standing up for science

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I volunteer on the American Chemical Society's advocacy team.
Honestly, that word - volunteer - is part of who I am and has been since at least the time when I was a teen, volunteering at the long-gone Savannah Science Museum. I did anything that was needed, from rolling coins to handling the snakes for the children's birthday parties.
(smile)
With Act4Chemistry, the legislative action network, the volunteers serve as watchdogs for the new Senate and House bills which affect science, research, and scientists in all career paths.
Usually, the email only asks for a single action, addressing a single issue.
Today, I was asked to respond concerning three different issues.
The first I addressed concerned the Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Act, also known as H.R. 1396 and S. 590. This piece of legislature is in support of diversity in the sciences, hence the reference to the movie in the Act's name. This is not the first time this Act has been promoted for the awarding of medals to Katherine Johnson, Dr. Christine Darden, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, for their significant contributions to U.S. science during the Space Race, as women who had previously been unrecognized for those achievements. This act distinguishes these four women and awards a fifth medal in honor of all the women who contributed to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during this period. At this time, the Senate has passed the Act; the email asked that they be thanked and that the Representatives be urged to do so.
The second issue today was in support of responsible research practices. H.R. 2051 and S. 999 are the Sustainable Chemistry Research and Development Act 2019. This Act to encourage sustainable thinking from start to finish in the chemistry enterprise is also on its second voyage through Congress. I advocated for the creation of an inter-agency panel to coordinate federal sustainable chemistry efforts, for the support of public-private partnerships, and for a boost in investment in federal research.
The final issue that addressed equality in the workplace. Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act of 2019 is new legislation calling for research to better understand the causes and consequences of sexual harassment in STEM fields. I lent my support for H.R. 36 and S. 1067 by contacting the members of Congress who represent me and urging them to vote for approval of the Act.
I do enjoy being an active member of Act4Chemistry.
Much like the donation of blood, the process takes little time and effort on my part.
Someone else is doing all the work - in this case, keeping an eye on the actions of Congress, drafting an email to alert folks like me, even drafting an email for me to use to alert my elected representatives to my preferences in their voting.
My thanks to these workers in the wings.
The least I can do is take action when it is asked.

bobby bumps still making progress!

I checked my email and guess what was waiting for me?
This update on that cartoon project I had funded in memory of Sam Johnson!!!
I hope it will be completed by his birthday this year.
That would be so very cool!
(smile)

*-*-*-*-*

Update #14 from Historic Bobby Bumps Cartoons on Blu-Ray and DVD
Apr 24, 2019 • 8:31PM PDT
Good news!

Dear Backers,

Time for a *good* April update!

If you can believe it, the Bumps Blu-ray has gone through five (5) drafts before I was able to approve it. I wanted to make sure all the films looked as good as they possibly can, and that presentation and functionality of the program and of the disc would be in its best form. I'm happy to say that I approved the 5th draft from Thunderbean just last night, and today I sent it via express mail to the disc replicators.

Blu-rays take a little bit longer (a matter of a few extra days—say a total of 8 to 10 business days) to make into a glass master and then replicate than DVDs do (under a week). While the replicator gets started on the Blu-ray version, our friends at Thunderbean will be finalizing the DVD version, based on the latest Blu draft, and will forward that version to the replicator once it's finished. I'm hoping the replicator will have all the stock made up and back en route to me in about 10 business days from now—barring any unforeseen delays on their end, or with having the DVD version delivered to them directly by Thunderbean.

Either way, the replicator has been paid in advance, and that means they will happily QC-for-glass-mastering and burn the new stock as soon as soon as the respective versions reach their headquarters.

All this being said, it looks like May will be the month that everyone finally starts getting their Bobby Bumps. As I've said before, out of fairness, our older Kickstarter backers will be sent their copies first, as my schedule allows, and then it will be you Indiegogo backers who will start receiving them.

Please make sure all of your mailing addresses are fully up to date here on IGG!

Will report back again once the inventory is actually in hand...

As always, thanks a million for your continued patience throughout this lengthy process.

Sincerely Yours,

Tommy Stathes

forty days of giving for Lent

Just before Lent began, I saw a meme about getting rid of an item a day for Lent.
I'm not Catholic, nor of any other religious persuasion that observes that holy day...
but I was taken by the idea.
I have so much that I have not used in years.
Why not pass it along to another who might cherish it?
The nearing of Mother's Day particularly inspired me to part with "nice" things.

I am sure someone's mother or aunt or
grandmother will appreciate these
beautiful glass dishes.
When did I last use them?
It's been at least a decade ago.

These lovely tote bags have hung on the
backs of door knobs for years.
I'm sure a new mother or an "oops" mom
will be able to make use of their
roomy depths.

How about some new hosiery?
Most of this was never even opened.
A mom getting a fresh start on her career
outside the home could make excellent use
of these for important job interviews.

These coffee cups will be good for moms or dads
or anyone, including visiting guests.
Just imagine being able to open a cupboard and
say "take your pick!"
Even with these nine cups going away, I still
have two shelves' worth staying with me.
(smile)

I'm hoping these chemistry textbooks will come
in handy in lieu of an encyclopedia of science
or for those without online search engines.
The coloring book and pencils were a gift some
years ago, never used.
Maybe now they will be.

Speaking of those with limited computational
ability or internet accessibility, I know these
programs will be useful for them!
Businessware, resume-writing, spreadsheets and
graphs, and so much more!
Not everyone has the latest laptop.

That leaves those items of beauty which serve no true purpose but to gratify a need for art.
I've had that ceramic clown since my days in Panama, making it more than three decades in age.
Better to free it up now before I manage to break it!
I know I've released more than forty items - the tally is close to seventy, at last count - and I truly hope they will be a blessing to someone, as well as to the coffers at Goodwill.