17 December - RSS SnapShot! Pt 2

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Global BDS Movement

• Derail Israel's Unlawful A1 Train Project– End Int ...
  Occupied Palestinian Territory, 16 December 2010 - Israel’s A1 high-speed train project designed to connect Jerusalem and Tel Aviv violates international humanitarian law and human rights law. The A1 rail project forms a component of Israel’s ongoing plans to cement its regime of occupation, colonia ...
• Australian BDS Movement Begins to Emerge
  By Phil Monsour read more
• Palestinian refugees and Israel's A1 rail project ...
  The A1 rail project constitutes yet another step in the i read more
• BNC endorses findings of London session of Russell ...
  Occupied Palestine, 30 November 2010 - "May this tribunal prevent the crime of silence‟, pleaded intellectual Bertrand Russell at the first meeting of the citizens' War Crimes Tribunal that investigated US war crimes during its war on Vietnam.1 At a time when little was known in the wider public abo ...
• Veolia and Alstom feel the heat – BNC calls for in ...
  Occupied Palestine, November 2010 - Veolia and Alstom, the two French companies involved in the construction and management of a tramway linking west Jerusalem with illegal Israeli colonial settlements in Occupied Palestinian Territory, described by the UN Human Rights Council as a “clear violation ...

Farm Wars

• Grandma Got Molested At The Airport – Funny Video
  TSA strikes again!
• Toxic Gulf Seafood: Looks good to me, Vern!
  If you can't see, smell, or taste it, and if it looks good, then it must be okay to eat. Or at least will fool the public long enough to rake in profits until the consumer base is sufficiently reduced through disease leading to early death so that the genocidal oligarchs leading us off the cliff can ...
• Chinese government money is buying one of U.S.A.’s ...
  It seems like there’s not much hope for Mt. Hope in Nevada. A brave group of American farmers and ranchers (and so far, Eureka County, NV) are all that is standing between our valuable American resources and water rights, and a Chinese company that has taken a $745 million loan from a bank fully ow ...
• Farm Wars Public Service Announcement: Revolution!
  Thoreau decided that he could not be associated with the government of his day without disgrace. How about our government today? Can we associate with it without disgrace?
• Truth Squad Radio with Brent Johnson, Author of Th ...
  This Sunday's special guest is Brent Johnson of Global Freedom Report radio and author of The American Sovereign.

Open Your Eyes News

• One in six boys of five can’t write their na ...
  Daily Mail – More than 50 per cent of boys are struggling with the basics after a full year of schooling, official figures revealed. And nearly one in six cannot write his name at this stage. This means some cannot dress on their own, sound out the alphabet, count to ten or write words such [...]
• Julian Assange bail decision made by UK authoritie ...
  The Guardian – The decision to have Julian Assange sent to a London jail and kept there was taken by the British authorities and not by prosecutors in Sweden, as previously thought, the Guardian has learned. The Crown Prosecution Service will go to the high court tomorrow to seek the reversal of a d ...
• U.S. arrests 4 in widening insider trading probe
  Reuters – Four people were arrested on charges of leaking secrets about technology companies to hedge funds, including details about Apple Inc’s iPad ahead of its launch, in a widening U.S. probe into insider trading. Authorities said another person, a former employee of Dell Inc, had pleaded guilty ...
• Caffeine Negatively Affects Children: Most Consume ...
  ScienceDaily â Caffeine consumption in children is often blamed for sleep problems and bedwetting. Information on childhood caffeine consumption is limited, and many parents may not know the amount or effects of their child’s caffeine consumption. In a study published in The Journal of Pediatrics, r ...
• Obama: US will back UN on rights of native peoples
  Associated Press – President Barack Obama said Thursday that the United States will reverse course and support a United Nations declaration defending the rights of indigenous peoples. Obama told Native American leaders that the declaration affirms the importance and rich cultures of native peoples t ...

L.A. Times - Greenspace

• Treasury grant program for renewable energy projec ...
  The 1603 Treasury grant program -– a popular government incentive for renewable energy projects -– was extended Thursday night as Congress passed a major tax cut deal. The measure, which covers up to 30% of the cost of solar, wind...
• San Gabriel Dam opened for tests
  San Gabriel Dam operator Herbert Romero led 16 engineers clad in hard hats and yellow vests down a long flight of metal stairs on Wednesday to a cast-iron wheel on a ledge overlooking a streambed a few miles above Azusa....
• Columbia River coal export facility challenged on ...
  Plans to open the first major coal export facility on the West Coast are likely to be delayed until next year because of an appeal filed by a coalition of environmental groups, which say shipping coal to Asia throws a...
• Global warming protesters ramp up with climate tal ...
  The failure of global climate negotiations to slow greenhouse gas emissions is fueling protest movements in the U.S. and other countries, as the effects of sea level rise, longer droughts and stronger storms begin to take a toll. More than...
• Day Without a Bag targets holiday shoppers
  'Tis the season to go shopping -- and to collect dozens of single-use plastic bags in the process. Now in its fourth year, Day Without a Bag seeks to replace those single-use bags with reusables that can be put to...

water.org

• David Letterman “Water.org, now that’s ...
  Letterman Looking at Bottle: “Water.org, now that’s simple” (The Frager Factor) – Water.org co-founder and actor Matt Damon appeared on David Letterman’s show tonight to promote his new film True Grit, and his passion, Water.org, whose goal is to deliver fresh, clean drinking water around the world ...
• YouTube stars will host telethon for charity (Mash ...
  YouTube Stars Will Host Live Stream Telethon For Charity (Mashable) – The three-hour program is part of âProject for Awesome,â an annual event the vlogbrothers (Hank and John Green) started three years ago to raise awareness for important causes. In past years, the brothers have asked viewers to upl ...
• Colbert tells Damon and Water.org to go to… ...
  Stephen Colbert Tells Matt Damon And Water.org To âGo To Hellâ (Ecorazzi) – The comedian sat at his desk and checked emails, saying, âI received an actual email from Matt Damon⦠letâs see what he says here.â He then read the email, ââHi Stephen, Iâm writing to ask you for your voice to help water.o ...
• MBA students invited to Hult Global Case Challenge ...
  Hult Global Case Challenge Launches With Water.org (Triple Pundit) – Are you a current MBA student? Our friends at Hult International Business school are excited to invite you to participate in the 2nd annual Hult Global Case Challenge on March 5, 2011. This yearâs event will tackle another global s ...
• Stephen Colbert refuses to tweet for Water.org (Sk ...
  Stephen Colbert Refuses to Tweet 1.9M Followers to Plug Water.org (Skoll Foundation) – On Tuesday, Dec. 14, Stephen Colbert refused a request by Skoll grantee Water.org cofounder Matt Damon to Tweet his 1.9 million followers to promote the organization. Instead, the host of Comedy Centralâs Colbert ...

Before It's News

• Sarah_Palin:_Omnibus_Defeat_Is_a_Victory_for_Reali ...
• WikiLeaks:_Why_Cuba_Banned_lt;em_gt;Sicko_lt;_em_g ...
• Transatlantic_Economic_Council_Joint_Statement
• Federal_Government_039;s_IT_Reform_Efforts_Come_In ...
• :

Energy Probe - Nuclear Power,Utility Reform

• The Deniers on CBC Radio's 'Ideas'
  The science is settled - is now the mantra of climate change activism? Those who disagree are either in denial or in the pay of an oil company. But long time environmentalist and energy activist Lawrence Solomon says no, the science is not settled on global warming. Ideas producer David Cayley break ...

Margaret's News

• Report: Bolivia follows neighboring countries in r ...
  Bolivia joined Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay by announcing it recognized Palestine as a sovereign state within the 1967 borders, Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported Friday. Submitted by Margaret Mayer to World �|� �Note-it! �|� �Add a Comment
• Letter from an Israeli military prison
  I have been accused of inciting violence: this charge is also puzzling. If the check points, closures, ongoing land theft, wall and settlements, night raids into our homes and violent oppression of our protests does not incite violence, what does?Submitted by Margaret Mayer to World �|� �Note-it! � ...
• The Occupation Testimonies (Part II): It's not abo ...
  Part II of the new Breaking the Silence, testimonies of IDF soliders, this one featuring the "It's Not About Security".Submitted by Margaret Mayer to World �|� �Note-it! �|� �Add a Comment
• Mitchell proposes 'parallel' but separate U.S. tal ...
  "What is discussed with each side will not be divulged to the other, but the aim is for the U.S. administration to form an idea of what the two parties want with a view to drawing up a strategy to relaunch direct negotiations..."Submitted by Margaret Mayer to World �|� �Note-it! �|� �Add a Comment
• Oppose Today's House Resolution Denying Palestinia ...
  We are outraged to learn that Rep. Howard Berman, Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is trying to push through Congress today a resolution �condemning unilateral declarations of a Palestinian state.� Submitted by Margaret Mayer to World �|� �Note-it! �|� �Add a Comment

Solar Energy / Energy Boom

• Vanguard Energy Surges In 2010
  As 2010 comes to a close, solar company Vanguard Energy Partners is celebrating a record year of growth. Headquartered in Branchburg, New Jersey Vanguard designs and integrates large-scale solar electric systems providing turn-key so ...
• Solarstrom AG Signs 220 MW Purchase Agreement
  European solar power developer and investor Solarstrom AG ("S.A.G.") has signed a long term purchase agreement with Chinese based Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited (NYSE: read more
• E•BOOM CAPITAL: First Solar Expects Big 2011, DoE ...
  First Solar manufacturing facility in Frankfurt, Germany The elephant in the solar power industry, First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR), announced yesterday it was anticipatin ...
• Canadian Solar Powerhouses Team Up On Two New Sola ...
  Two of Canada's biggest solar energy companies have signed an agreement that will bring 18.5 MW of solar energy generation to Ontario, Canada. read more
• The World's Largest Single Building Solar Generato ...
  Hangzhou, China will soon host the world's largest single-building photovoltaic (PV) solar system. read more

News Blaze

• North Korea Vows Retaliation for Planned Artillery ...
  If North Korea were to react to that in a negative way and fire back at those firing positions on the islands, that would start potentially a chain reaction of firing and counter-firing, he said.'
• General Hospital Continues to Head in The Wrong Di ...
  When viewers express an interest in seeing new storylines for their favorite, underused characters, the writers often respond by bringing in former or brand new characters instead, then repeat many of the same storylines with them and the lead chara
• EPA Analysis Shows Reduction in 2009 Toxic Chemica ...
  The TRI program publishes information on toxic chemical disposals and releases into the air, land and water, as well as information on waste management and pollution prevention activities in neighborhoods across the country.
• Saugus Theatre Offers Free Tickets to Military Fam ...
  This Saugus theatre continues to offer free tickets to our Military Families. Kaleidoscope is Rhode Island's award-winning, non-profit, professional, touring company.
• Issues Concerning Population to be Discussed at ' ...
  The objectives of Rio+20 are: to secure renewed political commitment to sustainable development; to assess progress towards internationally agreed goals on sustainable development and to address new and emerging challenges.

Historical Notes

• Image via WikipediaFidel Castro
• Fidel Castro History Archive
  Tab seemed to migrate to others !
• Castro Speech database

libcom

• WE’VE GOT THE RAGE! Nationwide report from the Gen ...
  15-peaceful_1786024i1.jpg No doubt remains, not even for the most naive, that the State – in close cooperation with all its supporters and mechanisms – has decided to wage a full-scale war against societ ...
• The Tea Party: How the right is using them, and wh ...
  3966997161_eb5f4903e4.jpg For the full, original article, feel free to visit the Trial by Fire. The American conservative movement known as the Tea Party has caused quite a stir since its first protests ...
• The day after…update on student protests
  0101214104038916_20101214.jpg The Senate has confirmed today – The Gelmini reform will be discussed next Monday 20th December, the final vote will be on the Wednesday. Today there have been more protests ...
• Hope Against Hope: A necessary betrayal
  millbank.jpg Comments on some of the contradictions within the 2010 UK student movement and its claims for a 'right to education'. What has been taken from them to make them so angr ...
• 14/12/2010: An account of today's protests in Ital ...
  sco_15_672-458_resize[1].jpg As Berlusconi wins a vote of confidence in Parliament, the Italy Calling blog reports of protesters taking to the streets in Rome, engaging in running street battles with the ...

Free Range International

• Afghanistan’s Forgotten Province
  There are a couple of recent articles in the flood of coverage about Afghanistan which caught my eye last week.  The first is factually wrong but I understand what the author was saying and he is, in a sense correct.  The second is factually correct, I understand what that reporter was saying too an ...
• Rules of Engagement
  I have written in the past about night raids and aggressive ISAF convoy tactics causing unnecessary civilian casualties.  I have also written on the importance of not allowing enemy fighters who attack ISAF units to live and fight another day.  Counterinsurgency requires adaptation and my annoyance ...
• Healing Ulcer
  After only 90 days of fighting to root the Taliban out of a place they have owned for over a decade  Gen McChrystal called Marjah a bleeding ulcer. That was an unbelievably stupid assessment given the nature of the enemy, the rules of engagement placed on the Marines by the General, and the paltry a ...
• Afghanistan Summary
  This summary comes from Sami the Finn a.k.a Sami Kovanen, the Senior Information Analyst at Indicium Consulting. Sami has been in Afghanistan for over six years now and is one of the best informed analyst working outside of the ISAF security bubble.  He was kind enough to let me post this update and ...
• On The Border
  The military campaign in Afghanistan is going well apparently.  I read that last Monday here in the Washington Post so it must be true.  But two days ago it took a turn for the worst.  I know that to be a fact too because I read it here in the Washington Post.  The truth is [...]

The Story Behind the Story

• UTAH SOUND MONEY ACT (Brilliant!!!)
  Today I was introduced to Mr. Larry Hilton, JD, MBA – the author of a brilliant piece of much needed legislation that hopefully will pass the Utah legislature, and then each and every other state in this union. Here is his introduction to me for the “Utah Sound Money Act” —- Click here:  Sound Mone ...
• Long Live King and Queen Obama!!!!
  Barack Obama enjoys living like a king, so why shouldn’t Michelle Obama live like a queen? The First Lady was photographed last night in Hawaii wearing $635 per pair designer shoes by Maison Martin Margiela. A woman lucky enough to have a job in this economy and working for the federal minimum wage ...
• Remember November 22, 1963 – The Assassinati ...
  To honor the memory of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, I think it important to post the following correspondence with independent researcher and film-maker John Hankey. This written dialog was first posted on Rense.com by Mr. Hankey back in 2007. A. True Ott, PhD The Reason JFK Jr Was Murdered From John Ha ...
• COLD FUSION IS HERE!!!
  Understanding Lightning âNeltronsâ is Key to Cold Fusion One manâs study of lightning and itâs effects led to his discovery of the Neltron – tiny negative particles of matter smaller than electrons. The Van Allen Magnetic belts discharges tiny negative particles into the part of the air where helium ...
• INSIDERS REPORT: OBAMA SUFFERING FROM SEVERE DEPR ...
  So you state that President Obama is depressed?  How did you come by this information?  From a direct source still working within the White House on a daily basis.  As I had stated previously, tensions at the White House have reached a critical stage.  The infighting among staff is off the charts.  ...

du la bab - Now is the Time

• Downsizing – downscaling? See these tiny hou ...
  Here’s a great company doing inspiring work www.tumbleweedhouses.com The company creator, Jay Shafer started off making a super small mobile home for himself measuring  just 89 square feet! Their video is a testament to less being more – they’re now selling ready made mobile cabins and the plans fo ...
• Air powered environmentally friendly car being pro ...
  Sounds a little strange right – an air powered car – why isn’t this big news I wonder… There’s a great company in France operated by a former Formula 1 engineer now producing cars running on compressed air. They’re not great to look at, super fast, or I’m guessing really comfortable, but they’re in ...
• Deforestation – environmental & human effect ...
  There are many types of forest in the world from Temperate Forest to Tropical forest. The one thing all forests have in common is that the trees in them act as the lungs to our planet converting CO2 to Oxygen.  In addition, forests provide a canopy or shading of the earth which helps maintain temper ...
• Could cancer be Fungus? If so, maybe here’s ...
  Recently I visited a dear friend who has been dealing with breast cancer for over ten years. After a long attempt to avoid surgery and medication, she was forced to have a double mastectomy. She has chosen to avoid the chemo treatments. This takes a lot of courage given that the standard thing to do ...
• Doctors Warn about GM Food Risks
  It’s barely been a week since I wrote about the dangers of genetically modified (GM) foods and now the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) has released a strongly-worded warning about the health dangers associated with Frankenfoods. Calling for a moratorium on GM foods, the AAEM says t ...

Mansbridge One on One - CBC

• Antony Beevor, War Historian (Nov 7, 2009)
  At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of eleventh month we pause, and remember those who have sacrificed in times of war. And there were millions in the last century. One author who has studied some of the 20th century's most historic battles has a new book, and this week he's our guest in what h ...
• Danielle Smith, Leader of the Wildrose Alliance Pa ...
  She's been around Alberta politics since she was pretty young, and she's made her mark. Now she's being talked of as a potential Premier. All this with a party that didn't even exist two years ago. What's her story - and what does it mean for the rest of the country? This week we find out.
• Brian Wilson, musician (encore), (Nov, 28, 2009)
  This week, an encore presentation of one of our most memorable interviews from 2004 -- the musical genius behind the Beach Boys, the young California group that went head to head against the Beatles in the 1960s.
• Gordon Lightfoot, Singer/Songwriter (Nov 14, 2009)
  He's a musical legend and an icon for songwriters around the world. There's only one voice that sounds like his. What more needs be said, other than he is our guest this week.
• Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Jan 9, 2010)
  This month marks four years since Stephen Harper became Prime Minister. There have been few dull moments during that time and certainly no lack of controversy. This week, with a new year starting and new issues facing his government, the Prime Minister is our guest.

Scotts Contracting

• Solar Panel-Winter-Special Offer-
  Get complete Westinghouse Solar Power Systems (Panels, Racking, and SMA, Fronius or Xantrex inverters included) as low as $2.86 per watt. Westinghouse Solar Power Systems Details: Westinghouse Solar Panels â DC Includes: Built-in Racking, Wiring and Grounding. Stainless steel splices, … Continue rea ...
• 12 x Brand New – Discounted Pioneer 25kW Wind Turb ...
  Dec 10, 2010 SAVE OVER $320,000 on 12 Discounted overstock 25kW wind turbines â Brand new with 5 year warranty â West Wind â Pioneer 25kW (50hz or 60hz) for sale â available Q1 & Q2 â 2011. Priced to … Continue reading →
• 2010 Holiday Light Recycling Drive
  StLouisGreen.com Holiday Light Recycling Drive Happening now through January 31, 2011 People are encouraged to recycle old holiday lights and extension cords. All unworkable holiday lights, whether from your tree or outdoor decoration, can be taken to participating Walmart, Goodwill, … Continue read ...
• Guest Post: Trash Reduction: A 30-Day Plan for Eve ...
  Trash Reduction: A 30-Day Plan for Every Homeowner by: Gerald Arnolds is a guest blogger for My Dog Ate My Blog and a writer for Accredited Online Colleges. Day 1: Do some necessary homework. Before you can start to reduce … Continue reading →
• Analysts say ignoring global warming will cost the ...
  Nov 19, 2010 Portsmouth Herald Deborah McDermott Nov. 19, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) — Editor’s note: This is Part 1 of a three-part look at the conference, "Sustainable Future: How Can our Nation Turn the Corner on the Economy and the Environment, and can N.H. Lead ...

The View From Abroad

• Logic, Not Emotions, Should Rule the Day
  Unemployment benefits meant to help the unemployed actually do more harm than good.
• Logic Not Emotions Should Rule the Day
  Unemployment benefits meant to help the unemployed actually do more harm than good.
• Your Vote Didn’t Count Last Tuesday
  Fed policy decision cancels out the voice of voters.
• Grand Rapids Woman Harassed by Fair Housing Do-Goo ...
  if America is so free why can't you advertise for a "Christian" roommate?
• Statist Policies Cause More Harm Than Good
  A sure fire way to make a situation worse is to involve the government.

Foreign Policy in Focus - Military (US)

• Richard Holbrooke: A Statesman's Statesman -- if Y ...
  When it came to realpolitik, he could make Henry Kissinger look like a liberal.
• The China-Philippines-U.S. Triangle
  Newly suspicious of China, the Philippines is tilting again toward the United States.
• Q. So What Are You Fighting For? A. Ah'm Fightin' ...
  To insurgents, invasion will always trump ideology as the reason they resist.
• U.S. Agrees to Transfer Nuclear Material to Yet An ...
  First India, now Israel.
• One November's Dead: The American War Dead Disappe ...
  America's heroes? Not so much. Not anymore. Not when they're dead, anyway.

Law.com

• Latest Chevron Outtake: 'They're All Corrupt!'
  Donziger muses 'The judicial system is so utterly weak' in Corporate Counsel's latest release of outtakes from the documentary Crude.
• Minus Kagan, Supreme Court Lets 'Don't Ask' Policy ...
  In an order Friday, the Supreme Court denied a motion aimed at allowing a worldwide ban on enforcement of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays in the military to take effect.
• MGA Loses Effort to Stall Trial in Fee Fight With ...
  A Los Angeles judge issued a tentative ruling Friday denying toymaker MGA Entertainment's efforts to stay a lawsuit that was filed by its former lawyers at O'Melveny & Myers.
• Proskauer and English Firm End Their Merger Discus ...
  Proskauer Rose and SJ Berwin said Friday they had decided against merging, putting to an end months of speculation about a possible trans-Atlantic tie-up between the two law firms. The firms in a joint statement said "we recognized that the timetable necessary to reach the agreements that would ensu ...
• IRS Throws In Towel on Closely Watched Internation ...

Iranian.com

• Mousavi, Karroubi, and the Opposition in the Diasp ...
  Over 18 months after the rigged presidential election of June 12, 2009, former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi and former Majles Speaker Mehdi Karroubi, together with Mousavi's wife, Dr. Zahra Rahnavard, and to a significant extent former President Mohammad Khatami, form the core of the Green Mov ...
• In Iran, rescuers work to free 3 coal miners, IRNA ...
  Rescuers in southeastern Iran are working to free three coal miners trapped after a mine collapse earlier this week, state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported, citing a local government official. The incident occurred Tuesday in the Hejdak coal mine near the town of Ravar and the city of Kerma ...
• تحصن در مقابل سازمان ملل برای آزادی ستوده
  شيرين عبادی، برنده جايزه صلح نوبل به همراه شش تن ديگر از فعالان زن، در اعتراض به وضعيت نسرين ستوده، وکيل زندانی در ايران، از روز دوشنبه ۲۹ آذر در مقابل دفتر سازمان ملل در ژنو تحصن می‌کنند.
• Nobel Peace Laureate In New Appeal For Detained Ir ...
  Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi has issued a fresh appeal for Tehran to release jailed human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh. Ebadi's call came in a joint appeal titled "A Race Against Death For Nasrin Sotoudeh" issued along with Jean-Francois Juilliard, the head of the media freedom g ...
• A race against death for Nasrin Sotoudeh
  Human rights lawyer and free speech defender Nasrin Sotoudeh has now been held for more than 100 days. She began her third hunger strike last week and is resolved to continue it until the end. Shirin Ebadi, Nobel peace laureate and president of the Tehran-based Centre for Human Rights Defenders, Jea ...

Most Revolutionary Act

• An Alternative to Corporate Insurance
  The health insurance lobby’s aggressive corporatization of health care – which started in the 1980s when Reagan deregulated the insurance industry- has had devastating effects on the US health care system. As Michael Moore portrays in the film Sicko, it has bankrupted thousands of families. He intro ...
• Ending the Obesity Epidemic
  At the moment I don’t sense major commitment on the part of either the public or government to end the obesity epidemic. Given society’s unwillingness to address issues that threaten the survival of the human species – namely climate change and water and resource scarcity – it’s unrealistic to expec ...
• Economic Causes of Obesity
  Epidemiologists have known for decades that rates of obesity are much higher in low income and minority groups. However it's only in the past few years that medical science has understood the mechanisms behind this finding. In my own practice I’ve identified four specific reasons for excessive wei ...
  

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• The Politics of Obesity
  There is a lot of focus in the mainstream media on the growing epidemic of obesity in western countries. The media pretty universally places the blame on individuals. Overweight adults are guilty of “poor lifestyle choices.” While obesity in children is blamed on the failure of the parents to contro ...
• Going Non-Corporate
  (from Lyn Webster – www.pigtitsandparsleysauce.co.nz) For me the most interesting part of Lyn's presentation was her wrap-up, where she talked about the strong temptation to resume buying commercial products when she used up her first homemade batch. Not because they are any better than the homema ...

Doug's Darkworld

• GIANT GAMMA RAY EMITTING BUBBLES DISCOVERED NEAR M ...
  Yes, it’s true, scientists have discovered two huge gamma ray emitting bubbles emerging from the Milky Way. The above image is what they look like … if the viewer is considerably outside the galaxy and can see gamma rays. People can’t see gamma rays, so the above image is “false colour” so to speak. ...
• George Armstrong Custer meets Buffalo Calf Road Wo ...
  Ah, the Battle of the Greasy Grass. Or the Battle on the Greasy Grass. Or the Battle of Greasy Grass Creek. Or as us white people call it, the Battle of  the Little Bighorn or Custer’s Last Stand. It’s in the news lately, because a military flag that was carried into the battle by Custer’s [...]
• Is America on the Road to Fascism?
  “During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.”    — George Orwell   When I was a child and a young man, I lived in a free country. Now the government sticks its hands in my pants and searches my crotch if I want to fly a  plane. And already happening, [...]
• Ron Paul on Wikileaks: Lying is Not Patriotic
  I normally don’t publish guest articles, but this week I’m on a  roll. The Time Traveller post was just for fun, today’s post is deadly serious. I was writing my own post on Wikileaks, when I came across Congressman Ron Paul’s latest words on the subject. He covers the situation quite nicely, and s ...
• Wednesday, December 8th: Pretend to be a Time Trav ...
  Yes, it’s that time of year again! International Pretend to be a Time Traveller Day 2010! Yes, all Wednesday, participants  in this event will pretend to be a time traveller visiting the current era. The only “rule” is participants must never tell anyone they are a time traveller.  I’ve more or le ...

FourWinds10

• THE GULF OF MEXICO IS DYING - A Special Report on ...
• Consequences of the BP Oil Spill
  The BP oil disaster might end up shifting the entire global energy paradigm -- IF the public is aware of the situation and its consequences. Here are some of the long term effects of the disaster. � Dr. Mercola's Comments: � It's been just over seven months since the Deepwater Horizon exploded, lead ...
• THE WALKING DEAD - PART I: HOW THE GULF BLUE PLAGU ...
• Substance stretching for miles in Gulf waters crea ...
• Amazing Pictures, Pollution in China
  October 14, 2009, the 30th annual awards ceremony of the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund took place at the Asia Society in New York City. Lu Guang (å¢广) from People’s Republic of China won the $30,000 W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography for his documentary project “Pollution in Chi ...

Crisis Maven

• Economic Musings VI: Modern Economies – Dyin ...
  There is a great debate in the history of economics whether there can be under-consumption in any real historic moment of the state of an economy and if so, whether it has detrimental effects and if so, what is to be done about it. And modern economists seem to have found a magic wand with [...]
• Blogs and Web Sites you may want to follow
  The following is a list of blogs and websites that CrisisMaven has followed and observed over the last few months and that readers may want to check out from time to time. Note: neither the sequence of how the blogs are listed here nor any comments by CrisisMaven are an endorsement nor criticism of ...
• Economic Musings VII: Marketing doesn’t adve ...
  Have you ever wondered if marketing and advertising are the same, if not, what’s the difference and which is the more important of the two? And why should you care? The most successful economic model is without doubt the market economy. It is the consequence of the wealth effects of the division of ...
• CrisisMaven’s Blog News 2010-03-07: Over 25,000 We ...
  Yesterday around 16:37 GMT we passed the 25,000 threshold … - next report will probably be posted when we’re past the 50,000 mark. Thanks to all avid readers: on 2010-03-18 at around 19:25 GMT we went past our first 20,000 views on our blog in about eight weeks since we began publishing! After that, ...
• Economic Musings VIII: Is there a limit to economi ...
  Something which puzzles many thinkers and frightens many young people concerned about waste or the pillaging of our natural resources is the question: can “an economy” (whatever that is – we’ll come to that in a minute) grow indefinitely? How can there be unlimited economic growth if we’ve never hea ...

Capital Flow Analysis

• Stock buybacks are bad for investors: Further evid ...
  In the working paper “The Buyback Monitor - July 2009: Corporate Stock Buyback Profits of 273 Firms from 2000 into 2009“, published on the Social Sciences Research Network, M.A. Gumport, CFA, provides further evidence that stock buybacks are not as good for investors as often touted. The following ...
• Why Obama’s healthcare scheme portends stagflatio ...
  The trillion-dollar Obama health care plan increases the odds that US economic recover will be delayed, and that unemployment and inflation will increase. The main thrust of the Obama plan is to increase taxes on individuals earning more than $250,000 a year, while forcing all but the tiniest bus ...
• How long would it take to work off the US trade de ...
  The rest of the world holds $16.8 trillion in US financial assets, according to Federal Reserve release Z.1, as of Q1 2009. [...]
• Why Bernanke’s flawed “exit strategy” policy porte ...
  In a lead op-ed editorial in the Wall Street Journal on July 21, 2009, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke revealed the Fed’s exit strategy with regards to the inflationary effects of the Obama “spending is stimulus” packages and other government measure to contain the current crisis. This articl ...
• Stocks surge on spurious earnings reports: Q2 2009
  No one knows for sure the real earnings of American corporations. In Q1 2009, according to the Federal Reserve flow of funds table F.102, after-tax profits of US non-financial, non-farm corporations, on an annual basis, were about $589.9 billion. However, about 50% of these after-tax earnings were ...

R-Squared Energy Blog

• Guest Post: Roof Shingles Meet Solar Panels
  Join the forum discussion on this post The following guest post was written by Daniel Fielding, a freelance writer who focuses on gadgets and the environment. He is the lead editor for Shades of Green, a Green Technology Blog. Roof Shingles Meet Solar Panels By Daniel Fielding “We have the te ...
• Sustainability is the Key to Long-Term Energy Secu ...
  Join the forum discussion on this post Why We Love Trees I don’t often talk about my job, but I am going to today just a bit. I am the Chief Technology Officer for a renewable energy company. Our primary goal is to develop affordable and sustainable energy for a world that we believe will [...]
• Critical Decisions Looming for Japan’s Nuclear Ind ...
  Join the forum discussion on this post The following guest post was written by the staff of Global Intelligence Report. SITUATION: Japan is advancing with plans to reprocess spent nuclear fuel and boost its external nuclear exports. These decisions will impact the conduct of Japan’s global non-p ...
• How the RFA Wastes Your Tax Dollars – Part II: Bla ...
  Join the forum discussion on this post In Part I we saw that the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) pays for shoddy studies and then cites them to fear-monger into getting more tax dollars. Hypocritically, when they are challenged with a critical point on ethanol, they attempt to cast doubt by ques ...
• How the RFA Wastes Your Tax Dollars – Part I: How ...
  Join the forum discussion on this post Over the next two posts, I will examine some of the tactics used by the Renewable Fuels Association to justify keeping the $6 billion ethanol subsidy that was made almost entirely redundant when the the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) was passed into law in  200 ...

Discovery Educator Network

• LEGO Digital Designer : Virtual Building Software
  Comments:You can download for free software for PC or Mac to create your own Lego creations. - Dean MantzTags: lego, software, design, education, freewareby: Dean Mantz
• Social bookmarking sites - Google Docs
  Comments:Here is a global collaborative Google doc with alternative ideas to replace Yahoo's removal of Delicious. - Dean MantzTags: socialbookmarking, googledoc, deliciousby: Dean Mantz
• psdtechPD - Cell Phones
  Comments:Parkland School Division provides resources for successful integration/use of mobile devices. - Dean MantzTags: phones, cell, cellphones, psdtechpd, mobile, ipod, iPad, iPhoneby: Dean Mantz
• Body Browser - Google Labs
  Comments:To use Body Browser, you'll need a Web browser with WebGL support. Click here to get the new Google Chrome beta, or visit khronos.org for more choices. - Fred DelventhalTags: google, body, anatomy, science, educationby: Fred Delventhal
• Chemistry: It's "Element"-ary!!!: My Physics Blog
  Comments:Great example of a student blog. - Dean MantzTags: chemistry, physics, blog, education, 10thgradeby: Dean Mantz

Rodale News

• Wikileaks Memos Reveal U.S. Gov't Pushing Gene-Alt ...
  RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Wikileaks has so far released just a fraction of the total 251,287 United States embassy cables in its possession, but the documents currently available provide interesting insights into how aggressively the U.S. State Department is pushing genetically modified organisms ( ...
• 10 Organic Farming Trends that Can Make Your Life ...
  RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Despite a stagnant economy, consumers are saying "Yes!" to organic more than ever. In fact, a recent Organic Trade Association report found that compared to last year, 41 percent more people are opting for organic rather than chemical food, even in this cash-strapped econo ...
• How to Live with a Fussy Eater
  RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Good news for parents of fussy eaters: You didn't create them. In an effort to find out what drives unhealthy eating patterns among children, researchers from University College London compared children's eating behaviors to their mothers' reactions to said behaviors and f ...
• The Nickel Pincher: Preserve Delicious, Delectable ...
  RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Chances are, the words "fermented foods" don't exactly make you salivate in anticipation of culinary goodness. But the traditional process of preserving food through fermentation is enjoying something of a comeback as more people get interested in canning and other forms o ...
• Toxic Toys 2010: Is Cadmium This Year's Worst Toy- ...
  RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—It started this spring with jewelry from teen-targeted accessory shops. Necklaces, bracelets, and other trinkets were recalled because they were contaminated with the heavy metal cadmium. A few months later, an Associated Press (AP) investigation revealed high levels of ca ...

big think

• DanKam: iPhone App Corrects Colorblindness
  For the past year, security researcher Dan Kaminsky has had an interesting secret side project that has nothing to do with his day job: He's been working on correcting color blindness. This week, he revealed DanKam – an augmented reality app for iPhone and Android that uses unique, configurabl ...
• Cool stuff from AGU 2010 Days 3 and 4: Serendipity ...
  I've now made it back from another great yet exhausting American Geophysical Union meeting. I was able to get some samples that I need for my research, set up some new collaborations for the future, see some excellent talks/posters and most importantly, meet (and re-meet) a lot of people. I'm ...Rea ...
• More on Being Personal Today
  So this post--like some others--is meant to be diagnostic.� It's a postmodern and conservative observation on who sophisticated Americans think they are these days.� As an attempt to be an account of what I can see with my own eyes, it's an attempt to be nonjudgmental (for now). 1. We free persons ...
• Word Lens: Real-Time Translation via Augmented Rea ...
  Real-time translation and augmented reality have been among 2010's hottest topics. Now, one app is marrying the two. Word Lens is a real-time translation app that turns your iPhone into "the dictionary of the future," using optical character recognition and augmented reality to translate text ...
• Higher Education Needs To Rethink Screening Applic ...
  Last week, for almost forty five minutes, a genuine feeling of optimism overwhelmed me as I chatted with Marsha Weissman, the executive director of the Center for Community Alternatives, although you wouldn’t have known it by the tenor of the conversation we were having about the latest fad in the . ...

Information Liberation

• 'I hear US mulling spy charges': Full video of Jul ...
  The founder of whistleblowing website Wikileaks released on bail by a British court says he will continue his work. An appeal by prosecutors to keep Julian Assange behind bars was rejected. But he'll have to stay in Britain under house arrest until...
• MPAA Shuts Down 29 BitTorrent and NZB Sites
  The MPAA and their colleagues in The Netherlands appear to have shut down more than two dozen BitTorrent, Usenet and other file-sharing sites today. Accused of linking to movies, music, TV shows and games, at least one domain appears to be redirectin...
• Dutch Anti-Piracy Group, With MPAA's Help, Able To ...
  Now that the US government appears to be endorsing the idea of simply seizing domain names without notice to the proprietors of those domains, it appears that others are doing the same as well. TorrentFreak reports that the Dutch anti-piracy group, ...
• Ron Paul: US Gov is More Dangerous than WikiLeaks ...
  Ron Paul criticized the U.S. government's efforts to shut down WikiLeaks and attack Julian Assange, and compared the murderous consequences of the government's lies to the fact that not a single life has been lost due to the WikiLeaks revelations. ...
• The inhumane conditions of Bradley Manning's deten ...
  Bradley Manning, the 22-year-old U.S. Army Private accused of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks, has never been convicted of that crime, nor of any other crime.* Despite that, he has been detained at the U.S. Marine brig in Quantico, Virgini...

Be Responsible - Be Free!

• Ozboy’s Bar And Grill Is Closed For Repairs
  It’s only temporary. A couple of weeks. But the recent shenanigans round here have forced me to do some thinking about how LibertyGibbert can run better in the future. I’ve spoken to a couple of you about this today, to … Continue reading →
• The Dragon’s Dissent Part III: Naked Nationa ...
  The emergence of China as the world’s new superpower has raised many questions in the international community and across the blogosphere regarding the longer-range agenda of the Middle Kingdom. In a recent discussion on this forum, the question of Chinese … Continue reading →
• U.S. Elections: Will Liberty Win?
  Well today’s the day. As just about every other blog in the sphere is covering the elections today, I thought I’d throw the forum open, and we can discuss the results as they come in, in real time. If as … Continue reading →
• Libertarianism And Drug Liberalization
  G’day everyone, Just arrived back home safe and sound. Sorry there hasn’t been a new post in several days, but just at the moment my family needs me more than the Bar and Grill does. Dr. Dave has graciously stepped … Continue reading →
• Stealing Democracy?
  G’day everyone, Ozboy here. The United States mid-term elections are just one week away, and the mounting resentment many Americans feel about the way their country is being governed appears certain to be made clear at the polls. One of … Continue reading →

FAS - Secrecy News

• Shrink the Classification System
  Faced with release of hundreds of thousands of classified records by Wikileaks in recent months, what should the government do?  The best answer might be to release hundreds of millions of such records!  By stripping away the accretions of decades of overclassification, a wholesale reduction in clas ...
• Classified Information Policy, and More from CRS
  Noteworthy new reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf). “Classified Information Policy and Executive Order 13526,” December 10, 2010. “Screening and Securing Air Cargo: Background and Issues for Congress, ...
• Goodbye, Mr. Bond
  Last year, Senator Christopher Bond (R-MO) told reporters that there is “a far Left-wing fringe group that wants to disclose all our vulnerabilities. I don’t know what their motives are but I think they are very dangerous to our security.” More hating on Wikileaks?  No, Senator Bond was actually ta ...
• Support Secrecy News
  Many thanks to those readers who have already made contributions to help support Secrecy News.  If you are able and willing to join them, tax-deductible contributions can be made here (select “Government Secrecy” from the drop-down menu to direct your donation to Secrecy News). You can also write a ...
• JASON: Science of Cyber Security Needs More Work
  “Cyber security is now critical to our survival but as a field of research [it] does not have a firm scientific basis,” according to the Department of Defense.  “Our current security approaches have had limited success and have become an arms race with our adversaries.  In order to achieve securit ...

Sciencebase - Breaking Science News

• Periodic table of videos at the movies
  Regular Sciencebase followers will by now know only too well the Periodic Table of Videos from Nottingham University and my good friend Martyn Poliakoff. The creators of the video series recently ran a competition for viewers to create a movie-style poster to promote the videos and had an astounding ...
• A few facts about asbestos
  Today, medical journal The Lancet has publicly criticised the Canadian government for its attitude towards asbestos, saying that although Canada will not expose its own citizens to asbestos, it will continue exporting the deadly substance to developing nations [Canada accused of hypocrisy, Lancet]. ...
• What is nature worth?
  Each hour 3 species vanish forever, we’ve lost a fifth of the planet’s coral reefs, almost a third of its mangrove forests, and half of the world’s wetlands. But, how do you count the cost? Perhaps a business perspective is needed. If we considered the natural world as providing products and service ...
• Searching for scientific abbreviations
  Ambiguous abbreviations and acronyms are annoyances when it comes to text search and data mining. As a writer-editor, I was always taught to spell out the long form (LF) of a short form (SF) at first mention in a document so that the reader would know that when I mentioned EBV I was referring to [.. ...
• Santa Claus Science
  Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicolas, Kris Kringle, Sinterklaas. Call him what you will, at this time of year, for children who celebrate everywhere, many questions of a scientific nature arise and parents squirm in their efforts to answer them. Now, Gregory Mone, a contributing editor at Po ...

RFF Library

• Firms Operating Under Infrastructure and Credit Co ...
  World Bank / by Philippe Alby, Jean-Jacques Dethier, and Stephane Straub http://vx.worldbank.org/t/2937183/5471042/13023/0/ Many developing countries are unable to provide their industrial sector with reliable power and many enterprises have to contend with electricity that is insufficient and of po ...
• The Full Economic Cost of Groundwater Extraction
  World Bank / by Jopn Strand http://vx.worldbank.org/t/2937183/5471042/13020/0/ When a groundwater basin is exploited by a large number of farmers, acting independently, each farmer has little incentive to practice conservation that would primarily benefit other farmers. This can lead to excessive gr ...
• Natural Disasters and Household Welfare : Evidence ...
  World Bank / by Timothy Thomas, Luc Christiaensen, Quy Toan Do and Le Dang Trung http://vx.worldbank.org/t/2937183/5471042/13017/0/ As natural disasters hit with increasing frequency, especially in coastal areas, it is imperative to better understand how much natural disasters affect economies and t ...
• Tajikistan : Key Priorities for Climate Change Ada ...
  World Bank / by Luca Barbone, Anna Reva, and Salman Zaidi http://tinyurl.com/27zvkwp How should Tajikistan adapt to ongoing and future climate change, in particular given the many pressing development challenges it currently faces? The paper argues that for developing countries like Tajikistan, fast ...
• Foodborne Illness Outbreak Database
  Marler Clark, LLP http://www.outbreakdatabase.com/ OutbreakDatabase.com is searchable database of illness outbreaks caused by one or more of the following: 1. consumption of contaminated foods or beverages, 2. exposure to animals, 3. exposure to contaminated recreational water, 4. person-to-person c ...

Scientific American - News

• Mobile Phones for Women: A New Approach for Social ...
  Enas Salameh, a 24-year-old college graduate living in the Palestinian West Bank city of Jenin, needed a job this summer. But her family finds it unacceptable for a woman to venture alone into the city without a male companion or an appointment. Fortunately, it's fine to use a mobile phone. In fact, ...
• New Tool Tracks Culture Through the Centuries via ...
  Can culture be decoded like a genome? A team from Harvard has teamed up with Google to crack the spines of 5,195,769 digitized books that span five centuries of the printed word with the hopes of giving the humanities a more quantitative research tool. [More]
• Cosmos Incognita: Voyager 1 Spacecraft Arrives at ...
  In 1972 a young professor at the California Institute of Technology was asked to work part-time at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as chief scientist for a new space mission , one that would probe the limits of the solar system and eventually enter interstellar space. Edward Stone accepted the ass ...
• Titan Spews: Discovery of Cold Volcanoes on Saturn ...
  SAN FRANCISCO--Radar surveys of the surface of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, have found the most compelling evidence yet for "cold" volcanoes on a celestial body other than Earth. The discovery may help solve a long-standing mystery concerning the presence of methane in that body's atmosphere, and s ...
• Mass Migration: Chemists Revise Atomic Weights of ...
  An international governing body has adopted a new definition of atomic mass (aka atomic weight) changing from specific values to intervals of masses to resolve 15 years of debate on one of the most fundamental of scientific concepts. In a list that only singer-comedian Tom Lehrer could love, hydro ...

RAWA News

• Afghanistan Corrupted by U.S. and 30 Years of Fore ...
  The Huffington Post: General David Petraeus, in a rare public show of indecorum, last week suggested that corruption has been a part of Afghan culture since the country came into existence, which is a sentiment that is not only, from a historical and anthropological perspective, wholly ignorant, but ...
• Afghan women face abuse for fleeing forced marriag ...
  IWPR: While the world may have been shocked by the image of a 20-year-old woman simply known as Aisha who had her nose and ears cut off by her father-in-law after fleeing her violent Taliban husband, Zaiba understood the risk she faced when she ran away from home to escape an arranged marriage in or ...
• 52bn USD of American aid and still Afghans are dyi ...
  The Independent: The most extraordinary failure of the US-led coalition in Afghanistan is that the expenditure of tens of billions of dollars has had so little impact on the misery in which 30 million Afghans live. In a series of interviews, they paint a picture of a country where $52bn (33bn Pounds ...
• Afghan poll shows falling confidence in U.S. effor ...
  Washington Post: Afghans are more pessimistic about the direction of their country, less confident in the ability of the United States and its allies to provide security and more willing to negotiate with the Taliban than they were a year ago, according to a new poll conducted in all of Afghanistan' ...
• Illiteracy Breeds Corruption, Slows Training Among ...
  AOL News: Rampant illiteracy among Afghanistan's army and police recruits is fueling corruption and slowing training, according to a U.S. Army official working with the nascent security forces. “Estimates range, but we think right now when we're recruiting that only 15 percent of the soldiers and po ...

frogblog

• Only one week left for submissions to Welfare Work ...
  There is just one week to go to make submissions on the Government’s Welfare Working Group’s Options Paper – submissions close on Christmas Eve, unless the Welfare Working Group heed Catherine Delahunty’s call for an extension of the submission date. It really is ridiculous that suc ...
• Auckland Council staffing strife
  There has been some trumpeting recently of the ‘success’ of the transition agency that led the amalgamation of eight councils into the one Auckland Council.  It’s is now very obvious that they got it very wrong in managing staff and employment issues during the transition phase, and ...
• What unpopular US intelligence targets did Clark a ...
  David Keegan, the deputy US Ambassador in 2007, wrote in a cable that Helen Clark âhas been willing to address [intelligence] targets of marginal benefit to New Zealand that could do her political harm if made public.â This is diclosed in a Michael Field article in this morning’s Do ...
• Sprawling housing not really cheaper
  As promised, some further thoughts  about the way Auckland should or could grow. One of Auckland’s biggest problems is housing affordability and any plan to grow the city must address this.  While housing affordability is a serious issue for all NZers, it’s particularly bad in Auckl ...
• Cellphone towers, health and democracy
  Hataitai I went to a hastily organised public meeting up the hill from my house last night about a proposed cellphone tower in Hataitai, Wellington. Vodafone want to put a cellphone tower on top of a street light pole among a bunch of houses near the school. Vodafone only notified t ...

Patronus Analytical

• Greek aid worker kidnapped in Pakistan
• Aid worker killed in Iraq
• Update on kidnapped Greek aid worker
• NGO worker beaten to death in Dhaka
• Canadian aid worker murdered in Honduras

J Kozy

• Western Civilization and Classical Economics: The ...
  When a civilization abandons its morality, no rationalization can be devised to justify its continued existence. It is likely that many reasons can be given for this abandonment in the Western world, although I am convinced that one predominatesthe expansion of law. Law once governed various kin ...
• The Mythical United States of America: Rushing int ...
  The mythical United States of America so highly lauded exists nowhere. It is a Shangri-la. The Preamble of the Constitution makes perfectly clear what kind of nation the United States was meant to be. What exists today fulfills none of those goals. Some have argued that the nation was a fraud fr ...
• As Western Civilization Lies Dying
  The Western commercial system exists to extract more from consumers than it supplies in products and services. Its goal is profit and has never been the improvement of the human condition but to exploit it. When governments institutionalize this system, they place their nations on suicidal paths, be ...
• Is Perfect Research Possible
  Some claim that there is no hope of doing perfect research. So, is there hope of doing perfect research? Of course there issometimes! It all depends on the whetherwhether the subject is limited and whether the researcher can write and is intelligent enough to adequately evaluate the evidence. Un ...
• The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty: Last Gasp of ...
  No civilization in history that collapsed after a period of greatness has ever regained its dominance. Egypt lasted for three millennia; today it is little more than a field for archeological study. The Persian Empire, which lasted for more than three hundred years, became the largest and most p ...

MoJo - Kevin Drum

• Friday Cat Blogging - 17 December 2010
  It's been a dispiriting week for me, the weekend promises to be pretty disagreeable too, and next week I might have jury duty. Blecch. But at least we have cats! As you recall, a couple of weeks I wanted to do a "Cats From Your Window" feature, but only Inkblot cooperated. This week I've finally com ...
• Debit Cards and Capitalism
  Over at The Corner, Katrina Trinko is not a fan of the Fed's proposed new caps on debit card swipe fees: The idea behind the legislation was that the banking industry had these fees set too high. If the Fed forced them to lower the fees, retailers would save — and give their customers lower price ...
• The Digital Fog
  Dan Gillmor: Yahoo has decided to close its Web bookmarking service, Delicious, a move that is sparking angst to outrage around the intertubes. One result is a frenzied search for a new social bookmarking service to replace what many people, including me, have used over the years to stockpile and ...
• The Stimulus Bill That Failed
  New research from the University of Maryland shows that viewers of Fox News were more misinformed about factual questions than any other news audience during the 2010 midterm elections. No surprise there, I guess. But here's the breakdown on one particular question: Overall, heavy Fox viewers wer ...
• The Decline of America
  Ezra Klein on the tax deal: Stripped bare, here's what the deal says about the two parties: Republicans care much more about tax cuts for the rich than about any of their specific arguments about what's impeding recovery, while Democrats don't have the votes to really put their preferred policies ...

Insanity Report

• Senate Democrats Show Their Frustrations with the ...
  I wrote a piece last week about the incessant whining of liberals over the President’s tax cut deal with Republicans.  As expected, some people thought the basis of my article was my “Undying Support” as an Obama Stan.  Not at all.  My major problem with the whining is that it’s always focused at th ...
• Jon Stewart Gives the DNC All the Ammo They Need
  Seriously, someone at the DNC needs to take parts of this and run these ads from now until 2012. The fact that Republicans have been leaving 9/11 first responders hanging when it comes Health Care is one of the most despicable things they’ve done in the last 2 years. It’s truly horrible. The Daily S ...
• IC 216: The Incomplete Show
  Topics for the show: This is a partial show. We lost power in the middle of recording. We didn’t want to lose the 40 minutes we had recorded before so we decided to put what we had up. We talk Redskins, Suing McDonalds, people’s demands at cookouts and the beginning of our discussion on Steve [...] ...
• IC 215: Popeyes Chicken, STDs and Politics
  Topics for the show: Popeyes chicken buffet Going to the doctor’s sucks Westboro Baptist Church takes their protesting to a new disgusting level Ignoring the attention whore that is Sarah Palin Liberals who whine about the President and nothing else Share with your friends:
• FacePalm of the Week: Falling For the Palin Trap
  Sarah Palin is an idiot.  This is a well known fact.  We have video, audio and even “literary” (if you can call it that) evidence of this.  She’s now the punch line of any joke.  “Two guys walk into a bar and…..Sarah Palin” BWAHAHAHAHAHA We know this.  She’s not to be taken seriously.  Which is [... ...

Simple Climate

• What could climate change cost us?
  In 2006 the Stern report estimated the costs of stabilising atmospheric CO2 concentrations at 1 percent of world GDP, while the costs of not stabilising could reach 10 percent. Why then are finance-obsessed countries still struggling to agree what to do?
• Simple Climate poll part 4: The effects of change
  Choose from some eye-opening descriptions - the last seven of 26 scientists' attempts to clearly communicate climate change on my blog this year - of how global warming is affecting our planet to select the one that best conveys the situation.
• Cloud and plant data raise climate projection conf ...
  The cooling effect of clouds will get weaker as the planet warms, while plants' cooling effect will get stronger, findings published this week show, but despite the apparent contradiction the data provides enhanced confidence in climate models.
• What can we do about climate change?
  All year on Simple Climate scientists have suggested steps we can take to tackle climate change, so here's a roundup of what we can do, regardless of what happens in Cancún this week.
• Simple Climate poll part 3: Getting personal
  Choose from explanation 13-20 out of 26 scientists' attempts to clearly communicate climate change on my blog this year, with these efforts focussing on how best to explain the phenomenon to people.

e!Science News

• Researcher finds proximity to freeway associated w ...
  Living near a freeway may be associated with increased risk of autism, according to a study published by a team of researchers from Children's Hospital Los Angeles, the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) and the UC Davis MIND Institute. read more
• Ion channel responsible for pain identified by UB ...
  University at Buffalo neuroscience researchers conducting basic research on ion channels have demonstrated a process that could have a profound therapeutic impact on pain. read more
• K-State research looks at pathogenic attacks on ho ...
  Two Kansas State University researchers focusing on rice genetics are providing a better understanding of how pathogens take over a plant's nutrients. read more
• Beetroot juice could help people live more active ...
  New research into the health benefits of beetroot juice suggests it's not only athletes who can benefit from its performance enhancing properties – its physiological effects could help the elderly or people with heart or lung-conditions enjoy more active lives. read more
• Efficient phosphorus use by phytoplankton
  Rapid turnover and remodelling of lipid membranes could help phytoplankton cope with nutrient scarcity in the open ocean. read more

unEarthed

• White House Girds for Battles With Congress Over S ...
  EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson �The Hill, a beltway website, carried a piece�Dec. 17, reporting on a memo�issued by the White House science advisor, John Holdren, ordering all federal agencies, in no uncertain terms, to use s ...
• EPA Limits Mercury Pollution From Gold Mine Facili ...
  It's pretty to look at, but not to mine Amid all those delays on important air rules, the EPA is doing a few things right: today they issued standards for toxic pollution emitted by gold mining companies with ore processing f ...
• Friday Finds: Fox News Email Reveals “Shocking” Cl ...
  Wolverines will have to wait for the protection they deserve. Photo courtesy of Lory Joly at http://oas.visitsweden.com Leaked email reveals Fox News' climate change bias Nonprofit media research center Media Matters recent ...
• Restoring The Smelt And The Bay-Delta Ecosystem
  This week, following a challenge from California water districts, the state and corporate agribusiness, a federal judge ordered the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to revise its plan to protect the delta smelt, a fish tha ...
• Our Holiday Wish: Mr. President, Please Protect Ou ...
  Photo: BLM What do Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, turtle doves, geese a-laying, calling birds, partridges in pear trees, and holly trees all have in common? They all make their home in the forest, of course. This holiday ...

Brave New Climate

• OzEA – The second story
  The Oz-Energy-Analysis.org project continues to hum away in the background, building momentum. For those who don’t recall what OzEA is, read these two posts from earlier in the year on BNC: OZ-ENERGY-ANALYSIS.ORG â open science for the new millennium OzEA modelling â large-scale wind power using a b ...
• Media reactions to the Energy paper – part 2
  In a previous post (part 1), I described some media reactions to my recent Energy paper (on how carbon pricing changes the relative competitiveness of low-carbon baseload generating technologies). The section of the media I covered in that post is often considered to be ‘progressive’ and environment ...
• Idea: financing large capital cost electricity pro ...
  Guest post by Dr Gene Preston. Gene has had a long career as a power system engineer, performing generation planning, transmission planning, and distribution planning for Austin Energy. He is currently doing transmission studies for wind developers. He wrote all his own modeling software including t ...
• Monthly Argument debate: climate change – is ...
  Remember this? Want to see me go head-to-head in a ‘bar room brawl’ with Jim Green and a representative from Friends of the Earth (Cam Walker)? Want to see on what I agree — and disagree — with Arthur Dent (formerly Albert Langer) on energy options for the future and the possibility of nuclear energ ...
• Media reactions to the Energy paper – part 1
  It’s been fascinating to watch the media reaction to our Energy paper on how carbon pricing changes the relative competitiveness of low-carbon baseload generating technologies. It has certainly stirred a lot of interest, and the timing was admittedly celestial, because two other reports on electrici ...

Indigenist Opinion

• Does President Abbas have the power to dissolve th ...
  Does President Abbas have the power to dissolve the Palestinian Authority?: "In a rare confession the President added that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land is 'deluxe... five-star and inexpensive'; he did not ask who is responsible for reducing the cost for the occupiers and converting it ...
• ARLO LOOKING CLOUD: PSYCHOLOGICAL LAMB ON WAY TO S ...
  Arlo Looking Cloud ARLO LOOKING CLOUD: PSYCHOLOGICAL LAMB ON WAY TO SLAUGHTER by Janis Schmidt What we have here is failure to communicate. More accurately, we have a total unwillingness to communicate. The real family of Arlo Looking Cloud were quite surprised to learn that Arlo’s request for a n ...
• Evo Morales: US intelligence lacks intelligence
  Bolivian President Evo Morales at Cancún Climate Summit
• Justice Department Prepares for Ominous Expansion ...
  Justice Department Prepares for Ominous Expansion of "Anti-Terrorism" Law Targeting Activists :: www.uruknet.info :: informazione dal medio oriente :: information from middle east :: [vs-1] Seizing on this overbroad definition of "material support," the US government is now moving in on political gr ...
• John John: The View From Occupied Canada #334
  B.C. Indian bands give thumbs-down to Enbridge pipeline - The Globe and Mail Several B.C. Indian bands have rejected Enbridge ENB-T offer of a stake in its controversial Northern Gateway pipeline, throwing new hurdles before the project that would ship oil sands bitumen to Pacific Rim markets. WikiL ...

Republicans are a Disease

• Peter Johnson Rails Against “Congress” ...
  Of course he forgot to mention it was only Republicans in congress that voted “No”. An innocent mistake, I am sure. Peter, you pathetic pile of human feces. You left out the word Republican before the word Senators over and over and over. REPUBLICAN SENATORS kept the bill from coming up for a vote. ...
• Wikileaks Anyone?
  I. F. Stone “To suppress the truth in the name of national security is the surest way to undermine what we claim to be preserving”
• Obama Just Lost 2012
  Caving this time cost you your job. Extending tax cuts for the filthy rich while giving crumbs to the starving makes me sick to my stomach. Just giving the Republicans everything they want without so much as a whimper. Barry, you are not a Democrat. In fact I want my money back.
• Republicans, Don’t Listen to David Stockman
  If you are a Republican, you had better not listen to David Stockman, Reagan’s budget director that created the trickle down fantasy. If you accidentally listen to what he says, you would realize that more tax cuts, the main plank in the Republican platform is insane. He is not happy with President ...
• Raise Taxes or Cut Taxes?
  Raising taxes, and spending the money wisely, and on programs that promote economic fairness, stimulates the economy. Cutting taxes on the filthy rich stimulates hoarding, and not the economy. They should teach this in kindergarten. Every single billionaire makes sure the media that serves him teach ...

Appalachia Rising

• Day of Action and Conference Vision Statements
  Appalachia Rising: Day of Action September 25 – 27, 2010, Washington DC Appalachia Rising is a mass mobilization in Washington DC on September 27, 2010 calling for the abolition of mountaintop removal and surface mining. It is a culmination of the national movement against surface mining and a found ...
• Press Conference to be Held on June 15
  Thousands to March in DC Calling for the Abolition of Mountaintop Removal Press Conference June 15 in Charleston, WV Announces Mass Mobilization Appalachia Rising WHEN: June 15, 10:00 AM WHERE: WV State Capitol Back Steps Near Fountain, Charleston, WV CONTACTS: West Virginia Bo Webb – 304-237-2688 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            304-237-2688      end_of_the_skype_highlighting o ...
• Press Inquiries
  All media inquiries should be sent to Bo Webb webb.bo@gmail.com Set up interviews via email. Previous Press Releases and Media Public Launch Press Conference Report Back, with video Press Conference Held on June 15 Announces Appalachia Rising Video June 15 Appalachia Public Launch Press Conference H ...
• New Flier for Appalachia Rising
• Appalachia Rising Uniting Celebrities, Appalachian ...
  Appalachia Rising Uniting Celebrities, Appalachians, and Scientists for the Abolition of Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining Ashley Judd, Woody Harrelson, Gloria Reuben, Kyra Sedgewick, Kevin Bacon, Ed Begley Jr., Kathy Mattea, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, James Hansen, and Darryl Hannah rallying behind coalfi ...

Amped Status

• The Wall Street Pentagon Papers: Biggest Scam In W ...
  The Global Banking Cartel has now been so blatantly exposed, you cannot possibly get away with pretending that we live in a nation of law based on the Constitution. The jig is up.
• EXCLUSIVE WORLD PREMIERE ~ Ben Bernanke: Public En ...
  In this new music video, for the song "Mr. Big Shot" by Pilot Rai, we feature leading members of the Global Banking Cartel: Ben Bernanke, Tim Geithner and Jamie Dimon. We also feature the cartel’s puppet president, Barack Obama.
• Revolution Roundup #2: As Mass Rebellion Spreads T ...
  The Global Insurrection Against Banker Occupation (GIABO) rages on... Over the past few days the people of Ireland, Italy, Britain, Austria and Portugal have all held massive demonstrations against the Global Banking Cartel.
• High Frequency Terrorism: How the Big Banks and Fe ...
  By David DeGraw & Max Keiser The stock market plunge on May 6th was an act of domestic financial terrorism in America. A day that will live in infamy.
• The Financial Oligarchy Reigns: Democracy’s ...
  Democracy is devolving into fascism before our eyes, the "iron law of oligarchy" is once again asserting itself. You cannot have a concentration of vast wealth and Democracy at the same time, and we currently have the greatest concentration of wealth in history...

+972

• IDF destroys numerous water cisterns across South ...
  I was surprised to see that Haaretzâs leading story in the Hebrew print edition on Thursday covered the fact that the Civil Administration (the Israel Defense Forces’ governing body in the West Bank) destroyed 11 water cisterns in one fell swoop in the South Hebron Hills the previous day. (Taâayush ...
• Wild Card part VIII: AIPAC flexes its muscle &#821 ...
  Congress passes a resolution against Palestinian unilaterlism. Yawn… Shocking news coming out of D.C.: AIPAC managed to get members of Congress to pass a resolution thatâs pro-Israel and anti-Palestinian. Wow. Iâm glad I was sitting down when I read the headlines: âHouse opposes unilateral declarat ...
• Carmel scapegoats III: the meaning of responsibili ...
  The settlers and the ultra-orthodox are not the cause for Israel’s collapsing public services. The professional middle class, which considers itself a “silent majority” of “responsible citizens” but is quite the opposite, should take a hard look in the mirror. This is the third and final installment ...
• Testimonies reveal IDF campaign to dismantle Pales ...
  IDF soldier testimonies, collected by Breaking the Silence, and published exclusively on +972 (here and here), confirm that the intent of the IDF during the Second Intifada was to undermine the ability of Palestinian society to politically challenge Israel, by destroying its capacity to function as ...
• US State Department silent on Bil’in’s Abdallah Ab ...
  US State Department spokesman continues to avoid giving a clear US position on the case of imprisoned non-violent leader Abdallah Abu Rahmah. Asked three times on different occasions by Associated Press reporters, spokesman PJ Crowley failed to show clear US support of Abdallah Abu Rahmah. Amid a fl ...

Sustainability,water,etc - Oz gov't

• Have your say on a sustainable population strateg ...
  The Sustainable Population Strategy Issues Paper has been released, calling for all Australians to have their say about Australia's changing population.
• More than $5.7 million for water savings projects ...
  Residents of Maryborough in southern Queensland will benefit from more than $5.7 million in Australian Government funding to help improve the security of their water supplies.
• Art in the Antarctic
  A Melbourne installation artist and a Canberra musician have been announced as the Australian Antarctic Arts Fellows for 2010-2011 season.
• Launch of the Water Metering Tasmania project
  More than 8 billion litres of drinking water each year is expected to be saved through the Water Metering Tasmania project, which was launched today in Hobart.
• Southern bluefin tuna listed as conservation depe ...
  The southern bluefin tuna will receive national protection after federal environment minister Tony Burke listed the species under national environment law.

Matt Weidner Blog

• America’s Economic Apocolypse
  I wish someone could offer me some suggestion or whiff of hope that the things I’m so desperately concerned about could be corrected…or that we were at least heading in the right direction…but the more I read, the more concerned I become… The national unemployment rate stands at a horrifying 9.8%. B ...
• Bloomberg Reports on Foreclosure Hell
  Their most recent lender, American Brokers Conduit, transferred custody of the loan to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, a digital database owned by huge lenders such as Bank of America (BAC). When the Hassells defaulted in 2008, MERS kicked the debt to American Home Mortgage Servicing, a co ...
• WHY? WHY? WHY?
  Why won’t my lender work with me? Why would the bank sell my home to someone else but won’t cut me the same deal? Why do all the banks lose mortgage modification paperwork over and over? Why are the banks allowed to make record profits while Americans suffer like never before? Why have none of [...]
• This Month’s Foreclosure Numbers….Bad ...
  By DAVID ROYSE THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, Dec. 16, 2010…Foreclosure filings dropped dramatically in Florida and around the country in November, though it was largely because mortgage companies halted much of their activity under scrutiny for processing errors, foreclosure ...
• YOU WANNA SEETH WITH ANGER? LISTEN TO LIVE CONGRES ...
  The screaming and ranting and warnings of people like me are not fantasy….these are facts being admitted in front of Congress live, even as I write this….. LOG IN HERE AND LISTEN TO IT ALL GO DOWN LIVE Tweet this! Share and Enjoy: Scridb filter

abelard - news

• atomic weights can be variable - first eleven name ...
  One of the constants of life turns out to vary - it all makes sense logically, of course, if not viscerally.
• Marianne - a French national symbol, with French d ...
  For stamp nurds and those fascinated by the minutiae of France. Many new, intriguing details.
• the hoover dam | architectural wonders and joys at ...
  A product of the Great Deeprssion of the 1930s in the USA, this is an amazing engineering feat and human achievement. Generously photo illustrated.
• commemorating almost 30 years of nasa space shuttl ...
  Breath-taking images, with detailed commentary by men who made it work, to remind us of the incredible scientific and engineering achievement that is the Space Shuttle. Video.
• quality time | behaviour and intelligence/politics ...
  Behind the sex crimes accusations against Julian Assange is Swedish Calvinism, it appears. And what is the difference between a liberal and a socialist.

The Parallel Parliament

• It’s Over
  The fall session of Parliament ended yesterday not so much with a whimper but with mockery. At the end of months of activity, little resulted in the way of meaningful legislation. While MPs milled about offering holiday wishes, you could sense an emptiness and loss of purpose. The great questions co ...
• Still Hazy After All These Years
  It took until the latter half of 2010 for the weaknesses of the Conservative government’s new foreign policy to come home to roost. I was in the crowd on Canada Day in front of the Peace Tower three years ago when the Prime Minister stated that “Canada is back” on the world stage as a [...]
• A Special Group
  Last week I was asked to speak at the special recognition gathering for the maintenance staff on Parliament Hill. What a wonderful group of people, many of whom donated some three decades of service to making sure this place runs properly. I was more than thrilled to share how they had been of assis ...
• The New War
  It’s not about Afghanistan, or peacekeeping. It doesn’t deal with expensive airplanes, troop numbers or NATO. It’s actually about ourselves and the unravelling of the seams that hold and characterize the many dimensions of this great expansive tapestry called Canada. We are quietly developing our ow ...
• Christmas Lights at Parliament
  It’s magical and always inspirational. Each year, Parliament does a terrific job of making the buildings and grounds festive and welcoming. It’s obvious that those visiting Ottawa during the Christmas season are in for a real treat, but most don’t think of what a difference it makes to MPs. The few ...

Vaccine Awakening

• Counting Blessings, Remembering the Children
  by Barbara Loe Fisher Every Christmas and New Year, when I give thanks for the people who have blessed my life, I remember the mothers and fathers of severely vaccine injured children, who have taught me the most about love and courage. I know that my son, Chris, who developed brain inflammation ...
• Thousands Of Americans Register for NVIC's New Adv ...
  by Barbara Loe Fisher Thousands of Americans living in all 50 states took action and registered for the new NVIC Advocacy Portal at www.NVICadvocacy.org during Vaccine Awareness Week (Nov. 1-6, 2010) co-sponsored by the National Vaccine Information C ...
• Vaccine Science: A Search for Truth
  by Barbara Loe Fisher February 2009 turned out to be a month when vaccine science was put on trial in the U.S. Court of Claims in Washington, D.C., in mainstream media and on the internet, in the British Medical Journal and in vaccine safety research initiatives by the U.S. Department of Health and ...
• Talking Vaccine Science with Government: Why Do It ...
  by Barbara Loe Fisher After the historic election in November that saw Barack Obama elected President, I wondered what he and his Administration would do about addressing the question that is on the minds of many parents: Why are so many vaccinated children today chronically ill, suffering with lea ...
• Vaccine Bullies & Fighting Back
  By Barbara Loe Fisher During the past decade, families in the United Kingdom, Canada and America have witnessed the demonization of brave doctors and parents of vaccine injured children. It has been both sickening and frightening to watch physicians and some journalists engage in a relentless perse ...

2020 Science

• Lost in the Maize
  My son Alex’s school puts on a highly prestigious musical each year. Competition for the lead roles is tough. Closed-door auditions are held to ensure the most talented kids get the leading roles â reward-through-merit in action you might say. Apart from the fact that some parents involved in the pr ...
• The NNI at 10 – did I really say that?
  I must have been just a little worked up when I spoke with Gwyneth Shaw at the New Haven Independent a couple of weeks ago on nanotechnology.  I’m usually fairly circumspect with my comments to reporters (OK, so I know some readers have just spattered their coffee across the computer screen, but do ...
• Small gods and the art of technology innovation
  There’s something rather liberating about being asked to give a no-holds talk on your perspective on life, the universe and everything.  So when the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center asked if I would speak as part of their “Where do we go from here?” series, I jumped at it. No holds barred is pro ...
• Reviewing the National Nanotechnology Initiative S ...
  Here’s a bit of trivia: with the 4000 character limit on comments on the National Nanotechnology Initiative Draft Strategic Plan, you might as well ditch the official portal, and tweet your comments to the Office of Science and Technology Policy – 28 tweets would do it! As you can probably guess, I’ ...
• Lost in the Maize
  Iâm writing this at Detroit airport, en route to Dubai via Heathrow.  By rights, I should be writing the usual stuff about how traveling to exotic places isnât all itâs cracked up to be – the mantra of the seasoned traveler.  But as itâs the day after Thanksgiving, I thought I would suck it up [.. ...

Reader Supported News

• House Approves Obama's Tax-Cut Deal
  The article begins: "The House approved President Obama's sweeping tax-cut compromise at midnight Thursday, preventing tax rates from rising January 1 and sending the president a bipartisan agreement that few could have imagined in deeply polarized Washington." House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer ( ...
• 135 Arrested in DC Protesting War
  Patin reports: "Those arrested included Pulitzer prize-winning war correspondent, Chris Hedges, Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon papers, retired 27-year CIA analyst Ray McGovern, FBI whistleblower Colleen Rowley, as well as several members of Veterans for Peace." Protesters are arrested b ...
• Liberals' Revolt Delays House Vote on Obama-GOP Ta ...
  Intro: "A funny thing happened on the way to House passage of the Obama-Republican tax-cut compromise." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Capitol Hill, 12/07/10. (photo: AP) Sorry, your browser cannot display frames!
• German Troops to Begin Leaving Afghanistan Next Ye ...
  The report begins: "Germany, which has the third-largest military force in Afghanistan, will start withdrawing its 4,800 troops as early as next year, ending its mission there by 2014, the foreign minister told Parliament on Thursday." A German soldier mans a machine gun in Afghanistan, 12/09/09. ...
• US Tries to Build Case for Conspiracy by WikiLeaks
  Charlie Savage reports: "Federal prosecutors, seeking to build a case against the WikiLeaks leader Julian Assange for his role in a huge dissemination of classified government documents, are looking for evidence of any collusion in his early contacts with an Army intelligence analyst suspected of le ...

War Resisters League

• The other “Afghanistan Report”
  Whose stories are we telling about the war in Afghanistan? On the day following the White House report on the war in Afghanistan that names the war as a qualified success and calls for the U.S. to “stay the course,” we must lift up the alternative stories and reports of this near-decade of occupatio ...
• Join the Online Demonstration for Peace in Korea - ...
  President Obama is sending the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington (carrying 75 warplanes and a crew of over 6000) and other warships for additional war-games with the South Korean military beginning Sunday, November 28.� This only escalates the already tense situation on the Kore ...
• IVAW Women’s Retreat this weekend!
  Dear Supporters, My name is Joyce Wagner. I am a Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq in 2004 and 2005, and I am a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War. This Labor Day, IVAW women will hold our first ever retreat in support of women veterans. Your donation today will help us make [...]
• Protest nuclear warhead test launch tomorrow!
  Protest September 14, 11:55 pm (midnight) missile launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base: NOTE 09/14/10: THIS LAUNCH AND PROTEST HAVE BEEN CANCELED– More info to come! Join the protest of the test launch of a Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) thermo-nuclear warhead delivery system ...
• International Days of Action in Solidarity with Br ...
  Support Bradley Manning! Oakland, California, USA Thursday, September 16th, 7-9pm Humanist Hall, 390 27th Street, Oakland CA (Between Telegraph and Broadway) Speakers: DANIEL ELLSBERG, Pentagon Papers whistle-blower COL. ANN WRIGHT (ret.), former US diplomat RAY MCGOVERN, former CIA analyst AIMEE AL ...

Center for a Livable Future

• Looking at Food System Issues through a ‘Food Just ...
  I first came upon the term “food justice” from an organization in Oakland called People’s Grocery led by Brahm Ahmadi and others who were fighting against an unjust food system in the “food desert” of West Oakland. At the time, it was an area that left residents with liquor stores and [...]
• Fair Food in Our 21st Century Economy
  Last Wednesday, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) held the last of a series of joint workshops on “Agriculture and Antitrust Enforcement Issues in Our 21st Century Economy.” This particular workshop was held at the USDA in Washington D.C. and focu ...
• Drug amounts for food animals now reported by FDA: ...
  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a report last Thursday (Dec 9, 2010) that 13.1 million kilograms of antimicrobial drugs were sold or distributed for use in food-producing animals in 2009 in the United States (pdf). Why is this important? It represents the first time the FDA has repo ...
• Can Organic Farming Feed the World?
  Charles Benbrook, PhD, visiting CLF’s offices earlier this week, sat down with CLF staff to discuss a wide variety of topics, including the future promise of organic farming. Following his keynote lecture at the Polly Walker Ecology Fund, the Livablefutureblog asked the Organic Center’s Chief Scient ...
• Is There a CAFO in Your Neighborhood?
  National consumer advocacy organization Food & Water Watch (FWW) just released the latest version of its Factory Farm Map, which charts the concentration of factory-farmed animals across the country and their subsequent affect on human health, communities and the environment. As most factory farmer ...

A special project of Foreign Policy and the New America Foundation

• Crazy Like a Fox
  In a fit of anger, Hamid Karzai axes his director of intelligence, Amrullah Saleh. But is there method to his madness?
• Addicted to Contractors
  The United States is hooked on privatized warfare in Afghanistan. And it's more costly than you think.
• How to Whip the Afghan Army Into Shape
  Much of President Barack Obama's strategy rests on the creation of a new, more competent Afghan military. Here's what he'll need to know to get the job done.
• Obama's Indecent Interval
  Despite the U.S. president's pleas to the contrary, the war in Afghanistan looks more like Vietnam than ever.
• Divide and Conquer
  At an upcoming conference in London, the Afghan government will unveil its plan to bring the Taliban rank and file back into the political fold -- and plead for international assistance for its new initiative. 

Field Notes - Alberta Environment

• Grant Eligible Conservation Fund Part A: Conservat ...
  Organization:� Alberta Conservation Association Deadline:� 31 Jan 2011 (All day) The ACA is proud to enter int ...
• New report highlights gaps in Enbridge's Northern ...
  Pembina Institute 16 Dec 2010 VANCOUVER, B.C. — A report released by the Pembina Institute today reveals gaping holes in Enbridge's application to build the Northern Gateway oilsands p ...
• Royal Society Report on Tar Sands ignores Traditio ...
  Indigenous Peoples, Community Members and Allies raise concerns Indigenous Environmental Network Rainforest Action Network ...
• Sierra Club Canada Response to Royal Society of Ca ...
  Sierra Club Prairie 15 Dec 2010 Edmonton - The Royal Society of Canada report on the tar sands validates the concerns of Sierra Club Canada in calling for improved environmental assess ...
• Pembina reacts to Royal Society of Canada’s report ...
  Expert science panel confirms serious gaps in government oversight of oilsands development Pembina Institute 15 Dec 2010 EDMON ...

Stop NATO

• U.S. Prepares For New Decade Of War In Asia
  Stop NATO December 16, 2010 U.S. Prepares For New Decade Of War In Asia Rick Rozoff The United States is engaged in the longest war in its 234-year history in Afghanistan, one that will begin its eleventh calendar year in two weeks. Like the war that had been America’s longest before now, that in In ...
• U.S. Builds Military Alliance With Japan, South Ko ...
  Stop NATO December 14, 2010 U.S. Builds Military Alliance With Japan, South Korea For War In The East Rick Rozoff Last week Secretary of State Hillary Clinton summoned her Japanese and South Korean counterparts, Foreign Ministers Seiji Maehara and Kim Sung-hwan, to Washington for trilateral talks on ...
• White House Intensifies Military Buildup In Poland
  Stop NATO December 10, 2010 White House Intensifies Military Buildup In Poland Rick Rozoff Immediately on the heels of reports in the Guardian and other Western news media that the U.S.-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization has crafted a strategy to intervene with nine army divisions in the Baltic ...
• NATO Develops Plans For Military Confrontation Wit ...
  Stop NATO December 8, 2010 NATO Develops Plans For Military Confrontation With Russia In Baltic Rick Rozoff This week plans for U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization military intervention in the Baltic Sea region gained attention after information from American State Department cables released ...
• U.S. And NATO Allies Escalate Military Buildup Aga ...
  Stop NATO December 6, 2010 U.S. And NATO Allies Escalate Military Buildup Against Iran Rick Rozoff The new Strategic Concept adopted by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization at its summit in Lisbon, Portugal on November 19-20 reiterated the U.S.-led military bloc’s determination to expand military ...

Before It's News

• Sarah_Palin:_Omnibus_Defeat_Is_a_Victory_for_Reali ...
• WikiLeaks:_Why_Cuba_Banned_lt;em_gt;Sicko_lt;_em_g ...
• Transatlantic_Economic_Council_Joint_Statement
• Federal_Government_039;s_IT_Reform_Efforts_Come_In ...
• :

Intel Hub

• Propaganda 101
  By Joe Joseph The Intel Hub News Network I have to say that I was taken aback when I saw an article published by CBS titled “How to Survive a Nuclear Attack” by Dan Farber (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-20025919-501465.html).  As we all know by now, the MSM (main stream media) is nothing mo ...
• IHNN: CIA Waterboarding, Zionist House Resolution, ...
  IHNN News Update December 17th 2010. The Intel Hub: http://theintelhub.com http://theintelhubradio.com The Intel Hub News Network: http://theintelhubnewsnetwork.com Officials: CIA gave waterboarders 5million dollar legal shield! http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_cia_wat… Zionist Lobby’s New Orders For O ...
• Officials: CIA Gave Waterboarders $5M Legal Shield
  Associated Press WASHINGTON â When the CIA decided to waterboard suspected terror detainees in overseas prisons, the agency turned to a pair of contractors. The men designed the CIA’s interrogation program and also personally took part in the waterboarding sessions. But to do the job, the CIA had to ...
• Afghanistan: Opium, the CIA and the Karzai Adminis ...
  Voltaire by Peter Dale Scott According to Peter Dale Scott, there is no point in deploring the expansion of drug production in Afghanistan and the heroin epidemic gripping great parts of the world. Conclusions must be drawn from the established facts: the Taliban eradicated poppy cultivation; NATO p ...
• Gainesville Commission Rejects Oath of Office in r ...
  The Intel Hub Gators911Truth advocates, Bob Tuskin, Harold Saive, Ed Reyes and Dan Dvorak challenge Gainesville City Commission to advocate for a new 9/11 investigation. Commissioner Mastrodicasa was one of seven members to take time to respond, claiming she would not sign a petition for a new inves ...

FRS

• Puerto Rico: University students in standoff with ...
  http://www.prdailysun.com/news/Students-joined-by-professors-as-strike-continues December 16, 2010 A standoff between University of Puerto Rico students and members of the police Tactical Operations Division (riot squad) marked the second day of the strike that has practically paralyzed all academic ...
• CIA station chief pulled from Pakistan after lawsu ...
  Associated Press, December 17, 2010 WASHINGTON — The CIA has pulled its top spy out of Pakistan after terrorists threatened to kill him, current and former U.S. officials said, an unusual move for the U.S. and a complication on the front lines of the fight against al-Qaida. The CIA station chief was ...
• India: Women’s groups denounce official cove ...
  Sent to Frontlines by Women against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS), Delhi WOMEN’S GROUPS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, GIFT THE CBI MORE SHEETS FOR THEIR NEXT COVER-UPS! DEMAND: IMMEDIATE RE-OPENING OF CASE OF DOUBLE RAPE AND MURDER IN SHOPIAN, JUSTICE AGAINST CBI COVER-UP! 13 December 2010 ...
• Oakland: At AIPAC (Israel Lobby) Gala, Seven Arres ...
  6 activists and a journalist were arrested December 13 in Oakland, when they performed this dance at the Marriott Hotel, where the American Israel Public Affairs Committee was having a fundraiser. On Monday, December 13, when the American Israel Public Affairs Committee held its annual dinner in Oak ...
• Brazil: Poor Peasant League leader killed–Co ...
  Fellow Elias! Present! Brazil, December 2010 At 4 pm of December 8, a paramilitary group that serves the interests of the plant “Utinga Leão”, located between the cities of “Rio Largo” and “Messias” (in the state of Alagoas, northeastern Brazil) invaded a camp organized by the Poor Peasants League ( ...

Ken O'Keefe

• The little town of Bethlehem
• TJP Liberty Report from Gaza ‘Life in Jabaly ...
  My latest video report from Gaza.
• BBC Panorama ‘Death in the Med’ is 100 ...
  This is a letter from Ted (from Liverpool) who pretty much dismantles BBC; please share. Aloha Ted, An absolute joy to read.  I will be spreading this enthusiastically and look forward to seeing how many of the “journalists” at the BBC manage to report the truth about their disgusting propaganda pi ...
• TJP Liberty Report from Gaza ‘Story of Areej ...
  Throughout my time in Palestine I am constantly reminded of how I would feel as a parent to endure not being able to provide all that a child needs.  Whether it be proper food on the table, clean drinking water, schools and supplies or that most basic need of loving security, all of these things [.. ...
• ‘Why I am not writing on Palestine Think Tank anym ...
  Through the fog of deception – By Nahida âWhy I am not writing on Palestine Think Tank anymoreâ PeaceMonger asked ââ¦Nahida, what happened to your article from last year on Palestine Think Tank? â ============================================= In April 2010, after years of association, contribution a ...

StillSmallVoice

• Christmas in Vegas
  Well, not really. I'm only in Vegas for a few days. Are you jealous? Don't be. I'm flying out to meet my next-to-the-oldest brother, the impulsive one, the one who thinks it'd be a gas to spend time in the climate-controlled�bubble�of Sin City right before Jesus' birthday. (As circumspect as I am ...
• This is Jac's idea, and it's a good one:
  In the middle of the holiday rush, Jac suggests we each think up some kind of random act of kindness, and then go out and do it. If you think of something particularly creative, feel free to add it here.
• Quick! Name your favorite subversive book!
  Mine's the Bible. Sharon sends this, a Religion Dispatches report on a New Hampshire couple concerned that Barbara Ehrenreich's book, "Nickel and Dimed, On (Not) Getting By In America," is disrespectful to Jesus. That is strange to me. I found that book to be spot-on -- but I don't remember much in ...
• What does the Bible say about tax cuts for the wea ...
  This guy says go for it. This guy says no. Having read Jordan Sekulow's essay, I can only draw from it that he believes the Bible holds a special place for the wealthy. I think that's true, and think the proof is here. And here. Oh, and here, too. Flickr photo
• Power and corruption r good 4 u
  In fact, power and corruption may help societies maintain cooperation -- but only if both come in small doses. It says so here. Flickr photo

Associated Content

• Unemployment Extensions Pass House, Restoring Life ...
  For those jobless workers whose only source of income for the past several months has been an unemployment benefits check, the news out of Washington on Thursday night must have been a relief. Extension benefits expired at the end of November...Contributor: Saul Relative Published: Dec 17, 2010
• Bernie Madoff Ponzi Victims Will Recover $7.2 Bill ...
  Barbara Picower, the widow of Madoff investor Jeffry Picower, agreed to voluntarily return all the investment income received from Madoff over a 35-year period.Contributor: Angie Mohr Published: Dec 17, 2010
• Tony Romo Engaged to Candice Crawford; '40-Year-Ol ...
  Just as talk about Jessica Simpson's quickie engagement started to calm down, it has picked back up again. Not because of anything Jessica did, but because of the engagement of her ex Tony Romo to girlfriend Candice Crawford.Contributor: Sarah F. Sullivan Published: Dec 17, 2010
• Pulled Pork: Omnibus Spending Bill Withdrawn in th ...
  Late Thursday night, Senate Majority Leady Harry Reid was forced to pull the $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill from consideration. Reid was forced to admit that he did not have the votes to pass it.Contributor: Mark Whittington Published: Dec 17, 2010
• Omnibus Spending Bill Gridlocked in Senate
  The gigantic Omnibus spending bill that funds the government for fiscal year 2011 is being gridlocked in the Senate over the practice of earmarks, and charges of hypocrisy are being leveled. What does a shutdown mean for you and me?Contributor: R. D. Lamont Published: Dec 16, 2010

Popsci - Science

• This Week in the Future, December 13-17, 2010
  What is ... bonjour? A clearly French robot is playing Jeopardy, but that's not all. This week's vision of the future illustrates a whopping 9 stories from the last 5 days on PopSci.com. As ever, if you are the first to correctly identify all of them in the comments section, you can win this week ...
• Formerly Common Little Brown Bat May Be Headed For ...
  Biologists are asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine whether the little brown bat — formerly one of the most common mammals in North America — should be added to the endangered species list, bat conservationists said Thursday. “The little brown bat is in imminent danger of extinct ...
• In Tiniest Computer Memory Ever, Researchers Succe ...
  Physicists have stored information for nearly two minutes inside the magnetic spins of atomic nuclei, producing the longest-lasting spintronic device yet and what could be the world’s tiniest computer memory. There’s just one problem: the computer operates at -454 F (about 3.2 degrees K) and requir ...
• White House Commission: Biologists Can Engineer Cu ...
  Green light for synthetic biology Back in May, J. Craig Venter thrust synthetic biology into the spotlight when he announced that his institute had created the first self-replicating bacteria cell with a synthetic genome. Among those taking notice was President Barack Obama, who asked the President ...
• Google's Body Browser is a Google Earth for Human ...
  Google has mapped just about every traffic artery you could ever want to locate on Google Maps, but what if the thruway you’re looking for isn’t on any road atlas? To help you tell your axillary artery from your common carotid, Google has created a G-Maps-like search-able guide for the human body t ...

Veterans Today

• FRANKLIN LAMB: Australia rejects Israeli ordered M ...
  In issuing its findings of fact and conclusions of law ACMA found that Al Manar did not violate Australian law, and was free to broadcast in the country Franklin Lamb’s Saturday Mideast Report –- Al Manar Australia’s Parliament and main stream media may not differ all that much from other western co ...
• Dream Nightmare Act- Put A Stop To This Now
  The Dream Act should stay a Dream because as it stands it is a nightmare of too many calories in this bill that will be up for the vote shortly. I do not like to see this as a party issue but it seems like that is all that our elected officials see. I look at cost factors, impacts on our system tha ...
• NEVER FORGET: How 9/11 First Responders Were Betra ...
  Thursday night marked the final “Daily Show” of the year — and the decade — so it’s fitting that Jon Stewart spent its entirety discussing something both near to his heart and tied an event that happened nearly 10 years ago: the 9/11 First Responders Bill. By Katla McGlynn in the Huffingon Post Stew ...
• GOP’s Wall Street Whitewash; GOP Absolves Ba ...
  Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL), incoming G.O.P. chair of the House Financial Services Committee: “[M]y view is that Washington and the regulators are there to serve the banks.” By Paul Krugman in the NYT When the financial crisis struck, many people — myself included — considered it a teachable moment. ...
• Wisconsin State Sen. Russ Decker—Scumbag of the Ye ...
  Think U.S. Rep John A. Boehner (R – OH) and Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) are the lowest of pond scum.They’re rookies. Meet Wisconsin State Senator Russ Decker (D-Wausau, WI), who has transformed himself from “proud union member to Republican stooge sticking it to state employee unions“. Decker is upset ...

  Blacklisted News

  • Deadline Live with Jack Blood is Live Right Now... ...
    Click Above To Listen Live!
  • Overstock accuses Goldman. Merrill of racketeering
    Overstock claims the brokerages' actions are illegal under New Jersey's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and such claims can be decided by non-New Jersey courts.
  • Dude, Where's My Mortgage? How an Obscure Outfit C ...
    There is an unbelievable scandal in the making that threatens to subvert our four-century-old method for guaranteeing a fundamental building block of the American republic—property ownership.
  • Banksters Give German Chancellor Her Marching Orde ...
    The debt crisis in Europe that is impacting many countries is now being used by banksters to (surprise) put banksters in even more control of European affairs.
  • Federal Government Cuts Off Recession Relief Money ...
    Congress also failed to reauthorize an emergency fund for a subsidized job program on September 30 that would have allowed states to provide emergency help to needy families and place low-income people in subsidized jobs.

  The Intelligence Daily

  • The Fix Is In: Expect Democrats to Buckle
    By Stephen Lendman The criminal class in Washington is bipartisan. On core issues, Democrats are no...
  • Oil limits lead to state budget squeezes
    When oil consumption is rising, it is possible for the economy to expand, and more jobs be added....
  • IntelFilter: December 17, 2010
    Headlines of the day:  With Peak Oil Looming, Gulf States Consider Ending Fossil Fuel Subsidies US...
  • Tipping Point: 25 Signs That The Coming Financial ...
    By Michael T. Snyder The financial collapse that so many of us have been anticipating is seemingly...
  • U.S. Prepares For New Decade Of War In Asia
    By Rick Rozoff The United States is engaged in the longest war in its 234-year history in...

  My AntiWar

  • Venezuela Congress Set to Give Chavez Decree Power
  • CIA Recalls Pakistan Station Chief After His Name ...
  • Pentagon Denies Mistreating WikiLeaks Suspect
  • Critics Say Afghanistan Review Falls Short
  • House Roll Call Vote on Defense Bill

  CASMII - Campaign against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran

  • Who is Behind Wikileaks?
    Summary: At the outset in early 2007, Wikileaks acknowledged that the project had been "founded by Chinese dissidents, mathematicians and startup company technologists, from the US, Taiwan, Europe, Australia and South Africa.... [Its advisory board] includes representatives from expat Russian ...
  • AUSTRALIAN INTELLIGENCE FEARED ISRAEL MAY LAUNCH A ...
    Summary: A report in Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald today says that Australia’s intelligence agencies feared that Israel would launch an attack against Iran which might draw both the US and Australia into a potential nuclear war in the Middle East. source: Lataan Blogspotread more
  • Time to Talk (Properly) to Iran
    Summary: So I think the whole issue of nuclear arms in Iran is related to the regime’s insecurity and this may relate to one of your questions earlier about whether the United States should have a dialogue with Iran. I think if they do, it would go a long way toward helping the regime feel comf ...
  • Leaks Suggest Iran Is Now Winning in the Middle Ea ...
    Summary: Iran is winning and Israel is losing. That is the startling conclusion we reach if we consider how things have changed in the Middle East in the two years since most of the WikiLeaks State Department cables about Iran’s regional difficulties were written. source: Truthdigread more
  • The US, Iran, Disney and diplomacy
    Summary: Khouri Her one-way admonition on “restoring confidence” is not convincing, given that Iran and many others in the region are deeply dubious of American sincerity in this process, in view of several instances in recent years when the United States had a chance to break through to an agre ...

  The Daily Galaxy

  • The Daily Galaxy 'Holiday' Contest -Win a Free $50 ...
    Use it towards a purchase of an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Hundreds of Other Apple Products and Accessories. Users of Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Reddit, and StumbleUpon are invited to discover, review and share Daily Galaxy posts you love on...
  • The Daily Flash -Sci, Space, Tech (12/14)
    First four exoplanet systems imaged Among one of the first exoplanet systems imaged was HR 8799. In 2008, a team led by Christian Marois at the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics in Canada, took a picture of the system directly imaging...
  • Titan: Saturn's Gigantic Organic-Chemicals Factory ...
    "Titan is just covered in carbon-bearing material -- it's a giant factory of organic chemicals." "We are carbon-based life, and understanding how far along the chain of complexity towards life that chemistry can go in an environment like Titan will...
  • Great Eruption of August 1, 2010: An Entire Hemisp ...
    On August 1, 2010, an entire hemisphere of the sun erupted. Filaments of magnetism snapped and exploded, shock waves raced across the stellar surface, billion-ton clouds of hot gas billowed into space. Astronomers knew they had observed something BIG! And...
  • New Ice Volcano Sighted on Saturn's Moon Titan -Ma ...
    Sotra, a volcano more than 3,000 feet tall surrounded by giant sand dunes, with a one mile deep pit alongside it has been discovered on Titan by scientists using NASA's Cassini spacecraft to map the moon. So far only about...

  Natural News

  • Warning: Christmas colored chips, cookies and trea ...
    (NaturalNews) Those Christmas-colored snack chips and store-bought cookies may look festive, but watch out: Eating them may cause side effects such as hyperactivity, especially in children. That's because nearly all Christmas-colored foods achieve their colors through the use of artificial coloring ...
  • Drink your sleep troubles away: tart cherry juice ...
    (NaturalNews) Millions of Americans have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, resulting in excessive fatigue and even more serious consequences. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC): "Insufficient sleep is associated with a number of chronic diseases and conditions such as diab ...
  • EU regulator slams drug companies for putting prof ...
    (NaturalNews) The continued emergence of drug-resistant "superbugs" has created an urgent need for either better antibiotics or an entirely new approach to dealing with infectious diseases. But drug companies hardly seem concerned about investigating any solutions to the problem because they can mak ...
  • Dragon Herbs, He Shou Wu, Eucommia and other treas ...
    (NaturalNews) Those who have been following NaturalNews for several years have heard me rave about Ron Teeguarden and Dragon Herbs. His company is considered by many to be the most pristine source of tonic herbs and Chinese herbs available in North America. Ron himself is a true-to-life "guru" in Ch ...
  • Cinnamon may be a treasure of green nanotechnology
    (NaturalNews) Gold nanoparticles, so incredibly tiny they can't be seen by the naked eye, are used in electronics, healthcare products and as pharmaceuticals in some cancer treatments. Unfortunately, the positive applications of gold nanoparticles come with a downside -- producing the nanoparticles ...

  Threat Level

  • Congress Hears WikiLeaks Is ‘Fundamentally Differe ...
    The Justice Department would have no problem distinguishing WikiLeaks from traditional media outlets, should it decide to charge WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with violating the Espionage Act, a former federal prosecutor told lawmakers Thursday. “By clearly showing how WikiLeaks is fundamentally ...
  • Assange Freed On $300,000 Bail After 9 Days in a B ...
    After nine days in jail, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was freed on bail Thursday in London after an appeal by British authorities failed. Assange was granted bail on Tuesday but was remanded in custody pending the outcome of the appeal. Assange can remain free while he fights extradition to Swe ...
  • U.S. Trying to Build Conspiracy Case Against WikiL ...
    U.S. federal prosecutors are looking for evidence that would help them bring conspiracy charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, according to the New York Times. Prosecutors are looking for anything that would suggest Assange encouraged or helped Manning leak classified information by givi ...
  • WikiLeaks Contender ‘Promising,’ Analysts Say
    A new transparency site being launched by WikiLeaks defectors is a promising alternative, according to media and government transparency analysts, but its true value will depend on whether it can garner the trust and interest of sources with valuable documents to leak. The new site, OpenLeaks, is s ...
  • Court Rebuffs Obama on Warrantless Cell-Site Track ...
    A federal appeals court on Wednesday rejected the Obama administration’s contention the government is never required to get a court warrant to obtain cell-site information that mobile-phone carriers retain on their customers. The decision (.pdf) by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is one in a s ...

  PERRspectives : Blog

  • Your Tax Dollars at Work
    On Friday, the House approved the $801 billion "compromise" tax bill, sending it on to the White House for President Obama's signature. Over the next two years, that budget-busting, gilded class giveaway will cost the Treasury $70 billion in revenue lost from the top 2% of taxpayers and another $25 ...
  • GOP Commissioners Blame Economic Meltdown on Gover ...
    Republican politics are now defined by necessary lies, untruths like "tax cuts pay for themselves" which GOP orthodoxy requires be true. So it should come as no surprise that the Republican members of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission are dissenting from the panel's upcoming report to falsely ...
  • Pawlenty, Palin Push GOP War on Public Employees
    Move over, welfare queens, IRS agents and trial lawyers. The Republican Party has a new bogeyman: the public employee. With a sluggish U.S. economy, cash-strapped states and under-funded pension programs, Tim Pawlenty, Sarah Palin and other leading lights of the GOP are scape-goating government wo ...
  • John Boehner's 60 Minutes of Hypocrisy
    On Sunday, incoming House Speaker John Boehner had his prime time debut on CBS 60 Minutes. Proclaiming "I reject the word" compromise, Boehner made clear that past performance would be a guarantee of future results. But even more pathetic was his staggering hypocrisy. After all, Boehner claimed t ...
  • Palin Endorses Medicare Rationing
    Fresh off her pronouncements on the Fed's "quantitative easing" and federal aid to the states, Sarah Palin this week added the deficit and Medicare to her Potemkin façade of policy expertise. A year after she first endorsed converting Medicare into a voucher program, Palin took to the pages of the ...

  Blackspot News Feed

  • The Great Tax Cut Debate - Myths and Facts
    In the lame-duck Congress agenda, perhaps the most substantive debate is over whether to continue tax breaks for the rich. President Obama and most Congressional Democrats want to extend the Bush tax cuts for 98 percent of Americans, everyone making under $250,000. Republicans want to extend the tax ...
  • What Landslide?: A Closer Look at the Midterm Elec ...
    By now, everyone has heard of the conservative "tidal wave" that has overtaken Congress and most gubernatorial seats throughout the U.S. Indeed, anyone who has watched mainstream media coverage probably understands the midterm election results as a "rebuke of Obama's policies," with the "Tea Party m ...
  • INS Targets Community Leaders, Not Criminals
    When people the world over think of Arizona nowadays, they generally think of Governor Jan Brewer, Sheriff Joe Arpaio or state representative Russell Pearce – the poster children of the state's move toward legalized discrimination and racial profiling. If they are closely following the politics of t ...
  • Dancing with Dynamite:How Citizens Can be More Tha ...
    Two years ago, President Obama sailed into the White House on the winds of voters’ desire for widespread social change and their disgust with two wars and a massive recession associated with George W. Bush. Only two years into his presidency and the concurrent Democratic takeover of Congress, howeve ...
  • Pope Says Condoms Acceptable 'In Certain Cases'
    Until now, the Vatican had prohibited the use of any form of contraception -- other than abstinence -- even as a guard against sexually transmitted disease.

  Consortium News

  • 'Giant' Holbrooke Failed on Afghan War
    Eulogies are pouring in for US 'Afghan War' envoy Richard Holbrooke, but is all this praise warranted, asks Ray McGovern. December 14, 2010
  • The War to Silence WikiLeaks
    The US assault on WikiLeaks raises doubts about the nation's commitment to freedom of the press, argues Elliot D. Cohen. December 13, 2010
  • WikiLeaks and the Power of Truth
    The WikiLeaks' disclosures offer detail and context to government actions that strengthen democracy, writes Rory O'Connor. December 13, 2010
  • Bush v. Gore's Dark American Decade
    Ten years ago, five Republican US Supreme Court justices put the country on a path toward disaster, recalls Robert Parry. December 12, 2010
  • How the Right Shapes US 'Reality'
    From global warming to foreign wars, the Right shapes the "reality" of many Americans, observes Lawrence Davidson. December 11, 2010

  CounterPunch

  • :
  • Alexander Cockburn : Autumn of the Driveler
  • Carl Ginsburg : Life in the Low to Mid-Teens
  • Alexander Cockburn : Loose-Lip McChrystal Did Obam ...
  • Alexander Cockburn : He Should Have Kept His Mouth ...

  Institute for Middle East Understanding

  • IDF destroys numerous water cisterns across South ...
    I was surprised to see that Haaretz's leading story in the Hebrew print edition on Thursday covered the fact that the Civil Administration (the Israel Defense Force ...
  • The Return of "Plan B" and the Death of the Peace ...
    Last week marked a low point in the Obama administration's attempts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Following the administration's announcement that it ...
  • Israel leaves us no choice but to boycott (Ali Ab ...
    Israel's deputy minister of foreign affairs, Danny Ayalon, paints a picture of an innocent Israel yearning for peace, virtually begging the intransigent Palestinians to come negotiate so ...
  • U.S. Government Responds to Questions About Impris ...
  • House vote against Palestinian statehood actually ...
    Yesterday the House of Representatives passed a resolution, H.Res.1765, "condemning unilateral measures to declare or recognize a Palestinian state." At first glance, this vote appears to ...

  Water - AlterNet

  • How Homeowners Who Say No to Gas Drilling Companie ...
    New York State's industry-drafted 2005 'compulsory integration' law makes resistance to drilling companies pointless -- here's how.
  • U.S. Border Crossing to Become Wastewater-Recyclin ...
    The system will treat and recycle wastewater on site, reducing "generation of wastewater and demand for potable water, while increasing the local aquifer recharge."
  • 15 Claims the Natural Gas Industry Wants You to Be ...
    Industry spends millions trying to convince the public and our lawmakers of the benefits of "natural" gas, but a quick look at the propaganda reveals some deep flaws.
  • Report Alleges Organ Harvesting Ring Linked to Kos ...
    A criminal network linked to Kosovo's prime minister executed prisoners and harvested their kidneys to sell for illicit organ transplant operations abroad.
  • New Study: Southwest Could See 60-year Drought
    "The bottom line is, we could have a Medieval-style drought with even warmer temperatures," said the study's lead author.

  Public Citizen in Texas

  • Former Pedernales GM Bennie Fuelberg GUILTY on all ...
    After only a day of deliberation, the jury has returned a guilty verdict on former Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC) general manager Bennie Fuelberg on all counts of money laundering, theft, and misapplication of fiduciary property. During the two weeks of trial, the prosecution showed how Benni ...
  • Flammable drinking water sparks explosions over Ba ...
    The Texas Railroad Commission (RCC) will hold a special hearing January 10th to look into the complaints of methane in two Parker County drinking water wells that prompted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week to order a natural gas drilling company to take steps to remediate the ...
  • Texas Railroad Commission – The biggest bang for y ...
    Concurrent with Public Citizen‘s release of its report - Drilling for Dollars: How Big Money Has a Big Influence at the Railroad Commission, which details how fundraising by incumbents increased 688 percent between 2000 and 2008 with the biggest driver of the increase donations from individuals as ...
  • Drilling for Dollars: How Big Money Plays a Big Ro ...
          Hey folks, here’s our press release about the report I’ve been slaving away over working on. Money’s a problem at the Railroad Commission. How bad? You have no idea. Read on, if you dare, and join us for our 1pm press conference in the Speaker’s press room in the Texas Capitol. Sweeping [...]
  • New solar farm ground breaking in Pflugerville.
    RRE Solar Austin held its groundbreaking ceremony in Pflugerville yesterday. This is the first utility scale solar farm, and one of the largest photovoltaic projects in the country, to be built by the company and the first to break ground in the Austin area. Planned to produce 60Mw of solar energy w ...

  Unexplained Mysteries

  • Woman with rare condition knows no fear
    A woman in the US has a rare medical condition that results in her having no sense of fear whatsoever. The part of her brain responsible for fear reac...
  • Baboon god statue found in Egyptian ruins
    The remains of statues including those of a pharoah and an Egyptian baboon god have been unearthed. The find was made during an excavation at Amenhote...
  • Hotel boasts $11m Christmas tree
    A hotel in Abu Dhabi is celebrating the festive season with a jewel-encrusted tree worth $11 million. Unlike a conventional tree decorated with tinsel...
  • Man with HIV cured by stem cell transplant
    In a remarkable breakthrough an HIV-positive man appears to have been cured by a stem cell transplant. Timothy Ray Brown received the transplant in 20...
  • "Cosmic bruises" suggest other universes
    Scientists have discovered evidence that parallel universes 'jostled' our own in the very distant past. Patterns found in the background microwave rad...

  Grassroots

  • Brazilian referendum seeks limits to land concentr ...
    plebiscito_popular_logo.jpg Members of the Brazilian National Forum for Agrarian Reform and Justice announced this week the results of a non-binding referendum about whether the Brazilian government should limit the concentration of land held ...
  • Development Volunteer
    Grassroots International has an opportunity for someone interested in assisting our Development team on an ongoing, on-line research project to identify possible funding sources, including from foundations and ally organizations. We are looking for someone to start immediately, working flexible dayt ...
  • Setting the Standard for Global Resource Rights De ...
    4420078955_43729050f0_b.jpg The United Nations designates December 10 as International Human Rights Day. At Grassroots International, we give special recognition to the efforts of our partners and allies around the world—but for them, it’s jus ...
  • "Miami Rice": The Business of Disaster in Haiti
    Outside Author Info Outside Author Bio:� Beverly Bell is the founder and Coordinating Committee Member and Program Coordinator of Other Worlds, which is a Grassroots International ally. She has worked with Haitian social movements for over 30 years. Grassr ...
  • The global forum “For Life, Environmental and Soci ...
    viamarch.jpg By�Cloc/The Via Campesina(Cancún, 5 December 2010) One idea dominated the opening and first working day of the global forum �For Life, Environmental and Social Justice�, organized by La Via Campesina and its allies at their camp i ...

  Climate

  • Senator to Seek Vote Stopping EPA Carbon Rules
    Source:� Reuters Sen. John Rockefeller of West Virginia said he would seek a vote before the end of the congressional session on his bill to postpone EPA regulation of CO2 emissions for two years.
  • Government Pushes Solar Power in Six Western State ...
    Source:� Reuters The Obama administration on Thursday proposed special energy zones on public lands in six western states deemed good locations to build utility-scale solar facilities. �
  • Records Show Concerns About Another BP Rig
    Source:� New York Times In newly disclosed documents from before the spill in the Gulf of Mexico, some Congressional officials pressed regulators about offshore drilling safety, but complained they were rebuffed.
  • DOE Sees Rapid Growth in Natural Gas
    Source:� Politico The Energy Department foresees a rapid growth in natural gas production over the next 25 years, according to a report from its statistical arm Thursday.
  • EIA: Coal Will Be the ‘Dominant Fuel’ for Generati ...
    Source:� The Hill Coal will continue to be the "dominant fuel" used to generate electricity in the U.S. through 2035, according to new projections released Thursday by the EIA.

  GreenBiz

  • Economy, Better Management Cited for Fewer Toxic E ...
    The 3.37 billion pounds of toxic chemicals released in 2009 represents of 40 percent drop compared to 2001, the EPA said in its analysis of the 2009 Toxic Release Inventory unveiled Thursday.
  • Using LEED as the Starting Point for Greater Susta ...
    Congratulations. You’ve been LEED certified.  Now what? That is the question facing the owners and operators of over one billion square feet of commercial space that have obtained LEED status under the U.S. Green Building Council’s green building rating system.
  • Nintendo Wii Ranked Most Energy Efficient Game Sys ...
    A study by the Electric Power Research Institute tested the three most popular home gaming consoles and found a wide range of difference, with the Nintendo Wii using one-sixth the energy of the Microsoft Xbox 360.
  • Echotect Turns Stone, Recycled Plastic into Counte ...
    �A company created by Shell and its venture capital arm has developed a way to turned recycled plastic and crushed minerals into alternatives to natural stone surfacing.
  • GBEST: Best Buy, Starbucks Share Ideas for Saving ...
    "Nothing says energy efficiency like 'off',' " said Best Buy's Hugh Cherne, one of several speakers at the GreenBiz Environmental Sustainability Tools Virtual Conference, the company's first online trade show which was presented with Groom Energy.

  Reuters Global

  • From Thuggees to fake WikiLeaks
    Does the thinking which once whipped up the fear of a cult of highway robbers in colonial India live on in fake WikiLeaks?
  • Polar bears, sure. But grolar bears?
    More than the climate is changing above the Arctic Circle. Meet the grolar bear.
  • Perilous predictions for 2011
    It's a perilous business making predictions about politics and world affairs. But the costs of being taken by surprise are so large that it's worth trying to pick the trouble spots. Here's our forecast for the top 10 political roadblocks the world will face in 2011
  • After Holbrooke, chances of political settlement i ...
    U.S. envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke would have come into his own as and when efforts to reach a political settlement began to take shape. His death leaves a big gap.
  • The long and short of it
    With many expecting reasonable growth and favouring stocks, why women's hemlines getting longer?

  Booman Tribune

  • Scarborough's Blind Side
    I don't have a transcript of it, but maybe I will track it down later. I was watching a segment of the Morning Joe show on MSNBC this morning when I saw Joe Scarborough express a somewhat curious point of view. In essence, he was expressing a certain sense of bewilderment that liberals would see i ...
  • Dishonesty and Cynicism
    As you probably know by now, Harry Reid was forced to pull the Appropriations Omnibus bill off the Senate calendar in the face of ridiculous obstruction, absurd antics, and stunning hypocrisy. The government has been operating on a continuing resolution since October with funds and priorities froze ...
  • God Didn't Patent Rainbows
    The Marriage is only between a Good Christian (and ok, maybe Jewish) Man and a Good Christian (and ok, maybe Jewish) Woman crowd claims that Gays stole the rainbow from God and that by rights it should belong to Jesus (ok, maybe Yahweh, too). Becky Yeh of right-wing American Family News Network' ...
  • What Made Them Stupid?
    There is another study out that shows that Fox News watchers are aggressively and disproportionately misinformed about pretty much everything. But I wonder whether this is because they believe the lies that they are told while they are watching Fox News or it is because the subset of people who are ...
  • DADT and New START
    Republican senators Olympia Snowe, Lisa Murkowski, and Scott Brown will join Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in voting for the standalone bill to repeal the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. I think that adds up to 61 votes in favor of repeal and that constitutes a slim but decisive majority in the 100-membe ...

  European Tribune

  • European Salon de News, Discussion et Klatsch - 18 ...
    �A Daily Review Of International Online Media�Ancient European feast days on this date:Eponalia - feast...
  • European Commission Consultation on VAT
    European Commission: Green Paper on the future of VAT Towards a simpler, more robust and...
  • Friday Open Thread
    Discuss...
  • European Salon de News, Discussion et Klatsch - 1 ...
    �A Daily Review Of International Online Media�Europeans on this date in history:1975 - birth of...
  • Thursday Open Thread
    Flashmob edition - below the fold...

  Futurismic

  • Personal Information: episode 24
    Personal Information is a new serial sci-fi webcomic from Sarah “Does Not Equal” Ennals. Follow Futurismic on Twitter for more nuggets of near-future fun and weirdness! Share and Enjoy:Follow Futurismic on Twitter for more nuggets of near-future fun and weirdness!
  • Arguments against life extension
    Via Michael Anissimov, here’s a spectacularly empty diatribe against “deathhackers” by TechCrunch‘s Paul Carr. Carr objects to the idea of radical life extension as advocated by transhumanists, which is fair enough, but as written here most of his objections seem to boil down to personal distate tow ...
  • Daddy, where does innovation come from?
    Plenty of folk have been linking to this excerpt from Matt Ridley’s new book The Rational Optimist, and with good reason – it’s a provocative piece that plays to advocates (and opponents) of free trade, open exchange, copyright reform and much more. The basic thesis? The one persistent factor that h ...
  • Replacement arms: mechanical or biological?
    Prosthetic limbs are still in their infancy, but there’s a lot of progress being made: Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory is working with Darpa (who else?), and has a research grant for trying out their mind-controlled modular prosthetic arm on five test subjects over the next couple of years ...
  • How to be a futurist
    The irrepressible Scott “Basic Instructions” Meyer has the lowdown if you’re thinking of a career in futurism: Click through for the whole thing. But take it from me, being a futurist is a lot of work for no money. Or maybe that’s just the way I do it… and I’ve never been featured in a [...]Follow F ...

  Therapy News

  • Loneliness and Depression vs. Group Membership and ...
    A GoodTherapy.org News Summary It’s human instinct to build relationships with others. While everyone needs solitude now and again (some more than others), we all recognize the importance of relationships in our lives. Psychologists have been researching the connection between mental health, physica ...
  • Conflict with Care
    By Blake Edwards, MSMFT, LMFT Click here to contact Blake and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile When we find ourselves embattled, either viscerally aggressive or frozen, there is always an underlying process of anxiety occurring in our neural and limbic systems. The “fight or flight” mechanism that ...
  • Mental Health and Job Loss: Relationship is Not Wh ...
    A GoodTherapy.org News Summary Conventional wisdom says that when a person loses their employment, their well-being, sense of self, and psychological resilience take a hit, and continue to go downhill the longer they’re unemployed. But a newly-published, long-term study on the psychology of employme ...
  • Movie Stars and Veterans on Meditation, Abuse Vict ...
    A GoodTherapy.org News Summary The experiences of abuse survivors and combat veterans have much in common: fear, danger, violence, uncertainty, and trauma. These two groups of people experience high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression even after they’re safely out of harm’s ...
  • Depression and Obesity Come Together, Make Treatme ...
    A GoodTherapy.org News Summary Undergoing therapy to address depression may make a weight loss program more effective, and conversely, weight loss may make depression treatment more effective as well. This insight comes from a new report published by University of Washington, Seattle researchers in ...

  Mountaintop Removal

  • Bo Webb: Mountaintop removal is not justifiable - ...
    Bo Webb: Mountaintop removal is not justifiable Charleston Gazette As the movement to abolish mountaintop removal continues to grow, many West Virginians are struggling to understand all sides of the issue. ...
  • India's Coal Rush and Form of Mountaintop Removal: ...
    India's Coal Rush and Form of Mountaintop Removal: Interview with Jharkhand ... The Indypendent BI: The type of mines is open-cast coal mining or what you call strip mining very similar to mountain top removal in the Appalachians. ...
  • The Wizards of Finance -- Part 2 - Huffington Post ...
    The Wizards of Finance -- Part 2 Huffington Post (blog) After my last piece about the finance of mountaintop removal mining, and the effect that we citizens could have by expressing our concerns to same bankers, ...
  • Review of feds' handling of mine permit sought - W ...
    Review of feds' handling of mine permit sought WRIC (AP) - Nine members of Congress want President Barack Obama to review the federal government's handling of a permit for a mountaintop removal mine. ... Rep. Rahall demands White House review of EPA's handling of Spruce Mine permitCharleston Gazett ...
  • Reverend Billy's Year of Mud and Bank Lobbies - Wa ...
    Reverend Billy's Year of Mud and Bank Lobbies Wall Street Journal (blog) They dumped mud in the lobbies, an act intended to represent the bank's financing of mountain-top removal, a environmentally damaging form of mining. ...

  Memeorandum

  • Sen. Corker Threatens Reid: If You Bring DADT Repe ...
    Igor Volsky / Wonk Room: Sen. Corker Threatens Reid: If You Bring DADT Repeal For A Vote, We'll Walk Away From START  —  This afternoon, as momentum began to build for repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) threatened that if Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) brings up a vote to re ...
  • CNN and Tea Party Express to host 2012 debate (Ken ...
    Kenneth P. Vogel / The Politico: CNN and Tea Party Express to host 2012 debate  —  CNN said Friday that it is joining forces with the Tea Party Express — a political action committee that played a key role in the 2010 midterm elections — to co-host a Republican presidential debate.  —  The debate ...
  • Aides: GOP senators may let 'don't ask, don't tell ...
    Dana Bash / CNN: Aides: GOP senators may let 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal go forward  —  Washington (CNN) — Four key GOP senators who have announced their support of a “don't ask, don't tell” repeal are prepared to join Democrats in voting to let the bill proceed, as long as Congress first deals ...
  • Our view: Pawlenty wishes he'd have run again; wil ...
    Duluth News Tribune: Our view: Pawlenty wishes he'd have run again; will he pursue the presidency?  —  Outgoing Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty didn't even hesitate.  “Yes,” he answered when asked by the News Tribune editorial board this week whether, after the Republicans took control of the Minnesot ...
  • Breaking? Study Finds Fox News Viewers Are The Mos ...
    Jillian Rayfield / TPM LiveWire: Breaking?  Study Finds Fox News Viewers Are The Most Misinformed  —  To perhaps nobody's surprise, a study released this week finds that Fox News viewers are the most misinformed of any news consumers.  —  The University of Maryland study, called “Misinformation and ...

  Energy & Environment News

  • Green: A Stealth Camera That Captures Big Cats
    Frustrated with the slowness of conventional hunting cameras, scientists found a benefactor who engineered a solution.
  • Surprising Data in Real vs. Fake Christmas Tree De ...
    Thinking they are helping the environment, Americans continue to buy millions of artificial Christmas trees. But a new study makes a surprisingly strong case in favor of natural trees.
  • U.S. Called Vulnerable to Rare Earth Shortages
    It could take 15 years to break American dependence on Chinese supplies of critical manufacturing minerals.
  • Effort Falters on San Francisco Bay Delta
    Four years into an effort to re-engineer a delta, the distance between competing water constituencies has been widening as self-imposed deadlines come and go.
  • Green Column: Climate Talks Might Need a Profit Mo ...
    Negotiations like United Nations climate talks may be weakened by the lack of a formal role for businesses or investors.

  5+ quakes - 7 days

  • M 5.5, Banda Sea
    Friday, December 17, 2010 13:22:43 UTCFriday, December 17, 2010 10:22:43 PM at epicenterDepth: 133.50 km (82.95 mi)
  • M 5.0, southern East Pacific Rise
    Friday, December 17, 2010 12:42:18 UTCFriday, December 17, 2010 04:42:18 AM at epicenterDepth: 10.10 km (6.28 mi)
  • M 5.3, central Peru
    Thursday, December 16, 2010 07:11:59 UTCThursday, December 16, 2010 02:11:59 AM at epicenterDepth: 121.90 km (75.75 mi)
  • M 5.0, New Britain region, Papua New Guinea
    Thursday, December 16, 2010 03:27:30 UTCThursday, December 16, 2010 01:27:30 PM at epicenterDepth: 18.00 km (11.18 mi)
  • M 5.9, Kepulauan Barat Daya, Indonesia
    Wednesday, December 15, 2010 11:29:30 UTCWednesday, December 15, 2010 08:29:30 PM at epicenterDepth: 132.70 km (82.46 mi)

  China Dialogue

  • Living on the edge
    Low-lying deltas are home to half the world’s population and much of its wealth, but they are also on the frontlines of climate change. Olivia Boyd looks at the challenges.This year, officials in Jakarta realised they had a serious problem: rain – and more rain. Indonesia’s wet months are famously s ...
  • Relic of a planned economy
    Chinese business is paying the price for inefficient and unfair green policies. It’s time for the government to re-think its role in environmental protection, writes Tang Hao.2010 is the final year of China’s 11th Five-Year Plan. In the first four years, the energy-intensity of the Chinese economy f ...
  • Relic of a planned economy
    Chinese business is paying the price for inefficient and unfair green policies. It’s time for the government to re-think its role in environmental protection, writes Tang Hao.2010 is the final year of China’s 11th Five-Year Plan. In the first four years, the energy-intensity of the Chinese economy ...
  • Apology
    chinadialogue has received a complaint from Mr Cheng Guoqiang about a recently published article. Although the article was prepared and published in good faith, chinadialogue's editors accept that errors were made in the preparation and publication of this article and we apologise unreservedly for ...
  • Riding red tracks
    On an epic journey through China, Andre Vltchek was stunned by the quality of public transport. Here, he argues socialist central planning is to thank – and that other countries should take note.The “Asian Tigers” of the past, now grappling with shambolic infrastructure, are watching with envy and d ...

  AlterNet Top Stories

  • Roadmaps to New Power: WMMT Radio Unites Coal Mine ...
    “Roadmaps to New Power” will be a series of interviews with activists, residents, entrepreneurs and industry analysts about current plans and visions for a just transition to clean energy and sustainable economic development in coalfield communities around the nation. Marking its 25th anniversary la ...
  • How Coke and Pepsi Are Buying Off Charities Like S ...
    Coke and Pepsi's sponsorship of Save the Children seems to have killed the organization's push for soda taxes, and hence, their work to end childhood obesity.
  • Smithfield Foods Exposed for (More) Cruelty at Fac ...
    Through an undercover investigation in Virginia, the Humane Society of the U.S. caught horrific treatment of female pigs and piglets on video.
  • How Homeowners Who Say No to Gas Drilling Companie ...
    New York State's industry-drafted 2005 'compulsory integration' law makes resistance to drilling companies pointless -- here's how.
  • Watch: Julian Assange's Fascinating Post-Bail Inte ...

  Threat Level

  • Congress Hears WikiLeaks Is ‘Fundamentally Differe ...
    The Justice Department would have no problem distinguishing WikiLeaks from traditional media outlets, should it decide to charge WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with violating the Espionage Act, a former federal prosecutor told lawmakers Thursday. “By clearly showing how WikiLeaks is fundamentally ...
  • Assange Freed On $300,000 Bail After 9 Days in a B ...
    After nine days in jail, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was freed on bail Thursday in London after an appeal by British authorities failed. Assange was granted bail on Tuesday but was remanded in custody pending the outcome of the appeal. Assange can remain free while he fights extradition to Swe ...
  • U.S. Trying to Build Conspiracy Case Against WikiL ...
    U.S. federal prosecutors are looking for evidence that would help them bring conspiracy charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, according to the New York Times. Prosecutors are looking for anything that would suggest Assange encouraged or helped Manning leak classified information by givi ...
  • WikiLeaks Contender ‘Promising,’ Analysts Say
    A new transparency site being launched by WikiLeaks defectors is a promising alternative, according to media and government transparency analysts, but its true value will depend on whether it can garner the trust and interest of sources with valuable documents to leak. The new site, OpenLeaks, is s ...
  • Court Rebuffs Obama on Warrantless Cell-Site Track ...
    A federal appeals court on Wednesday rejected the Obama administration’s contention the government is never required to get a court warrant to obtain cell-site information that mobile-phone carriers retain on their customers. The decision (.pdf) by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is one in a s ...

  Reuters - Most Popular Articles

  • High school hazing probe embroils Boise State foot ...
    SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - An investigation into sexual hazing in southeast Idaho that has embroiled a member of Boise State University's powerhouse football team has grown to include more victims, authorities said on Thursday.
  • Russia calls on South Korea to halt military drill
    MOSCOW, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Russia on Friday called on South Korea to halt plans for a military exercise in the Yellow Sea that it said could escalate tensions with North Korea.
  • North Korea says to strike South if drill goes ahe ...
    SEOUL/BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea said on Friday it would strike again at the South if a live-fire drill by Seoul on a disputed island went ahead, with an even stronger response than last month's shelling that killed four people.
  • Special Report: For Wall Street, dumb money pays
    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Yan Qin is a freelance consultant and do-it-yourself stock trader who works out of her apartment in Queens, New York. From the comfort of her living room, she keeps one eye on the business TV network CNBC, the other on a laptop computer, where her E*Trade account shows the best ...
  • Democrats abruptly drop spending fight
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats abruptly abandoned a fight over spending on Thursday and said they would instead extend government funding on a temporary basis, a move that gives Republicans a greater chance to enact the deep cuts they have promised.

  IntelNews

  • News you may have missed #460
    Deported Russian spy gets Rosneft oil job. WikiLeaks defectors to launch OpenLeaks alternative. Former spies see benefits in WikiLeaks disclosures. Continue reading →
  • Leaked cable confirms end of US-NZ spy quarrel
    To regular readers of this blog, this is not so much a revelation, as it is a confirmation. Back in October of 2009, we wrote about a peculiar comment made Hillary Clinton. The United States Secretary of State had told a press conference that âwe [the US] are resuming our intelligence-sharing cooper ...
  • Largest Afghan narcotrafficker was CIA, DEA inform ...
    The history of operational collision between the Central Intelligence Agency and illicit narcotics traders is both long and largely documented. But new revelations published in The New York Times this week come to add a new chapter in this ever-expanding saga. The revelations this time concern Haji ...
  • German police probe poisoning of ex-KGB colonel
    Police in Berlin are investigating a possible attempt to assassinate a Russian former KGB operative and his wife, through mercury poisoning. Continue reading →
  • Three more Latin American countries recognize Pale ...
    Three more Latin American countries officially recognized the state of Palestine last week, prompting harsh diplomatic responses from Israel and the United States. The recognitions were announced by the governments of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, which make up the majority of Mercosur, a South Ame ...

  War is a Crime.org

  • We're Paying Legal Bills for Torturers!!
    Taxpayers Paying Torture Contractors' Legal Bills Dec. 17, 2010 - Taxpayers are currently paying the legal bills for Jim Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, two CIA contractors who reportedly helped plan and execute the Bush administration's "enhanced interrogation" program, the Associated Press' Adam Goldm ...
  • Gains in Kandahar Came with More Brutal U.S. Tacti ...
    By Gareth Porter, IPS WASHINGTON, Dec 17, 2010 (IPS) - The Barack Obama administration's claim of "progress" in its war strategy is based on the military seizure of three rural districts outside Kandahar City in October. But those tactical gains have come at the price of further exacerbating the bas ...
  • VA Processes First Claims for New Agent Orange Pre ...
    New Program Speeds Approval for Vietnam Veterans WASHINGTON – December 17, 2010 - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has decided more than 28,000 claims in the first six weeks of processing disability compensation applications from Vietnam Veterans with diseases related to exposure to the herbi ...
  • House Passes Military's Offense Budget 341-48
    Here's how they voted.
  • First in the hearts of his countrymen? Bringing Ge ...
    By Linn Washington Philadelphia--When historians started digging into the facts about the first "White House," where President George Washington lived when Philadelphia was the nation's capital, they dredged up more than just mundane data. They also dredged up the seamy saga of the first pres ...

  Grist - News

  • California approves first broad U.S. climate plan
    by Agence France-Presse. SAN FRANCISCO -- California has approved the most sweeping U.S. plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, acting on its own against climate change as proposed nationwide plans flounder in Washington. The largest U.S. state, which would be the world's eighth largest econom ...
  • U.S. sues BP, nine others over Gulf oil spill
    by Agence France-Presse. WASHINGTON -- The United States filed suit Wednesday against BP and nine other companies for damages stemming from this year's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the worst in U.S. history. The complaint was filed by the Justice Department with a federal court in New Orlean ...
  • Climate talks make progress as Bolivia demands mor ...
    by Agence France-Presse. CANCUN -- The world's climate negotiators on Thursday inched toward compromise on fighting deforestation and assisting poor nations, even as Bolivia's firebrand leader demanded more aggressive action. With one day left for the U.N.-led talks in Mexico, South African Pres ...
  • Guarded hope at U.N. climate talks
    by Agence France-Presse. CANCUN, Mexico -- Negotiators on climate change were raising their hopes Sunday after signs of modest progress in Mexico, but a dispute over the future of the Kyoto Protocol threatened to derail momentum. The 194-nation talks at the Caribbean resort city of Cancun were ...
  • Cancun climate talks hit bump thanks to Japan and ...
    by Agence France-Presse. CANCUN, Mexico -- World climate talks struck a sour note on their third day Wednesday as Japan was accused of weakening the campaign for a post-2012 treaty by retreating from the landmark Kyoto Protocol. With negotiators laboring to unblock a complex, interlinked two-tr ...

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  Technorati - What's Hot in Blogs

  • Society Mocks the Suburban Housewife
    Society has little to no understanding of the current trials and tribulations of the suburban housewife.
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    Why doesn't the Federal Aviation Administration make it mandatory for kids under two to be buckled up when in flight? Strange reasoning.
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    Brian Solis interviews Ryan Calo, who runs the Consumer Privacy Project at Stanford Law School, discusses privacy and his research on privacy harm and human interface design.
  • Letting Go of Facebook Friends: It's Not You, It's ...
    Part of getting used to social media is letting go of things that aren't working. Sometimes, that means letting go of your Facebook friends.
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    A video about a mother who does all the things a mom can do, but without arms

  Time - Top Stories

  • Immigration: Students Urge Senate to Pass the DREA ...
    The legislation would allow undocumented immigrants who come to the U.S. as children to apply for permanent residency status if they have completed two years in a bachelor's degree program or served in the military for two years
  • Private Companies Take Over the Orbital Space Busi ...
    Faced with shrinking budgets and White House pressure, the space agency cedes the orbital biz
  • Washington's Weak Legal Case Against Assange
    From the protected confines of an English manor belonging to Vaughn Smith, founder of the Frontline Club, Julian Assange said today that he fears extradition to the U.S.
  • Stewart Keeps Responding to First Responders
    Jon Stewart still feels 9/11 personally. And he's turned that feeling into finely concentrated satiric rage over the Senate's failure -- particularly Republican senators'-- to pass a bill funding medical care for 9/11 first responders.
  • Parents' Wake Up Call: Drop Side Cribs To Be Banne ...
    It's a good thing I sold my crib last month because it will soon be illegal to do so.

  Farming Pathogens

  • That’s the Thicke
    The logistics of a just, equitable and healthy agricultural landscape here in the United States would remain a problem if Michael Pollan himself, Wendell Berry, or better yet Fred Magdoff were appointed Secretary of Agriculture. Decades-long efforts pealing back agribusiness both as paradigm and inf ...
  • Farming Pathogens Semifinalist
    Thanks to your votes Farming Pathogens piece ‘The Alan Greenspan Strain’ is a semifinalist in 3 Quarks Daily’s search for best political blog post of the year. Those posts remaining will be judged as early as today by 3 Quarks Daily editors. The final six will then be judged by Harper’s and Lapham’s ...
  • Vote Farming Pathogens
    Farming Pathogens post ‘The Alan Greenspan Strain’ is nominated for a 3 Quarks Daily award for political blogging. Public voting is open today until 11:59pm EST. Vote here. The successful nominations out of the round of public voting will be judged by Lewis Lapham, of Harper’s and Lapham’s Quarterly ...
  • Grainmorrah
    I gave the following presentation Friday night at Give & Take, an interactive show and tell happy hour held monthly at Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis. Both informative and a lot of fun. Even our ancestors, without a smartphone among them, played like kids on the harvest moon. But fair warning: histo ...
  • Help/Harm
    Many of us only reluctantly accept one of life’s toughest lessons. In the course of doing our very best to make a better world–decades all blood, sweat and tears in the face of hideous odds–we may discover ourselves really fouling a few things up. The road to hell, etc., etc. Never realizing our mis ...

  Suzie-Q

  • Ray Mcgovern, Daniel Ellsberg, and other senior de ...
    The Indypendent 131 Arrested at Veteran-Led Civil Resistance to Wars at the White House Dec. 16 By Ellen Davidson December 16, 2010 | Posted in Ellen Davidson , IndyBlog , War | Email this article Veterans For Peace board member Elliott Adams chained himself to the White House fence with a bicycle l ...
  • In the Mideast, The US is a Helpless Giant
    Eric Margolis, Information Clearing House, Dec 13, 2010 In 1956, Britain, France and Israel colluded to invade Egypt to overthrow its hugely popular nationalist leader, Gamal Abdel Nasser. Israel provoked border clashes and quickly captured the Sinai Peninsula. The British and French landed at Suez. ...
  • Study Confirms That Fox News Makes You Stupid
    Study Confirms That Fox News Makes You Stupid News Corpse / By Mark Howard A new survey of American voters shows that Fox News viewers are significantly more misinformed than consumers of news from other sources. December 15, 2010 | Yet another study has been released proving that watching Fox News ...
  • Does Nigeria Have A Case Against Dick Cheney?
    Does Nigeria Have a Case Against Dick Cheney? Africa Legal Brief Monday, 13 December 2010 20:42 Nigerian officials have indicted former Vice President Dick Cheney for bribing the Nigerian government in the ’90s. The accusation stems from Cheney’s reign as CEO of Halliburton from 1995 to 2000. Last y ...
  • One November’s Dead: The American War Dead Disappe ...
    by Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch.com, Dec 7, 2010 America’s heroes?  Not so much.  Not anymore.  Not when they’re dead, anyway. Remember as the invasion of Iraq was about to begin, when the Bush administration decided to seriously enforce a Pentagon ban, in existence since the first Gulf War, on media ...

  Solari

  • Welcome to FindaSpring.com
    FindaSpring.com is a community and user created database of natural springs around the world. If you know of a spring that is not on the map or in our database, please click on Submit a Spring and send us as much information as you can. To keep up to date on when the latest springs are [...]
  • Franklin Sanders on Order
    Dear Ones: Visiting the sanctuary just now, it appears our entire congregation is suffering from a misunderstanding. Our sanctuary — any sanctuary — is a house of God, and because we are God’s people, that places upon us a duty of order and cleanliness, one we must punctiliously & precisely observe, ...
  • RollingStone Playlist Special
    Fifty artists on the music they love, from Mick Jagger on the blues to Drake on Jimi Hendrix Continue reading the article . . .
  • CalPERS Approves New Asset Allocation to Guard Aga ...
    Following a nearly year-long review, the biggest US public pension has OK’ed a new asset allocation to position the fund for better risk-adjusted performance. The investment committee at the $220 billion California Public Employeesâ Retirement System (CalPERS), the biggest US public pension fund, h ...
  • Long-Term Mutual Fund Flows
    Washington, DC, December 15, 2010 - Total estimated outflows from long-term mutual funds were $3.25 billion for the week ended Wednesday, December 8, the Investment Company Institute reported today. Flow estimates are derived from data collected covering more than 95 percent of industry assets and a ...

  Insurgency Watch - Newswire

  • Times Scare
    ISLAMABAD–The apparent links between Pakistan and Faisal Shahzad are certainly cause for concern, but let’s not lose site of things here. The attack in Times Square was a fizzle. The rush to claim credit is a bit embarassing for the TTP and looks like it was — like the attack itself — a rush job. [. ...
  • Stepping up - University at Buffalo The Spectrum
    Stepping up University at Buffalo The Spectrum The president of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, recognized the direness of the situation and began to mobilize military forces to combat the Taliban. ... and more��
  • 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 AfghanistanSri Lanka Gu ...
  • 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��
    
    

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