Excellent Intro to Open Source Software

NewsFactor Network - An Introduction to Making Decisions About Open-Source Software

More health dangers: Chemical used in plastics and makeup cause malformations in males

More and more it is being discovered how much damage widely used chemicals cause: New alert over gender bending chemicals

The FDA is on the job

If you never doubted that drug makers were ethical and weren't just out to make huge profits and that the FDA was an effective government regulator of that multi-billion dollar industry then you may have your certainty shaken by another report that a "safe and effective drug" causes horrible side-effect. In this case blindness: Type of blindness reported in some taking Viagra

UML Templates for Visio

For those of you technically inclined, I just found a great UML template for Visio: UML Template for Visio

The author has made templates for each version of Visio. I've used his previous version (the new one covers UML 2.0) and they are much better than the UML templates supplied with Visio. These ones allow you to be as free form as you like and don't tie you in to any specific way of creating your diagrams. You can get a lot more done that way.

Anyway, give 'em a try.

Applied Scholastics - Educational Solutions

I think that education is the key to a successful life. Personally I've found that the methods offered by Applied Scholastics work. What do I mean by "work"? Simply that, "work", If you use the techniques of study and education that Applied Scholastics teaches, then you will be able to understand anything. I've been using them for the last 28 years and what success I've had in my life has stemed from that use. I work in a hi-tech field where the demands for continually learning new technology is high. Without the Applied Scholastics methods I'd be lost.

Here are some links to give you more data:

• The Story of Applied Scholastics
• Applied Scholastics - Providing the Tools toLearn Anything
• History of Applied Scholastics
• Applied Scholastics Answers the question: What is Study Technology?
• How can we improve the quality of education? - Applied Scholastics
• A worldwide network of effective literacy and education programmes - Applied Scholastics International
• All About Applied Scholastics
• Applied Scholastics is a secular social betterment program, a separate and autonomous charitable program

I hope those give you some helpful ideas.

More on CCHR

I found some more links about the Citizens Commission on Human Rights and here they are:

• What is CCHR?
• What Is CCHR?
• What Is CCHR?

Now much variation in the way of titles, but informative :)

Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR)

Human Rights is an important subject. I don't think we can ever relax, sit back and assume our rights are all safe and we can forget about it because someone else is looking after it. This world doesn't work that way. That's why it is important to support organizations that work to safeguard and protect our rights. Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) is such an organization. Here is a bunch or data about them:

• Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), Fighting Psychiatric Abuse
• Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) and the LA Multathlon for Human Rights 2002
• Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) and the LA Multathlon for Peace and Human Rights 2003
• Celebrities Honor Humanitarians at 36th Anniversary of Citizens Commission on Human Rights
• Standing Up for Human Rights: Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR)
• Introduction to Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR)
• SOCIAL REFORM : Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR
• Citizens Commission On Human Rights Defeats Psychotropic Drugging Bills!
• Nancy Cartwright supporting Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR)
• Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) Hollywood Chapter
• Celebrities at Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) Awards Banquet

Check it out, find a chapter near you and either join or make a donation.

Emotionally Charged Music Video Brings Human Rights Message

The human rights themed movie of a nineteen year-old film director is nominated for Best Short Dramatic Film at the New York Film Festival: Emotionally Charged Music Video Brings Human Rights Message

Fourteen-Year-Old Briefs Rotary International On "Youth For Human Rights International"

Here is a story about a young lady who is demonstrating maturity way beyond her years. It's great to see kids who are stepping up to the plate and taking responsibility for the future:

Fourteen-Year-Old Briefs Rotary International On "Youth For Human Rights International"

Great News For Parents and Children In Florida

The Florida Legislature just passed a bill that does two main things. Firstly it says that parents can refuse to put their kids on mind-altering psychotropic drugs and the kids won't be thrown out of school or be excluded for normal school activities. Second it says that parents MUST be fully informed of the consequences of putting their kids on such drugs, e.g., that the "mental problem" is most likely physical and the parents have the right to take their child to a medical doctor, that the drugs have major damaging side-effects, etc., etc.

There is more to the bill but those are the two main things I got from it.

Kelly Preston and Kirstie Alley both were very active in supporting this legislation and I think parents everywhere should thank them as this legislation will now act as a model for other states, thus protecting the rights of parents and children all over the country.

Here is an article about it (scroll down to the section on "Psychotropic Drugs": Parents can say no to forced Psychotropic drugging of their children