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Thomas Paine

To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

24 Dec - RSS SnapShot!

Feeds Update From Opit's LinkFest!* at My Opera Community
*Blog/About/ Resource Index as well as live Personalized RSS Aggregator Working Demonstration


IPS - Inter Press Services

  • MIDEAST: Israel Declares War on Peace NGOs
    JERUSALEM, Dec 24 (IPS) - One year after the devastating attack on Hamas in Gaza a new wave of reports castigating Israel for war crimes has emerged.
  • Q&A: ‘Children Need to Adjust to the Econo ...
    BANGKOK, Dec 24 (IPS) - During the Asian financial crisis in 1997, Yaowapa Donsay was laid off from the Thai garments factory she was working in. Subsequently, she organised a group of jobless women workers – and that marked her transformation into a labour activist. As coordinator of the Wo ...
  • GUATEMALA: Lynching, Another Face of Impunity
    GUATEMALA CITY, Dec 23 (IPS) - After a bus driver was shot to death in Sololá, a city in southwestern Guatemala, an angry mob captured two men and one woman suspected of committing the crime, beat them and burnt them alive in the central plaza.
  • U.S.: Triage for a Terminally Ill Health System
    WASHINGTON, Dec 23 (IPS) - Early on Christmas Eve morning, the United States Senate will vote on the health care reform legislation that has been at the forefront of President Barack Obama's domestic agenda since he was sworn into office just over 11 months ago.
  • SIERRA LEONE: Mining Bill Queried
    FREETOWN, Dec 23 (IPS) - Sierra Leone’s parliament has come under serious scrutiny by opposition legislators, civil society and members of the public for ‘breaching procedures’ and ‘undermining the constitution’.

Scoop - NZ

  • Copenhagen - Historic failure that will live in in ...
    The most progressive US president in a generation comes to the most important international meeting since the Second World War and delivers a speech so devoid of substance that he might as well have made it on speaker-phone from a beach in Hawaii. His aides argue in private that he had no choice, su ...
  • Artists and politicians gather to save Canterburya ...
    Canterbury's water management needs a serious overhaul, according to artists and activists who gathered for an art exhibition at Christchurch's COCA on Saturday.  »  PLIGG_Visual_RSS_OriginalNews
  • The smoking gun at Copenhagen
    This is big news. A confidential UN analysis obtained by the Guardian reveals that the emissions cuts offered so far at the Copenhagen climate change summit will lead to global temperatures rising by an average of 3C.  »  PLIGG_Visual_RSS_OriginalNews
  • Planet A +
    "If you will it, it is no dream" So said climate scientist and Jim Salinger to the 2,000 people gathered in Wellington's Civic Square, ready to march to Parliament in support of climate action. Meanwhile a crowd nearly twice that size had assembled in Auckland's Albert Park for a march up Queen Stre ...
  • A few emails vs global scientific consensus: guess ...
    Like a bad smell, the theft of emails from the Climate Research Unit (CRU) hangs around the Copenhagen conference and threatens to distract people from what really needs to be discussed. Suddenly, everyone seems to be a scientific expert ready to denounce a global conspiracy but you don't have to di ...

Independent ( London )

  • Archbishop condemns Ugandan anti-gay debate
    The Archbishop of York spoke out today against anti-homosexual laws being debated in Uganda.
  • Briton missing from Swiss ski resort
    A British tourist has gone missing from a Swiss ski resort, police said today.
  • Man held after Virginia gun siege
    A disabled man was in custody today after a gunman who took several hostages at a rural post office in Virginia finally surrendered.
  • Lonely hearts club only billionaires can join
    Money can't buy you love, but among China's new super-rich, it can certainly help narrow the field in the quest for affection. China's booming economy has produced 130 dollar billionaires, but it seems at least 21 men in that elite number are lonely, and find it hard to meet members of the opposite ...
  • Revenge attack on family of soldier killed in drug ...
    It was meant to be a good spell for the Mexican government and its campaign against the drug cartels. Last week, soldiers cornered and gunned down Arturo Beltran Leyva – the "boss of bosses" – and only one of their own, a Marine Ensign, Angulo Cordova, perished in the operation. Progress had been m ...

CASMII - Campaign against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran

  • The hypocrisy of American bluster toward Iran
    Summary: Sepahpour-Ulrich In 1990, after lobbying by Jeb Bush and Ros-Lehtinen, the Bush administration went against the Justice Department's recommendation to deport Bosch and authorized his release. Since then, Bosch has become a permanent resident of the United States. Ros-Lehtinen also suppo ...
  • Salvaging the Uranium Deal
    Summary: Kaveh L. Afrasiabi That deal is still salvageable, albeit in a revised format, contrary to an avalanche of media reports that have proclaimed it dead. For sure, the Iranian side has taken its blessed time coming up with a definite and final response, and there have been strong domestic ...
  • Iran Sanctions are Precursor to War
    Summary: Ron Paul This policy is pure isolationism. It is designed to foment war by cutting off trade and diplomacy. Too many forget that the quagmire in Iraq began with an embargo. Sanctions are not diplomacy. They are a precursor to war and an embarrassment to a country that pays lip serv ...
  • Military force remains option on Iran: top U.S. of ...
    Summary: While saying he will "fully support the effort to focus on diplomatic solutions to existing tensions" on the issue, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen said in a memo that the United States must have the military option on the table. At another point, he conceded that "pol ...
  • Iran nuclear negotiator calls for atomic arms ban
    Summary: TOKYO — Iran's chief nuclear negotiator called for a global nuclear weapons ban on Monday but insisted all nations — including his own — have the right to develop nuclear energy. source: AP read more

The Daily Galaxy

  • Antarctic Sea Species Found Impacted by Global War ...
    Icefish well adapted to life in cold water with anti-freeze, but no red blood cells in their blood (image below) thrive in the seas of Antarctica's continental shelf along with sea pigs, giant sea spiders, octopus, rare rays and basket...
  • Supernova Shockwave -The Death Ray of Life in the ...
    Most astronomers today believe that one of the most plausible reasons we have yet to detect intelligent life in the universe is due to the deadly effects of local supernova explosions that wipe out all life in a given region...
  • MIT: "Creating a Robot So Alive You Feel Bad About ...
    There is ongoing debate about what constitutes life. Synthetic bacteria for example, are created by man and yet also alive. Some go so far as to say that robot “emotions” may already have occurred—that current robots have not only displayed...
  • Douglas Adams We Miss You! Will There Ever Be Anot ...
    It has now been thirty years since October 12, 1979 when The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy novelization of a popular British radio series, first saw print. Douglas Adams, our icon of humorous geek literature, would write four sequels to...
  • The Daily Flash -Eco, Space, Tech (12/23)
    Forget E-Books: The Future of the Book Is Far More Interesting Imagine a biography of Wiley Post, the one-eyed pilot from the 1930s who was the first to fly around the world. It would not only offer the entire text...

Natural News

  • Merry Christmas from NaturalNews and the Health Ra ...
    (NaturalNews) Here's a Merry Christmas to all the NaturalNews readers from the Health Ranger. And yes, I do specifically mean Merry Christmas. I don't mean just "Happy Holidays" or "happy winter break" or even "happy end-of-year time off." What I mean is Merry Christmas. That's the holiday name I gr ...
  • Meditation Reduces Heart Disease Deaths
    (NaturalNews) The Medical College of Wisconsin in conjunction with Maharishi University in Iowa funded a study about the effects of transcendental meditation on health. Researchers discovered that over the course of nine years, the group assigned to meditate saw a 47 percent reduction in strokes, he ...
  • Benefits of Maca Root: Find More Energy and Hormon ...
    (NaturalNews) Find yourself depending on coffee for a boost in the morning? Why not try maca instead? Maca is a root from Peru; it's a tuber, like a potato, and offers an amazing energy boost for those with low energy. Maca however, unlike coffee, offers energy in a non-caffeinated way that supports ...
  • Prescription narcotics cause more deaths than both ...
    (NaturalNews) On the heels of the sudden death of celebrity actress Brittany Murphy (http://www.naturalnews.com/027781_Brittany_Murphy_drugs.html), people are once again raising the question of just how dangerous prescription drugs might really be. Some are arguing, however, that street drugs are th ...
  • UCLA Study Says Drinking Soda Causes Obesity
    (NaturalNews) Regular soda consumption significantly increases a person's risk of obesity, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA). "We drink soda like water," said Harold Goldstein of the Center for Public Health Advocacy, which also took p ...

    TheGallopingBeaver

  • At the going down of the Sun, and in the morning.. ...
    With condolences and respect to the family and friends of Lieutenant Andrew Richard Nuttall, 1st Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. Killed due to enemy action. Ric-A-Dam-Doo
  • Colossal Fossil of the Year "very comfortable" wit ...
    After the United States hammered out an agreement with 19 other major powers at an emergency meeting in Copenhagen to which Canada was not invited , Harper said Canada had been represented by the U.S. and "a group of close allies" : "What will be most critical for Canada in terms of filling out the ...
  • Stevie scores . . .
  • Pariah State
    Well done Harper et al . Prime Minister Stephen Harper was left off the guest list for an emergency meeting of world leaders that included U.S. President Barack Obama in the final hours of the Copenhagen climate talks. Obama arrived in the Danish capital Friday morning in the hopes his influence co ...
  • Advice from my doctor . . .
    MY DOCTOR SENT THIS to me a couple of days ago. I wonder if he's trying to reduce his patient roster. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare. You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're goi ...

Media Matters for America

  • Conservative media revive "death panels" yet agai ...
    The conservative media are now labeling the Independent Medicare Advisory Board created by the Senate health care reform bill a "death panel," even though the board is explicitly prohibited from "modify[ing] eligibility," "restrict[ing] benefits," or "ration[ing] health care" and its recommenda ...
  • Beck's Dec. '09 Fusion magazine: A rehash ...
    Glenn Beck's Fusion magazine claims to provide its subscribers with "the latest perspective on what is happening in our world, coupled with [Beck's] personal thoughts as 'work in progress' as well as cutting edge comedy and satire." But the December 2009 issue of Fusion simply rehashed many of the ...
  • O Tannen-Mao? The right-wing's White House Christ ...
    Taking a cue from Andrew Breitbart's BigGovernment.com, several conservative media outlets have reported on three ornaments on the White House Christmas tree depicting President Obama's face superimposed on Mount Rushmore, Mao Zedong, and Hedda Lettuce. Despite the suggestion that those three C ...
  • Morris falsely asserted Medicare Advisory Board i ...
    On Fox & Friends , Dick Morris falsely claimed that the "Medicare Advisory Board" in the revised Senate health care bill will "be saying no, you can't give this person a hip replacement, they are too old, and no, you can't treat this person with colon cancer with the best drug available." In fac ...
  • Quick Fact: Fox News advances falsehood that healt ...
    On Fox News' America's Newsroom , anchor Patti Ann Browne allowed Citizens Against Government Waste's David Williams to falsely claim that the Senate health care bill is "going to bankrupt this country in a matter of years." Browne at no point noted that the Congressional Budget Office [CBO] report ...

Global Research.ca

TPM Cafe

  • Building Single Payer Systems in the States with t ...
    One reason I'm less negative on the Senate bill than some is that I know states will continue to build on its framework with improvements -- and most of those states need just majority vote in normally apportioned chambers, so... United States Senate - Health - Health Policy - Majoritarianism ...
  • AIPAC's Ex-Joe McCarthy On J Street Again
    The far right really is intimidated by J Street. Check out this limp hit by Lenny Ben David, the settler who has been tasked with smearing J Street by investigating its donors. Lenny, who was sent packing by AIPAC after... J Street - American Israel Public Affairs Committee - United States - Mi ...
  • Israel and Gilad Shalit: Compassion On The Cheap
    The year ends with Israel obsessively focusing on the captured soldier, Gilad Shalit. He has been held by Hamas for over three years and, with the help of Israel's sensationalist media, the entire country seems to be in a fury... Hamas - Israel - Gilad Shalit - Gaza - Israeli government
  • Iran Nuclear Negotiations -- Same Imperialism, Dif ...
    Part of the fun of blogging, for me any way, is the opportunity for dialogue between a moderate progressive like myself and the netroots. Many comments on my Iran blogging have been variations on the theme that my approach is... Middle East - Iran - Nuclear - Warfare and Conflict - Weapons
  • Why the Health Care Bill Will Destroy the Conserva ...
    Yeah, the filibuster and the Senate structure sucks-- but some of us knew that and had low expectations. Ignoring what we didn't get, expanding coverage to thirty million folks, including 15 million more in Medicaid, plus restrictions on insurance companies... Medicaid - Health care - United St ...

TruthOut

  • Gaza March Puts Spotlight on Civilian Suffering
    United Nations - More than 50,000 people are expected to take to the streets of Gaza on Dec. 31 for a mass march designed to send a message to the United States, a key supporter of Israel's army, that the situation in Gaza violates international human rights laws. The idea behind the "Gaza Freedom M ...
  • Report: Obama Now Aims to Close Guantanamo by 2011
    President Barack Obama’s ambitious plan to shut down the Guantanamo Bay prison facility by 2010 was dealt a major blow as Congress refused to earmark funds that would have allowed the administration to purchase a near-empty maximum security prison in Illinois to house some detainees. As a result, Gu ...
  • Why Community Banks Need Obama, and He Needs Them
    President Obama met with 12 community bankers Tuesday in a bid to spur lending to small businesses. They were looking for action from him, as well. read more
  • Ray McGovern | Break the CIA in Two
    After the CIA-led fiasco at the Bay of Pigs in April 1961, President John Kennedy was quoted as saying he wanted to “splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it into the winds.” I can understand his anger, but a thousand is probably too many. Better is a Solomon solution; divide the CIA i ...
  • Loan Mod Program Delays Even Worse for Those Strug ...
    Since last spring, when President Barack Obama announced his administration’s plan to prevent foreclosures, there’s been a crush of homeowners seeking help from mortgage servicers. Confusion and delays have plagued the entire program [1] , but the problems have been particularly acute for homeowners ...

Planetsave

  • Friendship between LION, TIGER and BEAR
    This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post . . If we could all just get along like these three unusual friends, we would live in a much different world. In human society, people often do not like others simply because they are different. Humans kill over this matter. In ...
  • Coalition Says MN Climate Solution Includes Nukes
    The Prairie Island nuclear plant at Red Wing, Minnesota, on the Mississippi River.  Nuclear power advocates want to repeal the state’s 15-year-old ban on new nuclear plants. The state that enacted one of the nation’s most farsighted clean energy laws in 2007 may be a battleground over nuclear p ...
  • Curbside Vs. Deposit and GHG Reduction
    The beverage container industry continues to fight state and national container legislation despite evidence that such laws could contribute significantly to greenhouse gas reduction while providing energy, recycling and litter control benefits. The industry says community recycling programs, which ...
  • Gender-Bending Chemicals in Minnesota Waters
    The discovery of malformed frogs in the Minnesota River watershed in the 1990s touched off field and lab research on endocrine disrupters that is continuing to yield findings. Minnesota, the state that made national headlines with the discovery of malformed frogs in the 1990s, has found endocrine ...
  • Big Fish in the Great Lakes
    The ancient lake sturgeon, a threatened species, is making a modest comeback in the Great Lakes after more than a century of overharvest and habitat destruction. Even as news spreads of the possible imminent invasion of giant Asian carp in the Great Lakes, there’s also good news — the mammoth, na ...

Water Quality - WordPress

Public Citizen in Texas

  • $18.2 Billion! Amores Nucleares: San Antonio Nucle ...
    The San Antonio Nuclear Expansion Soap Opera plot thickens.  Today’s update brings the shocking news that South Texas Project Reactors 3 & 4 could actually cost, not $13 Billion, not even $17 Billion… but $18.2 Billion! With all the trouble CPS has gotten into recently regarding transparency (a gen ...
  • Green-up Your Life! Make change happen
    By Kirsten Bokenkamp During his campaign, President Obama said “change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” As individuals, we need to internalize this, and act on it. This is the last blog in ...
  • 60 Seconds to Save the Earth
    Sixty seconds doesn’t seem like a lot of time; however, there are lots of things that can be done in sixty seconds or less.  For instance, an average adult can type 38 to 40 words and blink between ten and 30 times every sixty seconds (sometimes simultaneously).  Furthermore, an elite distance runne ...
  • Texas Progressive Alliance Weekly Round Up
    The Texas Progressive Alliance brings you the highlights from the blogs. As the deadline to file for a place on the 2010 March primary ballot drew near, there was lots of activity on the Democratic side: Kinky Friedman followed Hank Gilbert over to the race for agriculture commissioner, Linda Chave ...
  • Green-up Your Life! Holiday Edition
    By Kirsten Bokenkamp Happy Holidays! Just saying those words is enough to evoke joyful images of families gathered in the kitchen preparing a succulent holiday meal to be enjoyed together, or excited and wide-eyed children opening gifts next to a beautifully decorated Christmas tree. When I close ...

Press TV

Axis of Logic

They Gave Us a Republic

  • Paying the Arsonist Who Burned Down Your House
    You may remember last year the revelation that a small town in Alaska charged rape victims up to $1,200 for the cost of the kits used to collect evidence from them. Yesterday, the Kentucky Public Service Commission pulled a similar stunt. The Kentucky Public Service Commission on Wednesday authorize ...
  • The Nightowl Newswrap
    U.N. imposes sanctions on Eritrea for 'aiding insurgents' The UN Security Council sanctioned the impoverished east African nation today, accusing the nation of aiding Islamist insurgents in Somalia. The resolution levels an arms embargo on the country and imposes travel bans and asset freezes on bot ...
  • HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYBODY!
    Hoping whatever your day happens to be it's the best one ever.
  • Welcome Our New Corporate Masters
    and wave bye-bye to democracy. John Amato explains: While our backs are turned as we are engrossed with the health-care debate, there is a Supreme Court case looming on the horizon that could upend our entire political system. The Roberts court must be salivating to get the chance to help their righ ...
  • Four more reasons to decriminalize drugs
    One of the items that got lost/failed to save in last night's roundup was the story about the slaughter of the family of the young Mexican Marine who was killed in the raid that also claimed the life of Arturo Beltran Leyva, the "boss of bosses" as he was known, the man many believe was the most pow ...

Care 2

  • PETA Calls On NIH to Order Return of Thousands of ...
    Today, on the heels of the revelation that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has cited the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) for more than 160 violations of federal animal protection laws, PETA fired off a letter to the National Submitted by Cher C. to Animals  |   Note-it!  |   Ad ...
  • Animal activists on board new stealth yacht fire l ...
    . Submitted by Mick C. to Offbeat  |   Note-it!  |   Add a Comment
  • The Unexpected Power of $10 or $20 ...
    This is so awesome ... it not only benefits a person in need, but lets you choose exactly who you want to help ... I would love to help everyone, but sometimes, someone's story gets you right in the gut ... Submitted by Uno D. to Society & Culture  |   Note-it!  |   Add a Comment
  • Wolf death tally passes 500
    - Gray wolf hunting and killings in response to livestock attacks have pushed the number of dead wolves to a record of more than 500 this year in the Northern Rockies -- just months after their removal from the endangered species list. Submitted by Simone D. to Animals  |   Note-it!  |   Add a C ...
  • S. Texas rancher sets aside 1,300 acres for ocelot
    The Nature Conservancy hopes to give another 1,300 acres of that forbidding thicket of mesquite, huisache and other shrubs to the spotted cats with a conservation easement it bought from south Texas rancher Frank Yturria on Tuesday. Submitted by Simone D. to Animals  |   Note-it!  |   Add a Comment ...

GreenBiz

  • The Advent of a New 'Oil War' after Copenhagen
    Critics of George Bush say he has led us into a quagmire in Iraq during the last decade from which we will never emerge. They say his way of doing business led to all the disagreements visible in the Copenhagen climate talks. They're wrong.
  • Ford To Roll Out Plug-Ins, Battery Electric Vehicl ...
    From now until 2012, Ford will introduce a range of electric vehicles, from continuing its work with hybrids to releasing plug-in and battery electric vehicles.
  • Coca-Coca, Carbon Reduction, Copenhagen -- and Pol ...
    That's Muhtar Kent, the CEO of Coca-Cola, on the right. On the left is a polar bear. I caught up with Muhtar Kent at COP15, where he was one of a few Fortune 500 CEOs to show up in an effort to influence the climate talks.
  • Three Solutions for the Supply Side of the Energy ...
    While serious discussion has taken place at the U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen, the lack of any concrete policy so far shouldn't stop us from making real progress when it comes to providing cleaner, smarter, more efficient energy options.
  • Coca-Cola's Path to Copenhagen
    Coca-Cola Company CEO Muhtar Kent, one of a scant number of Fortune 500 chief execs to make it to COP15, tells GreenBiz.com Senior Writer Marc Gunther what compelled the company to have a strong presence at the climate conference.

Reuters Global

  • Meeting the Banda Aceh “tsunami family&#8221 ...
    Reuters Television producer Masako Iijima, one of the many journalists who covered the aftermath of the Indian Ocean Tsunami, went back to Banda Aceh in Indonesia to reconnect with a family she had met five years ago
  • “Earth to Ban Ki-moon” or how a deal w ...
    Sweden complained that the recent Copenhagen climate change summit was a "disaster." British Prime Minister Gordon Brown described it as "at best flawed and at worst chaotic." Sudan's U.N. ambassador, Abdalmahmoud Abdalhaleem, dubbed the outcome confirmation of a "climate apartheid." For South Afric ...
  • Pakistan: Through the eye of a needle
    A court ruling overturning a 2007 amnesty has given Pakistan an opportunity to remodel its civilian democracy based on the rule of law. But the way forward is narrow and fraught with difficulties
  • Parallel worlds at U.N. climate talks
    Parallel universe at UN climate talks
  • Sudan: Preparing for a peaceful southern secession
    Four years ago, the Sudanese people were promised a brighter future. A peace deal had finally ended the two-decades-long civil war between north and south, which killed more than two million people and devastated the south. But today, that bright future is looking decidedly tarnished, and Sudan is s ...

Ezra Klein

  • Obama: Republican filibustering "unheard of"
    And the concerns over the filibuster march on. In the last few weeks, we've heard from Andy Stern , Paul Krugman , Sen. Jeff Merkley , and Sen. Tom Harkin on the difficulty the Senate has functioning now that it's subject to a 60-vote supermajority requirement. Next up? One Barack Obama . "[A]s s ...
  • Tab dump
    1) Chris Hayes goes to China . 2) Things you should know about a person you should know about . 3) A summary of Copenhagen . 4) Berkshire's repellent shareholders . 5) Fallows on the filibuster . Recipe of the day : How to make 2 Amy's deviled eggs . I'll be on Olbermann tonight at the beginni ...
  • Conference vs. Ping-Pong
    Barring any last-minute surprises, health-care reform will pass the Senate early tomorrow morning. But as much as this feels like the end of the road, it isn't. The House and the Senate still need to settle the substantial differences between their bills and pass a common piece of legislation. They ...
  • Letters to health-care Santa: Federal exchanges
    Over the course of this week, I've asked health-care experts what they'd like Santa to add to the bill during conference committee, and publishing their responses on the blog. The final entry comes from Sara Rosenbaum, chair of the Department of Health Policy and Harold and Jane Hirsh Professor of H ...
  • Letters to health-care Santa: More payment reform ...
    Over the course of this week, I'll be asking some health-care experts what they'd like Santa to add to the bill during conference committee, and publishing their responses on the blog. This missive is from Gail Wilensky, who chaired MedPAC from 1997 to 2001 and administered the Health Care Financing ...

Booman Tribune

  • Froggy Bottom Cafe
    Santa bunny's comin' to town:
  • Time to Make a Polite Exit
    Bernie Sanders isn't a Democrat, he's an independent who caucuses with the Democrats in the Senate. He calls himself a socialist. According to Progressive Punch, he's the 12th most progressive member of the Upper Body. They rank him as first or tied for first on health care, opposing corporate su ...
  • Senate Passes Hurdle
    The Senate has passed the final 60-vote threshold prior to passing their version of the health care reform bill. There will be a vote on final passage tomorrow morning but that will only require 51 votes. Over the recess we'll be waiting for the House bill and the Senate bill to be reconciled in a ...
  • Health Care Strategy
    Well, lookee here: House Democrats insisted Tuesday they have no plans to roll over for the Senate in upcoming negotiations on a health reform bill, even as they acknowledged it would be all but impossible to reinsert a public insurance option or force the so-called millionaire's tax on the Senat ...
  • Serious Question
    I don't mean this seriously because the we didn't face an either/or situation. But I wonder what Obama's approval rating would be if his policies had done a lot more to create jobs and lesson the foreclosure crisis but the cost had been a slumping Dow Jones index. If, just theoretically, the unemp ...

European Tribune

Futurismic

  • Festive downtime
    Hi folks; just a quick note to apologise for the radio silence here over the last week! I’ve been off doing that family thing for the festive season alongside finishing up all the fiddly details of my recent house move (an experience I’m glad to have seen the end of), and there simply hasn’t been [. ...
  • The legislation of fabrication – should 3D printin ...
    Here’s another sf-nal thought experiment to keep your brain occupied. We frequently mention 3D printing and fabbing here at Futurismic, but usually in the context of its positive disruptive potential – a potential sea-change in capitalist economic systems, for example. But here’s a negative response ...
  • Potential outcomes of pervasive surveillance
    Sometimes it really feels like science-fictional thinking is becoming a much more mainstream thing to do. Following on from yesterday’s mention of CCTV control software that can learn to recognise suspicious behaviour (as defined by operator feedback, natch), out-bound BoingBoing guest blogger Paul ...
  • Mercurial cartography
    With the cold weather really digging in for those of us in the Northern hemisphere, you may well be thinking of taking a holiday somewhere hot. Courtesy the US Geological Survey, you can now scout out the lay of the land on the hottest destination in the entire solar system, as their near-global map ...
  • What Are The Animals Becoming?
    Since I went for things made of metal skins and electrical guts last month when I wrote about weird robots, I decided to opt for warm-blooded carbon-based life forms this time around – so welcome to the December column on smart animals! Now, we’re a dog family, and we have a golden retriever [. ...

Therapy News

  • High Pressure on Indian Students Linked to Rising ...
    A GoodTherapy.org News Headline Adolescents and young adults often face difficulties in living up to the expectations of their parents and older peers, but in some societies, this pressure is significantly increased. In India’s quickly developing economy, pressure to do well in school is becoming th ...
  • Mental Health Concerns Heat up in Professional Spo ...
    A GoodTherapy.org News Headline With the recent death of a major sports star and the arrest of another, both with links to mental health issues, concerns are being raised about inattention to such issues in the realm of professional sports. Though the pressures frequent high-stakes competition and i ...
  • Study Shows Care Management Helps Mental Health Cl ...
    A GoodTherapy.org News Summary While the psychological needs of mental health clients may be closely examined and worked upon within clinical settings, medical concerns are not always given equal treatment-–a problematic issue given that many people with mental health issues fail to attain proper me ...
  • Change Your Mind About Anxiety
    By Ernest S. Schmidt, LCSW Click here to contact Ernest and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile It is easy to forget that anxiety—a feeling of apprehension, uneasiness, or fear—is a normal human emotion. You might experience it as something physical, like sweating, trembling, or even nausea, or perha ...
  • British Foreign Service Pleads with China for Ment ...
    A GoodTherapy.org News Headline Accused of smuggling several kilos of heroin into a Chinese province, a small business owner from Britain was sentenced to death by the offended country in 2008, and despite several court cases and actions from advocacy groups, attempts to free the man have so far pro ...

Mountaintop Removal

  • Decade in Review: 2001 - Charleston Gazette
    Decade in Review: 2001 Charleston Gazette Wise called for a study to learn if mountaintop removal mining led to the devastating floods, after draft reports by the US Office of Surface Mining showed ... and more »
  • No New Coal Plants Started in 2009 - SustainableBu ...
    Foreign Policy No New Coal Plants Started in 2009 SustainableBusiness.com The Obama Administration has blocked most new permits to bury streams with waste as part of mountaintop removal mining operations, and is also increasing ... Rocky Year for Coal Industry: 26 Power Plant Plans Shelved in 2009 ...
  • West Virginia editorial roundup - Daily Mail - Cha ...
    WBOY-TV West Virginia editorial roundup Daily Mail - Charleston Robert Byrd issued a thunderbolt of a policy statement on coal, and on mountaintop removal mining in particular. The problem is, many wonder what his blast ... W.Va. Red: 'No one cares' what Sen. Byrd says Charleston Gazette (blog) al ...
  • Leading Climate Scientist James Hansen on Why He's ...
    Democracy Now Leading Climate Scientist James Hansen on Why He's Pleased the Copenhagen ... Democracy Now AMY GOODMAN: How many times have you been arrested protesting now the issue of coal and mountaintop removal ? JAMES HANSEN: A couple of times in West ... and more »
  • Rahall's 2010 campaign could be more difficult - H ...
    Rahall's 2010 campaign could be more difficult Huntington Herald Dispatch Nick J. Rahall's support of President Obama and the controversy over surface and mountaintop removal mining in West Virginia could make the congressman more ...

Memeorandum

  • McCain, GOP secretly courting another Dem to switc ...
    The Politico : McCain, GOP secretly courting another Dem to switch   —  Republicans are stepping up their efforts to persuade more House Democrats to switch parties and are zeroing in on a second-term Pennsylvanian who is not ruling out such a move.  —  Democratic Rep. Chris Carney received a phone ...
  • CNN Poll: More Americans think Democratic policies ...
    CNN : CNN Poll: More Americans think Democratic policies better than Republican   —  Washington (CNN) - Despite the bruising battle over their health care reform proposals, congressional Democrats have maintained an advantage over their Republican counterparts on one key measure, according to a new ...
  • Senate bill poised for Christmas Eve passage with ...
    Jeffrey Young / The Hill : Senate bill poised for Christmas Eve passage with 60-39 cloture vote   —  The Senate on Wednesday cleared the last procedural hurdle on landmark healthcare reform legislation and is positioned to pass the bill on Christmas Eve.  —  Democrats united against Republicans, vo ...
  • Jane Hamsher, Grover Norquist Call for Rahm Emanue ...
    Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake : Jane Hamsher, Grover Norquist Call for Rahm Emanuel's Resignation   —  Today, Grover Norquist and I are calling for an investigation into Rahm Emanuel's activities at Freddie Mac, and the White House's blocking of an Inspector General who would look into it.  The lette ...
  • For Their Next Trick . . . The latest example of ...
    John Fund / Wall Street Journal : For Their Next Trick . . .   The latest example of violating principles of transparency and accountability in the single-minded pursuit of legislative victory.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Look for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to ...

Energy & Environment News

5+ quakes - 7 days

  • M 5.4, Luzon, Philippines
    Monday, December 21, 2009 19:59:22 UTC Tuesday, December 22, 2009 03:59:22 AM at epicenter Depth : 10.00 km (6.21 mi)
  • M 5.2, Tonga
    Saturday, December 19, 2009 01:59:15 UTC Saturday, December 19, 2009 03:59:15 PM at epicenter Depth : 35.00 km (21.75 mi)
  • M 5.8, Mauritius - Reunion region
    Friday, December 18, 2009 07:33:00 UTC Friday, December 18, 2009 11:33:00 AM at epicenter Depth : 10.00 km (6.21 mi)
  • M 5.4, eastern New Guinea region, Papua New Guinea
    Thursday, December 24, 2009 05:05:32 UTC Thursday, December 24, 2009 03:05:32 PM at epicenter Depth : 104.00 km (64.62 mi)
  • M 6.3, Primor'ye, Russia
    Thursday, December 24, 2009 00:23:27 UTC Thursday, December 24, 2009 10:23:27 AM at epicenter Depth : 348.10 km (216.30 mi)

China Dialogue

  • Slideshow: eye on Mozambique (1)
    In the first section of a two-part slideshow about environmental concerns in the southeast African nation, Daniel Ribeiro introduces deforestation, water and energy issues. NEXT: Sorting the rubbish in Mozambique
  • Solving the incinerator uproar
    China faces difficult decisions over waste disposal, as local residents vent their opposition to garbage-burning plants. Ma Jun suggests a way forward. China has seen fierce debate over the building of garbage incinerators in recent months. City authorities believe increasing quantities of urban was ...
  • Down to the wire
    chinadialogue follows the climate talks as they reach their conclusion. Read the full text of the Chinese premier’s speech, breaking news, blogs and analysis. chinadialogue is blogging the climate talks from Copenhagen on "the daily planet". Click here to read the full text of the Chinese premier’s ...
  • To seal a deal, we need justice
    An agreement seems beyond reach at Copenhagen. Ma Jun blames an inability to balance the need for efficiency with the principle of equity. Climate change is one of the most complex challenges that faces the world today. The fact that international society has come together to negotiate a plan to red ...
  • A political ill wind blows
    Governments meeting in Copenhagen have taken the wrong approach to climate change, says Tim Harford. They should be working to increase the price that polluters pay for emissions. My sunny disposition wavered as the Copenhagen summit on climate change approached. I believe that the governments of th ...

AlterNet Top Stories

Threat Level

  • Former Morgan Stanley Coder Gets 2 Years in Prison ...
    The two great friends talked every day and shared information about all of their exploits — sexual, narcotic and hacking — according to prosecutors. Now another thing they’ll have to share information about is their experience in federal prison. While accused TJX hacker kingpin Albert Gonzalez await ...
  • Obama Appoints Former Microsoft Security Chief New ...
    It took seven months but President Obama has finally found someone to take the cybersecurity czar job no one wanted. Howard Schmidt,  a former Microsoft security executive and a one-time cybersecurity adviser to President George W. Bush, has been appointed to the position of cybersecurity coordinat ...
  • 7-Eleven Hack From Russia Led to ATM Looting in Ne ...
    Flashback, early 2008. Citibank officials are witnessing a huge spike in fraudulent withdrawals from New York area ATMs — $180,000 is stolen from cash machines on the Upper East Side in just three days.  After a stakeout, police arrest one man walking out of a bank with thousands of dollars in cas ...
  • Albert Gonzalez Enters Plea Agreement in Heartland ...
    Albert Gonzalez, who has admitted hacking into TJX and other companies, has filed a plea agreement in charges that he breached Heartland Payment Systems, Hannaford, 7-Eleven and two other companies. Under the terms of the agreement, Gonzalez, a former Secret Service informant, will plead guilty to ...
  • TJX Hacker ‘Will Never Commit Any Crime Again’
    Confessed hacker Albert Gonzalez’s turn as a Secret Service informant led him down a dark path of obsession, culminating in the largest identity-theft spree in history. Frances Gonzalez Lago, Gonzalez’s sister wrote his sentencing judge that her brother’s work as an informant between 2003 and and 2 ...

Reuters - Most Popular Articles

Pine River World News

  • Paul Craig Roberts: Americans Are Hell-Bent on Tyr ...
    The following column is reprinted with permission from Paul Craig Roberts. Americans Are Hell-Bent on Tyranny ©  Paul Craig Roberts December 22, 2009 Obama's dwindling band of true believers has taken heart that their man has finally delivered on one of his many promises - the closing of the Guant ...
  • U.S. Drones Hacked in Iraq Deliberately: Pentagon ...
    The following commentary is reprinted with permission from Pravda, Moscow. U.S. Drones Hacked in Iraq Deliberately: Pentagon Needs More Cash ©   Pravda.ru By Sergey Balmasov December 21, 2009 Iraqi gunmen have learned to intercept secret data from U.S. intelligence and use them in their purposes. ...
  • Why a Strong U.S. Dollar Foreshadows Economic Doom ...
    The following column is reprinted with permission from Stanislav Mishin. Why a Strong U.S. Dollar Foreshadows Economic Doom in 2010 ©  Stanislav Mishin Source:   Mat Rodina December 21, 2009 Normally, in what passes for orthodox economics, a strong currency for a consumer nation is a good thing, a ...
  • Afghanistan: The Perfect Storm of Drugs and Terror ...
    The following commentary is reprinted with permission from Pravda, Moscow. Afghanistan:  The Perfect Storm of Drugs and Terrorism ©   Pravda.ru By Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey December 20, 2009 So far the war in Afghanistan has cost 234,384,981,000 dollars, rising by approximately one thousand USD a s ...
  • Eva Golinger: U.S. Military Aggression against Ven ...
    [The following article is reprinted with permission from Eva Golinger. She is the author of "The Chávez Code: Cracking U.S. Intervention in Venezuela" (2006 Olive Branch Press) and "Bush vs. Chávez: Washington's War on Venezuela" (2007, Monthly Review Press).] U.S. Military Aggression against Venezuela ...

    PDA AMERICA

  • Christmas and Copenhagen
    By Ted Glick | From Future Hope column, December 21, 2009 The huge—and hugely disappointing, as far as the official results—Copenhagen world climate conference has just concluded. Since the worldwide celebrations of the birth of Jesus ...
  • Tiny Tim and health care reform in U.S.
    By Breck England | The Salt Lake Tribune The views expressed in this article not necessarily the views of Progressive Democrats of America. The most popular movie this holiday season is about health care reform. “A Christmas Carol” ...
  • The Health Care Bill Sucks–and What to Do About It
    Cross-posted from Fire Dog Lake The public option was always a fig leaf. Thus, its demise will not really change the fundamental nature of the health care bill, in my opinion. It merely pushes the bill ...
  • Payoffs for states get Reid to 60
    From the Politico.com Ben Nelson’s “Cornhusker Kickback,” as the GOP is calling it, got all the attention Saturday, but other senators lined up for deals as Majority Leader Harry Reid corralled the last few votes for ...
  • PDA South & East Regional Call
    PDA members, long term and new, shared news about actions and campaigns in their states. Strategies for actions around Healthcare NOT Warfare—especially the upcoming Brown Bag Lunch Vigils—dominated the discussion, as well as possibilities for ...

Marler Blog

  • Science and Eggnog, Raw Eggs and Alcohol - can a f ...
    A follower over on Twitter sent me this video.  Perhaps science can make Eggnog safe? Or, at least the alcohol will.  I wonder what would have happened if the milk used in the recipe was raw?
  • Food Safety Nice List Follows Yesterday's Naughty ...
    Food Safety News , the web-based newspaper that covers all things food safety, today released the second part of its 2009 Food Safety Naughty and Nice list. The web-based newspaper’s “Naughty” list was published yesterday and included food safety missteps, missed opportunities, and downright dirty d ...
  • Food Safety News Naughty List 2009
    After much thought and consideration, here is the Food Safety News Naughty list for 2009 :

 Stewart Parnell, President of Peanut Corporation of America, for asking for nearly $1 million from his bankrupt business for his own criminal defense fund after shipping peanuts his own tests showed were con ...
  • 2009's Top Ten Food Safety Stories Coming to Food ...
    Like my Santa's Naughty and Nice List, I asked the folks at Food Safety News to wade through the top food safety stories from 2009.  They will go up just after Christmas.  Here was my Top 10 (err, 9) from 2008: 1. Melamine in Chinese food products – where to start? With the kids, of course. We first ...
  • Food Safety Naughty and Nice List at Food Safety N ...
    Well, it is that time of the year again, but this year I turned over the responsibility of putting together Santa's list to my friends over at Food Safety News .  Apparently, the list became so long that it is being divided into two lists - one naughty and one nice.  The naughty one will run Wednesd ...

AutoblogGreen

  • AutoblogGreen for 12.24.09
    Forget the Tata Nano, Oklahomans can get a new electric car for $865! Who wants one? No new U.S. coal plants in 2009; does this mean a cleaner future for electric cars? Good news, maybe. ...
  • AutoblogGreen for 12.23.09
    Considering the crazy: will $30 barrels of oil come back? At least one person writing on the Internet thinks so. Can Ford beat the Chevy Volt two years later with a cheaper PHEV? A little bit ...
  • AutoblogGreen for 12.22.09
    Better Place's Renault Fluence EV to sell for under $20,000 Could be quite the bargain. Free Electric Car! Read the fine print. ...
  • AutoblogGreen for 12.21.09
    Zombie meme alert: electric cars cause cancer Or so they say. Coda shares low-life battery plan You have 15 miles left on your charge. This is how your car will react. ...
  • AutoblogGreen for 12.18.09
    Video: Watch the Volt battery go shake-shake-shake Rumble, rumble. Ford sends 10 Focus fuel cell vehicles to Iceland for continued testing These cars are getting a work out. ...

Rafe's Radar

Camera Obscura

  • Pathos and pathology: the cinema of Todd Haynes.
    http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-126935025/pathos-and-pathology-cinema.html September 1, 2004... Because infinity--for the eye--begins just a few meters away from the retina.... --Roger Caillois, "The Image" There are at least two shots in Todd Haynes's work that recur so frequ ...
  • The incredible shrinking star: Todd Haynes and the ...
    http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-126935026/incredible-shrinking-star-todd.html September 1, 2004... Critics have consistently characterized the films of Todd Haynes within the terms of what B. Ruby Rich described in 1992 as the "new queer cinema"--films whose style displayed traces of ...
  • Written on the screen: mediation and immersion in ...
    http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-126935031/written-screen-mediation-and.html September 1, 2004... Recently, while engaging in one of my favorite forms of procrastination--using my computer to search for mid-century modern bargains on eBay rather than using it to engage in more rigorous ...
  • Traumatic postmodern histories: Velvet Goldmine's ...
    http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-126935030/traumatic-postmodern-histories-velvet.html September 1, 2004... If modernity was characterized by and imagined itself in terms of a particular awareness of time and history--the unfolding of social, political, and technological projects of pro ...
  • Dangerous spaces: Safe.
    http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-126935029/dangerous-spaces-safe.html September 1, 2004... For me, the problem is always in content; we want to define the perspective of a film solely through its content, and not through its form. --Todd Haynes No matter how much we desire, wit ...

Democracy Now!

  • Take Me to Your Climate Leader
    COPENHAGEN—“Politicians talk, leaders act” read the sign outside the Bella Center in Copenhagen on the opening day of the United Nations climate summit. Inside the convention center, the official delegations from 192 countries, hundreds of NGOs (nongovernmental organizations)—an estimated 15,000 pe ...
  • TARIQ ALI: “Obama’s Afghan-Pak Syndrom ...
    Tariq Ali is author of more than 20 books, including history, politics, and fiction. His most recent books are Protocols of the Elders of Sodom (2009) and The Duel: Pakistan on the Flight Path of American Power (2008). He is a regular contributor to The Guardian, New Left Review, and the London Rev ...
  • The Globe and Mail: Amy Goodman's border woes has ...
    The Globe and Mail: Canada Border Services Agency won’t comment on why the host of the widely syndicated radio and TV program Democracy Now had her speech checked at border Read more
  • Vancouver Observer: Amy Goodman Gets Brilliant Sto ...
    Read the Vancouver Observer article about Amy Goodman’s detention at the Canadian border: “Well, it’s official. Suspicion of criticizing the 2010 Olympics gets you on a watch list at the Canadian border. Want to come to Canada and discuss the environmental shame that is the tar sands? Go ahead. W ...
  • Tavis Smiley interviews Amy Goodman
    Check out Tavis Smiley’s interview with Amy Goodman Watch / Listen / Read transcript

Farming Pathogens

  • We Are All Astronauts Now
    Five years ago I gave copies of this essay to a few friends and family as a year-end holiday gift. As a first stab I think it’s aged well, despite its ignorance of the work of Berger, Harvey, Reichenbach, among others. I offer it now to everyone else in a similar spirit–all in good fun, [...]
  • Pigs Do Fly! Implications for Influenza
    The influenza genome is segmented. Eight pieces of single-stranded RNA encode for 11 proteins: PB2, PB1, PB1-F2, PA, HA, NP, NA, M1, M2, NS1, and NS2. The segmentation allows influenza of different subtypes infecting the same host to trade segments like card players on a Friday night. Most of the re ...
  • Breeding Influenza: The Political Virology of Offs ...
    What better way to medicate against a holiday’s genocidal origins and the hunger now swelling worldwide in the wake of a related banker-brought recession than with a bellyful of turkey, stuffing, yams, and pumpkin pie? Despite its rotten ambiguities Thanksgiving remains my favorite American holiday. ...
  • A Visitation of the Influenza
    In seeping through the world’s every nook and cranny, pandemics have a way of forcing themselves into our lives as a lurking presence. Even the most insular of functionaries, who typically makes his living solving problems by ignoring them, straightens up and takes notice.    As an epidemic wave a ...
  • I Do Like Green Eggs and Ham
    Much of what we’ve addressed on this blog has focused on the epidemiological failures of industrial farming. But what of the alternatives? Can we farm in another way? Is another world possible?    It’s only since I’ve moved to the Midwest that I’ve learned that not only is that world possible, it’ ...

Digg Green

Invisible Opportunity

  • Advisers on Vaccines Often Have Conflicts, Report ...
    A new report finds that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did a poor job of screening medical experts for financial conflicts when it hired them to advise the agency on vaccine safety, officials said Thursday. Most of the experts who served on advisory panels in 2007 to evaluate vaccine ...
  • Former head of CDC lands lucrative job as presiden ...
    By Mike Adams You’ve heard it before, how the pharmaceutical industry has a giant “revolving door” through which corporations and government agencies frequently exchange key employees. That reality was driven home in a huge way today when news broke that Dr. Julie Gerberding, who headed the CDC from ...
  • The Climategate code
    By Thomas Fuller Now, as computer scientists and programmers have had more time to analyse the code as well as the comments, programming errors that would change calculations or even cause the program to skip data are coming to light. John Graham-Cumming is one of the software engineers doing this a ...
  • So what’s cooking: is it the planet, or just the e ...
    By Mark Aveyard I am not strongly committed to any position on global warming, except the position that science ultimately must serve truth above politics. I am more sceptical about the man-made component of the theory than the question of warming by itself. The public form of this debate carries li ...
  • More CO2 in the atmosphere leads to accelerated gr ...
    By Mike Adams Scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Minnesota at Morris have found that increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide have led to the rapid growth of certain tree species. The quaking aspen, a popular North America deciduous tree, has seen a 50 pe ...

    Insurgency Watch - Posts

  • InsurgencyWatch moving to True/Slant
    In the coming days, InsurgencyWatch will be moving to True/Slant, “an original content news network tailored to both the ‘Entrepreneurial Journalist’ and marketers who want a more effective way to engage with digital audiences.” (That’s what the official about page says.) It’s not a decision I’ve ma ...
  • Kerry-Lugar’s First Victim
    If true, this is total bullshit: After strong criticism on the Kerry-Lugar bill in Pakistan, the government has decided to replace Pakistan’s ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani and the announcement in this respect is expected within the next two days. There’s nothing in the bill reasonable Pakist ...
  • Pakistan’s Civil War Heating Up
    In the aftermath of this weekend’s assault on the Pakistani General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, the Taliban hit again in Alpuri, in the Shangla district east of Mingora in Swat. According to military sources who asked to remain anonymous because they weren’t authorized to talk to the press, a 13- or ...
  • At Home with a Swat Lashkar
    I just finished up a few days in Swat and while I’m working on a story about it, I thought you might like to see a few pictures I took while there. Enjoy. Share/Save
  • FACTBOX: Uzbek militant leader killed in Pakistan ...
    Washington PostFACTBOX: Uzbek militant leader killed in PakistanReutersBy this time he is thought to have fled the region for the safe haven of Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. * Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and Taliban leader ...Pakistan to Target Taliba...

AlterNet - DrugReporter

Twilight Earth

  • 22 Year Old Katie Spotz to Row Across the Atlantic ...
    22 year old Katie Spotz raising awareness of the global problem of lack of access to clean drinking water, by rowing across the Atlantic Ocean. Related posts: EPA Finds Hydraulic Fracturing Contaminates Drinking Water Wells U.S. EPA Invokes Clean Water Act to Evaluate Ocean Acidification EPA OK’s ...
  • Twilight Earths Top 10 Articles of 2009
    What were the 10 hottest and most read articles of 2009? Twilight Earth counts them down. Related posts: Top 10 Green Articles on Twilight Earth for 2008 NOAA Sued Over Lack of Ribbon Seal Protection Strategic Threat to the Earths Water System – Deforestation
  • Photo Sunday: Winter Wonderland – East Coast Blizz ...
    In what will be forever known as the "East Coast Blizzard of 09", the northern east coast got over 20 inches of snow in 24 hours. Related posts: Photo Sunday – Haystack Rock, Oregon Coast Photo Sunday – Sunday Morning Coming Down. A Tribute to Everytown USA Photo Sunday-The Appalachian Trails 100 ...
  • What to Read and Watch on the Last Day of Cop15
    What to read and watch on the last day of Cop15, as the press encamps for a long wait. Related posts: Cop15 Clip Reel Videos – Watch Them Here Before they Go to Copenhagen Fair Trade Chocolate at Keeps a Diplomat Happy – Report from Cop15 Twilight Earth Exclusive Cop15 Video – China Youth in Cop ...
  • One Question for the World (Video)
    On the streets of Copenhagen, we asked 20 people from around the world one simple question and got very different answers... Related posts: Climate Protest in Copenhagen – Video Spains Exhibit in Copenhagen Invites Citizens to Record Messages About Climate Change Cop15 – On The Streets – Day One ...

Inhabitat

  • Enter Our Holiday Caption Contest and Win a $50 iT ...
    In the spirit of the holidays, we’re giving away a $50 iTunes gift card to the person who comes up with the best caption for this rather inspiring pic of a Christmas tree made out of 1,000 beer bottles. Just head over to Lifescoop and comment with the wittiest caption you can think of to [...]
  • CAT FOOD JEWELRY: Recycle A Cat-Food Can Into a Ri ...
    If you’re a cat parent, you probably know all about the mountainous pile of catfood that feline friends can go through in a week. Well instead of trashing your catfood cans, why not upcycle all that shiny metal into cool DIY rings? Check out our step-by-step guide at Ecouterre to see how! READ MORE ...
  • Themes, Memes and Dreams in a Decade of Architectu ...
    The blogs are full of “best of the year” lists, but architecture moves more slowly – it takes a long time for ideas to get built, technologies to evolve and for knowledge to spread. Instead, we look at the themes and memes of the past decade of architecture in TreeHugger. From the rise of modern [.. ...
  • Wind Turbine Transformed Into World’s Largest Revo ...
    What Christmas is complete without a giant spinning illuminated star? This one is the largest in the world and just happens to be made up of LED lights, allowing it to use the same amount of energy as a common hairdryer! The revolving LED superstar was designed and built by Siemens and is currently ...
  • Fuseproject and One Laptop Per Child Unveil $75 Ta ...
    One Laptop Per Child and legendary designer Yves Behar have just unveiled the XO-3, an affordable next-gen tablet pc for kids! The third generation OLPC is made completely from plastic and is semi-flexible to make it more durable for children’s rough & tumble lives. Yves Behar’s Fuseproject is curre ...

Pogue's Posts

Open Your Eyes News

  • Clashes at Montazeri ceremony, Iran opposition say ...
    BBC – Iranian security forces have clashed with crowds of opposition supporters in the city of Isfahan, according to opposition website reports. Activists said police used tear gas and batons to disperse people gathering to commemorate Grand Ayatollah Hoseyn Ali Montazeri, who died at the weekend. R ...
  • Soil Studies Reveal Rise in Antibiotic Resistance
    ScienceDaily — Antibiotic resistance in the natural environment is rising despite tighter controls over our use of antibiotics in medicine and agriculture, Newcastle University scientists have found. Bacterial DNA extracted from soil samples collected between 1940 and 2008 has revealed a rise in b ...
  • Guantanamo prison may have to stay open until 2011
    AP — President Barack Obama’s commitment to close the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by next month may be delayed until 2011 because it will take months for the government to buy an Illinois prison and upgrade it to hold suspected terrorists. The drawn-out construction timetable show ...
  • Female cleaners (and scientists?) ‘at greater risk ...
    Daily Telegraph – Female cleaners and scientists are at greater risk of having a baby with birth defects than those in other jobs, a new study suggests. The findings were published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Read Article Ed. – Commonsense tells us that cleaners would be ...
  • Osama bin Laden’s family missing since 9/11 attack ...
    Daily Mail – Eight years of uncertainty over the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden’s closest family members has been blown open by a relative’s admission that they are living in a secret compound in Iran. One of the terror mastermind’s wives, six of his children and 11 of his grandchildren are living i ...

Monkey Smashes Heaven

  • RAIM-Seattle on the recent WTO 10 year anniversary
    RAIM-Seattle on the recent WTO 10 year anniversary (raims.wordpress.com) The imperialist media hype around the recent slayings of police (the enforcers of empire) in the Seattle and Lakewood, and the predictable show of support for the kkkops by the general cracker population, overlaps the ten year ...
  • RAIM: In India, Forests Grow with Naxalite People’ ...
    In India, Forests Grow with Naxalite People’s War (raimd.wordpress.com) A new report has stunned and embarrassed imperialism and Indian compradors: forests are growing in tribal areas controlled by Naxalites, India’s Maoist-inspired revolutionaries. Some of the districts in which the Naxalites are ...
  • Zionist Ghouls harvest the bodies of their Arab vi ...
    Zionist Ghouls harvest the bodies of their Arab victims. (monkeysmashesheaven.wordporess.com) Even the most hardened anti-imperialists can be shocked once in a while by the brutality of the Zionist regime. Israel has now admitted to harvesting organs from Palestinians without the permission of thei ...
  • People honor Stalin around the world on the day of ...
    People honor Stalin around the world on the day of his birth (monkeysmashesheaven.wordpress.com) December 21st is observed as the 130 anniversary of Stalin’s birth. Across the ex-Soviet Union, people gathered to honor his role as a great proletarian leader. In Moscow, at the Kremlin, wall flowers w ...
  • Venezuela, Bolivia, Iran, Africans denounce US and ...
    Venezuela, Bolivia, Iran, Africans denounce US and other First World countries at Copenhagen (monkeysmashesheaven.wordpress.com) World leaders are meeting at a United Nations conference in Copenhagen to discuss the problem of climate change. The conference has caused widespread demonstrations in th ...

PakAlert

  • PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATIONS: Close Down GEO TV and Ev ...
    Honestly, if you don’t watch GEO Television aka Jew TV, everything seems so routine and normal in the country and you don’t get bouts of frustration and agony and you don’t shudder that Pakistan will be no more in coming some weeks or the country won’t be engulfed in the civil war and we will [...] ...
  • 2010 Food Crisis for Dummies – Are We Ready?
    There is no precedence for the panic and chaos will occur next year. The global food supply/demand picture has NEVER been so out of balance. The 2010 food crisis will rearrange economic, financial, and political order of the world, and those who aren’t prepared will suffer terrible losses… by Eric d ...
  • Stunning Statistics About the War Every American S ...
    Contrary to popular belief, the US actually has 189,000 personnel on the ground in Afghanistan right now—and that number is quickly rising. By Jeremy Scahill A hearing in Sen. Claire McCaskill’s Contract Oversight subcommittee on contracting in Afghanistan has highlighted some important statistics ...
  • Russia, NATO, Afghanistan – High Stakes Great Game
    What did Medvedev have up his sleeve when he welcomed Obama’s new surge in Afghanistan, wonders Eric Walberg By Eric Walberg US President Barack Obama’s now expanding war against the Taliban is garnering support from liberals and neocons alike, from leaders around the world, even from Russia. “We ...
  • Video: Gog and Magog in the Modern Age – by Imran ...
    An Islamic View of Gog and Magog in the Modern Age By Imran N. Hosein I began my study of Gog and Magog more than fifteen years ago in the early 90’s while resident in New York. My subsequent public lectures on the subject never failed to provoke keen interest from my Muslim audiences in se ...

ecogeek

  • 10 Most Popular Stories of 2009
    2010 is quickly approaching and we can only hope that it holds even more innovations that will benefit the world we live in.  As we move forward, here's a look back at the stories you clicked on most during the past year.  From gadgets to urine fuel, these are the top ten. 10.  Power-Generating Sho ...
  • Map of Countries' Emissions, Pledges
    The AP Climate Pool kept us well informed over the course of the COP15 negotiations.  Part of that great coverage is contained in this interactive map of the participating nations' current emissions and the reductions they've pledged to make. You can find plenty of articles analyzing what was accom ...
  • NASA Unveils Amazing GHG Models
    NASA's Aqua spacecraft has been taking daily CO2 measurements with its Atmospheric Infrared Sounder instrument (AIRS) for the past seven years and now all that information gathering has led to beautiful and frightening maps and models of the concentration and movement of greenhouse gases in ou ...
  • OK Residents Can Buy an Electric Car for Less than ...
    If you live in Oklahoma, you have until December 31, 2009 to buy an electric car for about $900.  Through a combination of federal and state tax credits, the Kandi Coco drops from its retail price of $10,600 to a cool $865.  The federal tax credit amounts to $4,435 while the state is offering a 50 ...
  • EcoGeek Q&A: Graciela Chichilnisky
    Graciela Chichilnisky was extensively involved in the creation of the Kyoto Protocol, designing the global carbon market that became international law in 2005.  She has been a lead author of the IPCC and is a professor of economics and mathematical statistics at Columbia University. She's written a ...

Times Online - Science

Environment _ National Geographic

drinking liberally in new milford ( with beersphere feeds )

  • Do they know it's Christmas time?
    We grabbed a card off of one of those Christmas "Wish Trees" for a local homeless shelter when I took the boys out to get their hair cuts the other day. It was from a 10 year old girl living in the shelter. What was she asking for? "Home Essentials" Ya know: Tooth brush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo ...
  • Who the heck is Barry Cafero?
    Via ctblogger : I know it's early to be making this call but I'm almost certain no one topping this comment today: It's ok that Larry Cafero doesn't know my name. Over the course of the next year, he'll quickly realize that Connecticut voters don't know his, either. -Connecticut Democratic Party C ...
  • Monday Morning Peak
    Image Taken From National Geographic Forget about Wednesday being hump day this week. The peak was already hit this morning, if you are among today's sleepy heads that stayed up to watch the Gemenids meteor showers : Coming fast on the heels of its more famous cousin the Leonid meteor shower —which ...
  • Jon Stewart on Healthcare
    The Daily Show's Jon Stewart takes a look at the healthcare successes of the Democrats: The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c Democratic Super Majority www.thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Ron Paul Interview (h/t GottaLaff :)
  • Score One For The Working Families Party in NYC
    Score two, actually... Via The Gotham Gazette, The Working Families Party , a political party that has made significant contributions to Connecticut's political landscape, has taken over New York city : Both Liu and de Blasio had the endorsement of the Working Families Party , yesterday and in th ...

SPL Center

  • Lew Rockwell’s Website Warns of Coming U.S. Civil ...
    You thought President Obama had his hands full sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan? That’s small potatoes compared to the other big military plan on his agenda: returning 200,000 troops from other countries to the U. S. Northern Command in preparation for an imminent civil war at home. At leas ...
  • Judge Denies Scott Roeder’s “Necessity ...
    A Wichita, Kan., judge has denied Scott Roeder’s bid to use a “necessity defense” when he is tried for the murder of late-term abortion provider, Dr. George Tiller. Sedgwick County Judge Warren Wilbert pointed out Tuesday that the Kansas Supreme Court ruled in a previous case regarding blocking an e ...
  • Pacifica Forum Speaker Celebrates National Sociali ...
    The speaker blamed “Jewish lies” for the Iraq War, praised the swastika as a symbol of white people, showed a neo-Nazi propaganda video, and led several audience members in an enthusiastic Nazi salute. No, this wasn’t an assembly of America’s largest neo-Nazi organization, the National Socialist Mov ...
  • Potential Jurors Being Interviewed for the Bill Wh ...
    ROANOKE, VA. — After sitting through his own threat trial in Brooklyn, hate blogger Hal Turner may find himself back in a federal courtroom sooner than expected — this time as a witness in a similar case. Turner was on the list of dozens of potential witnesses that a government prosecutor read durin ...
  • Uganda’s Harsh Anti-Gay Legislation Has Amer ...
    While activists around the world criticize pending legislation in Uganda they call the “kill the gays” bill, some Americans are being outed for their connections to those involved in the proposed statute. The latest is Richard Cohen, who claims he has successfully counseled thousands of gays to beco ...

change: org.

  • Health Reform: 5 Year Waiting Period for Legal Imm ...
    The Senate might have adopted stringent verification regimes to bar undocumented immigrants from accessing health care even with their own money, but legal immigrants have won a concession that would allow them to access tax affordability credits without a waiting period. For several weeks, Senator ...
  • Church Sells Window to Keep Shelter Doors Open
    A small church in Brattleboro, Vermont is learning the hard way that desperate times call for desperate measures. With fledgling funds, the congregation faced a difficult decision: cut off services to the homeless, or sell an invaluable piece of church history? ABC News reported last night that memb ...
  • NYC Charity Fraud Ordered Off Streets
    Following months of "investigation," and years of expose', United Homeless Organization has  finally been ordered to remove its sidewalk donation tables from the streets of New York City. State Supreme Court justice in Manhattan, Hon. Barbara R. Kapnick, granted the injunction at behest of state’s a ...
  • Idea of Learning Styles in Education Further Derid ...
    The evidence continues to pour in that the idea of learning styles is wrong, and with money spent ensuring education is delivered in a variety of ways, there are savings to made if their conclusions are true. We heard it in September from a cognitive scientist who explained that lessons 'click' with ...
  • 2009 Most Wanted List: Burma
    The repressive policies of Burma's brutal military junta earned the country its place on the 2009 Most Wanted List of governments responsible for crimes against humanity. The regime has successfully maintained its firm control on Burmese society despite events over the past two years that many predi ...

Common Dreams -News

  • Plants and Animals Race for Survival as Climate Ch ...
    by David Adam Global warming creeps across the world at a speed of a quarter of a mile each year, according to a new study that highlights the problems that rising temperatures pose to plants and animals. Species that can tolerate only a narrow range of temperatures will need to move as quickly if t ...
  • The Rational Case For 'Kill The Bill'
    by Jason Linkins Over the past week, the media has trained its myopic eye on those in the progressive community who, having seen that the health care reform plan emerging from the legislative process will fall well short of providing all Americans with affordable health care, are urging that the bil ...
  • Guantanamo 'Hell on Earth', says Somali Detainee
    HARGEISA, Somalia - A Somali just home from eight years in the US jail at Guantanamo Bay told AFP the prison was "hell on Earth", and alleged torture there had scarred some of his fellow inmates. Mohamed Saleban Bare, who arrived in his hometown of Hargeisa on Saturday, said he was innocent of any c ...
  • Nation’s Largest RN Organization Says Healthcare B ...
    by National Nurses United The 150,000 member National Nurses United, the nation's largest union and professional organization of registered nurses in the U.S., today criticized the healthcare bill now advancing in the U.S. Senate saying it is deeply flawed and grants too much power to the giant insu ...
  • Broken Promises Follow Tennessee Coal Ash Disaster
    by Sue Sturgis It was one year ago today that a 60-foot-tall dam broke at holding pond at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston power plant in Roane County, Tenn., dumping more than a billion gallons of toxic coal ash onto a nearby community and into the Clinch and Emory rivers. read more

Lifehacker

  • Songbird 1.4.2 Released, Brings New Look, CD Ripp ...
    Windows/Mac/Linux: Previously mentioned Songbird, the open source, Mozilla-powered, supposedly iTunes-killing media player has updated to 1.4.2, bringing a host of new features, including AAC metadata support, a new feather (skin), CD ripping, and support for many mass storage devices. Apart from th ...
  • RunPee Adds Offline Alerts for Timed Movie Bathro ...
    iPhone/iPod touch: We thought RunPee was a clever site and iPhone app that picks dull movie moments for bathroom breaks. The iPhone app can now store your chosen movies for offline use, and quietly vibrate an alert at break times. Those two updates were coded in response to user requests for actuall ...
  • VLC Team Working on a Cross-Platform Video Editor ...
    A decent video editing tool that's not exclusive to Macs—it's something a lot of us have been asking and hoping for. The team behind Lifehacker favorite VLC Media Player is working on one, and it's a promising prospect. At the moment, the software exists only as a working github repository , but the ...
  • Score Free Wi-Fi During Your Holiday Travels by K ...
    If you're traveling for the holidays you don't need to forgo internet access or pay high fees for it. Know the lay of the land and score some free wi-fi. Over at the computer magazine PC World they've put together a list of nationwide franchises and stores that offer Wi-Fi access. They also detail w ...
  • Enable Check Box Selection in Windows 7 [Windows ...
    The control and shift keys have long been the imprecise means of selecting multiple items on a Windows system. The How-To Geek's blog away from Lifehacker reminds us that, as with Vista, Windows 7 users can use check boxes instead. As always, the How-To Geek's site has an extensive, step-by-step scr ...

Newshoggers - AfPak

  • Yet Another Picture of the Week Plus A Rant
    Commentary By Ron Beasley Blue Monday - Click on Picture for larger image. My partner here at Hoggers, John Ballard, sent me this link to a piece by Robert Parry: Why Obama Is Failing. Faced with a dire financial crisis and two foreign wars – not to mention a host of long-festering problems like hea ...
  • Clinton II
    Commentary By Ron Beasley With apologies to Pastor Niemöller: First they came for the banksters, and showered them with money and put them in the Administration in a way that was not change we could believe in. Then they came for the military industrial complex, and sent more and more of our childre ...
  • Contemplation of Drone Strikes in Quetta Belies Ob ...
    By Derrick Crowe Once again, the United States is rattling a saber about killing people in Quetta, despite all the inevitable civilian death and mass outrage. Such a move would show the shallowness of the "just war" talk in President Obama's disgraceful Nobel paean to Mars. Quetta is a city of 850,0 ...
  • "Flooding The Zone" - How McChrystal Bulldozed Oba ...
    By Steve Hynd The best piece you're likley to read on how the Obama administration came to the decision to surge 40,000 extra US and allied troops in Afghanistan is by Mark Perry, writing for the Asia Times (h/t Russ Wellen). Unlike the stenographed versions in the Washington Post or New York Times, ...
  • Great Losers
    By Dave Anderson: The Security Crank points out claims that a significant portion of the entire Chechan population is supposedly in Warizistan: At some point, this kind of thing moves beyond parody. According to the reports Haji Akbar Ali Mehsud, a 55-year-old resident of Zinda village in District S ...

Water Wars

WordPress | Economics

Electronic Intifada

  • Gaza march puts spotlight on ongoing siege
    UNITED NATIONS (IPS) - More than 50,000 people are expected to take to the streets of Gaza on 31 December for a mass march designed to send a message to the United States, a key supporter of Israel's ...
  • Why I want to march in Gaza
    On 29 December, I will attempt to cross into the Gaza Strip along with 1,300 other peace and justice activists from 43 countries. Some of us have traveled to Gaza previously. It will be my third visit ...
  • Palestinians celebrate Arab film at Gaza festival
    Last Thursday marked the end of a one-week film festival in Gaza City. The Palestinian Film Forum, an independent Palestinian community organization, sponsored the event with 33 films produced in six ...
  • Humanitarian, rights orgs. decry "international co ...
    The international community has betrayed the people of Gaza by failing to back their words with effective action to secure the ending of the Israeli blockade which is preventing reconstruction ...
  • Palestinian refugees in Jordan stuck in a no man's ...
    AMMAN (IPS) - According to the records of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), Jordan is home to 1.9 million displaced Palestinians. "Jordan hosts about 42 percent of the total refugee ...

CS Monitor - News

  • podcast091204
    Fewer US jobs lost in November and impact on economy.
  • October 16, 2009
    The UN Human Rights Council votes to adopt the Goldstone Report on Israel's military incursion into Gaza.
  • October 19, 2009
    Saudi Arabia is wary of terrorists, especially from neighboring states.
  • October 20, 2009
    How some TV insiders view parents and children on reality television.
  • October 21, 2009
    How African Anglicans might respond to the Vatican's offer.

The Wonk Room

  • Republicans Lead A Revolt Against 10 Percent Tax O ...
    Sen. Harry Reid’s (D-NV) decision to replace the so-called Botox-tax in the Senate health care bill with a 10 percent levy on indoor tanning salons has sparked quite the outrage. Republican lawmakers, appalled at the idea of using spray tans to maintain those artificial orange glows for the C-SPAN c ...
  • The Mullahs Versus ‘The Mullahs’
    Here’s an easy way to tell where someone stands on the Iran question: If they constantly refer to “the mullahs” (religious leaders) who rule Iran, then you’re most likely dealing with someone who is disdainful of U.S.-Iran engagement, who thinks that the only problem with the Bush administration’s ...
  • Reporter Discloses List Of 186 Secret Immigrant De ...
    According to a report published by Jacqueline Stevens in this week’s The Nation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is confining an unknown number of people in 186 secret, unmarked, and unlisted subfield offices. Since the subfield offices are designed to hold detainees in transit, they ...
  • 11 Ideas For Improving The Health Bill In Conferen ...
    On Monday, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) warned warned the House and Senate conference committee against significantly altering the compromises in the Senate bill. “This bill as it appears it will emerge from the Senate is delicately balanced,” he said. Sens. Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Max Baucus (D-MT) exp ...
  • Ben Nelson On Carve-Out: ‘It’s Not A S ...
    Yesterday, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) took to the Senate floor to defend a provision in the Senate health care bill that requires the federal government to fully fund Nebraska’s Medicaid expansion. Nelson insisted that the deal “lay down” a marker “so that every state could object to this manner of unfu ...

thwap's schoolyard

  • Democracy vs. Climate Change
    I'm not sure why anyone is so afraid of the economics of responding to the threat of global warming. 1. Create (in Canada) tens of thousands of jobs retro-fitting older homes with better windows, doors, insulation, alternative power sources. Build constantly improved public transit infrastructure ...
  • If Parliament Can't Do It, WE WILL
    This prisoner torture in Afghanistan isn't the most important issue before us as a nation. It's damned serious, but I'd say Canada's ancient policy of cultural genocide against the First Nations is the biggest issue. But on this issue the harpercons have clearly crossed the line and violated inter ...
  • Afghanistan, Patriotism and the Olympics
    I came in to Toronto on the daily turnip-truck from Hamilton a couple of days ago and I noticed all the subway station posters (sponsored at least in part by Coca-Cola) celebrating the Olympic torch and Canadian patriotism about same. The images are pretty inane, with a torch-bearer surrounded on e ...
  • Rick Hillier and Second-Hand Information ...
    Private Mann:"General Hillier, 'Amnesty International' has a scathing report about Afghan prison conditions." Hillier: "Those detestable peacenicks and bleeding-hearts! Why should I care about such second-hand information!!" Private Mann: "The PMO just called. Prime Minister Harper wants us conf ...
  • Canadian Self-Satisfaction
    Generations of Canadians have sewn little Canadian flags onto their backpacks when travelling abroad, in order to avoid being taken for US-Americans. At its most vapid, this tradition is probably inspired by nothing more than a vague, self-satisfied notion that Canadians are great and US-Americans a ...

Financial Sense Editorials

  • Market Observation: Trading, Investing and Specula ...
    by Tony Allison. "Today’s culture seems to have a very short-term perspective on the just about everything. Wall Street focuses on this quarter’s results; Washington’s vision extends only to the next election cycle. The average Joe looks to the coming weekend, or perhaps his next paycheck. As the na ...
  • Th*nk*ng (Presentations)
    by Fred Cederholm. "I’ve been thinking about presentation. Actually I’ve been thinking about 2009, Obama, the economy, jobs, bailouts, Bernanke, and St. Johns Lutheran Church. The year 2009 will always hold a special place in my memory."
  • Silent Night, Silent Market
    by Paul Nolte. "Two very quiet weeks now confront investors, as the Christmas and New Year’s holidays cut the trading for the week to but a whisper. Amid the quiet and solitude however are some rumblings from last year’s financial earthquake."
  • Caught In A Lie
    by Captain Hook. "It’s no secret governments and our ruling elite (the bureaucracy) lie for their own benefit, and this has been increasingly prevalent for years now. Perhaps the most well known statistics in this respect center on the Employment Report"
  • Coppertunities
    by Ray Long. "Today let's discuss copper opportunities, from the other side of the coin. In past weeks I've touted the advantage gained by those first to explore a new investment niche. Specifically copper. Copper pennies, to be even more precise. "

on Government Oversight

  • LANL Researchers Blow Up Building with Civil War-l ...
    Nope, that's not a headline from The Onion. POGO has just learned that researchers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory accidentally blew a building apart a few weeks ago with a massive gun that acts like a Civil War cannon....
  • A Video Message from Danielle
    As Danielle says, it's been one heck of a year over here at POGO. We covered a lot of ground and are proud of our accomplishments, but we wouldn't have been able to make it without you. Thank you for...
  • Morning Smoke: Obama Signs Defense Appropriations ...
    Spending Bill Becomes Law [Air Force Magazine] Classified Bomber Under Consideration [Aviation Week] Oshkosh FMTV Bid 'Unbelievable [DoD Buzz] New Executive Order Awaits Presidential Decision [Secrecy News] Washington to Reduce Funding for U.S. Contractors in Pakistan [ProPublica] Doctors' Spat Expo ...
  • Morning Smoke: More Tales of Moneyed Military Ment ...
    Military mentors hired, fired in discreet fashion [Federal Times] Defense Bill Earmarks Total $4 Billion [The Wall Street Journal] Inadequate Oversight Cited in Weatherization Program [The New York Times] White House seeks input on federal research info sharing program [Federal...
  • California Courts to Whistleblower: 'You're Out of ...
    Accountable California, a project of SEIU Local 721's Center for Public Accountability, has posted a story about Michael Paul, an employee of the California Administrative Office of the Courts. Paul thought he saw misconduct occurring on multimillion dollar contracts and...

Science Express

  • Chronic infection now clearly tied to immune-syste ...
    A new study finds the cross-talk between 'killer T-cells' and 'helper T-cells' can only happen in the presence of interleukin-21, a powerful immune-system protein. UAB researchers say if interleukin-21 is missing, the immune system's anti-viral efforts fail. The study mice were treated for lymphocyt ...
  • German 'science train': next stop Shanghai 2010?
    How will we feed nine billion people in the future? Can we ever have a disease-free world? Can robots play football?
  • New mechanisms of action found for drugs used to t ...
    (PhysOrg.com) -- In the course of his or her life, every seventh German will develop an anxiety disorder that will require treatment. Standard anti-anxiety medications (anxiolytics) are based on the benzodiazepine class of drugs. These calm the patient and quickly diminish feelings of anxiety.
  • Milky Way's super-efficient particle accelerators ...
    Thanks to a unique "ballistic study" that combines data from ESO's Very Large Telescope and NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, astronomers have now solved a long-standing mystery of the Milky Way's particle accelerators. They show in a paper published today on Science Express that cosmic rays from ou ...
  • Physical reality of string theory demonstrated
    String theory has come under fire in recent years. Promises have been made that have not been lived up to. Leiden (The Netherlands) theoretical physicists have now for the first time used string theory to describe a physical phenomenon. Their discovery has been reported in Science Express.

TechDirt

  • Federal Anti-SLAPP Law Introduced
    This effort has been underway for some time, but it's great to see that a federal Anti-SLAPP law has finally been introduced . If you're unfamiliar with this, a little over half of the states in the US have their own anti-SLAPP laws, which help those who have been sued solely to shut them up. SLAP ...
  • Patent Office Releases New Temporary Post-Bilski T ...
    While we're still waiting for the Supreme Court to rule on the Bilski case , which may or may not directly impact the question of software patents, JJ points out that the Patent Office has released some new rules on patentability, based on the appeals court ruling in Bilski (technically, the Patent ...
  • IsoHunt Loses Big; Court Says: You Induce, You Los ...
    One of the many lawsuits against file sharing sites/search engines around the world is the IsoHunt lawsuit -- yet another case where the entertainment industry decided a marginal player in the space didn't have enough attention and sued. While the judge in the case had earlier pointed out that the ...
  • Connected Nation, Created By Telco Lobbyists, Gets ...
    While many were surprised that the first few grants of broadband stimulus money did not go to the telco lobbyist boondoggle known as Connected Nation , you knew it had to come eventually. There were cases where Connected Nation was given deals despite being more expensive and having less experience ...
  • NY Times Seems To Recognize That Nokia's Patent Fi ...
    When Nokia first sued Apple for patent infringement over the iPhone, we noted that it appeared like yet another case of a company getting beat in the market suddenly whipping out some patents to sue over. This seemed to anger the usual bunch of patent system defenders -- along with a group of Nokia ...

VacTruth

  • 91 Percent Autopsied Had Underlying Condition Prio ...
    . . . National Institutes of Health News December 7th, 2009 New York Autopsies Show 2009 H1N1 Influenza Virus Damages Entire Airway In fatal cases of 2009 H1N1 influenza, the virus can damage cells throughout the respiratory airway, much like the viruses that caused the 1918 and 1957 influenza pand ...
  • Doctor to sue DOH over vaccinated son’s death
    . . . By Jimmy Chuang Tapei Times Wednesday, Dec 23, 2009 A physician whose seven-year-old son died 32 days after receiving an H1N1 flu vaccine said yesterday that he intends to sue the Department of Health (DOH). Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director-General Steve Kuo (郭旭崧) said yesterday tha ...
  • Scientist addresses global ’swine flu conspi ...
    . . . RIA Novosti December 15, 2009 MOSCOW, December 15 (RIA Novosti) – A British epidemiologist said on Tuesday he was worried by close links between World Health Organization (WHO) officials and pharmaceutical companies over swine flu. Recent Danish media reports alleged that the WHO, which on Ju ...
  • UK Swine Flu Drug Dealer Chief Quits As ‘Pan ...
    . . . Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Sir Liam Pulse Today 18 Dec 09 Jobbing Doctor reflects on the undistinguished achievements of the departing Chief Medical Officer I can remember several Chief Medical Officers. George Godber, Donald Acheson, Kenneth Calman, and latterly Sir Liam Do ...
  • HIV infection in children – neurodevelopment ...
    . . . source: http://autismcalciumchannelopathy.com HIV infection in children – neurodevelopmental (autistic) outcomes and clinical pathologies – and their correlations to [...]

BroadSnark

  • Some Things You Might Have Missed
    Everyone wants to think that they are a good person.  But the truth is that all of us are capable of doing horrible things.  As a Nadder! points out in Milgram, Rape & Silence, “It is much safer to acknowledge your violent potential since then you’re better placed to watch out for signs things a ...
  • Snowball War Update
    The agro cop that pulled out his gun at the snowball fight might actually be in a tiny bit of trouble here. Yesterday, when I wrote about this, there were only a few articles around.  Now there are so many that I can’t even begin to give you all the links.  It’s being covered everywhere from [...]
  • Bad Cops, Lying Media, and Anarchist Scapegoats
    I’m having a really hard time deciding who are worse – police or media. As you may have already heard.  There was a giant snowball fight at the corner of U and 14th in Washington, DC.  I was there from about 2:30 to 3:00 and it was fun as hell.  Maybe 100 or 150 people were [...]
  • Anarchy as Responsibility
    Conservatives like to talk about personal responsibility.  By that they mean taking responsibility for your own well being and perhaps that of your family and community.  But if you are not within the circle, what that comes down to is “fend for yourself.” Liberals talk about taking responsibility ...
  • Things You May Have Missed
    I can’t remember how I came to this post about Gandhi’s letters to Hitler, but it’s fascinating. Every once in a blue moon I think about going to grad school for about half a second.  Then some wise person comes along to remind me why academia is not for me.  This post is written by just [...]

Executive Intelligence Review

Armies of Liberation

  • US Sanctions Iran Based al Qaeda, Zawahiri Promise ...
    The US Treasury Department placed financial sanctions on Saad bin Laden, thought to be in Pakistan, and three alleged al Qaeda operatives in Iran including a Yemeni. The terrorist designation Friday froze their assets within US jurisdictions and prohibits Americans from financial dealings with the ...
  • Arabian Peninsula al Qaeda groups merge
    In the face of Saudi Arabia’s success against the al Qaeda organization, many Saudi operatives have fled to the more hospitable climate in Yemen, joining others who recently arrived from Iraq, Somalia, and Pakistan. Al Qaeda in Yemen announced its merger with Saudi Arabia’s al Qaeda organization to ...
  • Yemen strikes multi-faceted deals with al Qaeda
    Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh recently struck a deal with Ayman Zawahiri, and Yemen is in the process of emptying its jails of known jihadists. The Yemeni government is recruiting these established jihadists to attack its domestic enemies as it refrains from serious counter-terror measures aga ...
  • Yemen’s Multi Faceted Deals with Al Qaeda (A ...
    اليمن تعقد صفقات متعددة الوجوه مع القاعدة كتبت: جين نوفاك – فبراير/ 2009 عبدالله عبدالوهاب ناجي- ترجمة خاصة بالمستقلة عقد الرئيس اليمني علي عبدا لله صالح مؤخرا صفقة مع ...
  • Yemen’s three terror fronts
    By Jane Novak March 28, 2009 3:18 PM Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula took credit in an internet statement Friday for a pair of suicide attacks that targeted South Koreans in Yemen. A teen-aged suicide bomber killed four South Korean tourists in Shibam, Hadramout on March 15. A second terror att ...

Dark Politricks

  • Who will join Ron Paul in Atlanta?
    By John Tate Over 109 miles separate Atlanta, Georgia from the center of the Austrian School of economics: the Ludwig Von Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama. When you attend Campaign for Liberty’s Regional Conference in Atlanta on January 15-17, 2010, you won’t have to travel that distance to h ...
  • Senate bumping up Health Care vote again
    By Matt Hawes Just a little while ago, the Senate agreed to hold the vote at 7 am eastern instead of 8 am. Keep those calls going! View the original article at Campaign for Liberty
  • Make AIG’s Emails Public
    Call or write your Congressional and Senate representatives and tell them that you’re joining the following people in demanding that all of AIG’s emails to be made public, so that we can gain insight into what really caused the financial crisis: William K. Black, Associate Professor of Economics an ...
  • Twitter Updates for 2009-12-24
    Just for once, some reasons to be cheerful about the year just gone and the #Internet http://bit.ly/6iiomD #web #politics #liberty #Iran # Surf anonymously use a fast #proxy but be safe not stupid don't use it to logon to sites u wudn't want ur passwords to be known! #Internet # Reasons to be cheer ...
  • Operation CPAC: Campaign for Liberty Style
    By SteveBierfeldt Campaign for Liberty is a proud sponsor of the “Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) held in Washington, DC from Thursday, February 18 – Saturday, February 20, 2010. Campaign for Liberty will be leading the charge to restore liberty to our nation’s capital and invit ...

food and water watch

  • Day 1 in Rome
    Hello from Roma, viva Roma. I am Dave Andrews, Senior Representative for Food & Water Watch. I am in Rome for the World Food Summit which is taking up the issue of one billion hungry people in the world, most of them farmers and most of them women. The solution of the US is high [...]
  • Day 4 in Rome
    The official FAO meeting began on the 16th of November with the Pope followed by Libya’s Gaddafi, an interesting pairing! The Kings and Presidents (but not Obama) had the roads of Rome closed off for them, getting near the FAO was a big challenge so I waited until things calmed down later in the day ...
  • Pangasius Pandemonium
    Last week, the state of Alabama instituted a stop sale order on imported catfish and pangasius, a catfish-like fish (pangasius is frequently mislabeled as catfish) after discovering that high numbers of the samples that had been inspected were contaminated with illegal antibiotics called flouroquino ...
  • Day 3 in Rome
    Today, a group of us from Agribusiness Action Initiative and other NGOs went to the Civil Society Forum early in the morning and visited the farmers market that was set up there. We visited other NGO representatives from Via Campesina, International Federation of Agriculture Producers, Greenpeace, P ...
  • Day 2 in Rome
    Today, we began the official Civil Society Forum on the Peoples’ Food Sovereignty. The morning started with an opening by the Mayor of Rome and by Jacques Diouf, the Secretary General of FAO (the Food and Agriculture Organization).  He encouraged us to insist on our rights and told of how he has wo ...

treehugger

  • What's Worth Saving in this Place?
    Images from This Place 09 There has been endless discussion of the the outcome of the COP15 conference. Here is another positive note (book) from the group This Place09. It is an art and Twitter project that sought to convey personal thoughts about climate change to the delegates at the confere ...
  • Burn Calories and get your Christmas Nougat Candy ...
    The Spanish inventor Pep Torres from the studio Stereonoise , who also created the flowerpot that automatically rolls your plants into the sunlight , has thought up a vending machine that only dispenses the snacks once you have burned enough calories. This vending machine has been launched just in ...
  • Best of Inhabitat: Last Minute Tips for a Green Ch ...
    Photo credit: George Eastman House 'Twas the day before Christmas Eve, when all through the prefab home Not one person was ready, not even this gnome ; They'd been busy working and studying and living Seems like only a second had passed since Thanksgiving! But they knew they still wanted a green h ...
  • Don't Forget the Clean Coal Carolers
    Yesterday Mike reminded us that One Year Later, TVA Coal Ash Spill Problems Are Still Far From Over. But don't forget the warmer side of coal, the joy that the... Read the full story on TreeHugger
  • Bamboo and Electric Bikes Win ISPO Brandnew Awards ...
    Photo: Boo Bicycle by ISPO Brandnew The winners of the international sports expo ISPO Brandnew Awards were announced the other day, and include a few environmentally and socially focused entries. Brandnew is a 10 year old project to give emerging companies a boost to their brand recognition by hon ...

Biosingularity

  • Artificial Platelets Catalyze Clotting
    Platelets can quickly stanch the bleeding from a cut in your finger, but the hemorrhaging caused by a car crash or a battlefield injury might overwhelm the blood-clotting abilities of these cell fragments. Now, researchers report that they have designed a potential helper for such situations, a synt ...
  • Epigenetics research takes aim at cancer, Alzheime ...
    Two mice. One weighs 20 grams and has brown fur. The other is a hefty 60 grams with yellow fur and is prone to diabetes and cancer. They’re identical twins, with identical DNA So what accounts for the differences? It turns out that their varying traits are controlled by a mediator between nature and ...
  • Scientists crack ‘entire genetic code’ ...
    Scientists have unlocked the entire genetic code of two of the most common cancers – skin and lung – a move they say could revolutionise cancer care. Not only will the cancer maps pave the way for blood tests to spot tumours far earlier, they will also yield new drug targets, says the Wellcome Trust ...
  • Technology Review: Blogs: TR Editors blog: Magneti ...
    Researchers at Yale have demonstrated a device that uses a magnetic liquid to separate blood cells based on their size and shape in just minutes.The device applies a magnetic field to a liquid containing magnetic nanoparticles. The nanoparticles create waves that carry cells along depending on their ...
  • Scientists find way to catalog all that goes wrong ...
    A team of Princeton University scientists has produced a systematic listing of the ways a particular cancerous cell has “gone wrong,” giving researchers a powerful tool that eventually could make possible new, more targeted therapies for patients. “For a very long time, cancer therapies have been de ...

CFACT

Essential Dissent

Religion

Blacklisted News

The Intelligence Daily

My AntiWar

Innovation Canada

  • i2eye with James Hesser
    Two years ago, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2009 the International Year of Astronomy (IYA). From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, people around the globe have been marking the 400th anniversary of the first use of an astronomical telescope by Galileo Galilei. Laypeople, especially children ...
  • Model scientists
    When hurricane season officially blew to a close in the Atlantic basin at the end of November, two Quebec researchers did not exhale in relief. That’s because René Laprise and Louis-philippe Caron were still looking for hurricane data from the past to help create a tool to predict future storm patte ...
  • i2eye with Andrew Weaver
    As a child growing up in Victoria, if Andrew Weaver had to choose between watching a hockey game or a Jacques Cousteau program, the ocean explorer won out every time. Now a professor and Canada Research Chair in Climate Modelling and Analysis at the University of Victoria, Weaver has joined a crew o ...
  • Extreme exposure
    It’s about 5°C in the chamber, and Geoff Hartley, wearing a burlap tunic and sandals, is trying with numb fingers to put small pegs in small holes. It’s just another day of chillin’ out at the Brock University lab of Stephen Cheung, a world-renowned scientist who studies the impacts of extreme tempe ...
  • Green Growers
    Deborah Henderson likes to think about the Cuban capital of Havana when she goes in to work. Not the music or the beaches, per se, but the vegetables and the gardens. “Over 75 percent or more of the vegetables consumed in Havana are produced within the city,” claims Henderson. As the director of the ...

Signs of the times

  • Second Irish bishop resigning over abuse scandal r ...
    A second Irish bishop is resigning after a damning report which found that Catholic leaders concealed child abuse. The Bishop of Kildare, Dr James Moriarty, announced he had offered his resignation to the Pope on Wednesday. Despite previously insisting he should not resign, Bishop Moriarty said he ...
  • Pathetic Propaganda! Osama bin Laden's family miss ...
    Eight years of uncertainty over the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden's closest family members has been blown open by a relative's admission that they are living in a secret compound in Iran. One of the terror mastermind's wives, six of his children and 11 of his grandchildren are living in a high-sec ...
  • Obama Administration Preparing Iranian Sanctions O ...
    With Iran seemingly rejecting the end-of-year deadline for making diplomatic progress with the West, and the Chinese government continuing to voice opposition to imposing additional sanctions in the United Nations Security Council against the rogue regime, the Obama administration has been preparing ...
  • Israel razes gas station, grocery near Nablus
    Nablus - An Israeli military bulldozer demolished a gas station, a grocery store, and a cargo container in the northern West Bank village of Qusra south of the city of Nablus on Wednesday. Palestinian sources told Ma'an that more than 20 Israeli military jeeps escorted a bulldozer into the villa ...
  • Toronto Jewish mafia ponzi scheme busted
    Members of Toronto's Jewish community have lost more than $27 million in a Ponzi scheme perpetrated by one of its own members, Canada's National Post newspaper reported on Tuesday. The alleged fraud involving 76 high-profile investors came to light after a small printing plant in the Richmond Hill ...

Threat Level

  • Former Morgan Stanley Coder Gets 2 Years in Prison ...
    The two great friends talked every day and shared information about all of their exploits — sexual, narcotic and hacking — according to prosecutors. Now another thing they’ll have to share information about is their experience in federal prison. While accused TJX hacker kingpin Albert Gonzalez await ...
  • Obama Appoints Former Microsoft Security Chief New ...
    It took seven months but President Obama has finally found someone to take the cybersecurity czar job no one wanted. Howard Schmidt,  a former Microsoft security executive and a one-time cybersecurity adviser to President George W. Bush, has been appointed to the position of cybersecurity coordinat ...
  • 7-Eleven Hack From Russia Led to ATM Looting in Ne ...
    Flashback, early 2008. Citibank officials are witnessing a huge spike in fraudulent withdrawals from New York area ATMs — $180,000 is stolen from cash machines on the Upper East Side in just three days.  After a stakeout, police arrest one man walking out of a bank with thousands of dollars in cas ...
  • Albert Gonzalez Enters Plea Agreement in Heartland ...
    Albert Gonzalez, who has admitted hacking into TJX and other companies, has filed a plea agreement in charges that he breached Heartland Payment Systems, Hannaford, 7-Eleven and two other companies. Under the terms of the agreement, Gonzalez, a former Secret Service informant, will plead guilty to ...
  • TJX Hacker ‘Will Never Commit Any Crime Again’
    Confessed hacker Albert Gonzalez’s turn as a Secret Service informant led him down a dark path of obsession, culminating in the largest identity-theft spree in history. Frances Gonzalez Lago, Gonzalez’s sister wrote his sentencing judge that her brother’s work as an informant between 2003 and and 2 ...

PERRspectives : Blog

  • IRS Audits Finally Reversing GOP Bias for Wealthy
    Score one for working Americans. After enduring both the worst economic downtown and steepest income inequality since the Great Depression, new data from the Internal Revenue Service revealed that lower and middle class taxpayers are being audited at lower rates...
  • Bipartisanship's Willing Executioners
    Republicans win, even when they lose. That appears to be the conventional wisdom after the Democrats' crucial victory in the Senate health care vote this weekend. In its wake, media outlets gave credence to John McCain's assertion that thanks to...
  • God's Own Party Turns to Him to Block Health Care
    The first Republican Abraham Lincoln famously proclaimed, "My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side." And as Matthew 4:23-24 tells us, Jesus never refused treatment to those with preexisting...
  • Six Degrees of John McCain
    Last week, Politico ran yet another fawning profile of John McCain, declaring him "critic-in-chief." But whether the ersatz Maverick's motivation runs the gamut from "unresolved anger to concern for his right flank as he seeks re-election to genuine dismay about...
  • Cokie Roberts Silent on Palin's "Exotic" Hawaiian ...
    Back in August 2008, ABC analyst Cokie Roberts echoed the McCain campaign's talking points which painted Barack Obama as an out-of-touch elitist and a foreign sounding one at that. As the Obamas vacationed in his home state of Hawaii, Roberts...

Blackspot News Feed

Consortium News

  • Break the CIA in Two
    Forty-six years ago, ex-President Truman warned that CIA analysis must be protected against influence, Ray McGovern notes. December 22, 2009
  • 'Gott Mit Uns': Christians Excusing War
    A contradiction of the Christmas season is how a religion founded by a pacifist could so embrace war, says Gary G. Kohls. December 22, 2009
  • Woodstock's Link to the War Machine
    It turns out Woodstock, New York, has a factory that produces a key component for weapons systems, says Laurie Kirby. December 22, 2009
  • The Snows of Christmases Past
    Sometimes recalling how things were reminds us what's been lost in the pursuit of progress, as Michael Winship notes. December 22, 2009
  • How Myths Can Kill
    Myths -- whether ancient or modern -- have the capacity to get people killed for no good reason, writes Robert Parry. December 21, 2009

CounterPunch

Institute for Middle East Understanding

Water - AlterNet

TruthHugger

  • Try To Remember America
    Well, few public schools, and few private schools, will fill in the gaps between America the fantasy and America the reality.  The name of America has been invoked with reverence when describing its history of righteous endeavors.  What is seldom included in these filtered history lessons, is some o ...
  • Texas Progressive Alliance Weekly Round Up Dec 14, ...
    TXsharon at Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS helps you follow the money to see why Governor Perry and others want Texans to keep breathing toxic air. BossKitty at TruthHugger is proud to give a Hat Tip to Houston – Annise Parker inherits a City of Progress. The Stonewall Democrats of Denton Coun ...
  • Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Coney Islands of the Mind: ...
    Christ Climbed Down Lawrence Ferlinghetti Lawrence Ferlinghetti, famous for running the City Lights bookstore in San Francisco, wrote this poem in the 1950s and published it in his book: A Coney Island of the Mind, Poems by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, A New Directions Book, Copyright 1958 by Lawrence Fer ...
  • Hat Tip to Houston – Annise Parker inherits a City ...
    Houston, Texas has become an island of hope in a sea of doom and gloom.  Progress is measured with attention paid to the real issues facing any population, as opposed to a narrowly defined image of “normalcy”.  In a state where normal is defined vigorously as anything outside the envelope, as long ...
  • Texas Progressive Alliance Weekly Round Up Dec 7, ...
    Once again it’s time for the Texas Progressive Alliance to bring you the highlights from the blogs. Power to the People! Head over to Texas Vox to learn more about the Fair Elections Now Act. Xanthippas at Three Wise Men airs out some thoughts on the escalation of the war in Afghanistan, and some pa ...

Dandelion Salad - Featured Writers' Posts

Unexplained Mysteries

  • Armed Santa robs bank
    In a bizarre robbery this week a man dressed up as Santa was anything but generous when he entered a bank in the US wearing dark sunglasses and de...
  • Fog observed on Saturn's moon Titan
    The south pole of Saturn's moon Titan is shrouded in fog according to scientists, it is believed that the fog is formed from liquid evaporating fr...
  • Mystery smell perplexes authorities
    Residents in northern Australia have been plagued by a mystery smell that permeated their homes and across the countryside for miles. Authorities ...
  • Russia plans to send monkey to Mars
    In a controversial announcement that is likely to cause quite a stir with animal rights groups the Russian space agency is planning to send a monk...
  • "Angels unable to fly" say scientists
    A leading biologist has stated that the angels, fairies and other winged sprites of nativity and folklore are anatomically flawed and would never ...

Grassroots

  • Money’s Coming to Cool the Planet
    Subheadline:  What’s the Winning Spending Plan? Outside Author:  Daniel Moss Previous publication:  Foreign Policy in Focus ...
  • Cooling the Earth with Food Sovereignty
    Outside Author:  Loie Hayes Previous publication:  Insights, Vol. 23 #2 (Fall 2009) brazil200907-332.jpg   read mor ...
  • We can’t change the climate, but we can change the ...
    logoforblog.png   read more
  • The Story of Cap and Trade
    As the Climate Summit in Copenhagen plods onward, various so-called solutions to global warming are being tossed around: Alternative energy, Cap and Trade, adaptation and mitigation, and many more. It can be hard to make sense of them, and even more difficult to unpack the myths from the realities. ...
  • Why We Left Our Farms to Come to Copenhagen
    Henry_Saragih-un-org.jpg As dignitaries and politicians meet in Copenhagen to discuss ways to curtail climate change, some of the people most affected by the crisis are also present, including the Via Campesina. One of Grassroots International ...

Climate

  • December 23, 2009
    Copenhagen Green Lights Plan to Streamline CDM (Business Green) Reforms agreed to at the Copenhagen summit should make it easier for emission reduction projects in developing countries to qualify for the UN's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) carbon offset scheme, despite ongoing concerns. Re ...
  • December 22, 2009
    China Considers Compulsory Green Energy Purchases by Grid Operators (Xinhua) China's top legislature today discussed a legal amendment that would require electricity grid companies to buy all the power produced by renewable energy generators. Some Climate Experts Seek Alternative to UN Proces ...
  • December 21, 2009
    Miliband: China Tried to Hijack Copenhagen Climate Talks (Guardian) The UK’s climate secretary, Ed Miliband, accused China, Sudan and leftwing Latin American countries of trying to hijack the UN climate summit and "hold the world to ransom" to prevent a global warming agreement from being reach ...
  • December 19-20, 2009
    Obama, Denied Full Victory, Takes Validation (New York Times) From Copenhagen to Capitol Hill, the president determined the outer limits of what he could accomplish on climate change and health care and decided that was enough, at least for now. Climate Reality: Voluntary Efforts Not Enough t ...
  • December 18, 2009
    Draft Would Halve Emissions, But Drop Goal to Be Legally Binding by 2010 (Reuters) World leaders worked today toward a target of halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, but a draft text abandoned ambitions for a legally binding climate treaty next year in a sign divisions remain. U.S., Chinese ...

TomDispatch

  • Tomgram: 'This Administration Ended, Rather Than ...
    [ Note for TomDispatch Readers: On Friday evening, TomDispatch will be switching to an updated version of this site. It's possible that you might not be able to reach TD for some hours. If so, we expect to be back up on Saturday morning. Tom ] The Afghan Speech Obama Should Give (But Won't) ...
  • Tomgram: Pratap Chatterjee, Afghanistan as a Patr ...
    It's now a commonplace of the Afghan War. Western leaders in London , Berlin, Amsterdam , and Washington , as well as on flying visits to Kabul or even Kandahar , excoriate Afghan President Hamid Karzai for the "corruption" of his government. In return for their ongoing support, they repeatedly ...
  • Tomgram: Max Blumenthal, How Palin Became a Rogue
    It can't get better than this, can it? A first printing of 1.5 million copies sent out into an otherwise dead book market. Possibly as much as $7 million dollars going to the author, who already has interviews lined up with Oprah Winfrey and Barbara Walters. A bus tour of the "real America" tha ...
  • Tomgram: Alfred McCoy, Surveillance State, U.S.A.
    Wars come home in strange, unnerving ways -- as Americans have just discovered at Fort Hood. Even before Major Nidal Malik Hasan went on his killing spree, that base, a major military embarkation point for our war zones, was already experiencing the after-effects of eight years of war and repeate ...
  • Tomgram: Droning On
    [ Note for TomDispatch Readers : A number of you have recently written in for clarification on contributing to this site through your purchases at Amazon.com. Here's my best shot at a useful explanation: If you click on any book image at this site -- like the book-cover image of The End of Vict ...

Smirking Chimp

  • A Different Kind of Toy Story
    Our local newspaper ran a feature on children's letters to Santa, some of which were reproduced as photos showing beginning penmanship and spelling, with many others presented solely in text. They were touching, amusing, and sometimes sad. Sad because one telling way to corroborate that the United S ...
  • In Nightmares Begin Responsibilities: Why War Will ...
    — from TomDispatch Excuse the gloom in the holiday season, but I feel like we’re all locked inside a malign version of the movie Groundhog Day.  You remember, the one in which the characters are forced to relive the same 24 hours endlessly.  Put more personally, TomDispatch started in November 2001 ...
  • Christmas cheer: We're battered, bruised and ... b ...
    Be of good cheer, comrades, whatever ghosts you worship, or don't worship, at this time of year. True, the economy stinks; we've got a pack of fools in Lansing doing their best to ruin our state, and various other horrors too numerous to mention. And yet there is good news most of us are overlooking ...
  • Demonizing Dean Won't Absolve This Health Care Sha ...
    — from Truthdig How dare a progressive suggest a vote against the Senate health bill? When Howard Dean did just that last week he was roundly condemned for casting aspersions on what even many of its more ardent supporters admit is an obviously flawed bill. Instead of focusing their wrath on the few ...
  • On Individual Mandates
    I agree with with those who note the danger of progressives attacking individual mandates in the health care bill, and how such attacks could be construed to be a criticism of all compulsory policies. That's the conservative attack on mandates, of course, just like it is the conservative attack on t ...

Ten Percent

  • I Am Being Haunted By Hair Product
    Oh this got ranty… Done the last bit of shopping nursing my poorly car along, dealt with the mysterious central heating problem at my sisters (while they are off in Disney-friggin’-land) my mum thinks she caused, made and cooked her dinner, hoovered (Dysoned?!?!) round her house (as she is not quit ...
  • Gaza Freedom March Needs Your Help
    Gaza Freedom March URGENT UPDATE Dear Supporters, We are determined to break the siege We all will continue to do whatever we can to make it happen Using the pretext of escalating tensions on the Gaza-Egypt border, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry informed us yesterday that the Rafah border will be clo ...
  • Viva Mexico
    For passing a basic common sense bill with simple equal language- By a margin of 39 to 20, the Federal District Assembly approved a bill redefining “marriage” as the “free uniting of two PERSONS” earlier today. Cue conservatives throwing their rattles out of the pram- Naturally, Felipe Calderón is a ...
  • Mossad Agents Going Insane
    Via Chris Floyd- One of the large mental health hospitals in Israel was recently surprised to receive a young, good-looking patient in a psychotic state who was accompanied by a personal security guard, Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Sunday. The doctors, who asked why the woman was accompanied by a g ...
  • Our Dirty War
    British army ‘waterboarded’ suspects in 70s. This is why, when sometimes someone holds up Northern Ireland as an example of fighting terrorism not in the war-on-terror way, I cringe, the state murders, the torture, the framings, the hunger strikes, the racism. It’s really not a lesson in best pract ...

Paul Krugman

No Quarter

  • NoQuarter Is Upgrading Our Comments System Today
    2:00 a.m. Christmas Eve UPDATE: The new comments software has been installed. Also: All of the previous comments will be restored, but it is a multi-hour restoration project. Worry not. And do enjoy the new comments features! Original Post: We are installing a terrific new comments system that you ...
  • I Smell Co2 (MONEY)
    Failure! But.. The executives were extremely excited about the new business and green job opportunities.. Smart Grids. Windmills. And.. Chicago Climate Exchange. Our family sat down Friday night and played games of Zilch and a few hours later we looked outside and saw we had around 16 ...
  • Well, SOMEONE Is Having A Good Year
    And that would be lobbyists. Yes, the group singled out repeatedly by President Obama when he was Candidate Obama is having one of their best years EVER. Apparently, the agenda of the Democrats is really helping them out. Oh, yay! Doesn’t that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? Yeah, [... ...
  • Truth or consequences: The lobbyists win, the peop ...
    Editor’s Note: Reprinted from The Hill with the express permission of Brent Budowsky, a prominent analyst, regular contributor to top publications, and good friend of Larry Johnson’s. Brent’s bio is at the end of this post. ………………………………………………………………….. Let me begin and end this otherwise negative co ...
  • NoQuarter Is Upgrading Our Comments System Today
    We are installing a terrific new comments system that you all will love. Please know that the blog may be unavailable off and on starting around 8 p.m. CST, and for the next couple hours. PLEASE TAKE NOTE: If you post any comments shortly before the upgrade starts, and you want to be certain [... ...

Environmental Graffiti

Foreign Policy in Focus

Global Elite

Al Jazeera

Green Inc. - NYT

Dot Earth News

Doug Feith : Hong Pong

  • The Monckton climate battle rap; I want to specula ...
    What could possibly go wrong?! Analysis: Climate summit showcases new world order - thestar.com Tripod operations block coal train - tripods are super funny: Copenhagen failure sparks coal terminal blockade | Rising Tide Australia . Earlier: Indymedia Danmark - If you're in, you're in, if you're ...
  • Gotta get Guinea goodies: Aluminum pursuit sparks ...
    A strange NBC series called E-Ring, which produced 22 episodes that aired in 2005, exalted narratives of American military adventurism and featured Dennis Hopper. I only saw episode #5, "Weekend Pass," in which as Wikipedia says, "Two US Marines are accused of raping a young local woman in Suriname ...
  • UN crime chief Costa says it again: banks bailed o ...
    There was a quip about this a while ago, now it is more established. Posted in full cause it's a big deal.... via Agonist . These people are criminals! Drug money saved banks in global crisis, claims UN advisor Drugs and crime chief says $352bn in criminal proceeds was effectively laundered by f ...
  • The Great Climate Clusterf**k: Good times in Copen ...
    All you ever wanted to know about Copenhagen but didn't care to ask! The only good news so far is that the Yes Men pranked Coke for their voracious consumption of limited water around the world. Soon all of us can live in a utopia of robotic flying machines and carbon-free giant underground fac ...
  • Mike Connell's mysterious plane crash via 'jackals ...
    Damn straight - those are the chips they are gonna track you with. CHIPS CARRIED BY BIG FRICKIN ANTS. Via the too-speculative ATS thread RFID Microchips In The Swine Flu Vaccine? It's time to push out some links and see if they lead somewhere....This weekend I've been building up a sweet new InfoSp ...

Daily Censored

  • Michele Bachmann: Welfare Queen
    By Yasha Levine Michele Bachmann has become well known for her anti-government tea-bagger antics, protesting health care reform and every other government “handout” as socialism. What her followers probably don’t know is that Rep. Bachmann is, to use that anti-government slur, something of a welfare ...
  • Health Care Reform: The Ideal vs. the Real—Do We R ...
    Health Care Reform: The Ideal vs. the Real—Do We Reject? By Will Shonbrun Between the idea And the reality Between the motion And the Act Falls the Shadow [...]
  • How we killed health care, and how we can bring it ...
    We've killed health care. This is how we can bring it back to life, like a zombie, but less scary.
  • Laws of Nature Meet the “Free” Market (Again)
    Once again, the representatives of the “free” market have sought to defy the laws of nature. This time, the venue was Copenhagen, Denmark, and the “free” marketeers think they have prevailed, but this is only round one. In the end, the laws of nature will dominate, one way or another. Both the direc ...
  • Leave No Child’s Behind: No Child Left Behind and ...
    Meanwhile, the richly funded and well-oiled juggernaut of privatization continues to move forward, carving out increasingly large pieces of the public system. If those of us who profess to value public schools and the principle of democratic access they uphold cannot find the courage or the motivati ...

AlterNet's Breaking News

Institute for Policy Studies

Godspace

  • Still Waiting – An Advent Reflection by Chri ...
    This is the last in the series What Are We Waiting for This Advent Season. This post comes from Christina Whitehouse-Suggs.  She describes herself as a chameleon who struggles with finding a color of my own. I’m a performer who often loses my voice only to find it in silence. I’m a Baptimergent min ...
  • Scripture Readings for Christmas and Epiphany Seas ...
    The Christmas season is almost upon us and most of us are giving a sigh of relief.  By the end of the week the festivities will be over, the shops will have stripped their Christmas decorations, disposed of their Christmas stock with huge sales and looking for the next secular celebration.  How wond ...
  • Christ Has Come – Christmas Prayer
    It is already Christmas Eve in Australia and New Zealand so I hope you will forgive me for mixing Advent reflections and Christmas prayers today.  I should probably put the Advent reflection up first this morning but as I am still an Australian I thought that I would start the day with a Christmas p ...
  • Awaiting the Morning – An Advent Reflection ...
    Today’s Advent reflection comes from Brad Culver.  Brad is a mentor, teacher, pioneer, along with Mary his wife of 37 years, until recently gave leadership to the Refuge a missional faith community founded in 1994. They presently reside in Innerkip Ontario Canada as they prepare to embark on a new ...
  • On The Side of The Rebel Jesus – A Christmas ...
    This morning I have been writing Christmas prayers, because like most of us I am sick of this waiting and desperately wanting to celebrate the birth.  As Advent draws to a close I am thinking about what is it that I want to focus on during the Christmas season.  Is it the historic event of [...]

Equality Trust

  • Call for fundamental rethink of the value of work
    Hospital cleaners are worth more to society than city bankers, according to a new method of calculating the value of different jobs published today. The new economics foundation (nef) called for a "fundamental rethink" of how the value of work was recognised and rewarded. The think tank said its s ...
  • The Spirit Level - New Statesman book of the decad ...
    Wilkinson and Pickett's study gave scientific weight to a long-held claim of the left: that people are happier and healthier when they live in societies where wealth is distributed more equally. But the book's influence stretches across party lines and its findings are likely to shape political deba ...
  • Levelling the bankers' bonuses
    Read a letter by Malcolm Clark, Director of the One Society Campaign in today's Guardian, about the positives for bankers of losing their bonuses. Peter Preston (The rewards of banking, 7 December) has a point: bankers are human too. Most of them want exactly the same as us: a decent quality of life ...
  • Dr Lynne Friedli on the impact of inequality on me ...
    Dr Lynne Friedli talks about the impact of inequality on mental health, in a discussion with John Humphrys on the Today Programme - scroll down to 07.33 Listen to the discussion
  • Plans to force banks to reveal millionaire staff
    Banks will be forced to reveal how many of their staff earn more than one million pounds a year, under recommended reforms of the financial sector to be released today. Read more

IntelNews

  • News you may have missed #0230
    Ukrainians claim netting 'spies among diplomats'. France launches new spy satellite. Seized N. Korean weapons destined for Middle East: US spy chief.
  • Is CIA collaborating with Palestinian spy agencies ...
    A British newspaper has alleged that Palestinian security agencies in the West Bank are working with the CIA so closely that CIA officials “consider them as their property”.
  • News you may have missed #0229
    Russians claim outing '100 spies' in Novosibirsk in 2009. Obama proposes liaison exchange with North Korea. Estonian phone, web data tapped by Swedish intelligence?
  • US media under-report US missile attack on Yemen
    Last Friday, a handful of US websites reported “an airstrike” in Yemen against “a leading al Qaeda figure there”. The incident, which made headline news along the Arab peninsular, was quickly forgotten in the US. But it now turns out that there were two airstrikes, not one; and they were not carried ...
  • News you may have missed #0228
    Irish nationalists planting honey traps on British troops? Egyptian spy chief meets Israeli defense minister. Mumbai terror suspect David Headley was ‘rogue US secret agent’.

After Downing Street.org

  • Last Week: US Iraq Casualties Rise to 72,551
    Last Week: US Iraq Casualties Rise to 72,551 Compiled by Michael Munk | www.MichaelMunk.com US military occupation forces in Iraq under Commander-in-Chief Obama suffered three combat casualties in the week ending December 22, 2009 as the official total since the 2003 invasion rose to at least 72, ...
  • “Would You Vote for the Senate's Health Legislati ...
    “Would You Vote for the Senate's Health Legislation?” Bill Moyers, With Matt Taibbi and Robert Kuttner | PBS BILL MOYERS: Welcome to the Journal. Something's not right here. One year after the great collapse of our financial system, Wall Street is back on top while our politicians dither. As for h ...
  • Jane Hamsher, Grover Norquist Call for Rahm Emanue ...
    Jane Hamsher, Grover Norquist Call for Rahm Emanuel’s Resignation December 23, 2009 Attorney General of the United States of America U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530-0001 Dear Attorney General Holder: We write to demand an immediate investigation into th ...
  • Go Back to the Drawing Board
    Go Back to the Drawing Board Without a public option, Senate bill is a sop to the insurance industry. By David Sirota The Senate health care bill betrays the promise of fundamental "change" Democrats made during the 2008 election. It cloaks a handout to the health industry in the veneer of "reform ...
  • Federal War Spending Exceeds State Government Outl ...
    Federal War Spending Exceeds State Government Outlays By Sherwood Ross The U.S. spends more for war annually than all state governments combined spend for the health, education, welfare, and safety of 308 million Americans. Joseph Henchman, director of state projects for the Tax Foundation of Washi ...

Grist - News

  • On the move: Species face race against climate cha ...
    by Agence France-Presse PARIS -- Land ecosystems will have to move hundreds of meters each year in order to cope with global warming, according to a letter published on Thursday in Nature, the British-based science journal. On average, ecosystems will need to shift 420 meters (about a quarter of a ...
  • Global warming hike may be steeper
    by Agence France-Presse PARIS -- Global temperatures could rise substantially more because of increases in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than previously thought, according to a new study by U.S. and Chinese scientists released Sunday. The researchers used a long-term model for assessing climate ...
  • Brown blames China for ‘farcical’ clim ...
    by Agence France-Presse LONDON -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Monday accused countries of holding the U.N. climate summit to ransom as bitter recriminations swirled over the outcome of the negotiations. British Prime Minister Gordan Brown. While China's Premier Wen Jiabao insisted his go ...
  • Copenhagen outcome: a real climate catastrophe
    by David Roberts President Barack Obama negotiating with, from left, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Møller, and Israeli President Shimon Peres, at the Copenhagen climate conference.Photo: White House/Pete Souza This piece appeared first in The Daily Beast .Sa ...
  • Climate scientists underwhelmed by Copenhagen Acco ...
    by Agence France-Presse COPENHAGEN -- Top climate scientists said Saturday that the 11th-hour political deal hammered out at U.N. talks in Copenhagen falls perilously short of what is needed to stave off catastrophic global warming. What many had hoped would be a planet-saving treaty locking major ...

Popular Bookmarks on Del.icio.us

Technorati - What's Hot in Blogs

Time - Top Stories

Washington Independent

  • Senate Passes Historic, If Diluted, Health Reform ...
    Months of compromises left many liberals disappointed, but party leaders hailed the bill's passage as a landmark leap forward.
  • 1. Barack Obama
    Obama ran on a platform to enact the most sweeping health care overhaul in decades, and much of his focus in his inaugural year has been just that. Although some have criticized Obama’s decision to allow congressional leaders to take the reins in drafting the actual bills, there’s never been any do ...
  • 8. Nancy-Ann DeParle
    DeParle isn’t quite a household name, but as director of the White House Office of Health Reform, she’s been Obama’s point person on health care reform all year, often acting as the bridge between congressional leaders and White House officials, including the president himself. DeParle, the former ...
  • 3. Max Baucus
    Perhaps no one on Capitol Hill has played a more significant role in crafting health reform legislation this year than this moderate Montana Democrat. Although the Senate HELP Committee also passed a sweeping reform bill, Baucus’ Senate Finance Committee has jurisdiction over tax policy, plus Medica ...
  • 6. Henry Waxman
    When Rep. Waxman (D-Calif.) took over the Energy and Commerce Committee in a coup that displaced 28-term Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), it placed one of the most powerful health policy committees in the hands of one of the most liberal members of the chamber. And Waxman was quick to use the post to hi ...

CowBoss' Brain Food

  • Tax those carbon gluttons
    LEMME TELL YOU about a carbon tax you’re gonna love. Two such taxes, actually. I tell you, kid, Stephane Dion had the right idea, but the wrong sales pitch. The fun starts with the government giving you maybe $2,000 as a carbon dividend. Submitted by cowboss Left CareII to Society & Culture  |  ...
  • Why do we hate? Academics seek answer in new field
    Hate is everywhere, but the fundamental question of why one person can hate another has never been adequately studied, contends Jim Mohr of Gonzaga University, who is developing a new academic field of hate studies. Submitted by cowboss Left CareII to Society & Culture  |   Note-it!  |   Add a Comm ...
  • 'Fat for cosmetics' murder suspects arrested in Pe ...
    Four people have been arrested in Peru on suspicion of killing dozens of people in order to sell their fat and tissue for cosmetic uses in Europe. Submitted by cowboss Left CareII to Society & Culture  |   Note-it!  |   Add a Comment
  • 6 Ways Agriculture Impacts Global Warming
    Sure, agriculture provides us with the food we all eat every day. But do you know how those agricultural practices impact global warming? Turns out there's some pretty big impacts, on both the sustainable and industrial sides of the equation; employing su Submitted by cowboss Left CareII to Society ...
  • We love Butchers
    Former chef Josh Applestone and his wife, Jessica Applestone, are typical of the new butcher breed. He was a vegan, she was a one-time vegetarian when they founded Fleisher’s Grass-fed and Organic Meats in Kingston, N.Y., in 2004 Submitted by cowboss Left CareII to Society & Culture  |   Note-it!   ...

Suzie-Q

  • Marjorie Cohn: Obama’s Af-Pak War is Illegal
    by Marjorie Cohn, CommonDreams.org, Dec 21, 2009 President Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize nine days after he announced he would send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. His escalation of that war is not what the Nobel committee envisioned when it sought to encourage him to make peace, not war. ...
  • Falk: Gaza, Afghanistan and International Law
    Interview with Richard Falk Richard Falk, Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University and author of “Crimes of War: Iraq” and “The Costs of War: International Law, the UN, and World Order after Iraq” recorded October 17, 2009 in Seattle Information Clearing House, posted D ...
  • Ex-US diplomat predicts Afghan troop surge failure
    BBC | 22 December, 2009 A senior US diplomat who resigned over the war in Afghanistan has told the BBC that the troop surge there “will not make a difference”. Matthew Hoh stepped down from his position in the US state department in October 2009. The former marine, who served in Iraq, had previousl ...
  • British govt. grovelling at the feet of war crimin ...
    John Haylett, Morning Star Online, Dec 18, 2009 The British government’s grovelling apology to Israel after an arrest warrant was issued against former foreign minister Tzipi Livni was compounded by its promise to change the law to allow war criminals to roam freely. Livni was up to her neck in t ...
  • Senate Passes Health Care Bill
    Senate Passes Health Care Bill With 60 Votes Crooks and Liars By Heather Monday Dec 21, 2009 10:00am From The New York Times–Health Bill Passes Key Test in the Senate With 60 Votes: After a long day of acid, partisan debate, Senate Democrats held ranks early Monday in a dead-of-night procedural ...

Solari

  • Gifting to the Children We Love - Part IX
    Read the full article here. Unlike income taxes, the federal gift tax applies to donors of gifts, not the recipients. Because of the interrelationships among the gift tax, generation-skipping tax, and estate-tax, the assistance of a knowledgeable estate-planning expert is important, particularly fo ...
  • Precious Metals - Week of 12.20.09
    Russia Transfers $1 Bln Worth Gold To Central Bank Yahoo Finance(21 Dec 09) Royal Canadian Mint Reveals How It Lost Gold Ottawa Citizen (21 Dec 09)
  • Mortgage Markets - Week of 12.20.09
    Looking a Little Deeper at Bernanke’s Floating Rate Mortgage The Wall Street Journal (18 Dec 09)
  • A Solari Report on New Zealand Banking
    New Zealand Banking System Overview New Zealand banks and non-bank deposit-taking institutions are registered, supervised and monitored for compliance with New Zealand banking supervision policies by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (“Reserve Bank”). - The Reserve Bank’s supervisory authority over b ...
  • Carnacchi v. Citibank
    By Suzanne Daly On a warm October morning, Michael Carnacchi stands respectfully in the Sonoma County Civil Court as his case, Carnacchi v. Citibank, is called. A boot maker by trade, on this day he sports a black suit and tie, and his hair is neatly kept back into a waist-length ponytail. The pres ...

Global Insights

  • Less Than a Week Away
    We encourage you to register for Awake and Aware. George Green will be a featured speaker. September 19th & 20th • Burbank, CA Click here for Tickets & Reservations  
  • The Georgia Guidestones
    On one of the highest hilltops in Elbert County, Georgia stands a huge granite monument. Engraved in eight different languages on the four giant stones that support the common capstone are 10 Guides, or commandments. That monument is alternately referred to as The Georgia Guidestones, or the Ame ...
  • The Creation
    THE CREATION (A recent message given to George Green from the "guys upstairs") We are pleased to bring understanding and clarification on what is the Creation. This is a challenge because your language of communication has not the words for describing this conception of Creation. So as not to put an ...
  • The Long Emergency: Surviving the Converging Catas ...
    In his previous books, James Kunstler focused on the shortsighted vision of suburban planning; now he expands that view to the country's urban growth challenges and the need to drastically change our current course of auto and oil dependency. The Long Emergency is filled with history plus eye-openin ...
  • About George Green
    Dear Friends, Thank you for your interest in our catalog of unusual and informative materials. The knowledge gained will give you choices in the days ahead and lessons of discernment as the chaos increases. It is necessary for those of you who are now in the "know" so to speak, to begin to focus ...

Insurgency Watch - Newswire

  • Obama, us leaders should contemplate future of Afg ...
    BBC News Obama, us leaders should contemplate future of Afghan women Chicago Tribune Would nuclear-armed Pakistan become even more vulnerable to its own Taliban insurgency ? Will a defeat embolden America's enemies? That line of thinking must ... Vietnam syndrome has begun in Afghanistan Sri Lanka ...
  • Officials: Campus blasts perplexing - United Press ...
    Officials: Campus blasts perplexing United Press International ISLAMABAD, Pakistan , Oct. 21 (UPI) -- The International Islamic University, where bomb blasts killed at least six people, is a unique Pakistani institution ... and more »
  • Schools closed in Pakistan after bombing - GMA new ...
    Schools closed in Pakistan after bombing GMA news.tv An Associated Press reporter met three Taliban fighters Tuesday traveling in a car with darkened windows at Shaktoi, a town close to the border between ... and more »
  • An Evolving Afghan Policy - American Chronicle
    An Evolving Afghan Policy American Chronicle ... triumph for the forces of Islamic extremism, al-Qaeda would once again gain a foothold, and the return of the Taliban would likely destabilize Pakistan . ...
  • Schools close in Pakistan following university bom ...
    Schools close in Pakistan following university bombings Emirates Business 24/7 ... in Pakistan after suspected militants bombed a university close to the capital, sowing fear across the country as the army presses a major anti- Taliban ... and more »

AlterNet - Rights and Liberties

Sideways News

  • Secret Santa gives out $10,000
    A kind-hearted Secret Santa delighted Christmas shoppers this week when he gave over 100 lucky people $100 (£62) each. The anonymous man, who was dressed as Father Christmas, surprised shoppers at the Goodwill store in Maine, US.
  • Sideways' top five websites of the Noughties
    It is hard to imagine what we did before certain websites were created. Today we can do the weekly shop, watch a film, catch up with friends and read the news all online - you name it and there is a website which makes it possible. And the number of websites to choose from is endless. Earlier this y ...
  • Acid victim delivers Christmas message
    Channel 4 has announced that acid attack victim Katie Piper will deliver this year's Alternative Christmas Message, in which she will urge viewers to "appreciate the beautiful things and the beautiful people that you have in your life now".
  • People 'do feel' another's pain
    Some sensitive souls experience genuine pain when they see another person in discomfort, according to a new study. The research, which was carried out by the University of Birmingham , revealed that the expression "feeling someone's pain" is a reality for many.
  • Gaia: scientific theory or faith?

Fabius Maximus

  • Think-tanks bribe journalists to promote our wars
    Slowly folks begin to realize that most of our geopolitical experts advocate war because its their job to do so.  They’re just working their rice bowls.  For today’s lesson see this excerpt from “Danger Room What’s Next in National Security Think-Tanks and the Reporters Who Heart Them“, Nathan H ...
  • FM newswire for 23 December, hot articles for your ...
    Today’s links to interesting news and analysis. Technology might re-make the oil sands business The great western drought:  Lake Mead could be dry by 2021 (it provides 90% of Las Vegas’ water) America re-segregates Today’s new climate science scandal Here’s a real comment policy: RealClimate does ...
  • Oil news: Shell selling out of Nigeria
    A fascinating theme of the undernews is that so many “black swan” events were accurately forecast by experts — and ignored.  Shell got their money’s worth from this study:  “Peace and Security in the Niger Delta“, Conflict Expert Group of WAC Global Services, December 2003 — About this study ...
  • FM newswire for 22 December, hot articles for your ...
    This is what I found interesting, so it’s today’s broadsheet from the FM website pressroom, with several sections of hot news.  Lot’s happening in the world today, mostly either overlooked or misinterpreted by the mainstream media.   “Threats and Degradation“, Tucson Weekly, 10 Dec ...
  • Gift ideas – Books to or give
    I like books that challenge my views, as in the saying attributed to Mark Twain “What gets us into trouble is not what we don’t know. It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.” So here are two recommendations of books that challenge our views, esp about the things we know for sure. The Culture ...

sibeledmonds - tweets

WIRED Magazine | Science

  • Saturn’s Moons Are Cuter Than Sugar Plum Fairies
    We love Cassini more with every amazing image the intrepid spacecraft sends back from its travels, and this latest treat is no exception. The Cassini imaging team has assembled images of some of Saturn’s moons in action into this sequence, bringing another corner of the solar system to life for ...
  • Female Ducks’ Twisty Tracts Defend Against Screwy ...
    The first intimate duck videos show that it’s mate and checkmate in the battle of the sexes. High-speed cameras document that a male Muscovy duck can fully extend his 20-centimeter penis in a third of second, says evolutionary biologist Patricia Brennan of Yale University (Watch the researcher’s ...
  • 7 Tipping Points That Could Transform Earth
    When the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issue its last report in 2007, environmental tipping points were a footnote. A troubling footnote, to be sure, but the science was relatively new and unsettled. Straightforward global warming was enough to worry about. But when the IPCC meets in 20 ...
  • Female Ducks’ Twisty Tracts Defend Against S ...
    The first intimate duck videos show that it’s mate and checkmate in the battle of the sexes. High-speed cameras document that a male Muscovy duck can fully extend his 20-centimeter penis in a third of second, says evolutionary biologist Patricia Brennan of Yale University (Watch the researcher’s ...
  • 7 Tipping Points That Could Transform Earth
    When the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issue its last report in 2007, environmental tipping points were a footnote. A troubling footnote, to be sure, but the science was relatively new and unsettled. Straightforward global warming was enough to worry about. But when the IPCC meets in 20 ...

The Progressive Realist

  • Eritrea's Transition to Pariah-State Status Nearly ...
    Six months ago, I predicted that Eritrea was on its way to becoming the newest pariah state on the international scene. Later today, that status may be officially confirmed as joining the ranks of Sudan, North Korea, and Iran when the Security Council votes on a sanctions resolution on Eritrea and ...
  • The Mullahs Versus ‘The Mullahs’
    Here’s an easy way to tell where someone stands on the Iran question: If they constantly refer to “the mullahs” ( religious leaders ) who rule Iran, then you’re most likely dealing with someone who is disdainful of U.S.-Iran engagement , who thinks that the only problem with the Bush administration ...
  • Pakistani Thermidor?: How to Balance the Various C ...
    Winston Churchill characterized Soviet Russia in terms of riddles and enigmas. Pakistan today can be characterized as seemingly implacable contradictions and collisions between immovable objects and immutable forces — potentially creating the "mother of all quagmires." A critical question is whethe ...
  • Women’s Rights and Afghanistan
    Ann Friedman has an excellent piece in TAP on the problematic nature of invoking women’s rights as a rationale for military involvement in Afghanistan. Her trenchant critique is reaches its apex with the following claim, which I suspect will be too bold for some: “To me, the answer is tragically ap ...
  • Did China Intentionally Ruin a Copenhagen Deal?
    This account , on the Guardian's site this afternoon, from a writer who says he was a first-hand witness when Chinese representatives "intentionally" torpedoed Barack Obama's proposals and wrecked the Copenhagen deal. The headline tells the story: How do I know China wrecked the Copenhagen deal? I w ...

TAPPED - The American Prospect

  • Lightning Round: The Road to Recovery is Forever U ...
    Marta Evry at Firedoglake and Ezra Klein both agree that President Obama 's recent public option diss in the Washington Post defies much of his earlier rhetoric from the campaign trail. But Evry is convinced that the public option is more valuable as an oracle -- or maybe catharsis -- for progressiv ...
  • Examiner Columnist Blames "Undercover Gay Reporter ...
    Via Amanda Hess : Jonetta Rose Barras , a columnist for the conservative   Washington Examiner , writes at her website that D.C.'s anti-equality movement believes they received a "raw deal" because: Several of the individuals who reported on the legislation are themselves gay. None revealed their st ...
  • The Year In: Gay Marriage.
    For as many set-backs as the gay rights movement suffered in 2009, there have been some triumphs. Supporters remain committed to the fight. As Gabriel Arana wrote here, "[E]quality isn't a once-and-for-all achievement ... Nor is it an eventuality. Despite Martin Luther King Jr.'s assurance, the arc ...
  • About That Black Panther Case.
    Ryan J. Reilly takes a look at J. Christian Adams , the conservative partisan hired during an era of right wing politicization in the Civil Rights Division of The Justice Department who is at the center of the infamous Black Panther case conservatives are using as a cudgel against the Obama DoJ: As ...
  • A Congress Carol.
    Tim Fernholz imagines a world without a filibuster: What a year for Congress! In February, it passed an $820 billion fiscal stimulus with more infrastructure investment than tax cuts. By April, it approved the president's landmark progressive budget. In June, an unprecedented energy bill complete w ...

Andy Worthington

  • Who Are The Four Afghans Released From Guantánamo?
    Over the weekend, 12 prisoners were released from Guantánamo, as the Justice Department announced in a press release on December 20. I have previously reported the stories of the two Somalis who were released — emphasizing how nothing about their cases demonstrated that they were “the worst of th ...
  • “Hell on Earth”: Released Somali Speaks about Guan ...
    AFP secured an interview on Monday with Mohamed Saleban Bare (known to the Pentagon as Mohammed Sulaymon Barre), the Somali refugee, released from Guantánamo at the weekend with eleven other men (including another Somali, Ismail Mahmoud Muhammad), who ran a money transfer operation for the Somali di ...
  • Serious Problems With Obama’s Plan To Move Guantán ...
    Last Tuesday, in a letter to Illinois governor Pat Quinn, five senior Obama administration officials — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Attorney General Eric Holder, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair, and Secretary of the Department of Homeland Securit ...
  • The Stories Of The Two Somalis Freed From Guantána ...
    Carol Rosenberg at the Miami Herald broke the news on Saturday that 12 prisoners have been released from Guantánamo. The news followed hints in the Washington Post on Friday that six Yemenis and four Afghans were set to leave, but Rosenberg — and the East African media — reported that the men had a ...
  • Shaker Aamer: UK Government Drops Opposition To Re ...
    Last week, as I explained in a recent article, Shaker Aamer, the last British resident in Guantánamo, who was seized in Afghanistan in 2001 after traveling to Afghanistan with his friend Moazzam Begg (and their families) to establish a girls’ school in Kabul, won a significant victory in the British ...

Buzzflash

  • Santa May Run Out of Reindeer: There are 60% Fewer ...
    GREEN IS GOOD by Margaret Smith Ah, Santa's reindeer. Each Christmas Eve little boys and girls everywhere stay up late in hopes of hearing the clomp clomp clomp of their hoofs landing on the roof so Santa can squeeze down the chimney to drop off presents. But what's the real deal with Dasher, Dancer ...
  • FOX Keeps on Frightening the Health Care Debate, C ...
    BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT by Jeffrey Joseph After a summer with intimations of violence such as a representative hanged in effigy , FOX News refused to cool down for the winter. Taking direction from Sen. John McCain, Fox & Friends attempted to make an issue out of Franken's refusal to allow Lieberman ex ...
  • BuzzFlash Mailbag for December 21, 2009
    BUZZFLASH MAILBAG Want to join the conversation? Share your thoughts with other Mailbag readers by clicking here . You also may comment below; post articles yourself at BuzzFlash.net ; or send urls for BuzzFlash to post to: www.buzzflash.com/contact/newstip.html . Subject: reich prayer-cast Hi, Buzz ...
  • John Harwood Promotes 'Can't Do' MSM Attitude on H ...
    BUZZFLASH MEDIA PUTZ OF THE WEEK John Harwood For reporting that is an embarrassment to the profession of journalism, and for being beholden to corporate paymasters rather than the citizens of America. John Harwood thinks liberals are on hallucinogenic drugs , but if his distorted perception had an ...
  • Prosperous Hospitals and Insurance Companies Thriv ...
    BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS by Jeffrey Joseph Senate Democrats appear to finally have enough votes to pass their version of the health-care reform bill despite all the rhetoric and lobbying against it. As the critical vote draws nearer, though, the bill deserves an evaluation of how it might affect some ...

Glenn Greenwald - Salon

  • The NYT's view of "journalistic objectivity"
    (updated below) I've written many times before about Sami al-Hajj, the Al Jazeera cameraman who was abducted by the U.S. in late 2001, tortured at Bagram, sent to Guantanamo for seven years -- where he was never charged with any crime and was interrogated overwhelmingly about Al Jazeera's ope ...
  • Health care industry stocks explode as bill progre ...
    The Senate passed its health care bill "by standing up to the special interests who prevented reform for decades and who are furiously lobbying against it now" --  Barack Obama, December 21, 2009 . ____________ "'Healthcare shares rose on Monday as a bill to reform healthcare passed the first cr ...
  • U.S. aid to Al Qaeda
    Following up on what I wrote yesterday about our missile attacks in Southern Yemen strengthening Al Qaeda, there is an unusually informative article in Time -- written by Abigail Hauslohner and based on her interview with Yemen expert Gregory Johnson of Princeton University -- that provides substan ...
  • Cruise missile attacks in Yemen
    Given what a prominent role "Terrorism" plays in our political discourse, it's striking how little attention is paid to American actions which have the most significant impact on that problem.  In addition to our occupation of Iraq, war escalation in Afghanistan, and secret bombings in Pakistan, Pr ...
  • The underlying divisions in the health care debate
    Ed Kilgore has a very perceptive analysis in The New Republic about the underlying (and largely unexamined) ideological and strategic differences among progressives that are at least partially driving the rift over the health care bill.  He argues -- correctly -- that the current debate "displays a ...

The BiPartisan Report

Sciencebase

  • Five-step plan for green design
    I recently saw a research paper discussing the lack of tools for designers hoping to make their products greener, more environmentally benign, sustainable even. The paper focused more on the likes of coming up with a green espresso machine and offered a five-step scheme for getting the green creden ...
  • Happy Solstice Event
    Wishing all readers, commenters, contacts, fellow tweeps and scientwists, Facebook fans, and friends everywhere a happy mid-seasonal, solstice feast event from sciencebase.com… …I couldn’t just say Happy Christmas could I? It’s not as if it’s scientifically possible to reconcile a belief in any arc ...
  • Religious science and other science books
    Having posted about atheism recently on the SciScoop science forum, it seems quite apt to have received for review a couple of books with a religious theme at this time of year. The first is The Faith Instinct by Nicholas Wade. Wade is a well-known New York Times writer who presents the case for an ...
  • Myrrh, bones, and medical waste
    Hepatic epiphany for myrrh – A statistical analysis of experimental data on laboratory animals shows that the resin of the middle-eastern tree Commiphora, better known as “myrrh” can act as a protective antioxidant against liver damage caused by organic lead compounds. Myrrh is a rust-coloured resi ...
  • 25 Scientific musos or 25 musical scientists
    Science is fun, but there are times when even the most dedicated begoggled labcoat wearing bench monkey has to relax and lots of science types seem particularly drawn to playing music. Now, I’m not saying any of these people are bench monkeys, but they do all play music, as far as I know: harp ...

Common Dreams-Progressive Newswire

  • UN Climate Negotiations Need Overhaul If We Are to ...
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 21, 2009 Oxfam International The UN climate talks must be rescued from the shambles of Copenhagen by revolutionising the way the negotiations are carried out so that a deal can be delivered in 2010 and the chaos witnessed in Copenhagen is never repeated. read more
  • 20th Annual National Homeless Person’s Memorial – ...
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 21, 2009 National Coalition for the Homeless December 21 st is the first day of winter marking the year's shortest day and longest night. For the past twenty years, people have gathered in the dark outside, this year after a record breaking snowfall attendees will gath ...
  • The Numbers Don’t Lie--GOP Obstruction Efforts Unp ...
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 23, 2009 PFAW f it has seemed that Republican Senators have been expending tremendous amounts of energy for the sole purpose of slowing down the work of the Senate and the President’s reform agenda, that’s because they have.   A review of cloture attempts in past ses ...
  • Will Egypt Prevent Marchers from Entering Gaza?
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 23, 2009 Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA) HEDY EPSTEIN DANA BALICKI ANN WRIGHT MEDEA BENJAMIN Balicki, Wright and Benjamin are with the group CODEPINK, which is organizing the Gaza Freedom March on Dec. 31. A delegation to Gaza will begin in Cairo on Dec. 2 ...
  • Progressive House Leaders say Key Aspects of House ...
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 23, 2009 Congresswomen Lee & Woolsey Progressive leaders Reps. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) released the following statement today about Thursday's vote in the Senate on health care reform legislation: "Now that the Senate is poised to pass its ve ...

Common Dreams-Views

  • Agent of Change
    by Ralph Nader The ancient Greek philosopher, Heraclitus (535-475 BC) said that "character is destiny." He might have added that "personality is decisive." Where is Barack Obama in this framework? The venerable historian, James MacGregor Burns, in his book "Transforming Leadership," drew an importan ...
  • For Obama, No Opportunity Too Big To Blow
    by Naomi Klein Contrary to countless reports, the debacle in Copenhagen was not everyone's fault. It did not happen because human beings are incapable of agreeing, or are inherently self-destructive. Nor was it all was China's fault, or the fault of the hapless UN. read more
  • Health Reform 2009: Would Nataline’s Life Be Spar ...
    by Donna Smith Two years ago, on December 20, 2007, Nataline Sarkisyan died.  She was just 17 years old.  Her mother and father grieve the loss of their angel.  And every Christmas season from now until they pass from this earth, the Sarkisyan family will embrace Nataline’s memory and wonder what mi ...
  • Back to the Drawing Board
    by David Sirota The Senate health care bill betrays the promise of fundamental "change" Democrats made during the 2008 election. It cloaks a handout to the health industry in the veneer of "reform." Though it includes some positive subsidies and regulatory tweaks, the bill creates few mechanisms to ...
  • Break the CIA in Two
    by Ray McGovern After the CIA-led fiasco at the Bay of Pigs in April 1961, President John Kennedy was quoted as saying he wanted to "splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it into the winds."  I can understand his anger, but a thousand is probably too many. Better is a Solomon soluti ...

Karl Burkart

Water Privatization

Guardian

  • Ice disrupts Christmas Eve getaway
    Some flights cancelled and trains delayed, with challenging conditions for the 4m vehicles expected on the roads Icy weather continued to cause havoc for people attempting to make their Christmas getaway today, with flights cancelled, trains delayed and treacherous conditions for the 4m vehicles exp ...
  • Sara Payne in 'life-threatening condition'
    Mother of murdered schoolgirl Sarah Payne rushed to hospital with complications after brain surgery The mother of the murdered schoolgirl Sarah Payne is in a "life-threatening condition" today after being rushed to hospital with complications after brain surgery. Sara Payne, 40, fell ill yesterday a ...
  • Allen Stanford 'in danger of nervous breakdown'
    Allen Stanford's lawyers plead for financier's release on bail Financier Allen Stanford has suffered a severe mental and physical deterioration and is in danger of "a complete nervous breakdown" in a Texas prison, according to a psychiatrist's report. The statement is included in a fresh plea for ba ...
  • Barbie left on the shelf at 50
    The famous blonde hit 50 this year, but her place in the playroom is under threat as families ditch Hollywood for wholesome Fifty can be a tricky birthday for anyone. But spare a thought for Barbie, who hit the landmark this year only to face rejection in playrooms around the country. Recession has ...
  • The greatest story ever retold?
    With such inherently dramatic source material, George Stevens's cameo-packed 1965 dramatisation of the life of Jesus Christ still manages to be long, plodding and unintentionally funny Director: George Stevens Entertainment grade: E History grade: C Jesus of Nazareth is believed by Christians to hav ...

McClatchey

BBC - Richard Black's Earth Watch

  • Best wishes from a white land
    Just a quick note, today, to say "best wishes" to everyone about to celebrate Christmas or some other winter festival. Here in London, it's been refreshing (in more ways than one!) to see snow on the ground and kids out playing in it - a reminder of childhood days. For me, it's time to put the lap ...
  • COP15: (No) Hopenhagen?
    Everywhere you go in Copenhagen, you're met with two kinds of advertising poster. One sells lingerie, the morning walk to the railway station bringing a sequence of scarcely clad models smiling unfeasibly in the freezing morning air. The other sells hope. "Hopenhagen" has been the city's alterna ...
  • COP15: Deal or no deal?
    0043 CET Saturday: Now, we are totally - totally - into uncharted territory. A US president has reached an climate change agreement with leaders of just four countries - although a few more clearly had a inkling of what was going on. The White House announced the deal - this is supposed to be a UN ...
  • A tale of two superpowers
    1926 CET: It's supposed to be about two degrees. It appears to have come down to two men. As I write, US President Barack Obama and China's Prime Minister Wen Jiabao are locked in a room somewhere around this conference centre - a meeting that could answer the question of whether ther's a deal here ...
  • COP15: Saving the planet or saving face?
    1641 CET: We're into a strange dark limbo-land here. The draft political agreement that leaders are supposed to sign today has gone through more changes than Eva Longoria at an awards ceremony. The latest version, we're told, sheds many of the frills. It's a jeans and t-shirt job compared with the ...

Afghanistan Sun

  • Jihadi culture on the rise in Pakistan
    London: Despite 'war on terrorism' and Pakistan's war against Taliban and massive propaganda against Muslim militants 'Jihadi culture' is on rise not only in FATA but in various parts of Pakistan, including Punjab.
  • Afghan town reborn after U.S. routs Taliban
    Richard Tomkins NOW ZAD, Afghanistan I Signs of rebirth are growing in this former Taliban stronghold in Helmand province just days after U.S. Marines stormed it in a ground-and-airborne assault that...
  • Afghan call-up soldier disappears
    A teenage British soldier due to be deployed to Afghanistan has gone missing while on holiday with his girlfriend in Tenerife, his mother said. Matthew Jackson, 18, vanished following a night out on...
  • 1-Blackwater Eyes Afghan Contractor Surge .....
    Fred Roitz, executive vice president, told the commission that Xe has security and training contracts in Afghanistan. Among other duties, he said, the company trains and mentors the Afghan border poli...
  • Canadian, British soldiers killed in blasts in sou ...
    Kabul - NATO said Thursday that two of its soldiers, a Canadian and a Briton, were killed in roadside blasts in volatile southern Afghanistan. The British soldier was killed Tuesday in a roadside bomb...

Futurismic

  • Festive downtime
    Hi folks; just a quick note to apologise for the radio silence here over the last week! I’ve been off doing that family thing for the festive season alongside finishing up all the fiddly details of my recent house move (an experience I’m glad to have seen the end of), and there simply hasn’t been [. ...
  • The legislation of fabrication – should 3D printin ...
    Here’s another sf-nal thought experiment to keep your brain occupied. We frequently mention 3D printing and fabbing here at Futurismic, but usually in the context of its positive disruptive potential – a potential sea-change in capitalist economic systems, for example. But here’s a negative response ...
  • Potential outcomes of pervasive surveillance
    Sometimes it really feels like science-fictional thinking is becoming a much more mainstream thing to do. Following on from yesterday’s mention of CCTV control software that can learn to recognise suspicious behaviour (as defined by operator feedback, natch), out-bound BoingBoing guest blogger Paul ...
  • Mercurial cartography
    With the cold weather really digging in for those of us in the Northern hemisphere, you may well be thinking of taking a holiday somewhere hot. Courtesy the US Geological Survey, you can now scout out the lay of the land on the hottest destination in the entire solar system, as their near-global map ...
  • What Are The Animals Becoming?
    Since I went for things made of metal skins and electrical guts last month when I wrote about weird robots, I decided to opt for warm-blooded carbon-based life forms this time around – so welcome to the December column on smart animals! Now, we’re a dog family, and we have a golden retriever [. ...

geopolitics | geoeconomics

Whistleblowers Protection Blog

  • Liberian president issues executive order to prote ...
    The African Press Agency reports that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has issued an Executive Order to protect anyone who discloses information about actions of impropriety against the public interest that is occurring, has occurred, or will occur in any public or private institution.  It is known a ...
  • Maine judge issues a fine order for attorney fees
    Last week, Justice Joyce A. Wheeler of Maine's Androscoggin Superior Court issued an excellent decision awarding attorney fees in Maine Human Rights Commission v. Saddleback, Inc., Case No. CV-06-219 (Dec. 17, 2009, Order Regarding Attorneys Fees ). The case arose when electrician Robert Duggan rais ...
  • Comment on Metro safety, the STAA and the Washingt ...
    On October 14, the Washington Post ran a story on Metro drivers going " Strictly by the Book " (p. B-1). The story highlights safety issues that reach beyond Metro. That the Post's writer would be concerned about the disruption reveals a prevalent but dangerous attitude that speed is more impor ...
  • Jury awards Colin Browne $282,000
    Mr. Colin Browne worked as a program advisor for the UDC Career Counseling and Development Center. Throughout his term, he discovered many flaws within the system. For example, Kevin Naiker, the former Director of UDC’s “Team 100” retention program, and others were purposely spinning the retenti ...
  • Press Freedom Index 2009
      On October 20, 2009, Reporters Without Borders (RWB), a Paris-based international non-governmental journalism organization that advocates freedom of the press, published Press Freedom Index 2009, its eighth annual world press freedom catalogue. According to the report, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, ...

Defense and the National Interest

  • On War #323: Milestone
    William S. Lind 23 November 2009 One of the ongoing themes of this column has been gangs and the role they play in a Fourth Generation world. Here in the United States they already serve as an alternative primary loyalty (alternative to the state) for many urban young men. Gangs will likely be a m ...
  • DNI to close — update
    23 November 2009 Many thanks to everyone who wrote in.  My wife and I are deeply touched. We’ll try to find someone to at least take over the site as it is and keep the links intact.  Several people have contacted me with ideas.  In the meantime, I’ll leave everything up unless we start having mo ...
  • DNI to close
    Probably on Monday, November 23, depending on how my travels work out. Please go ahead and download any thing you’d like to keep — I’d particularly recommend Boyd’s briefings and the 4GW manuals. I have great faith in the growing number of bloggers and commentators who cover many of the same subjec ...
  • On War #322: What Is “Political Correctness?”
    William S. Lind 18 November 2009 In response to the killing of 13 American soldiers at Ft. Hood by an Islamic U. S. Army major, a number of senior officials have expressed their fear, not of Islam, but of a possible threat to “diversity.” “Diversity” is one of the many false gods of “Political Corr ...
  • What should we do with terrorists?
    Security guru Bruce Schneier has the right idea: We should treat terrorists like common criminals and give them all the benefits of true and open justice — not merely because it demonstrates our indomitability, but because it makes us all safer. Once a society starts circumventing its own laws, the ...

Digital Journal

End Homelessness | Change.org

  • Church Sells Window to Keep Shelter Doors Open
    A small church in Brattleboro, Vermont is learning the hard way that desperate times call for desperate measures. With fledgling funds, the congregation faced a difficult decision: cut off services to the homeless, or sell an invaluable piece of church history? ABC News reported last night that memb ...
  • NYC Charity Fraud Ordered Off Streets
    Following months of "investigation," and years of expose', United Homeless Organization has  finally been ordered to remove its sidewalk donation tables from the streets of New York City. State Supreme Court justice in Manhattan, Hon. Barbara R. Kapnick, granted the injunction at behest of state’s a ...
  • Scrooge Award Goes to Goldman Sachs Subsidiary
    'Tis the season for lambasting companies that choose profit over relieving this country's housing crisis. This time around, the Scrooge Award goes to Goldman Sachs, whose loan collection subsidiary Litton Loan Servicing blocks attempts to modify loans while its parent company doles out massive bonus ...
  • Prince William Sleeps on Streets in Solidarity wit ...
    It's easy to oppose the idea of homelessness. But few people go to out of their way to understand just how devastating the experience of homelessness can be. Last week, Prince William spent one freezing night "rough sleeping" on the streets London. His goal? To actively understand the plight of youn ...
  • How to Do the Right Thing this Winter
    January 21st is the first day of winter and the longest night of the year. It's also the most dangerous time of year to be without a home. Each year, the lives of hundreds of people without a home are lost due to extreme weather conditions. Today, you can be a part of the solution by learning how to ...

Ceasefire.ca

  • Decal offer from Bill and Rhyl Stollery
    Dear Ceasefire.ca supporters, You might be interested in this offer from Bill and Rhyl Stollery in Edmonton. Magnetic decals 3 1/2 ” x 8″ to display on rear of vehicles $2.00 each or 10 for $15.00, plus mailing To order and receive details to promote campaign: e-mail rstoller@shaw.ca or hready@shaw. ...
  • World leaders agree on climate change
    World leaders and their representatives attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen failed to achieve a binding agreement to cap and reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the close of the conference on Friday, in effect agreeing instead to continue their collective experiment i ...
  • McChrystal in Ottawa
    The commander of U.S. and ISAF forces in Afghanistan, U.S. General Stanley McChrystal, visited Ottawa Wednesday to discuss Afghanistan strategy with Canadian Chief of Defence Staff General Walt Natynczyk and other officials. He also made a speech at an event sponsored by the Conference of Defence As ...
  • Torture file: Colvin shoots back; government ducks
    The Canadian diplomat whose mid-November testimony to the Special Committee on the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan ignited a firestorm of controversy over Canadian transfers of Afghan detainees to probable torture by the Afghan authorities has fired back at his critics. In a 16-page letter sent to t ...
  • ICNND urges nuclear disarmament progress
    The International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament released its report “Eliminating Nuclear Threats: A Practical Agenda for Global Policymakers” today. Declaring that “maintaining the status quo is not an option,” the commissioners argue that the opportunity exists “to hal ...

Kevin Trudeau Show

  • Dr. Jeff McCombs
    Click the picture or link below to hear Kevin’s interview with Dr. Jeffrey McCombs. Click here to order The McCombs Plan and click here to purchase LifeForce: A Dynamic Plan for Health, Vitality, and Weight Loss. Dr. Jeff McCombs 12/23/09
  • The Kevin Trudeau Show: 12-23-09
    Today, Kevin gives you the hard evidence behind the September 11th conspiracy, the reasons why Barack Obama is merely a puppet and his solution to Obamacare!! Plus, Dr. Jeff McCombs, the author of LifeForce, explains how Candida is polluting your body and what you can do to rid your body of this to ...
  • Two Years of Failure in Directing the Economy
    December 23, 2009 The International Forecaster As we look back and this year comes to an end we find two plus years of failure. Even government admits to 1-1/2 years of negative growth - a sorry record after having poured trillions of dollars into the economy. The recent 3rd quarter results supposed ...
  • Wait 18 Months To See A Doctor
    December 23, 2009 Info Wars By Paul Joseph Watson Eye surgeon and senatorial candidate Rand Paul warns that under ObamaCare, Americans could be forced to wait a year and a half merely to see a doctor due to Canadian-style rationing of health care being imposed. As an eye surgeon with his own private ...
  • Health Care Bill Is A Huge Tax Heist
    December 23, 2009 Prison Planet By Paul Joseph Watson A Boston Globe analysis of the health care bill which Democrats are trying to ram through before Christmas illustrates how the legislation is a gigantic tax heist which will further economically cripple Americans already laboring under the worst ...

Pambazuka News

  • USA: Black coalition to protest expanding U.S. war ...
    A newly-formed Black coalition has announced a rally and march on the White House to take place November 7, 2009 beginning in Washington, D.C.’s historic Malcolm X Park. The rally and march are to protest the expanding U.S. wars and other policy ini...
  • Brazil: Bloggers on why there is still racism in t ...
    Two weeks ago, Global Voices Online reported the story of Januário Alves de Santana, a black man who had been beaten and punched by security guards of one of the largest international retailers in Brazil. He was waiting for his family in the car park...
  • Global: It takes a Villager
    Owino Odhiambo left his tiny Kenyan village less than a decade ago to immerse himself completely in American culture. Equipped with American citizenship, two degrees, and five years experience working as a dedicated graphic designer in New York City,...
  • Honduras: Implications of coup for Afro-descendant ...
    Currently, the country of Honduras in Central America is experiencing its worst political crisis in decades. In the aftermath of the military coup that forcibly removed President Manuel Zelaya Rosales, there have been various developments that have r...
  • Guadeloupe: Demand for support for the independenc ...
    Felix Alain Flémin, secretary general of the Guadeloupe Communist Party (GCP) has called for international solidarity in support of the struggle for independence and self-determination of the people of those Caribbean islands under French colonial do...

War in Context

  • Christmas in the Holy Land - 2009
    Christmas in the Holy Land - 2009 Never Before Campaign, December, 2009 Breaking Palestine’s peaceful protest By Neve Gordon, The Guardian, December 23, 2009 “Why,” I have often been asked, “haven’t the Palestinians established a peace movement like the Israeli Peace Now?” The question itself is pr ...
  • Why war will take no holiday in 2010
    Why war will take no holiday in 2010 By Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch, December 22, 2009 Our endless wars are nightmares. Few enough would disagree with that, even, I suspect, among the supportive 58% in that poll or the 54% who “approve of the president’s performance as commander-in-chief.” If only ...
  • Strategic Balochistan becomes a target in war agai ...
    Strategic Balochistan becomes a target in war against Taliban By Declan Walsh, The Guardian, December 21, 2009 Look around Balochistan, and you may not see much. Pakistan’s largest province is also its poorest and least inhabited – an expanse of rocky deserts and ramshackle villages where hardy tr ...
  • The NYT’s view of “journalistic objectivity”
    The NYT’s view of “journalistic objectivity” By Glenn Greenwald, Salon, December 23, 2009 I‘ve written many times before about Sami al-Hajj, the Al Jazeera cameraman who was abducted by the U.S. in late 2001, tortured at Bagram, sent to Guantanamo for seven years — where he was never charged with an ...
  • Cleric’s funeral becomes protest of Iran leaders
    Cleric’s funeral becomes protest of Iran leaders By Robert F Worth, New York Times, December 22, 2009 The funeral of a prominent dissident cleric in the holy Iranian city of Qum turned into a huge and furious antigovernment rally on Monday, raising the possibility that the cleric’s death could serv ...

Watts Up With That?

  • BBC botches grade school CO2 science experiment on ...
    WUWT readers may recall this story from November 3rd NOAA deletes an “inconvenient” kids science web page where NOAA took down a web page called “It’s a gas, man” that talked about a tabletop science demonstration that kids could do themselves to “prove” that CO2 retains more heat. Problem was, ...
  • Climate Craziness of the Week – Why I’ ...
    I used to love the Coca-Cola Polar bear TV ads at Christmastime. I marveled at the quality of the CGI animations when they first came out, like this one: They were fun and entertaining to watch, even though not reality based because papa polar bear would just as soon rip the heads off the cubs as [ ...
  • The Climategate Timeline: 30 years visualized
    The always sharp Jo Nova tips us to this: Here’s a Spectacular Poster of ClimateGate covering 3 decades You have to see this to believe it. Look up close and admire the detail while you despair at how long science has been going off the rails. To better appreciate the past and what was exposed by th ...
  • Von Storch op-ed in the WSJ: ‘Climategate re ...
    Some excerpts: We—society and climate researchers—need to discuss now what constitutes “good science.” Some think good science is a societal institution that produces results that serve an ideology. Take, for instance, the counsel that then-Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen gave to sci ...
  • Unbearable Global Warming Hype Threatens the North ...
    It’s one thing when you are bombarded daily by news articles, it’s quite another when you want to buy a custom teddy bear and are treated to a video lecture on global warming. That’s why I’ll never buy anything from this company and advise my family and friends with children to avoid them also. www. ...

Dandelion Salad

  • Is war the answer to a depression?
    http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/ http://therealnews.com Robert Pollin: It wasn’t war that ended the 1930s Depression, it was massive government spending Robert Pollin is Professor of Economics and founding Co-Director of the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Mass ...
  • Grief: The “GIft” that NEVER stops giv ...
    by Cindy Sheehan Featured Writer Dandelion Salad Cindy Sheehan’s Soapbox Blog Cindy Sheehan’s Soapbox Dec. 22, 2009 Since our son-brother, Casey, was killed in Iraq, even precious and happy moments are tinged with grief. Today is such a day—it is Casey’s youngest sibling’s birthday. As I write th ...
  • End Of The Year: U.S. Recruits Worldwide For Afgha ...
    by Rick Rozoff Featured Writer Dandelion Salad Stop NATO http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com 23 December, 2009 The first of 33,000 more U.S. troops have arrived in Afghanistan for a Christmas surge and they will soon be joined by as many as 10,000 additional non-American troops serving under NATO in ...
  • Compulsory Private Health Insurance: Just Another ...
    by Dr. Ellen Brown Featured Writer Dandelion Salad webofdebt.com Dec 23, 2009 [Note: slightly revised] Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, is quoted as warning two centuries ago: “Unless we put medical freedom into the Constitution, the time will come when medicine w ...
  • Serious Problems With Obama’s Plan To Move Guantán ...
    by Andy Worthington Featured Writer Dandelion Salad www.andyworthington.co.uk 22 December 2009 Last Tuesday, in a letter to Illinois governor Pat Quinn, five senior Obama administration officials — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Attorney General Eric Holder, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Di ...

Your New Reality

  • No title
    Al Qaeda Agents Of The CIA A solid piece of War On Terror hard news by Kurt Nimmo. He lists known or suspected Al Qaeda terrorists who've worked for, or been trained by, the CIA : - Vinnell bombing leader Khaled Jehani (worked for the CIA in Bosnia, Chechnya, and Afghanistan) - USS Cole bomber Ja ...
  • No title
    A strange ad from a 1936 issue of Popular Mechanics (key feature story : stamp collecting!), which encourages Americans to embrace an "attractive future" by home-breed huge South American toads for the US canned frogs' legs market : (click to enlarge)
  • No title
    Now BushCo. Are Gone, John Bolton Is Just Another War Mongering BobbleHead Bullshit Artist Foreign Policy gives John Bolton, full-time War On Iran activist, a well-deserved slaparound in their Top 10 Worst Predictions For 2009 list : "I think if they [Israel] are to do anything, the most likely per ...
  • No title
    The video quality is rough as guts, but the material is absolutely killer : Imagine any stand-up comedian appearing on commercial TV today unleashing such unhinged, radical material. "I had a dream......bang!"
  • No title
    All the details below are taken from official White House media-distributed photography. DeNiro, Springsteen, Obama : No-one can accuse Obama of blowing money on new phones for the White House. Look at this ancient beast of a thing sitting on his West Wing desk. Obama flag pin worn on la ...

Wired - Science

  • Saturn’s Moons Are Cuter Than Sugar Plum Fairies
    We love Cassini more with every amazing image the intrepid spacecraft sends back from its travels, and this latest treat is no exception. The Cassini imaging team has assembled images of some of Saturn’s moons in action into this sequence, bringing another corner of the solar system to life for ...
  • Female Ducks’ Twisty Tracts Defend Against Screwy ...
    The first intimate duck videos show that it’s mate and checkmate in the battle of the sexes. High-speed cameras document that a male Muscovy duck can fully extend his 20-centimeter penis in a third of second, says evolutionary biologist Patricia Brennan of Yale University (Watch the researcher’s ...
  • 7 Tipping Points That Could Transform Earth
    When the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issue its last report in 2007, environmental tipping points were a footnote. A troubling footnote, to be sure, but the science was relatively new and unsettled. Straightforward global warming was enough to worry about. But when the IPCC meets in 20 ...
  • Female Ducks’ Twisty Tracts Defend Against S ...
    The first intimate duck videos show that it’s mate and checkmate in the battle of the sexes. High-speed cameras document that a male Muscovy duck can fully extend his 20-centimeter penis in a third of second, says evolutionary biologist Patricia Brennan of Yale University (Watch the researcher’s ...
  • 7 Tipping Points That Could Transform Earth
    When the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issue its last report in 2007, environmental tipping points were a footnote. A troubling footnote, to be sure, but the science was relatively new and unsettled. Straightforward global warming was enough to worry about. But when the IPCC meets in 20 ...

Israeli Occupation Archive






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