating to store.apple.com and checking out the iPad prices. I figured Samsung would see $500 as its maximum unsubsidized price for the Galaxy Tab, but apparently Samsung decided its competition was the iPad with 3G. Is a $600 Galaxy Tab a compelling offering up against a $630 3G iPad? Maybe, maybe not. But it’s not an insane proposition by any means. In fact, I think it could do pretty well. Continue reading Editorial: Why the Galaxy Tab’s price makes sense Editorial: Why the Galaxy Tab’s price makes sense originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 17:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Third World missionaries come to the US for low-tech training on cook stoves, water purification. (October 20)
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