19 December - RSS SnapShot! Pt 3

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Pambazuka News

• Break the Silence Congo week
  The purpose of the Break the Silence Congo Week is to raise consciousness about the devastating situation in the Congo and mobilize support on behalf of the people of the Congo. Break the Silence Congo Week will take place from Sunday 17 October to S...
• Haiti: Women demand role in reconstruction
  Women's civil society groups were noticeable by their absence from the landmark Haiti donor conference on 31 March, which secured pledges of US$5.3 billion over the next two years to support the country’s post-quake recovery. Their lack of a presenc...
• African diplomats reject anti-Cuba resolution pass ...
  The ambassador of the Republic of Congo to Cuba, Pascal Onguemby, rejected the lies included in an anti-Cuba resolution recently approved by the European Parliament. Addressing participants in the inauguration of the Eleventh International Conference...
• USA: Black coalition to protest expanding U.S. war ...
  A newly-formed Black coalition has announced a rally and march on the White House to take place November 7, 2009 beginning in Washington, D.C.’s historic Malcolm X Park. The rally and march are to protest the expanding U.S. wars and other policy ini...
• Stop senate renege on black farmer compensation
  ColorOfChange.org - http://www.colorofchange.org/farmers/?id=1842-429864 is campaigning to ensure that a US senate bill to compensate black farmers in the South for discrimination gives them the money they deserve, rather than capping the total amount available at $100 million, which would only cove ...

War in Context

• The campaign to demonize WikiLeaks
  Glenn Greenwald writes: It’s really not an overstatement to say that WikiLeaks and Julian Assange are the new Iraqi WMDs because the government and establishment media are jointly manufacturing and disseminating an endless stream of fear-mongering falsehoods designed to depict them as scary villain ...
• Bradley Manning’s pre-trial punishment
  Forbidden to lie down in his cell between 5am to 8pm; forbidden from exercising in the cell inside which he is confined 23 hours a day — these are just two features of the barbaric conditions in which Private First Class Bradley Manning is being confined as he awaits trial. His lawyer describes Mann ...
• CIA gave waterboarders $5M legal shield
  The Associated Press reports: The CIA agreed to cover at least $5 million in legal fees for two contractors who were the architects of the agency’s interrogation program and personally conducted dozens of waterboarding sessions on terror detainees, former U.S. officials said. The secret agreement ...
• How a secret gets revealed and then becomes secret ...
  On November 30, The Express Tribune, Pakistan’s first internationally affiliated newspaper (partnered with The International Herald Tribune â the global edition of The New York Times) reported: A North Waziristan tribesman, whose brother and teenage son were killed in a drone strike last year, said ...
• The devil’s in the discourse
  Nadia Hajib writes: Three aspects of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s Saban Center speech on Friday have escaped general notice. First, though she spoke boldly of asking “tough questions and expecting substantive answers” on the core issues of the conflict, the process will not culminate in a “ ...

Watts Up With That?

• Sunday Silly
  Measuring temperature has its risks and uncertainties, you can bank on it. Is this how we visually frame the “Hottest Year Ever”? Here’s the location in warmer times. The location is reminiscent of some other thermometers in parking lots we’ve … Continue reading →
• New winter temperature proxy in UK: “grit&#8 ...
  UPDATE: BBC and Reuters is reporting (h/t to reader FergalR) that: ‘Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said he had asked the government’s chief scientific adviser to assess whether the country was experiencing a “step change” in weather patterns due to climate … Continue reading →
• Central Pacific storm looks like a hurricane, but ...
  If it looks like a duck…well, if this bird were in the Atlantic, it would have been named a while ago.  Instead, this area of (subtropical) low-pressure that has an eye is labeled Invest 98C — C for Central Pacific … Continue reading →
• How Germany’s weather team views the “ ...
  Translation via the GWPF Speculation Alert: “New Little Ice Age Cannot Be Ruled Out” Wednesday, 15 December 2010 09:16 Rickmer Flor, wetter.info Everybody is talking about global warming – but in Germany and also in many other countries around the … Continue reading →
• Cosmically, Heliospherically, and Terrestrially, ...
  Last night I decided to have a look at the Space Weather Prediction Center solar charts to see how the geoplanetary magnetic index (Ap) was doing, and decided since I was too tired, I’d put it off until this morning. … Continue reading →

Dandelion Salad

• If Only (Some) Movies Were True by Philip A. Farru ...
  by Philip A. Farruggio Featured Writer Dandelion Salad December 19, 2010 Please remember, this Christmas season, to sit and watch the following two films: A Christmas Carol & It’s A Wonderful Life . After you watch these films, go implore your friends, neighbors and loved ones to do the same. Why? W ...
• Cindy Sheehan: Who amended the Constitution to del ...
  by Cindy Sheehan Featured Writer Dandelion Salad Cindy Sheehanâs Soapbox Blog Cindy Sheehanâs Soapbox December 12, 2010 December 18, 2010 This Sunday (December 12th) Cindy welcomes Maria LaHood, Senior Staff Attorney with the Center for Constitutional Rights.  She has a LONG history of fighting for ...
• American Hegemony: The Final Outcome By Timothy V. ...
  By Timothy V. Gatto Featured Writer Dandelion Salad liberalpro.blogspot.com December 18, 2010 The idea of supporting Democrats has come and gone…a long time ago. The two-party government in place in the United States is a travesty. There are no provisions for it in the Constitution. This is somethin ...
• Millions Of Flood Victims In Pakistan Now Face Har ...
  by Brian McAfee Guest Writer Dandelion Salad Dec. 18, 2010 Reports indicate that the hardships from Pakistan’s earlier monsoon floods have been exacerbated by the onslaught of winter. The floods impacted 20 million of Pakistan’s population of just over 180 million people. As the temperature dips, hu ...
• Wikileaks, the Espionage Act, and the Constitution ...
  http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/ C-SPAN 3 hours, 14 minutes Constitutional law and national security scholars testified on the constitutionality of prosecuting Wikileaks founder Julian Assange under the 1917 Espionage Act. Among the topics addressed were the nature of journalism, the extent of c ...

Your New Reality

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  The Digital Nomad From the book Millennium: Winners and Losers in the Coming World Order :'(Electronic objects of leisure) like the laptop computer, are ubiquitous today, will help create a different human being. "'The memory card (ID card) will become the principal artificial limb o ...
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  See Robot. See Robot Run, at 1:24 : Not yet, but soon.
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  If Robots Design Their Own Religion, We Should Probably Evacuate The Planet By Darryl Mason Very impressive early generation of a homecare robot, loaded with sensors and wi-fi. Not only can this robot get back up when knocked over, this story claims it as the first robot capable of recognising e ...
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  Riots Replace Protests A tense, compelling video from the heart of the recent London anti-austerity protest, otherwise known as DayX3 : Notice at about 1:50 a police paramedic, with a green cross on his should, can be seen also wielding a baton. The UK government, and London police, are so terr ...
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  Axis Of The Evil Dead How would NeoCons deal with the outbreak of a zombie uprising? Daniel W. Drezner at Foreign Policy takes a closer look : The neoconservative policy response to an undead uprising would be simple and direct. To paraphrase Robert Kagan, humans are from Earth, and zombies are f ...

Wired - Science

• Video: New X-ray Camera Sees Through Melting Metal
  runMobileCompatibilityScript('myExperience714586424001', 'anId');brightcove.createExperiences(); A new high-speed X-ray video camera, now the fastest in the world, can see through molten metal and watch weld-weakening flaws form in real-time. The $670 ...
• Missing Black Holes Cause Trouble for String Theor ...
  By John Timmer, Ars Technica The results continue to pour out of the LHC’s first production run. This week, the folks behind the CMS detector have announced the submission of a paper to Physics Letters that describes a test of some forms of string theory. If this form of the theory were [...]
• Opportunity Rover Finds Fresh Crater on Mars
  SAN FRANCISCO — The Mars rover Opportunity has just rolled up to a fresh new crater that could hold clues to when and why Mars dried up. This image was downloaded from Opportunity at 10 am Pacific time on Dec. 15 and presented in a press conference at the American Geophysical Union meeting Dec. 16. ...
• DIY Biotech Hacker Space Opens in NYC
  A cadre of science entrepreneurs recently opened Genspace, the world's first government-compliant community biotech laboratory. The bedroom-sized facility was two years in the making and, for a $100-per-month membership, anyone can use the space for whatever experiments they dream up.
• Cultural Evolution Could Be Studied in Google Book ...
  Google’s massive trove of scanned books could be useful for researchers studying the evolution of culture. In a paper published Dec. 16 in Science, researchers turned part of that vast textual corpus into a 500-billion-word database in which the frequency of words can be measured over time and spac ...

Israeli Occupation Archive

• Despite court ruling, IDF took Arab land for train ...
  Former Civil Administration head signed order expropriating 50 dunams from West Bank village for rail line connecting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The Israeli Occupation Archive (IOA) covers Israel's military occupation of Palestinian lands, now in its fifth decade. Go to the IOA website for much mo ...
• Shin Bet to compensate PFLP member for torturing h ...
  In an unusual move, the Shin Bet security service has agreed to compensate Jamal al-Hindi, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, for a partial disability that he says is due... The Israeli Occupation Archive (IOA) covers Israel's military occupation of Palestinian lands ...
• Israel denies plans to expand East Jerusalem hotel ...
  Israel has denied that it recently approved expansion plans for a hotel on the Mount of Olives owned by the Jordanian royal family, but documents obtained by Haaretz prove otherwise. The Israeli Occupation Archive (IOA) covers Israel's military occupation of Palestinian lands, now in its fifth ...
• Moshé Machover: The endless so-called ‘peace proce ...
  Israel's strategic aim is to prevent the creation of anything that can even remotely be described as a sovereign Palestinian state; to colonize as much as possible of the best Palestinian lands; and... The Israeli Occupation Archive (IOA) covers Israel's military occupation of Palestinian lands ...
• Israeli towns continue to rewrite bylaws to keep A ...
  Town draft bylaws: "...multigenerational and variegated communal life that upholds Zionist values and seeks to maintain Israel as a Jewish and democratic state in the spirit of the Declaration of... The Israeli Occupation Archive (IOA) covers Israel's military occupation of Palestinian lands, n ...

Ria Novosti - Military

• Russia to begin building first Project 11356 friga ...
  The construction of the first Project 11356 frigate for Russia's Black Sea Fleet will begin at the Yantar Shipyard in the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad on Saturday.
• Iran's nuclear program
• Russia concerned by N.Korea's threat over S.Korean ...
  Russia's Foreign Ministry on Friday expressed its concern to North Korea's ambassador Kim Jong-Jae over the reclusive communist state's promise to use military force should its rival South Korea hold live-fire drills in the Yellow Sea.
• Russia to keep Satan ballistic missiles in service ...
  Russia will continue to deploy SS-18 Satan heavy intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) as part of the country's nuclear arsenal until at least 2026, the commander of Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) said Friday.
• Russia adds 2 Topol-M ballistic missiles to nuclea ...
  Russia's Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) have deployed two additional Topol-M silo-based missile systems, SMF Commander Lt. Gen. Sergei Karakayev said on Friday.

NewsWise

• Grant Will Address Congestive Heart Failure
  A grant of about $1.8 million over five years will help scientists better understand congestive heart failure, a condition that affects 5.7 million Americans annually. The research could supply new knowledge about heart failure that could lead to new treatment strategies.
• Boston Pops, University Orchestra to Play Tribute ...
  University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra will join the Boston Pops in a tribute concert at Rupp Arena for Keeneland's 75th Anniversary.
• Prepared Patient: Medical Testing: You Need Answer ...
  Every time your health care team orders a test, you should ask what the test will show, why the test has been ordered, and when you should expect to see the results.
• U of Utah: No. 1 Creator of Startup Companies
  The University of Utah overtook MIT to become America's No. 1 research institution when it comes to creating startup companies based on university technology, and it achieved the top ranking with a fraction of the research budget of other major universities.
• Four ORNL Scientists Named American Physical Socie ...
  Four researchers from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been elected to fellowship in the American Physical Society.

Natural Health News

• Bad Mercury Science Sacrificed 15 Years of U.S. Ch ...
  A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory committee has recommended that the agency take a new look at updated data on mercury amalgam dental fillings that may indicate medical problems for patients. The committee also said that more information on amalgam fillings should be posted for both for ...
• Polar Bears and Dogs Playing
  A strange friendship forms between dogs and bears.
• The Benefits of Exercising Before Breakfast
  A new study suggests that exercising in the morning, before eating, can significantly lessen the ill effects of a poor holiday diet. Researchers recruited healthy, active young men and fed them a bad diet for six weeks.� A group of them that exercised before breakfast gained almost no weight and sh ...
• 4 Ways to Unleash Your Creative Genius
  Self-expression reduces your stress, enhances your immune system, and increases your joy.� U.S. News & World Report offers the following suggestions as ways to nurture your expressive sides: Think like a child. Children don�t have that harsh judge in their head that tells them not to bother.� The n ...
• Biggest Scam in World History Exposed
  The greatest scam in history has been exposed -- and has largely been ignored by the media.� In fact, it�s still going on. The specifics of a secret taxpayer funded �backdoor bailout� organized by unelected bankers have been revealed.� The data release revealed �emergency lending programs� that dol ...

Antemedius

• Greens Defending Assange While Dems and GOP Attack
  The sell-out by rank-and-file Democrats in Congress that will allow the Bush tax exemptions for the wealthy to continue, as President Obama wishes, is indicative of the utter abandonment of the liberal ethos that characterized Democratic office holders during the New Deal era. The Democratic Party n ...
• Westboro Baptist Church To Protest Elizabeth Edwar ...
  It is a hard thing to have a pluralistic society. It requires a certain level of tolerance for those who don’t seem to be able to restrain themselves to the idea of polite society. Since we all, from time to time, break those constraints it is understood that the price of our forgiveness for doing s ...
• Julian Assange 1st Presser After Release On Bail
  RT | 17 December 2010 - The founder of the 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 a decision is made on w ...
• Where Is The Great Writ For Brad Manning?
  photo from BradleyManning.orgJulian Assange is the big media story, but the unsung hero, the person who is now suffering the most is Brad Manning. Unfortunately, while Manning suffers in solitary confinement, as he has for the past 7 months, and we scour the leaked material for which he might be ...
• British Judge Says Julian Assange 'May' Be Release ...
  Assange may be released Peter Wilson, Europe correspondent The Australian, December 09, 2010 12:00AM JULIAN Assange has received a glimmer of hope in his battle against sexual abuse allegations. A British judge says the WikiLeaks founder may be released from jail next week unless Swedish prosecut ...

Climategate

• Dean of science…suggesting rising seas t…
  Dean of science…suggesting rising seas this next century of up to 100 metres, or Al Gore six metres. When I see things like that I know these are false. You mentioned the IPCC report; that suggests, at worst on best scenarios, 59 centimetres. http://www.google.com
• ABC science presenter Robyn Williams seeks more tr ...
  ABC science presenter Robyn Williams who in 2007 believed seas could rise 100 meters, seeks more truth from scientists after Climategate.
• How to avoid your own Climategate scandal
  What are the lessons of Climategate? More honesty and transparency in science? Not according to attorney Alan Nelson in the Guardian UK today.  To him, the lesson is how not to get caught next time. So how do universities and academics ensure that their correspondence does not become the “smoking g ...
• What is the “likelihood” that the 2007 IPCC Report ...
  A very interesting analysis of the IPPC Assessment and has some important questions that invite others to help him answer. Please read his article and let him know what conclusions you draw.
• Schools call for a “balanced teaching of global wa ...
  USA Today reports that US schools are finally calling for both sides of global warming to be taught, because it is after all, a theory -- not a fact:

Opinio Juris

• The Effects of WikiLeaks on Those Who Work at the ...
  by Samuel Witten Samuel Witten is counsel at the law firm Arnold & Porter LLP. He worked at the State Department for 22 years, including six years as Deputy Legal Adviser (2001-2007) and three years as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration (2007-2010) ...
• Rare Honesty About WikiLeaks and American Exceptio ...
  by Kevin Jon Heller by Kevin Jon Heller Courtesy of Ben Wittes at Lawfare, responding to a question about whether he believes that, if America should be permitted to prosecute a non-American like Assange for disclosing American secrets, countries like France, China, or Iran should be able to pros ...
• Assange: Non-Citizenship Should Be Irrelevant to P ...
  by Peter Spiro by Peter Spiro Buried in a post from Ben Wittes at Lawfare is a suggestion (in response to HRW’s Tom Malinowski) that the Espionage Act shouldn’t apply outside US territory to non-citizens: [T]his statute has a nuance that makes one pause before treating it as just another extrate ...
• Wikileaks and the Pentagon Papers
  by Roger Alford by Roger Alford “The majority of the Supreme Court said that although they would not stop publication in advance, the question of whether there could be prosecution afterwards was a completely different thing.” –former Attorney General Michael Mukasey on the Pentagon Papers Mukase ...
• The Effects of WikiLeaks on Those Who Work at the ...
  by Samuel Witten Samuel Witten is counsel at the law firm Arnold & Porter LLP. He worked at the State Department for 22 years, including six years as Deputy Legal Adviser (2001-2007) and three years as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration (2007-2010) ...

Investigate - Breaking News

• Admission: climate science IS stalking horse for g ...
  Slate magazine calls it: For 20 years, evidence about global warming has been directly and explicitly linked to a set of policy responses demanding international governance regimes, large-scale social engineering, and the redistribution of wealth. These are the sort of...
• BREAKING: Hottest year ever claims based on fake d ...
  You hear it trotted out so often it's tiresome, but for those who still believe the climate scientists who claim 2010 is "the hottest year ever", here's a wake-up call: the data is fake. (another perspective here) It's a similar...
• Britain buried under coldest dump of "global warmi ...
  From Benny Peiser's clmate newsletter, some highlights: The Met Office, using data generated by a £33million supercomputer, claims Britain can stop worrying about a big freeze this year because we could be in for a milder winter than in past...
• CFL light bulbs dangerous to health - fail German ...
  Classic: The energy saving bulbs show mercury levels 20 times higher than regulations allow in the air surrounding them for up to five hours after they are broken, according to tests released Thursday by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA Remember,...
• TGIF Edition latest issue
  Try these links...the second one may work better to open the page first, then click on the TGIF link in the middle of that page to bring up the PDF: http://www.investigatemagazine.co.nz/Investigate/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/tgif3dec10.pdf http://www.investigatemagazine.co.nz/Investigate/?attachment ...

My Care2 Picks

• OUR DAILY POISON
  100,000 chemical molecules which have invaded our environment, and primarily our food, since the end of the Second World War: an investigation into a worldwide ecological disaster that could endanger the whole of humanity.Submitted by John Farnham to Environment �|� �Note-it! �|� �Add a Comment
• ¡Viva WikiLeaks! SiCKO Was Not Banned in Cuba
  A stunning look at the Orwellian nature of how bureaucrats for the State spin their lies and try to recreate reality. The insurance industry had begun working with anti-Castro Cubans in Miami in order to have them speak out and smear my film.Submitted by John Farnham to US Politics & Gov't �|� �Not ...
• This Kills Twice as Many People as AIDS Why are ...
  About $282 million was paid to doctors by drug companies last year. Is this compromising the best interests of their patients? Many people are still completely unaware of the many ways in which they are being manipulated into taking dangerous and unnecesSubmitted by Ellyn S. to Health & Wellness � ...
• FBI's 9/11 Whistleblower Coleen Rowley Arrested Pr ...
  Snow-covered peace activists and military veterans were arrested today in front of the White House while protesting the War in Afghanistan and rallying in support of WikiLeaks and for the exposure of war crimes.Submitted by John Farnham to US Politics & Gov't �|� �Note-it! �|� �Add a Comment
• Comparing Apples and Oranges? Its Easy When They ...
  Will we soon wake up to GMO orange juice? Plus more on apples, sugar beets, court decisions, and Hillary Clinton�s attempt to push GMO on Africa.Submitted by Kathy B. to Business �|� �Note-it! �|� �Add a Comment

Angry Indian News

• Fourth World Eye: US Government on UNDRIP: Yes, bu ...
  Fourth World Eye: "The US policy of promoting and enhancing self-determination and self-government within the framework of the UNDRIP has considerable merit and benefit for American Indian, Alaskan... [[Continue reading Inteligentaindigena Novajoservo...]]
• Fox News Viewers Are The Most Misinformed: Study
  Fox News Viewers Are The Most Misinformed: Study: "The study, conducted by the University of Maryland, judged how likely consumers of various news outlets and publications were to believe... [[Continue reading Inteligentaindigena Novajoservo...]]
• Neo-Nazi Mariusz Wdziekonski Gets Maximum Sentence ...
  Neo-Nazi Mariusz Wdziekonski Gets Maximum Sentence For Defiling Jewish Graves: "'You're a person who's bigoted and espouses hate,' he said to 24-year-old Mariusz Wdziekonski, as he gave the Polish... [[Continue reading Inteligentaindigena Novajoservo...]]
• WikiLeaks cables detail Fidel Castro's doomed love ...
  WikiLeaks cables detail Fidel Castro's doomed love for Obama | World news | The Guardian: "But Barack Obama was different. The octogenarian communist revolutionary fell for the young new president... [[Continue reading Inteligentaindigena Novajoservo...]]
• Moscow riots expose racism at the heart of Russian ...
  Moscow riots expose racism at the heart of Russian football | World news | The Observer: "Russia has a growing racism problem, with nationalist feelings increasingly stoked by the government since... [[Continue reading Inteligentaindigena Novajoservo...]]

Farm Wars

• Conservation Easements (CEs)*:Read the fine print ...
  A basic Constitutional tenet of private property ownership in America is the landowner’s right to determine the use and disposition of his or her land. This ownership gives the property owner the right to occupy, use, lease, sell, develop, and deny public access to his or her land. Today, lando ...
• Truth Squad Radio – Guardian Abuse!
  The legal abuse and exploitation of Gary Harvey: What happens when the state steps in and takes custody and control of an adult? Does the family have any rights?
• 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 ...

True/Slant Headline Grabs

• The stupidity of crowds helps kill a planet - Todd ...
  Noted by Jeff McMahon on July 31, 2010 11:07 PM
• Sex, death, and the noble American toad - Scott Bo ...
  Noted by Jeff McMahon on July 31, 2010 11:07 PM
• How to save a fishery: owning, renting, and expand ...
  Noted by Jeff McMahon on July 31, 2010 11:07 PM
• ‘Gossip Girl’ unethical because of threesome? - La ...
  Noted by Jeff McMahon on July 31, 2010 11:07 PM
• ()
  Noted by user deleted on December 31, 1969 7:12 PM

Citizens for Legitimate Government

• Regulators close banks in Ga., Fla., Ark., Minn.
  ShareThisRegulators close banks in Ga., Fla., Ark., Minn. --157 banks closed in 2010 17 Dec 2010 Regulators on Friday shuttered three small banks in Georgia and one each in Florida, Arkansas and Minnesota, raising to 157 the number of U.S. banks brought down this year by the struggling economy and s ...
• Russia 'seriously concerned' over Korea tensions
  ShareThisRussia 'seriously concerned' over Korea tensions 18 Dec 2010 Russia says it is seriously concerned that tensions between North and South Korea will escalate further. Pyongyang is threatening to retaliate if the South goes ahead with planned military exercises on an island near the two count ...
• Judges reject appeal of Canada's Anti-Terrorism Ac ...
  ShareThisJudges reject appeal of Canada's Anti-Terrorism Act 17 Dec 2010 Ontario's top court upheld the constitutionality of Canada's terrorism laws Friday and increased Momin Khawaja's sentence from 10 1/2 years to the maximum, concluding the original sentence was "manifestly unfit" for a terrorist ...
• Admiral: U.S. 'very ready' to counter Iran
  ShareThisAdmiral: U.S. 'very ready' to counter Iran 19 Dec 2010 Iran is trying to build a nuclear bomb, posing a threat to its neighbors, and the United States is "very ready" to counter Iran should it make a move, the top U.S. military officer said Saturday. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint ...
• Israel can't defeat Hezbollah - Israeli expert
  ShareThisIsrael can't defeat Hezbollah - Israeli expert 16 Dec 2010 Israel cannot defeat Hezbollah in a direct engagement and the Lebanese guerrilla group would inflict heavy damage on the Israeli home front if war broke out, a former Israeli national security adviser said Thursday. Though outnumber ...

The Briefing Room | Investigate

• Climate scientists go feral, begin wearing cammo g ...
  Utah survivalists infiltrate climate science community. Whodathunkit?: It might surprise, and hopefully disturb you, to hear that in my short time at AGU, I discovered four scientists who are already creating some form of survival retreat for their family, and...
• Admission: climate science IS stalking horse for g ...
  Slate magazine calls it: For 20 years, evidence about global warming has been directly and explicitly linked to a set of policy responses demanding international governance regimes, large-scale social engineering, and the redistribution of wealth. These are the sort of...
• BREAKING: Hottest year ever claims based on fake d ...
  You hear it trotted out so often it's tiresome, but for those who still believe the climate scientists who claim 2010 is "the hottest year ever", here's a wake-up call: the data is fake. (another perspective here) It's a similar...
• Britain buried under coldest dump of "global warmi ...
  From Benny Peiser's clmate newsletter, some highlights: The Met Office, using data generated by a £33million supercomputer, claims Britain can stop worrying about a big freeze this year because we could be in for a milder winter than in past...
• CFL light bulbs dangerous to health - fail German ...
  Classic: The energy saving bulbs show mercury levels 20 times higher than regulations allow in the air surrounding them for up to five hours after they are broken, according to tests released Thursday by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA Remember,...

Mondoweiss

• Hollywood dramatized ethnic cleansing in India and ...
  Proof if any more is needed of the existence of a powerful Israel lobby in our country: Tonight over dinner I watched the last 30 minutes of Richard Attenborough's Gandhi (1982) on Turner Classics. I was staggered to see the 1947 transfer of Muslim and Hindu refugees at the new border between India ...
• Obama’s failure has served to expose Israeli ...
  As the United States sends envoy George Mitchell to grasp at straws in hopes of restarting negotiations to create a Palestinian state after the Israeli government refused to curb settlement construction, Obama’s inability to entice Netanyahu’s coalition to comply with international law has frust ...
• Palestinian farmer watches settlers burn 19 of his ...
  and other news from Today in Palestine: Settlers / Land, property, resource theft and destruction / Ethnic cleansing Farmer: Settlers burned my sheep alive NABLUS 18 Dec -- A farmer said he watched a group of settlers in the northern West Bank gather his sheep and set them on fire Saturday af ...
• Bronner exaggerates Palestinian violence
  Ethan Bronner of the NYT writes from Gaza: "And rockets and mortar shells fly daily from here into Israel, as Israeli troops carry out brief raids." � But it doesn't add up as later he writes: "Since September, when Israel and the Palestinian Authority started peace talks, there have been 20 to 3 ...
• Imagine the Brookings Institution having a forum o ...
  Truly demoralizing. Jim Crow is on the job in Washington, D.C. This is the Brookings Institution's lineup for its recent conference on Hard Choices in the Israel/Palestine conflict. It shows how stifling the atmosphere is inside the Establishment when it comes to discussing these issues. The left is ...

Vaccine Resistance Movement

• VRM: The Dark Side of The Vitamin K Shot
  Apart from the trauma inflicted on a newborn of getting the shot, the amount of Vitamin K injected into newborns is 20,000 times the needed dose. The injection also contains a preservative, Benzyl alcohol, that can be especially toxic for your babyâs delicate, young immune system. A parent has to k ...
• VRM: UK Institutes Brand of Medical Martial Law Wi ...
  As of January 1st, 2011, all children in the UK, upon reaching the age of 1, will be subject to a one stop, 6 vaccine assault. In what is being labeled ‘Super-vaccination’ day, babies will now get a series of 3 injections in one visit, a combination of the Measles, Mumps, Rubella [...]
• VRM: Vaccine Clinic – A Concise Compendium To The ...
  PRIMARY FACTORS WHICH DETERMINE THE EXTENT OF VACCINE RELATED NEUROLOGICAL DAMAGE: 1. POINT OF ENTRY Vaccines are injected into deep muscle tissue, a route which literally bypasses one’s natural defences altogether. Thus the body is left vulnerable to live viruses, heavy metals, antibiotics, deterge ...
• VRM: The Problem With Vaccines Part 2 – Syne ...
  Toxicity is defined in the Medical lexicon as “a condition that results from exposure to a toxin or to toxic amounts of a substance that does not cause adverse effects in smaller amounts.” Vaccine-induced toxicity, while similar in some respects to this model, requires a deeper understanding in term ...
• VRM: The Awakening Has Begun
  On the heals of Ukraine’s 2009 Black Lung Infection, a mysterious variation of flu which bypassed trachea, targeting the lungs directly, a “bilateral pneumonia, the result of viral distress syndrome, i.e the total destruction of the lungs.” (1.3 million infected, over 75,000 hospitalized), eye witn ...

B.C. Preppers Network

• You Know You're Getting Old When...
  A few weeks back we received our new high-efficiency front loading LG washer and dryer set and I have to say, I'm pretty impressed by them. The set was only around $1000 (on sale) but I felt like I'd gone from a Chevette to a Cadillac when compared to our old set.� A cute little luxury featur ...
• Control Your Home Thermostat On the Internet!
  Today a fellow from our natural gas company came by to install a new thermostat as part of the Peaksaver program that we signed up for.�If you haven't heard of Peaksaver, basically what it does is allow the Ontario government electricity provider to turn off your central air conditioner for ...
• Happy Day!: The Water Bill Arrived!
  After being shocked a few months ago with a water bill of over $240 I decided to do a few things to cut down on our water use We converted our main toilet to a dual-flush and installed a water saving device on the second (haven't switched it over to a dual yet). We also installed a new low- ...
• Strawberry Picking
  Our family went strawberry picking this morning, it's a fun thing to do once in a while and I think it's a good way to help our 3-year old daughter realize where food comes from. While my wife picked berries with our oldest I went for a walk around the farm with our youngest in the stroller. T ...
• Pioneer Solar: PV System For Free?
  I received a flyer from Pioneer Solar in the mail the other day which claims to help people get a solar system installed on their house, farm, or business for free. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, like most things there's good and bad points about it and what might be a good deal for o ...

Michael Yon

• Hostages Press Release
  www.thethayerhotel.com/ Please Click here to view the entire story. {loadposition user8}
• Shooting Star
  16 December 2010Six years ago this week, I was packing for my first trip to Iraq.� Been a long road. Earlier this week, the annual Geminids meteor shower was a beautiful sight to behold.� Using 4 cameras, I made about 3,600 photos over the Andaman Sea.�� Due to computer issues, I�ve been able to re ...
• Ripley’s Believe it Or Not
  14 December 2010 Ripley�s Believe it or Not has asked to publish one of my photos in their next book.� This photo was made in Sangin, Afghanistan during the last time I was with British forces.� Sangin is the most dangerous place in the country.� The enemy is good and the fighting is serious.� The ...
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• American Arrogance
  13 December 2010 There have been many comments about American arrogance.� During my travels to 48 United States and over 50 countries -- most of those states and countries multiple times -- some themes have emerged.There is a pervasive sense in the United States that we are THE best.� I've seen this ...

The Killing Train

• "Santa" Ford just stole 1000 jobs from the future
  Yesterday's headlines in Toronto newspapers were about how Rob Ford and City Council repealed the $60 vehicle registration tax. The Toronto Sun went as far as painting a beard on a picture of Ford, calling him Santa, and referring to the tax repeal as a christmas gift to Toronto. Another advance aga ...
• Spinning the leaks
  My daily routine these days includes going to the Wikileaks twitter feed (twitter.com/wikileaks), which took me to this story in the UK Guardian about how Saudi Arabia proposed an Arab force to invade Lebanon. The Guardian is definitely the best site on the Wikileaks, and for data in general - they ...
• Wikileaks Cablegate
  The US Embassy cables put out by Wikileaks are not the truth. Even though I knew it, a part of me was disappointed at how ideological some of the cables were. Take #09TELAVIV1060, "Rep. Wexler discusses Iran with IDF Intelligence". The entire discussion is about the threat posed by Iran to Israel. E ...
• Would anyone be unhappy if Tom Flanagan disappeare ...
  I know I wouldn't... and no, I don't think it's manly. I think it's disgusting.
• Wikileaks Cablegate! Panamanians hope for a succes ...
  I was just peeking around Wikileaks's Cablegate (cablegate.wikileaks.org). This looks like the real thing folks! Take a look at this 1989 cable on Panama for example: http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/cable/1989/12/89PANAMA8545.html SUBJECT: PANAMANIANS HOPE FOR A SUCCESSFUL COUP More analysis to foll ...

treehugger

• Religious Group Puts Out 12 DVD Series on Environm ...
  The Family Research Council's Tony Perkins, via the Advocate There's only seven days until Christmas and no doubt many out there are looking for a last minute stocking stuffer for your little one. Here's an idea for you. How about "Resisting The Green Dragon," described by its producers as an " ...
• The Raw Story: Is Raw Milk a Superfood?
  photo via ecoliblog Let's just say I've been curious for a while. Every week I walk by the raw milk booth at my local farmers' market, casting an interested but furtive look at both what's on offer and the sort of people that are in line to make a purchase. Today I finally took the plunge and w ...
• Green Gift Guide: The Fashion Buff (Slideshow)
  Photo: TreeHugger From shimmering one-of-a-kind bangles of welded architectural scraps to lush cardigans made of vintage cashmere, fashion is full of small luxuries that can make something as routine as getting dressed the best part of your day. This holiday season, treat your favorite fashi ...
• Wikileaks: Dalai Lama Says Tibet's Environmental P ...
  photo: Helene/Creative Commons In the latest environmentally-themed release from Wikileaks, published by The Guardian but not yet on the Wikileaks Cable Viewer at the time of this writing, it's been revealed that the Dalai Lama told the US ambassador to India that the focus of the international ...
• Planet 100 Presents: Examining Environmental Toxin ...

Democratic Voice of Burma

• DKBA faction could commence guerilla war in &#8216 ...
  Renegade DKBA commander assertive as he tells DVB from the front line that faction is prepared for guerilla war across Burma if the Burmese army continues its 'offensive'
• Suu Kyi’s ‘time has come and gone’: In ...
  Leaked cable reveals India's views on Aung San Suu Kyi and the junta number 1's extraordinary travel 'arrangements' for his 2004 visit to the world's largest democracy
• North Korea revisited
  View Photo Album With fresh fears about North Korea’s role in a nascent nuclear weapons programme in Burma recently surfacing, DVB revisits a secretive trip taken by senior junta officials, including third-in-command Shwe Mann, to the pariah state in November 2008. The itinerary of the trip took in ...
• Victim of land confiscation facing jail
  Farmer who claims his land and property was destroyed by Rangoon authorities is being tried on charges of trespassing
• China loans billions for gas pipeline
  Additional $2.4 billion loaned by China to speed up the construction of the Shwe pipeline project and as possible cover for Burmese junta

Telegraph - Climate Change

• It's 'the hottest year on record', as long as you ...
  Much of the data cited to support warmist claims is pure conjecture, says Christopher Booker.
• The climate bugaboo is the strangest intellectual ...
  Christopher Monckton says that perspective was sorely missing at the Cancun climate conference.
• Save capitalism, not the ozone layer
  To satisfy Chris Huhne's deranged obsession with global warming, we must all pay much, much more for electricity, writes Simon Heffer.
• £500 on electricity bills to pay for green energy
  Analysts say the Coalition's plans will put Britain on course for a "high cost, low carbon" electricity market.
• £500 on electricity bills to pay for green energy
  Energy analysts say the Coalition's plans will put Britain on course for a "high cost, low carbon" electricity market where consumers pay the price for environmentally friendly generating technology.

National Geographic | Environment

• Mummified Forest Found on Treeless Arctic Island
  "Surreal" remnants of a prehistoric forest have been discovered on a now treeless island in the Canadian Arctic.
• Best Pictures: Nat Geo Photo Contest Winners, 2010
  NoneFrom a charging buffalo to an erupting volcano—see the winning pictures of the 2010 National Geographic Photo Contest.
• New Oil—and a Huge Challenge—for Ghana
  The massive Jubilee field begins producing oil this week, but with revenue from the site come concerns about the risk of corruption and environmental compromise.
• Presented By:
• Pictures: Seven Supergreen U.S. Government Buildin ...
  NoneA subterranean labyrinth in the Rockies, breathing curtain walls by San Francisco Bay, and a Manhattan sky park highlight the U.S. government's drive to cut down its prodigious use of energy.

Jurist - Legal Research

• Senate votes to repeal 'Don't Ask Don't Tell'
  [JURIST] The US Senate [official website] voted 65-31 [roll call vote] Saturday to repeal the military's controversial "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy (DADT) [10 USC § 654; JURIST news archive], which prohibits openly gay men and women from serving in the armed forces. The Don't Ask, Don't Repeal Act ...
• Arizona AG sues Bank of America for mortgage fraud
  [JURIST] Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard [official profile] filed a lawsuit [press release] against Bank of America (BOA) [corporate website] on Friday for misleading customers in mortgage modification and foreclosure practices. Specifically, the complaint [complaint; PDF] alleges that BOA vi ...
• France court sentences Basque separatist leader to ...
  [JURIST] A French court on Friday sentenced former Basque separatist leader Mikel Albizu Iriarte to 20 years in prison. Iriarte, also known as "Antza," was the leader of ETA [GlobalSecurity backgrounder; JURIST news archive], an organization blamed for the deaths of 829 people. Iriarte's partner Sol ...
• Germany prosecutors file war crimes charges agains ...
  [JURIST] German prosecutors announced on Friday they are pursuing war crimes charges against two Rwandan men suspected of ordering the killing of Congolese citizens. The men, Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) [JURIST news archive] leader Ignace Murwanashyaka [HJP profile] and FDL ...
• California regulators approve incentives for reduc ...
  [JURIST] California's Air Resources Board [official website] on Thursday approved measures that will provide incentives to companies and factories that decrease their greenhouse gas emissions [JURIST news archive]. The provisions are envisaged under Assembly Bill 32 (AB 32) [text, PDF; official back ...

Atlantic | Mark Ambinder

• A Primary Challenge to Obama?
  The apoplexy of loud liberals probably won't be enough to spur a credible primary challenge to President Obama. That's because Obama enjoys extremely high approval ratings among African Americans, who are not likely to desert him for anyone else, because the White House and the Democratic National C ...
• WikiLeaks: One Analyst, So Many Documents
  To date, Bradley Manning stands accused only of providing a classified video of U.S. operations in Iraq to WikiLeaks. But U.S. government officials say they consider Manning the prime suspect behind the flood of documents that have wound up being promulgated by the group determined to bust U.S. secr ...
• After North Korean Attack, Obama Waits for Beijing
  In the wake of North Korea's artillery fusillade, President Obama's foreign-policy team is looking to see whether China, which has the most leverage with the isolated regime, responds in a way that the administration considers productive. MORE FROM NATIONAL JOURNAL: Ostrich Oversight? ...
• I Am a Blogger No Longer
  This is my final blog post for The Atlantic. Five years ago, as a way to boost the competitive metabolism of The Hotline, Chuck Todd hired me away from ABC News to create "Hotline On Call."  I was to be the first political reporter working for a mainstream news organization whose output would be exc ...
• Billy Joel Explains the Election
  What explains the partial collapse of the Democratic Party in the industrial Midwest? Billy Joel, in Allentown, caught the moment decades before it happened...the last time the economy in Pennsylvania transitioned away from coal and steel.  Educated, hard-working people. The generational tension. Th ...

COAT - Coalition to oppose the Arms Trade

• [COAT] Canada at War in Iraq! New 54-page COAT re ...
• [COAT] Success! AntiCANSEC arms-bazaar campaign - ...
• [COAT] Raging Grans video: CANSEC-NO CANSEX-YES!&q ...
• [COAT] Arms Bazaar in Ottawa Citizen, letters-to-e ...
• [COAT] Oppose the CANSEC War Machine! - coat

Bulletin of American Scientists - News

• US and Vietnam sign nuclear energy agreement | Ass ...
• SKorea on alert after ship hit by mysterious blast ...
• Obama administration may send U.S.-Russia arms tre ...
• Energy Secretary Steven Chu on the nation's energy ...
• More tritium found at Vt. Yankee, NRC plans closed ...

Tikun Olam

• Iranian General’s Wife Accuses Turkish Intelligenc ...
  December 11th marked the fourth anniversary of the disappearance of Iranian general Ali Reza Asgari in Turkey.  Asgari’s wife on that date demonstrated outside Turkey’s Teheran embassy with her children and others.  She demanded that Turkey take a tougher line with Israel and find out where he is. ...
• Support Tikun Olam: 2010 Appeal
  In the past year, with the help of you, my readers, and new friends of this site who’ve helped me break major stories censored within Israel, Tikun Olam has broken new ground.  It has gone where few other blogs have gone.  My Israeli sources and I revealed Anat Kamm’s secret arrest and detention. ...
• Bergman on Mossad’s ‘Stupidity, Arrogance’ in Devi ...
  Ronen Bergman has published a story in Friday’s Yediot Achronot on the Stuxnet worm, one of the few comprehensive reports to have appeared in the Israeli media which, as he notes, has studiously (and curiously) avoided an issue that has enflamed the world media.  Bergman’s reporting on this is very ...
• Jerusalem’s Pisgat Ze’ev: Arabs Raus!
  The Jerusalem settlement of Pisgat Ze’ev, named for rightist Revisionist leader Zeev Jabotinsky, knows how to handle Arabs.  Just take it from Moshe Ben Zikri, recently elected “community adminstrator” (in Chicago he’d be called the ward boss or council leader) for the neighborhood.  His most crit ...
• Links for 2010-04-03 [Digg]
  Anat Kam-Uri Blau Top Secret Israeli Leak Case The foreign media continue to open up the gagged Anat Kam-Uri Blau case with new stories in The Guardian, The Times, and The National.

Ode Magazine

• Miyako: A picture of pursuit
  By: Anne Thomas As I watch the many fundamental changes sweeping the world, I find that the young people I teach are either completely taken up with them, or pretty overwhelmed. And I have found among my university students that most often their focus on change lie ...
• The independent bookstore that could
  By: Jeremy Mercer One can’t help but feel the past decade has been Biblically awful for independent booksellers. There was the plague of big chain stores like Barnes & Noble who introduced heavy discounts on bestsellers that couldn’t be matched by smaller stores wi ...
• The goal of history is peace
  By: PeaceCorso I’d never thought of history having a goal, per se, have you? Consider these words from educational philosopher and dean of Yale Law School Robert Maynard Hutchins (January 17, 1899 - May 17, 1977): "The goal toward which all history tends ...
• The oneness of humanity
  By: Anne Thomas The other night I had the privilege of attending a party of Middle Easterners. It was a farewell get-together for an Iranian friend. He and his wife were heading to the U.S. to work at a university. Of course, everyone was happy for them, so the mer ...
• Lessons in Chan living
  By: donaldhwong Do majority of us know what needs to be done to better ourselves, the ones we love and the world? Of course. We all have some idea of what is right and necessary. The difficulty really is in the execution. We are either too busy or too easily s ...

OpEd News

• Lynne Stewart Transferred to Texas
  To inflict punishment, Lynne was transferred far from home, not where she hoped.
• Setting the stage for America's degraded future--a ...
  How can America entertain, feed, water, house and warm another 100 million people added by 2035--a scant 25 years from now? Answer: it can't and it won't!
• Israel's Sham Democracy
  Israel's leadership and Knesset is its most extreme ever.
• Noted Whistleblowers Fred Whitehurst and Jane Turn ...
  Two notable whistleblowers say S. 372 (WPEA) is a "bad deal." Urge Congress to fix the bill before it is passed.
• Our Kinghts In Rusting Armor: K of C Hit With Firs ...
  A bastion of moral rectitude and homophobia has fallen: two sex abuse lawsuits have hit ...The Knights of Columbus!! This just came out and this might be the first place you'll read about it, so hold on to your (whatever)!

Switchboard

• Washington Lobbyists and Prophets of Doom
  Sidewalk prophets of doom and Washington lobbyists know the best time to hype an “end of the world” story is just before the world is scheduled to come to an end.  But the sidewalks are littered with the placards of doomsayers whose predictions flopped.  That’s why industry lobbyists ...
• Some Dilemma: Efficient Appliances Use Less Energy ...
  Some Dilemma: Efficient Appliances Use Less Energy, Produce the Same Level of Service with Less Pollution and Provide Consumers with Greater Savings. What’s Not to Like?  In The Efficiency Dilemma, The New Yorker  (December 20, 2010), David Owen revives a discredited 19th century arti ...
• Just in time for the holidays: new MPAs a gift to ...
  On December 15th, California’s Fish and Game Commission adopted a network of safe havens for ocean wildlife along the coastline of southern California under the state’s visionary Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA).  The adopted plan—the “Integrated Preferred Alternative” (IPA)—will crea ...
• Climate, Energy and Environment News from Latin Am ...
  Chile: An amendment of the Law 20,257 on the generation of electricity with non-conventional sources of renewable energy will establish a mechanism that differentiates producers of clean energy and allows the granting of green certificates that allows companies to buy and sell electri ...
• Asian Carp: Not Quite the Action We Were Fishing F ...
  The Asian Carp Coordinating Committee put out their updated “control strategy framework” this afternoon. It is basically the playbook from which the Army Corps of Engineers, USEPA, and other governmental stakeholders are supposed to be attacking the advance of invasive species into the ...

Lawyers,Guns,& Money

• A Great Day In History.
  Lt. Dan Choi: President Obama, you are not off the hook. The compromise bill passed today puts the moral imperative squarely on your desk. Sign an executive order instituting a full non-discrimination policy throughout the military. If you do not, if you drag your feet and politicize this with you ...
• The torture of PFC Bradley Manning
  It seems clear Manning, who has never been convicted of a crime, is being tortured for the purpose of destroying his ability to resist his captors, so that his subsequent testimony will make it possible to prosecute Julian Assange. Related posts:Indefensible Assange Arrested; Media Continues to Mi ...
• A Morning With CSPAN-2
  …World’s Worst Deliberative Body rejects DREAM ACT by 55-41 majority. …Joe Lieberman — Joe Lieberman! — gives nice, concise pro-DADT repeal speech. World’s biggest asshole John McCain — having railed against “elites” prior to returning to one of his indeterminate number of houses — favors the Sen ...
• Strom Thurmond Didn’t Die, His Soul Just Mig ...
  Shorter Bob Corker: “I would happily undermine our nation’s security by refusing to ratify an important treaty as long as it meant that we would be able to continue to further undermine our nation’s security by irrationally discriminating against gays and lesbians.” The contemporary Republican P ...
• The End of Education
  …in which I emerge briefly from the end-of-semester grading abattoir to note that I have detected a student plagiarizing from Conservapedia. I’m now going to go roust a bear from hibernation and make him eat my kidneys. Related posts:Grading Coming Out of Hibernation: Education Cuts Edition Depa ...

Desert Research Institute

• Top Cited Article in the Journal of Human Evolutio ...
  Dr. Glenn Berger is lead author in top-cited article in Journal of Human Evolution. The article "Luminescence chronology of cave sediments at the Atapuerca paleoanthropological site, Spain" was the top-cited article published in the Journal of Human Evolution for the period of 2008 to 2010.
• DRI Researcher Published in Nature Geoscience
  The atmosphere over the Dead Sea, researchers have found, is laden with oxidized mercury. Some of the highest levels of oxidized mercury ever observed outside the polar regions exist there.
• Taking Your Home’s Energy Temperature
  An article authored by DRI Associate Research Professor Emeritus Charles “Fred “Rogers, Ph.D., outlines the best practices for homeowners who are looking to save money on their home heating and cooling bills.
• DRI Researcher Earns National Science Foundation M ...
  DRI Research Professor Hans Moosmüller, Ph.D. and colleagues received $649,801 from the National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program to develop a Photo-Acoustic Light Absorption and Albedo Spectrometer (PALAAS) for the characterization of aerosol radiative forcing in the ...
• DRI Researcher Develops Bioengineering Company
  DRI’s Joseph J. Grzymski, Ph.D. partnered with Adam G. Marsh, Ph.D. from the University of Delaware to develop Evozym Biologics, a company created to bridge the gap between research and innovation and commercial value.

Earth Techling

• Branded content engages savvy consumers
• This Solar Charger Runs Devices Directly
• Michigan Adds Wind Power, Green Jobs
• Thin-Cell Solar Goes Big In China
• San Francisco Takes the Lead With Solar

National Law Journal | U.S.

• Striking sanction, court rules same-sex adoption c ...
  The Minnesota Court of Appeals has ruled that an attorney who argued that same-sex adoptions are unlawful in Minnesota could not be sanctioned for making a frivolous claim.
• Columbia adds three-year J.D./MBA program
  Columbia Law School is the latest school to announce the addition of a program allowing students to obtain both a J.D. and MBA within three years, joining schools including Yale Law School and Northwestern University School of Law.
• No humbugs here
  Law humbug? Not here. Even the crustiest litigator can go all gooey when the holidays roll around. We asked some of the profession's biggest names to share some of their holiday — traditions with our readers. Some are heartwarming. Others are decidedly offbeat. One has a certain Sting.
• Showdown over Web searches
  More than three dozen technology and consumer products companies and trade groups have piled on as amici to a trademark fight between Rosetta Stone Ltd. and Google Inc. in a case that observers hope will settle some thorny questions about Web searches.
• The Probe Patrol
  After two years during which it didn't need to worry about congressional subpoenas, President Barack Obama's legal shop is making preparations for a possible onslaught of Republican investigations.

How Shall We Do The Mountain ?

• Waterdog Training January 10th 2011
  Waterdogs Training Monday, January 10th, 2011 7:00-9:00pm Jersey Shore Middle School Library Registration Fee $10 Additional $20 if you would like a TDS Meter Registration is due by January 3rd, 2011 Please make checks payable to: LCCD Lycoming County Conservation District 542 County Farm Road, Suit ...
• Pittsburgh Sets Model to Reject Corporate-Imposed ...
  November 30, 2010 By S.B. Thompson Chambersburg, PA – Edited for length * The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) is actively involved in many issues to help prevent corporations from raping America’s land and resources, including speaking out against uranium mining and mountaintop re ...
• Investigating the US Gas Boom
  I know many of you are becoming very aware of the natural gas boom happening in the Mid Atlantic area. This video covers some old ground but it also discusses some very current issues and is a great intro for anyone who is trying to learn about the problems with the fracking process. http://www.thee ...
• Under the Influence of Fracking?
  In addition to the environmental and health threats posed by gas drilling, driving on PA roadways is also becoming more dangerous.  The Pennsylvania State Police and the Department of Environmental Protection announced that during an October three-day joint safety enforcement operation, three out of ...
• Speaking Out on Water Issues
  Tiadaghton Audubon Society is pleased and privileged to have Sean Saville, National Field Director of the National Audubon Society speak on the Gulf Oil Spill at our annual meeting on Wednesday November 17 at 7:30PM in Mansfield Pa at the Holy Child Church, 242 South Main St. He has extensive and in ...

News Blaze

• Ban Demands Outgoing Ivorian President to Step D ...
  Mr. Ban warned against any moves against the Golf hotel in Abidjan, the commercial capital of the world's largest cocoa producer, where Mr. Ouattara has taken up residence in the face of Mr. Gbagbo's refusal to leave the presidential palace and UN
• UN Urges Sudan to Release 11 Detained Human Rights ...
  The 11 people were arrested by Sudan's National Security Service between 30 October and 3 November this year and have reportedly been held incommunicado since then.
• Haiti Needs More Funds to Fight Cholera Outbreak
  At the same time, he announced the creation of an independent scientific panel to investigate the source of the outbreak amid widespread media reports that Nepalese peacekeepers from the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) are t
• Joe Sestak Makes Philadelphia Stops on Statewide T ...
  Thank you stops have been set up in West, South, North and Northeast Philadelphia, as well as in Center City, beginning at 5:15 at Jehovah Jireh Baptist Church at 48th and Haverford Avenue.
• Liberia to Take Action to Freeze Warlord's Assets ...
  At the same time, it welcomed the Government's leadership at regional and international levels in the Kimberley Process that seeks to ban so-called 'blood diamonds' - gems illegally mined or traded to finance conflicts, a major factor in unrest i

environment 360

• Arctic 'Ice Refuge' Envisioned As Region Warms Rap ...
  As the Arctic rapidly warms in the 21st century and Arctic sea ice largely disappears in summer, a strip of year-round ice is likely to remain to the north of Greenland and the Canadian Arctic archipelago, providing a refuge for some sea-ice dependent wildlife, such as polar bears and ringed seals, ...
• U.S. Production of Shale Gas Will Double by 2035, ...
  The production of natural gas resources trapped in shale deposits in the U.S. will double over the next 25 years, according to a new government report. In its annual energy outlook report, the U.S. Energy Information Administration says the increase in shale will help the nation become less reliant ...
• Dumping Retired Navy Ships Has High Economic and E ...
  The U.S. Navy's policy of dumping retired Navy vessels into the ocean to create artificial reefs leads to the loss of hundreds of thousands of tons of recyclable metals, releases toxic metals into the ocean, and costs the U.S. thousands of jobs, according to a new report. As Pentagon officials decid ...
• Modest Cancun Agreements Revive Faltering Climate ...
  International negotiations to slow global warming, which were dealt a serious blow after last year's chaotic meeting in Copenhagen, appeared to get back on track in Cancun, Mexico with a series of agreements on limited steps to curb emissions and adapt to rising temperatures. Negotiators from roughl ...
• European Butterfly Populations Plummet As Meadows ...
  Grassland butterfly populations across Europe have fallen by 70 percent in the past two decades, according to new report from Butterfly Conservation Europe. Relying on data from 3,000 sites in 15 countries, the study said the main cause of the decline was the switch from sustainable, small-scale agr ...

Red Ice Creations

• Occult Symbols Found on the Bank of America Murals
  Prominently displayed in the lobby of the Bank of America’s Corporate Center are "creepy" frescoes, filled with occult symbols. Even more unsettling is the fact that those images seem to predict events of a radical world change in the not-so-distant future. Are those murals predicting the coming of ...
• Life’s Building Blocks Found on Surprising Meteori ...
  Scientists have discovered amino acids, the building blocks of life in a meteorite where none were expected. The finding adds evidence to the idea that some of life’s key ingredients could have formed in space, and then been delivered to Earth long ago by meteorite impacts. The meteorite in question ...
• Embalmed head of France’s King Henri IV found
  A team of scientists say they have positively identified an embalmed head, presumed lost in the chaos of the French Revolution, as that of King Henri IV of France who was assassinated in 1610. The head was apparently lost after revolutionaries desecrated the graves of French kings in the royal basil ...
• Sad Fate for the Holy Glastonbury Thorn
  The 2000-year-old Holy Thorn Tree was found chopped down in Glastonbury, a town in Somerset, England. While police try to determine who cut down the Glastonbury Thorn Tree and left the discarded branches by the stump, others are wondering what could have motivated someone to cut down a tree of such ...
• US sues BP, eight others to cover cleanup, losses ...
  Justice Department seeks unlimited payments from BP and other companies to cover cleanup costs, economic losses from this year’s huge Gulf oil spill. The civil suit alleges safety lapses by BP and others.

Russia Today

• Belarus votes for president
  Voters are casting their ballots in the presidential election in Belarus - one of the world's most authoritarian political systems.
• Has Christmas lost its meaning? NY speaking
  With Christmas trees lighting up around the world, the festive season is upon us.
• Palestinian state should not be imposed from outsi ...
  A Palestinian state should grow out of negotiations with Israel, believes OSCE Representative on Combating Anti-Semitism Rabbi Andrew Baker.
• Over 1,000 arrested in Moscow and the region
  Police have arrested over 800 people across the Moscow region in a bid to prevent further ethnic clashes. 500 more people have been arrested in Moscow.
• WikiLeaks' Assange released on bail
  The founder of the whistle blowing website Wikileaks has been released on bail by a British court and says he will continue his work.

Dad2059′s Webzine of Science Fiction, Science Fact and Esoterica

• Horse Shoe Shaped UFOs
  Here’s something you don’t see every day, horse shoe shaped UFOs. Here’s a disclaimer though, the first video could be CGI and the second could be the planet Venus. Both are interesting. … Horse Shoe UFO Seen From A Plane ] … Fiery Horse Shoe UAP Seen From The Ground The embedding code was removed, ...
• Soyuz Launch To I.S.S. 12/15/10
  Expedition 25 launch on a Russian Soyuz rocket happened yesterday at 2:09:25 p.m. EST to the International Space Station. One Italian, one Russian and one American was on the flight and will live on the space station for six months. I would like to try it once just to see if I could do it. [...]
• Louisiana Zombie Photo Viral Marketing
  From Mysterious Universe: Recently at my blog The Gralien Report, I took a moment to touch on a story pertaining to a strange trail camera photo, supposedly obtained near New Orleans, Louisiana. The strange image seemed to depict an emaciated, naked, pale-skinned humanoid with large “bug eyes” somew ...
• Cryptoterrestrial in Louisiana
  In the age of YouTube and photoshop, one must be leery of videos submitted as evidence anymore. But this little tidbit made the mainstream media (such as it is) in Louisiana where weird phenomena are common in the Bayou. … ] … This looks like one of the late Mac Tonnies’ classic cryptoterrestrials. ...
• Paracast: The Kivas of Heaven
  I was in an “Ancient Aliens” mood yesterday and caught up on some of the more recent Season 2 episodes on YouTube (and drove my wife nuts LOL). Some of them referenced the American desert Amerinds’ (Hopi, Apache, Ute, Navajo) legends of sky people and how they helped The People as they came out of ...

Tippers News

• Domestic violence
  The statistics are startling: It's estimated that every 18 minutes a woman in the United States is beaten. Submitted by Rose NoFWDSPLZ to World �|� �Note-it! �|� �Add a Comment
• Yes, trafficking happens right here
  A common misconception about human trafficking and modern slavery is that it does not happen here. But it does. It's a documented fact. Take the case of two girls, ages 15 and 16, who ran away from a juvenile home in Fremont in 2007.Submitted by Rose NoFWDSPLZ to World �|� �Note-it! �|� �Add a Comm ...
• Human smuggling
  THERE is no doubt that rampant poverty, unemployment and a bleak future stare young Pakistanis in the face. The situation invariably provides a breeding ground Submitted by Rose NoFWDSPLZ to World �|� �Note-it! �|� �Add a Comment
• Confused cat found wandering streets of of Linz, A ...
  This hungry kitty thought she was the cat that had got the cream when she found a half-full tin of pet food as she prowled for snacks in bins behind a supermarket.Submitted by Maria Oniga to Animals �|� �Note-it! �|� �Add a Comment
• Tiger killing 'a crime against nature'
  Three people have been sentenced to a total of eight and a half years in prison for trying to smuggle tiger skins and bones across the Russian border. And for the first time in this kind of case, a charge of 'ecological damage' might be brought for the Submitted by Maria Oniga to Animals �|� �Note- ...

The Freeman

• Well, Mr. Moore?
  Cuba banned Michael Moore’s 2007 documentary, Sicko, because it painted such a “mythically” favourable picture of Cuba’s healthcare system that the authorities feared it could lead to a “popular backlash”, according to US diplomats in Havana. The revelation, contained in a confidential US embassy ca ...
• Tax Increase Aborted by Congressional Vote
  “Congress approved the most significant tax bill in nearly a decade late Thursday, overcoming liberal resistance to continue for two more years tax breaks enacted under president George W. Bush and to provide a fresh boost of federal support to the tepid economic recovery.” (Washington Post) Tax bre ...
• Massive Spending Bill Abandoned
  “After wrestling with – and finally abandoning – a 1,900-page catch-all spending bill stuffed with more than $8 billion in home-state projects known as earmarks in Washington and pork in the rest of the country, Senate leaders need to come up with a measure to keep the federal government running int ...
• A Boost for the Managed Economy
  All players in the game have revealed themselves to be interventionists.
• About Those English Student Protests
  The best thing I’ve read about the English student protests against reduced government subsidies for higher education is here. In “A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Waste,” Kevin Carson writes: Arenât these just a bunch of spoiled brats, throwing a tantrum when theyâre cut off from the taxpayer teat? No ...

Teaching Online Journalism

• Skills for journalists: Again, the question
  What skills does today’s journalist need to have? I do not think this question has only one answer. In a comment on a blog post by Robert Hernandez, Michael Grimaldi wrote: The highest skill of journalism is knowing the number of questions to ask, how many people of whom to ask them, and then rep ...
• Data journalism and programmer journalists
  Some good stuff on this topic: Debate over journalism’s required skills gets heated, by Robert Hernandez: I do not believe you need to master programming to succeed in journalism. I do believe you need to respect and understand the power of each and every craft, not just programming, but photog ...
• Nitpicking some myths about digital journalism
  Andy Boyle wrote a response to Mark S. Luckie’s blog post 5 myths about digital journalism, and because I left a comment on Mark’s post, Andy called me out on Twitter. Now, I know Mark a little and Andy not at all (except via his tweets), but I think they are both bright and sincere young journalist ...
• Online video, audiences, sharing: Putting it all t ...
  I thought about titling this post “Another stupid way news sites waste time and effort by failing to understand the Web and how people use it,” but I thought maybe that was far too broad, since it covers so many things. This post is really about how journalism organizations could use video intellig ...
• Online video, links, and people: Putting it all to ...
  I spend a lot of time speaking (and thinking) about online video — both journalism video and the broader YouTube varieties. When we think about how people use online video — and by “people” I mean mostly North Americans in the college and university student age group — we have to consider sharing. ...

Facing South

• IKEA at center of labor rights controversy in Virg ...
  By Phil Mattera, Dirt Diggers Digest When my colleagues and I at Good Jobs First introduced the Subsidy Tracker database recently, our hope was that the information would be helpful to a wide range of campaigns for economic and social justice. I can now offer one particular use. By p ...
• Georgia prisoner strike comes out of lockdown
  By Kung Li Georgia prisoners came out of their cells today, ending the lockdown phase of the largest prison work strike in U.S. history. The coordinated, nonviolent action drew support from around the country. Months in the planning, the work strike this past week surprised prison officials.�� � ...
• INSTITUTE INDEX: Segregation forever?
  Over the past five years, percent of the 100 largest U.S. metro areas where racial segregation increased: 25 Percent of those same metro areas where segregation increased for Hispanics: 50 Percent of U.S. whites who live in predominantly white neighborhoods today: 79 That figure in 2000: 8 ...
• Feds sue companies behind BP oil disaster as exten ...
  The Department of Justice announced yesterday that it was suing BP and eight other defendants for their roles in the oil rig disaster that claimed the lives of 11 workers and spilled 172 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The defendants named in the suit include BP Exploratio ...
• South Carolina's governor-elect targets unions wit ...
  By Corey Hutchins, Columbia Free Times When Gov.-elect Nikki Haley said her nominee to head up the state's labor agency will aid her in helping "fight the unions" -- and specifically help keep unions from organizing at aircraft-maker Boeing's North Charleston assembly plant -- the director of So ...

Worldpress - Africa

• U.S. Dual-Track Policy in Somalia
  In a country with layers of complexity, clan warfare and a broken state, the Obama administration is taking an appropriately complex approach to stabilizing Somalia, one that may or may not bear fruit.
• Preventing Maternal Deaths in West Africa
  Dr. Fredanna M'Cormack and her Bele Uman Project are working in Sierra Leone to save the lives of pregnant mothers and their babies.
• Interview with Kumi Naidoo
  The Greenpeace executive director talks about connections between the environment, poverty, peace, and how the interconnectedness of these issues can drive civil society.
• Zimbabweans Still Suffering
  On a daily basis, the people of Zimbabwe face starvation, poverty, corruption and oppression, and their government is highly unlikely to bail them out anytime soon.
• Re: Blood Diamonds: Still Bloody
  We are seeing a steadily growing tide of discontent with the Kimberley Process.

Canadian Encyclopedia

• Great Depression
  Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that between 1929 and 1933 Gross National Expenditure declined by 42%, by the latter year 30% of the LABOUR FORCE was
• Riel, Louis
  Louis Riel, M�tis leader, founder of Manitoba, central figure in the NORTH-WEST REBELLION (b at Red River Settlement [Man] 22 Oct 1844; d at Regina 16 Nov 1885). Riel was educated at St Boniface and studied for the
• Macdonald, Sir John Alexander
  Sir John Alexander Macdonald, lawyer, businessman, politician, first prime minister of Canada (b at Brunswick Place, across the Clyde R from Glasgow, Scot 10 Jan 1815; d at Ottawa 6 June 1891). He was the dominant creative mind
• Confederation
  Confederation, the union of the British North American colonies of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Canada (Canada being an earlier 1841 union of Lower Canada and Upper Canada), was achieved 1 July 1867 under the new name,
• Vimy Ridge
  Vimy Ridge, battle fought 9-14 April 1917 during WORLD WAR I . The long, low ridge formed a key position linking the Germans' new HINDENBURG LINE to their main trench lines leading north from HILL 70 near Arras, France.

How Can I Recycle This ?

• How can I reuse or recycle an electric kettle?
  We’ve had an email from Simon: We’ve got two old electric kettles in our garage, one works but is very grimy, the other doesn’t work, not sure why. Can we do anything with them? Electric kettles are covered under the WEEE Directive so in theory, you should be able to send them back to their [...]
• How can I reuse or recycle “disposable&#8221 ...
  We’ve had an email from Philip, asking about disposable hair nets: I work in food production (ready meal factory) and have to wear a hair net whenever I’m on the floor. Some staff have proper hats but the rest of us have to have single use hair nets. Management say it’s cheaper but I think [...]
• What can I reuse or recycle to make a draft exclud ...
  Ok, put your hand up if you’re cold. I’m guessing everyone in the northern hemisphere is waving at their computers right now. It’s pretty brr. On my frugal/cooking/growing blog The Really Good Life, I’ve written about the five frugal ways I’ll be keeping warm this winter – but one thing I missed off ...
• How can I reuse or recycle old net curtains?
  We’ve had an email from Shannon: We’ve got loads of net curtains from the days before we all realised they were naff! They’re chintzy and are nylon or polyester or something. Do you have any recycling ideas? If they’re still in good condition, you could try passing them on – ask on Freecycle/Freegle ...
• How can I reuse or recycle curtain swatches?
  We’ve had an email from Stephannie: Just having our lounge curtains replaced and got a lot of fabric swatches to check out colours etc before hand. Not sure what to do with them now. They’re mostly about A4 size with fractions of big patterns on. Thought about little coin purses or pin cushions but ...

Mondoweiss

• Hollywood dramatized ethnic cleansing in India and ...
  Proof if any more is needed of the existence of a powerful Israel lobby in our country: Tonight over dinner I watched the last 30 minutes of Richard Attenborough's Gandhi (1982) on Turner Classics. I was staggered to see the 1947 transfer of Muslim and Hindu refugees at the new border between India ...
• Obama’s failure has served to expose Israeli ...
  As the United States sends envoy George Mitchell to grasp at straws in hopes of restarting negotiations to create a Palestinian state after the Israeli government refused to curb settlement construction, Obama’s inability to entice Netanyahu’s coalition to comply with international law has frust ...
• Palestinian farmer watches settlers burn 19 of his ...
  and other news from Today in Palestine: Settlers / Land, property, resource theft and destruction / Ethnic cleansing Farmer: Settlers burned my sheep alive NABLUS 18 Dec -- A farmer said he watched a group of settlers in the northern West Bank gather his sheep and set them on fire Saturday af ...
• Bronner exaggerates Palestinian violence
  Ethan Bronner of the NYT writes from Gaza: "And rockets and mortar shells fly daily from here into Israel, as Israeli troops carry out brief raids." � But it doesn't add up as later he writes: "Since September, when Israel and the Palestinian Authority started peace talks, there have been 20 to 3 ...
• Imagine the Brookings Institution having a forum o ...
  Truly demoralizing. Jim Crow is on the job in Washington, D.C. This is the Brookings Institution's lineup for its recent conference on Hard Choices in the Israel/Palestine conflict. It shows how stifling the atmosphere is inside the Establishment when it comes to discussing these issues. The left is ...

Media Consortium

• Clyde Bentley updates his timeline for newspapers ...
  Three main points from this post that are important. 1) "For newsrooms that are behind on mobile—and the vast majority of them are,” said Bentley, “the mobile web site is most important thing they need to catch up on. When you’re using a mobile device, you should get taken to mobile site. Technicall ...
• Jonathan Stray » Does journalism work?
  "Journalism has no theory of change — at least not at the level of practice. I’ve taken to asking editors, “what do you want your work to change in society?” The answer is generally along the lines of, “we aren’t here to change things. We are only here to publish information.” I don’t think that’s ...
• Nicholas Christakis on the networked nature of Twi ...
  We need metrics, in particular, to determine “which online interactions represent real relationships, where an influence might possibly be exerted.” ..And that has big implications not only for news organizations, but also for the platforms that are hoping to translate their ubiquity into financia ...
• The New York Times Introduces The Evolution of the ...
  As reported by the Atlantic, The New York Times has snuck in an update to its hyperlink feature. The new feature allows users to link to and highlight individual sentences and paragraphs in its web stories. While it could be a tad complicated for an average reader, it’s a great tool for writers and ...
• Fundly + Facebook = Millions in Micro-Donations fo ...
  One startup that's trying to capture the heat of micro-donations and make them more social is Fundly, which started life as BlueSwarm in 2009 before moving to Palo Alto, Calif., from Boston. The donation platform lets candidates begin taking micro-donations online quickly, and even embed those effor ...

Reality Asserts Itself

• Drug Wars in Juarez Fuels Boom in El Paso
  My colleague Malak Behrouznami recently returned from Juarez Mexico where she grew up as a child. She as a wonderful heritage - her father is Iranian and her Mother is Mexican. She went Juarez for family and journalistic reasons. One of her objectives was to find out why Juarez has become a terroriz ...
• PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI NEGOTIATIONS TO NOWHERE NOT TH ...
  A few months ago when shooting a documentary in the Middle East, we met Zeina, a 13-year-old Palestinian living in a Beirut refugee camp. She was traumatized as she watched the Israeli Gaza war on television. It changed her life. She now thinks of revenge and cannot understand the Israeli children w ...
• FROM JOE McCARTHY TO GLEN BECK – TIME TO END FEAR ...
  I listened to Glen Becks "Restoring Honor" speech today hoping to find something of substance to write about. I found a stringing together of such empty phrases it does not bear discussion.  The more important issue is why a man whose megalomania seems to have no bounds can become such a phenomena ( ...
• PAKISTAN FLOODS AND A FAILED POLICY - UN Sec. Gen ...
  Ban Ki Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, says of the flooding in Pakistan "The world has never seen such a disaster. It's much beyond anybody's imagination". At least 20 million people have lost their homes, more than 1600 have died, and disease and hunger will claim many, many more l ...
• China and the end of the end of history
  Many economists and political analysts think the current recovery, as it's being called, is a rather temporary phenomenon. Many expect the recession to kick back in, and perhaps within a few years get much more serious. What does that mean in terms of the future of the world economy and world politi ...

Great Beyond ( Nature )

• Giant, frozen nuetrino telescope completed
  The weather outside may be frightful where you are but at least it's not -30 degrees Celsius. Yet in these sub-zero conditions, researchers at the South Pole have placed the final string of detectors for the Icecube Neutrino Observatory, a cubic kilometer-sized telescope meant to search for the orig ...
• California adopts cap-and-trade climate regulation ...
  Fresh off an election in which voters upheld the state's global warming law, California regulators have approved cap-and-trade regulations that will carry the bulk of the workload as the state pushes to reduce emissions by 15 percent to 1990 levels by 2020. The California Air Resources Board approve ...
• Science funding bill passes US Senate
  In a flurry of last minute legislating, the US Senate has passed a version of a bill that would reauthorize the America COMPETES Act. The bill would keep on track a series of budget increases for key science funding agencies including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute ...
• Baja Earthquake puts strain on Los Angeles
  The magnitude 7.2 earthquake that rocked desert communities in Baja, Mexico on 4 April 2010 appears to have transferred strain onto southern California faults, raising the risk of a "Big One" in the Los Angeles Basin, scientists said yesterday at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San ...
• Fault line observatory gets repair inspection
  Researchers have pulled up the broken instrument package that has sat dormant deep inside the San Andreas fault for the past few years, to see if they can work out what went wrong and how to fix it. The San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD) experiment involved drilling a 3km hole into t ...

new geography

• Don’t Touch My Junk – At the Airport OR at the Zon ...
  Until recently, “Don’t touch my junk” was only a rallying cry for people who liked to accumulate broken down cars in their yards, in defiance of local nuisance ordinances. The internet meme radiating from San Diego International Airport puts an entirely new spin on the phrase. Americans have a str ...
• Belly-Up In The Burbs: Bank-Owned Developments
  In 2009, the number of repossessed autos increased to 1.9 million. The number of homes under foreclosure varies from month to month, but the 2009 total was about 2.8 million. For 2010, it seems that a million new foreclosed homes would be conservative, with a large percentage in California. Miss ...
• Pittsburgh's Tunnel of LOV
  Before Pittsburgh’s light-rail “Tunnel to Nowhere” under the Allegheny River came along, my favorite Port Authority boondoggle was the Wabash Tunnel under Mt. Washington. Most Pittsburghers know all they need to know about the notorious "Tunnel to Nowhere." Still under construction and still di ...
• Dallas: Building America's Largest Urban Park on t ...
  A flood protection site in Dallas is being transformed into America’s largest urban park. The economic and ecological benefits of conserving this slice of North Texas are destined to reverberate well beyond the city limits. Blackland Prairie is the most endangered large ecosystem in North America. ...
• Hasta La Vista, Failure
  In his headier and hunkier days, Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke boldly about how �failure is not an option.� This kind of bravado worked well in the gym�and in a remarkable career that saw an inarticulate Austrian body-builder rise to the apex of Hollywood and California politics. But Schwarzenegger�s ...

GM Watch

• GM corn crops declining in Europe
  ENDS Europe reports that GM maize (corn) crops are declining in the EU. Drawing on a Plataforma Transgenicos Fora press release, ENDS notes how the popularity of GM maize - the main GM crop approved for cultivation in the European Union - is waning among cereal growers in the Iberian peninsular, ac ...
• Leaked cables show GM's a key strategic interest
• UK minister claims labeling for clones impossible
• Ohio farmers are "snatching up" non-GM seed - but ...
  1. Ohio bucks GMO trend across the Midwest 2. Judge's ruling on GE beets exposes inherent danger in prevailing food system Ohio farmers are "snatching up" non-GM seed (item 1) - but what is a farmer to do when his seed supplier has only GM seeds available for purchase (item 2)? --- --- 1. Ohio b ...
• U.S. Presidential Commission's recommendations on ...

spiked

• It’s Christmas, so watch out for rapists
  A Xmas-hooked ad campaign designed to raise awareness about illegal cabs is exploiting women’s fear of rape.
• Creating a society of armchair snoops
  By encouraging the public to monitor CCTV footage, a new website promises to turn us all into armchair snoops.
• Nick Clegg is not a traitor!
  After all, before you can betray a principle you first need to have one. The Clegg generation of politicians are conformists without a cause.
• Cancun: scavenging around for scientific fact
  At a time of great doubt about climate change, policymakers must magic up more ‘evidence’ of manmade mayhem.
• Cancun: islands in the climate storm
  If Pacific islands are being washed away due to climate change-induced floods, how come land prices are stable?

Cryptogon

• Slumtube
  Via: Inhabitat: Remember the efficient and affordable Pallet House from last spring? Well designers Andreas Claus Schnetzer and Pils Gregor have bested their original design with an even lower-cost shipping pallet home that was completed this year in South Africa. The ‘Slumtube’ utilizes discarded p ...
• Overstock Accuses Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch ...
  Via: Reuters: Overstock.com Inc plans to amend a lawsuit it filed in early 2007 to include racketeering claims against Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch, the online retailer said on Thursday. The original lawsuit, filed in the California superior court in San Francisco, alleged that Goldman Sachs Grou ...
• Pfizer Targeted Nigerian Attorney General to Under ...
  Via: Democracy Now: Diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks show the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer hired investigators to find evidence of corruption against the Nigerian attorney general to pressure him to drop a $6 billion lawsuit over fraudulent drug tests on Nigerian children. Researchers did not ...
• CIA Gave Torturers $5 Million Legal Shield
  Via: AP: The CIA agreed to cover at least $5 million in legal fees for two contractors who were the architects of the agency’s interrogation program and personally conducted dozens of waterboarding sessions on terror detainees, former U.S. officials said. The secret agreement means taxpayers are pay ...
• U.S. and Canada Planning North American Perimeter
  Via: National Post: The Conservative government is set to announce a landmark security and trade deal with the United States, designed to create a perimeter around North America and allow people and goods to flow more freely across the border. Sources suggested that Prime Minister Stephen Harper and ...

The Economic Collapse

• Did The Price Of Oil Help Cause The Financial Cris ...
  Oil prices are starting to spin out of control once again.  In London, Brent North Sea crude for delivery in February hit 91.89 dollars a barrel on Friday.  New York crude moved above 88 dollars a barrel on Friday.  Many analysts believe that 100 dollar oil is a virtual certainty no ...
• Trillions In Secret Fed Bailouts For Global Corpor ...
  Has the Federal Reserve become the Central Bank of the World?  That is what some members of Congress are asking after the Federal Reserve revealed the details of 21,000 transactions stretching from December 2007 to July 2010 that totaled more than $3 trillion on Wednesday.  Most ...
• Debt = Money, Money = Debt
  Where does money come from?  You would think that question should be so simple that any 10-year-old child could answer it, but that is not the case.  You see, the truth is that the vast majority of American adults cannot even answer that question.  Yet we all use money every day.  W ...
• Tipping Point: 25 Signs That The Coming Financial ...
  The financial collapse that so many of us have been anticipating is seemingly closer then ever.  Over the past several weeks, there have been a host of ominous signs for the U.S. economy.  Yields on U.S. Treasuries have moved up rapidly and Moody's is publicly warning that it may ha ...
• Less Money, More Problems
  How in the world is the U.S. economy going to recover if the American people have less money to spend?  Millions of American families are heading into 2011 knowing that either they won't be seeing an increase in income or that their incomes will be smaller next year.  Long-term unem ...

Desertification

• The Animal Improved Dung (AID) plus seeds treatmen ...
  Message sent by Dave Clode B. App. Sc. (Hort), Cert. Permaculture Design :”" “I think you have a wonderful website, and you are doing a great service.  I am a horticulturist in Australia and you may be interested in the … Continue reading →
• Soil erosion lessening the hope that we can feed o ...
  Read at : Google Alert – desertification http://foodnews.lovingspoonful.org/?p=81 Soil Erosion and Food Security John Vidal Guardian Weekly, Tuesday 14 December 2010 14.00 GMT Editorâs Note: A recent report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN has concluded … Continue reading →
• Vast amounts of land are increasingly lost to dese ...
  Read at : Google Alert – desertification http://carbon-based-ghg.blogspot.com/2010/12/dire-issues-converge-in-drylands.html Dire issues converge in the drylands Kanya dâAlmeida in IPS: Few are aware that close to one billion people in over 100 different countries are suffering from or severely threa ...
• No title
  Read at : Google Alert – desertification http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-dead-sea-drilling-20101218,0,2108729.story Scientists drill beneath Dead Sea in search of priceless data Rock samples underwater for eons are likely to be better preserved, researchers say. Expectations are ...
• “Desertification” Explained (Google / ...
  Read at : Google Alert – desertification http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Environment_380/Desertification_Explained.shtml By EarthTalk (HealthNewsDigest.com) – Desertification is the degradation of land in already dry parts of the globe that results from various factors, including natural climat ...

The Paper Trail

• Corporations Aim to Narrow SEC’s Proposed Wh ...
  Midnight is the deadline to weigh in on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s plan to offer whistleblowers a bounty of up to 30 percent of settlements over $1 million and protection for alerting the government to corporate malfeasance.
• In Webcast Debut, Fed Meeting To Propose Limiting ...
  The Federal Reserve Board takes a step into 21st century transparency this afternoon when it offers a first-ever webcast meeting, giving the public a peek into how the secretive U.S. central bank operates.
• SEC Moves Ahead On Oil, Mining, Derivatives Transp ...
  The Securities and Exchange Commission proposed new transparency rules today mandated by the Dodd-Frank reform law for mining companies, international oil producers, as well as companies that buy or use certain “conflict” minerals from Africa.
• Bank Lobbyists Plead to Delay Derivatives, FDIC Fe ...
  A fundamental principle of Lobbying 101 is that when a regulatory issue isn’t going your way, ask for more time. So it’s not surprising to see Wall Street and banking lobbyists starting to plead with regulators to delay the aggressive deadlines set by the Dodd-Frank reform law.
• Reform Reading:  AEI Urges Closer Look at Der ...
  A roundup of news and commentary to help consumers monitor the transparency and accountability of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law.

backofthebook.ca

• WikiLeaks’ Canadian secrets not all that sec ...
  By Frank Moher I can tell from our logs that a lot of people are still looking to find out what Wikileaks' purloined cables have revealed about Canada, but the answer remains: Not a whole lot. Little enough, in fact, that it's possible to run the Canadian content all in one ...
• Hang the holidays
  By Bev Schellenberg What has happened to our celebratory schedule? It seems it was only a few weeks ago I bought a witch hat and cape for my daughter, a baron costume for my son, and carved a pumpkin. In fact, it was only a few weeks ago. Now here I ...
• The security perimeter: It’s Aliiiiiive!
  By Alison@Creekside Well, it's back. The "one security perimeter" deep integration SPP/FTAA zombie, now with new and improved emphasis on security. You're shocked, I'm sure. Like it ever really died. The re-animators just learned not to dig it up and parade it around in parliament too often ...
• The polygamists down the street
  By Jodi A. Shaw Last week, Angela Campbell, a professor of law at McGill University, testified at a constitutional reference case examining Canada’s current polygamy law that the practice ought to be decriminalized. I wasn’t sure if I should gasp or applaud. Campbell visited Bountiful, B.C. in ...
• A little 4Chan justice for Mastercard
  By Frank Moher So 4Chan has finally found something useful to do with all its suppressed testerone and brought down the Mastercard site, in retaliation for the credit card company's decision to stop processing donations to WikiLeaks. They've also apparently done some serious damage to PayPal (for ...

Worldnews

• Inter Coach Rafael Benitez Issues Ultimatum T ...
  Inter coach Rafa Benitez issues ultimatum to the club to provide him with funds to strengthen the team. By Paul Macdonald Share Share Find the best odds and bet on Serie A. div#betting_widget_body div.partner_selector { display: inline; } � Betting Odds Match Title Select League Select Match ho ...
• Communalism of majority, minority dangerous: ...
  NEW DELHI: In a two-pronged attack on fundamentalism and corruption, Congress President Sonia Gandhi today said majority and minority communalism are dangerous and must be defeated and favoured fast-tracking all corruption cases, including those of politicians. Addressing the Congress Plenary, ...
• Vizconde patriarch prefers appeal of SC rulin ...
  MANILA, Philippines President Aquino's order to re-investigate the Vizconde massacre case was well and good, but it was not the family's preferred legal remedy as it could further complicate and drag the high-profile murder case, Lauro Vizconde and his relatives said on Sunday. Vizconde thanke ...
• Getting warmer: Climatologist says it's time ...
  � onnie Thompson is one of the country's most respected climatologists for his research examining the retreat of high altitude glaciers around the globe. In his most recent paper, "Climate Change: The Evidence and Our Options," Thompson offers his conclusions on what must be done to address glo ...
• HOPKINS BID ENDS IN DRAW
  Bernard Hopkins' bid to become the oldest world champion has failed after a technical draw with Jean Pascal. The 45-year-old was sent to...

Alex in Wonderland

• Report: Active-Duty Army PSYOPS Soldiers Embedded ...
  To better manufacture consent, U.S. Army soldiers are embedded as intern and fellows at local TV affiliates, along with previously reported newspapers and national outlets.
• Daily Briefing—15th-16th Sept 2010
  News and views from around the web posted to the Wonderland Wire
• Report: U.S. Troops ‘Still Killing Civilians’ in I ...
  A U.S.-Iraqi night raid results in the deaths of eight civilians weeks after U.S. combat operations were announced as over.
• Military Welfare Budget Won’t Thin Any Time ...
  Ivan Eland sat with RT to discuss the astronomical political clout held by the welfare queens of the military-industrial complex that will thwart any translation of the Pentagon's rhetoric into actual policy
• Because the System’s Not Rigged Enough for Cops an ...
  Kevin Carson on the criminal injustice system 'shrills' pushing the narrative that the letter of the law aides criminals against so-called 'crime fighters'.

MY Daily Apple

• For Some Investigators, BP Oil Spill Is Just Begin ...
  It's been nearly eight months since the Deepwater Horizon tragedy killed 11 workers and spilled millions of gallons of oil in the Gulf of Mexico. Since April, federal agencies have launched a series of separate investigations and this week the U.S. Chemical Safety Board held its first round of publi ...
• Mining dispute at boil over wild rice
  Sulfate emissions have become a flashpoint over mining, water quality and wild rice in northern Minnesota.
• Periodic Table of Elements To Get an Update
  Lazarian writes "Scientists from around the world have put forth an update to the Periodic Table of Elements. In particular, they are changing the manner in which atomic weights of ten elements are expressed. From the article: 'For example, sulfur is commonly known to have a standard atomic weight o ...
• Bones Found On Island Could Be Amelia Earhart's
  The three bone fragments turned up on a deserted South Pacific island that lay along the course Amelia Earhart was following when she vanished. Nearby were several tantalizing artifacts: some old makeup, some glass bottles and shells that had been cut open.» E-Mail This���� » Add to Del.icio.us (Sou ...
• Genome code cracked for most common form of pediat ...
  Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have deciphered the genetic code for medulloblastoma, the most common pediatric brain cancer and a leading killer of children with cancer. The genetic "map" is believed to be the first reported of a ped

Common Dreams

• Senate Votes 63-33 to Advance Repeal of "Don't Ask ...
  by Jane HamsherUPDATE: Senate Votes 63-33 to Advance Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"UPDATE: A procedural vote in the Senate for the DREAM Act has failed. 55 Senators voted for the measure, with 41 voting against, falling short of the necessary votes to overcome a filibuster.�read more
• Bank of America Cuts Off WikiLeaks Payments
  by Rick RothackerBank of America Corp. Friday evening said it was joining other financial institutions in declining to process payments intended for WikiLeaks.WikiLeaks has gained attention in recent months for revealing Pentagon and State Department secrets. Founder Julian Assange has also said he ...
• WikiLeaks Cables Detail Fidel Castro's Doomed Love ...
  by Rory CarrollBarack and Fidel: like so many great love affairs it was doomed. But memory of the passion, or at least infatuation, lingers.Having seen off 10 US presidents - all committed to his assassination, overthrow or isolation - Fidel Castro had more reason than most to beware the occupant of ...
• Journalists at Pentagon Daily Barred from WikiLeak ...
  The Pentagon has banned journalists with the popular defense daily Stars and Stripes from consulting leaked diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks, prompting charges of censorship."The editorial independence of Stars and Stripes and its readers' right to news free of censorship are being threatene ...
• Italian Court Ups Sentences for 23 CIA Agents
  ROME - An Italian court on Wednesday upped the sentences for 23 CIA agents convicted in absentia of abducting an Egyptian imam in one of the biggest cases against the US "extraordinary rendition" program.The 23 CIA agents, originally sentenced in November 2009 to five to eight years in prison, had t ...

The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos

• Wendel Clark
• Tegan and Sara
• Lee Daniels
• James Cameron
• Anna Kendrick

Examine Religion - Tweets

• ExamineReligion: Billboards http://exm.nr/efw46k
  ExamineReligion: Billboards http://exm.nr/efw46k
• ExamineReligion: On Ancient Heresies & their Moder ...
  ExamineReligion: On Ancient Heresies & their Modern Counterparts http://exm.nr/fjdN8w
• ExamineReligion: Additional local free Christmas e ...
  ExamineReligion: Additional local free Christmas events http://exm.nr/ebR6pw
• ExamineReligion: Don't ask, don't tell is repealed ...
  ExamineReligion: Don't ask, don't tell is repealed today http://exm.nr/ggoPbW
• ExamineReligion: The Bible prophesies and condones ...
  ExamineReligion: The Bible prophesies and condones the use of Christmas trees. http://exm.nr/hPr9yh

Energy Collective

• Rockefeller: Preventing action on global warming ...
  Climate peacock Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) threatened to tie up the funding of the government with his coal-powered campaign to kill climate action before the end of the year.� But the Republicans killed the effort so that they could take the lead on it in 2011! First, Brad Johnson explains what ...
• Why Peter Shumlin will save Vermont Yankee
  The high cost of closing the reactor will be keenly felt in the state’s economy Vermont Governor-elect Peter Shumlin (right) must have woken up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night over the future of the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor.
• Treasury Grant Program Renewed for One Year
  President Obama signed the tax relief bill into law today, following passage in the Senate on Wednesday and The House early Friday morning. Those of us in the solar industry breathed a huge sigh of relief as the final bill included a one-year renewal of the Treasury Grant Program.
• Biodiesel Industry Responds Positively To Tax Cred ...
  The National Biodiesel Board responded to the news that the biodiesel tax credit had cleared the House of Representatives in a statement.
• TetraVitae Bioscience Demonstrations n-Butanol Pro ...
  TetraVitae Bioscience announced today that it has completed a successful demonstration of its process to produce renewable n-butanol in a corn dry-mill pilot plant. The demonstration is a major milestone in creating economically competitive renewable n-butanol for the coatings, plastics, personal ca ...

Green House - USA Today

• My green house gets HVAC, but winter delays work
  Winter could be cold this year, my USA TODAY colleague and weather expert Doyle Rice said the other day at our weekly news meeting. This is not what I wanted to hear. The unseasonable coldness, including Thursday's snow, has delayed some work on the eco-friendly home I'm building in Falls Church, Va ...
• Home design trends for 2011? Think small, green, u ...
  Fewer new homes are popping up across the United States, but there are still enough of them to discern trends. An obvious one is the push toward smaller homes, which Green House has previously talked about. Jenny Sullivan, a senior editor of BUILDER, calls this "portion control." She cites nine othe ...
• How to simplify, spend less and enjoy the holidays ...
  Christmas is next Saturday, only days away. If you're like me, you're feelilng the rush. I have cards to write and gifts to mail (and a few still to buy.) What to do? Well, take a deep breath, and consider ways to simplify.
• Obama OKs tax credits for ethanol, solar power, ho ...
  President Obama signed into law Friday a massive tax-cut deal that includes an extension of tax credits for U.S.-made ethanol, solar and wind power as well as home energy efficiency upgrades.
• California OKs rules to cut greenhouse gas emissio ...
  Despite Congress' failure this year to pass a climate law, California regulators have approved the nation's largest system of financial incentives to get the owners of power plants, refineries and other major polluters to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Prior Art

• Recent Patent Litigation Weekly Columns
  Much of the patent news that was published on this blog has been moved to the IP Insider section of the Corporate Counsel website. Here's a list of the last several Patent Litigation Weekly columns— Oct. 25, 2010: Big Patent-Licensing...
• Paul Allen v. The Internet
  Former Microsoft executive and billionaire Paul Allen sued several major Internet companies and three large retailers for patent infringement today, asserting that four patents originating at Interval Research, Allen's dot-com era think tank, cover basic web browsing and e-commerce technologies....
• Citing Possible Bias, ACLU Asks Rader to Recuse Hi ...
  With the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit set to consider a landmark case over the validity of human gene patents, attorneys for the plaintiffs in the suit are asking the court's chief judge to recuse himself from the matter—before the panel that will hear it has even been selec ...
• Law360 Calls Lawyer-Owned Shell Company a "Public ...
  seems to have a pretty flexible definition of that term. Last month, it included . Who is so concerned about such fairness? That would be , the Texas law firm that owns Americans for Fair Patent Use, which is a limited liability company set up to prosecute a false marking lawsuit filed in E ...
• Eben Moglen on Bilski, software patents, and big p ...
  Moglen's position on the subject of software patents—that they should be banned—is, to say the least, outside the mainstream in legal circles. It has, however, garnered support among software developers and other techies, especially those who work in the world of open-source and free softw ...

Peoples Voice

• America's War on Islam: New Republican Offensive P ...
  by Stephen Lendman Dozens of previous articles addressed America's war on Islam, discussing victims of America's war on terror for political advantage, not for threatening national security or public safety. Repeatedly post-9/11, bogus threats were invented to imprison innocent men and wome ...
• Net Neutrality Threatened (Part II)
  by Stephen Lendman Three earlier articles addressed the issue, the most recent accessed through the following link: http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2010/08/net-neutrality-threatened.html Net Neutrality is a defining issue of our time. It's essential to keep the Internet free and open, lett ...
• American Hedgeonomy: The Final Outcome
  By Timothy V. Gatto The idea of supporting Democrats has come and gone…a long time ago. The two-party government in place in the United States is a travesty. There are no provisions for it in the Constitution. This is something that has evolved over time. In actuality, there really hasn’t been much ...
• CDC revises estimates of foodborne illness; still ...
  By Rady Ananda After author Ben Hewitt revealed that the oft-quoted figure of 77 million foodborne illnesses a year came from a 1999 study based mostly on assumption, the Centers for Disease Control released a revised estimate of 48 million. The new revision still uses the assumption, which Hewitt ...
• Baron Otto Von Bolschwing, SS Veteran of Eichmann' ...
  By Katherine Smith, PhD The Long-hidden report: CIA created ‘safe haven’ for Nazis in the US obtained by the New York Times November 13, 2010, may be the most concrete account yet of the role that prominent members of Germany's Nazi party played in the early, formative years of the CIA, following W ...

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

• Income inequality bad for everyone: Richard Wilkin ...
  The CCPA was pleased to co-sponsor a three-city lecture tour featuring Richard Wilkinson, co-author of the best selling book The Spirit Level, which examines income inequality among developed nations. During his sold-out stop in Toronto, he sat down with the CCPA's Trish Hennessy to talk about the b ...
• Federal budget takes center stage
  It appears as though this year's federal budget will be particularly important in the parliamentary calendar as it may be what brings down the government. �Ignatieff appears to be planning to vote against Flaherty's budget unless there are some radical changes. �This will also increase the relevance ...
• Economists unite. You have nothing to lose but dat ...
  CCPA Senior Economist Armine Yalnizyan writes in today's Globe and Mail about how "economists on both sides of the political spectrum point to an unsettling truth" about the federal government's decision to scrap the mandatory long form census. She writes: "What’s at stake is the integrity of Statis ...
• National Post editor concludes income inequality i ...
  Jonathan Kay, managing editor of the National Post's Comment section, read Linda McQuaig and Neil Brooks' book The Trouble With Billionaires and came away convinced that income inequality is a "real problem" worthy of public debate in Canada. The book argues extreme income inequality can destabilize ...
• Unease grows over inequality
  Toronto Star columnist Carol Goar weighs in on worsening income inequality in Canada, pointing to CCPA research, saying there is "dawning recognition" that it's a problem. She writes: "The stirrings of a national debate are there, if there’s a leader who can speak for the slipping majority." Read he ...

World Wide Hippies

• Ivory Coast president Kicks U.N. To The Curb
  Ivory Coast president orders U.N. troops to leave country | CNN Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo on Saturday ordered all U.N. peacekeeping forces out of the country a day after Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon called on the disputed re-election winner to step down. Gbagbo’s reaction to Ban’s statem ...
• Using the power of online to get teens to do good ...
  Who We Are DoSomething.org is one of the largest organizations in the US that helps young people rock causes they care about. A driving force in creating a culture of volunteerism, DoSomething.org is on track to activate two million young people in 2011. By leveraging the web, television, mobile, an ...
• Hippie.TV
• Blackwater, er, Xe Goes Hippie?
  Will Blackwater Go Vegan After Sale to Hippie Firm? | Wired The next time you sink into the tub after a stressful day, your relaxation illuminated by the plume of the soy candle you bought at Whole Foods, know this: you are funding the world’s most infamous private security company. Long on the auct ...
• Well, It’s A Start…
  U.K. Navy Medic: WikiLeaks Turned Me Against War | CBS The British military rejected an appeal against deployment to Afghanistan by a Royal Navy medic, who claimed WikiLeaks turned him against the war. Michael Lyons says he became a conscientious objector to the war after reading of the “enormous u ...

Michael Moore - Must Read

• Statement by Michael Moore on Accusations Against ...
  Excerpt from "Dear Government of Sweden ...an open letter from Michael Moore"I don't pretend to know what happened between Mr. Assange and the two women complainants (all I know is what I've heard in the media, so I'm as confused as the next person). And I'm sorry if I've jumped to any unnecessary o ...
• Daniel Ellsberg on Wikileaks and Julian Assange on ...
• Bernie Sanders' "Berniebuster" Filibuster Against ...
• The Decline and Fall of the American Empire
  A soft landing for America 40 years from now?� Don�t bet on it.� The demise of the United States as the global superpower could come far more quickly than anyone imagines.� If Washington is dreaming of 2040 or 2050 as the end of the American Century, a more realistic assessment of domestic and g ...
• The New American Oligarchy
  There is a war underway. I'm not talking about Washington�s bloody misadventures in Afghanistan and Iraq, but a war within our own borders. It�s a war fought on the airwaves, on television and radio and over the Internet, a war of words and images, of half-truth, innuendo, and raging lies. I'm talki ...

Salon

• Gays cheer 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal
  Word that the world's top military power will allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military is bringing strong and swift reaction across the country.
• Senate ends DADT
  In a historic vote for gay rights, the Senate agreed on Saturday to do away with the military's 17-year ban on openly gay troops and sent President Barack Obama legislation to overturn the Clinton-era policy known as "don't ask, don't tell."
• "Don't ask, don't tell": 1993-2010
  The result of Saturday afternoon's cloture motion on the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" will probably be a source of bafflement to future generations studying the issue: You mean that in December of 2010, they will marvel, 33 members of the United States Senate were still so adamantly opposed ...
• Obama enjoys end of DADT
  President Barack Obama is praising senators as they near passage of legislation that would overturn the military ban on openly gay troops.
• GOP blocks youth immigration
  Senate Republicans have blocked a bill to grant hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children a chance to gain legal status if they enroll in college or join the military.

SMB News

• Indonesian volcano rumbles as president visits cam ...
  For SMB News Indonesian volcano rumbles as president visits camps PURWOBINANGUN: Indonesia’s Mount Merapi volcano spewed more deadly heat clouds Wednesday as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited some of the 50,000 evacuees in shelters. Searing gas billowed from the crater of the 2,914-metre (9 ...
• Kasaba throws spit on the camera
  \Kasaba throws spit on cameraMUMBAI: Ajmal Kasaba webcam spit on Tuesday during a hearing in the Bombay High Court for confirmation of the death penalty, which led the court strictly tell him to behave properly. Judjes a warning when they Kasaba altercation with the police and spit at the camera saw ...
• K’taka Speaker disqualifies 16 MLAs
  For SMB News KBANGALORE: Hours ahead of the trust vote for beleaguered Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa in the Assembly, Speaker K G Bopaiah disqualified sixteen rebel MLAs, including eleven from ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), legislative sources said on Monday. Bopaiah signed the disq ...
• Twin bombing at Shah Ghazi’s shrine kills 8
  For SMB News Twin bombing at Shah Ghazi’s shrine kills 8 KARACHI: Eight people including two children were killed and over 65 others suffered injuries when two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s shrine in Clifton, official sources said here Thursday. Two heads, believed ...
• Musharraf seeks Pak nation’s apology for ‘mistake
  For SMB News Musharraf seeks Pak nation’s apology for ‘mistakes’ LONDON: Former president Gen. (Retd.) Pervez Musharraf Friday admitted that political mistakes were committed in the twilight years of his regime and sought apology from Pakistani nation for the same. “These mistakes caused damage to t ...

Toronto Star - Editorials

• Maternal health: Harper’s helping hand
  Harper has agreed to co-chair a new UN commission that will help save the lives of 16 million women and children.
• Pension reform: It’s no time for cold feet
  The issue has serious long-term implications for Canadians that require politicians to keep their focus.
• TTC essential service: Move quickly on city’s requ ...
  Queen's Park should move quickly, and with all-party support, in lifting TTC workers’ right to strike.
• Silvio Berlusconi: Still in the stirrups
  But instability will persist.
• Worth repeating: Leaders skirmish over borders
  The following is from a Question Period exchange this week in the House of Commons between Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff:

Energy Collective

• Rockefeller: Preventing action on global warming ...
  Climate peacock Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) threatened to tie up the funding of the government with his coal-powered campaign to kill climate action before the end of the year.� But the Republicans killed the effort so that they could take the lead on it in 2011! First, Brad Johnson explains what ...
• Why Peter Shumlin will save Vermont Yankee
  The high cost of closing the reactor will be keenly felt in the state’s economy Vermont Governor-elect Peter Shumlin (right) must have woken up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night over the future of the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor.
• Treasury Grant Program Renewed for One Year
  President Obama signed the tax relief bill into law today, following passage in the Senate on Wednesday and The House early Friday morning. Those of us in the solar industry breathed a huge sigh of relief as the final bill included a one-year renewal of the Treasury Grant Program.
• Biodiesel Industry Responds Positively To Tax Cred ...
  The National Biodiesel Board responded to the news that the biodiesel tax credit had cleared the House of Representatives in a statement.
• TetraVitae Bioscience Demonstrations n-Butanol Pro ...
  TetraVitae Bioscience announced today that it has completed a successful demonstration of its process to produce renewable n-butanol in a corn dry-mill pilot plant. The demonstration is a major milestone in creating economically competitive renewable n-butanol for the coatings, plastics, personal ca ...

EU Times

• Wikileaks, the US secret bunker, the Gulf of Aden ...
  Where is this story in the international media? The combined naval might of twenty-seven countries is concentrated off the Somali coast allegedly to fight the poorly armed pirates who continue to act with apparent impunity. Or is there something far, far more serious? Once again the Wikileaks cables ...
• Lady Gaga publicly decapitates Santa Claus
  Lady Gaga’s famous eccentricity took a less-than-festive turn last night when she tore the head off a stuffed Santa Claus at her O2 show.Halfway through her set, the singer, 24, made it plain that she loathes Christmas. She seized the Santa doll and told the audience: “I hate the holidays. I’m alone ...
• British Red Cross bans Christmas
  Christmas has been banned by the Red Cross from its 430 fund-raising shops. Staff have been ordered to take down decorations and to remove any other signs of the Christian festival because they could offend Moslems. The charity’s politically-correct move triggered an avalanche of criticism and mocke ...
• Mugabe threat to nationalise US and UK Zimbabwe fi ...
  Robert Mugabe’s addresses his Zanu-PF party conference in Mutare. Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe says his country will nationalise all US and UK companies operating in the country unless Western sanctions are removed. He told his Zanu-PF party’s annual conference it was time to fight the sanctio ...
• Nuclear Attack ‘More Survivable Than Most People T ...
  The bomb shelters of generations past? Maybe not so silly when it comes to surviving a nuclear attack, according to government officials who issued a study on emergency procedure following such an event. Their advice? Don’t flee; just get indoors. The New York Times says the Obama Administration is ...

Stonecipher News

• Don't Quit Your Day Job
  This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Ashworth College. All opinions are 100% mine. With approximately 4,000,000 students today, more than 20 percent of all students enrolled in higher education are taking at least one course online. Self paced online courses all ...
• Breast Cancer Gene May Raise Men’s Risk, Too
  Source: HealthDay News: "A faulty gene that greatly increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer also boosts a man’s risk for the disease, a new study finds. While most people think of breast cancer as a woman’s illness, in rare cases men can develop breast tumors as well. The new study found that me ...
• Diabetics Urged to Confer With Their Doctor About ...
  According to Amanda Gardner HealthDay Reporter, "THURSDAY, July 15 (HealthDay News) -- One day after a U.S. advisory panel recommended that the controversial diabetes drug Avandia stay on the market -- albeit with added restrictions -- several medical organizations are urging patients not to change ...
• Top Five Cleaning Mistakes
  This is a short video about the common mistakes when cleaning. You may still be sleeping with bugs after cleaning.
• Repression and the Ruling Class
  From my Triond collection: I recently read Louis Althusser’s article on Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses. He discusses the production for conditions of reproduction by breaking down the Marxist theory into several fundamental aspects. Althusser discussed the differences between the proleta ...

Liquida : Worldwide News & Opinion

• Adm. Mike Mullen, Defense Secretary Robert Gates a ...
  From the White House: Statement by Adm. Mike Mullen on Senate Vote to Repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'                  "I am pleased to see the Congress vote to repeal the law governing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' Handling this through legislation preserves the military's prerogative to implement chang ...
• Minnesota: Santa Claus banned from Head Start clas ...
  St. Peter, Minnesota says Somali jihadists , sí, Santa Claus, no. How long before "St. Peter" itself is renamed so as to avoid further offending Muslims? "One fewer stop for Santa this year: He's banned from Head Start classes in St. Peter," by Joe Kimball at MinnPost.com , December 16 (thanks to K ...
• RT’s Obsession With Julian Assange And WikiLeaks–V ...
  ‘Charges against Assange absurd, expose US hand’   ‘I hear US mulling spy charges’: Full video of Julian Assange 1st presser after jail   WikiLeaks: Anti-Gov’t for Greater Good?   WikiLeaks’ Assange released on bail – RT 101216   US shadow looms large over Assange – RT 101216   Britain, not Sweden, ...
• News Corp’s ‘The Daily’ pub to hit iPad in January ...
  We heard News Corp’s “iPad newspaper” The Daily was on track for release in early 2011, but AllThingsD is hearing something more specific — week of January 17th, in fact, with the caveat that the launch plans have “moved around a couple of times in the past few months.” From what we’ve gathered pre ...
• More Wikileaks Gold: Cuba Banned Michael Moore’s S ...
  For some reason, completely beyond me, those on the far Left with an anti American and conspiracist view of how the world works are hugely supportive of Assange and the recent Wikileaks publication of diplomatic cables. However, the cables disclose very little that we did not know already. Most of ...

Groklaw

• Porteous impeachment highlights need for careful n ...
  There is, however, a factual component to the Gretna Defense which should give pause to senators and federal judges from the South. In the last two decades, every federal judge who has had a major ethical/legal problem has been from a member of the old Confederacy. These include: Judge Alcee Hastin ...
• Yet Again, In Insider-Trading Case, Its All About ...
  "It's fair for people on Wall Street to consider whether there's a possibility that there are wiretaps involved in the conversations they're having," said Robert Mintz, a lawyer at McCarter & English. "In the months ahead it will become even more apparent that the U.S. is casting a broad net." - WSJ ...
• GOP lawmakers drafting legislation to impeach Iowa ...
  Three freshmen Republican members of the Iowa House are drafting legislation that would begin the process of impeachment for the remaining four justices on the state Supreme Court over a 2009 ruling that legalized same-sex marriage.... Ben Stone, executive director of the ACLU of Iowa, called Paulse ...
• Congress Approves Patent Pilot Program For Federal ...
  District court judges interested in developing expertise in patent litigation will have a new opportunity under legislation headed to President Barack Obama's desk. The House gave final approval Thursday night to a proposal to establish a pilot project in at least six district courts where judges w ...
• FBI: Executives at Dell, AMD sold inside informati ...
  Four executives at publicly traded technology companies have been arrested on charges they sold inside information about their employers, sometimes for hundreds of thousands of dollars. - Robert McMillan, ComputerWorld

WideShut

• Debt Free Money and Less Fraction In The Reserves
  An analysis of the financial collapse and solutions to national debt and the corrupt fractional reserve system.
• £500 Green Tax On UK Energy Bills
  UK energy bills to rise by £500 to pay for green powerplants under EU agreement.
• December 14, 2010, WideShut Webcast On Resistance ...
  On this week's show Keelan discusses the obvious push for a New World Order, and the global awakening Brzezinski fears.
• The Private Security Takeover
  Seven EU countries have more private security than police, and in the UK they are quite clearly abusing their non-power.
• Localism Bill: No Money, Sort It Out Yourselves
  Localism Bill is just a sugar-coated pill to help the people swallow unjust cuts.

Waterkeeper Alliance

• Remedial investigation of Buffalo River cleanup
  Remedial investigation of Buffalo River cleanup
• Appeal filed to fight coal plant
  Appeal filed to fight coal plant
• Baykeeper on Once-Through Cooling at State Water R ...
  Baykeeper on Once-Through Cooling at State Water Resources Control Board
• Environmental Groups Move To Block US Coal Export ...
  Environmental Groups Move To Block US Coal Export Terminal
• EPA mandates DeKalb clean water-sewer system
  EPA mandates DeKalb clean water-sewer system

Politics in the Zeros

• Carter Tutti. Live in Berlin ’08
  Chris Carter and Cosey Fani Tutti. In a previous incarnation they were Chris and Cosey and before that were in Throbbing Gristle.
• Destroying villages to save them in Afghanistan
  It didn’t work in Vietnam and it’s not working in Afghanistan either. What are they thinking? Destroying villages and killing non-combatants will just make the locals want to join an insurgency – or expose the CIA station head.
• New yeast makes seaweed viable as biofuel
  New strains of yeast developed by University of Illinois break down sugars in red seaweed much more efficiently, making it cost-effective. Marine biomass produces much more per unit area than land biomass too.
• DADT clears Senate hurdle
  DADT is expected to pass on Sunday. Wa-hoo!
• DREAM Act dead
  Until the Democrats are willing to go to the mattresses and fight as hard as Republicans, things like this will continue to happen. Let’s hope DADT passes, that would be a big deal indeed.

TVNZ - Top Stories

• National streets ahead in final ONE News poll for ...
  The latest ONE News Colmar Brunton polls shows National sitting more than 20 points ahead of Labour.
• Op Unite: Trans-Tasman alcohol blitz keeps police ...
  Operation Unite, the trans-Tasman blitz to crack down on alchohol crime, kept police busy over the weekend.
• Six arrested and charged with kidnapping in Auckla ...
  Six men have been arrested in the Auckland suburb of Grey Lynn and charged with kidnapping.
• Kate Middleton on first official royal engagement
  Kate Middleton made her first public appearance last night since announcing her engagement to Prince William.
• Congress repeals ban against gays in US military
  The US Congress today repealed the ban against gays serving openly in the US military.

Just World News

• Standoff-ending precedents: The 'USSR' and Iran
  I was just reading the generally sensible 'Talk of the Town' piece on Iran and WikiLeaks that Rick Hertzberg had in the Dec. 13 issue of the New Yorker, that landed on our stoop this afternoon. (Sorry, can't easily find a link for it.) The piece is interesting because-- though Hertzberg seems to ta ...
• Visser's book on Iraq now available for sale!
  Reidar Visser's magisterial 300-page book A Responsible End? The United States and Iraq, 2005-2010 is now available for sale from Amazon. Actually, it's already selling really well there! Long-time JWN readers will be quite familiar with the work of this smart and dedicated European researcher, who ...
• U.S. diplomacy in tatters-- and not from Wikileaks
  Our country's ability to influence events around the world is in tatters-- and this was already the case before the latest round of Wikileaks started to dribble out to the public. Yesterday there were "elections" in Egypt and Haiti, two countries deep within the U.S. sphere of influence. Both electi ...
• Robinson and Brahimi: Wrong on Hamas and women
  Mary Robinson and Lakhdar Brahimi have a piece in HuffPo today in which they argue, probably correctly, that it is Gaza's women and children who are paying the highest price for Israel's now years-long siege of Gaza. They write: Women in this conservative society find their domestic responsibiliti ...
• Celebrate Laila's book launch today!
  Today's the day! Laila El-Haddad will be launching her first book, Gaza Mom: Palestine, Politics, Parenting, and Everything In Between at 6:30 pm EST in Washington DC's Palestine Center. The event will be livestreamed. So come in person if you can-- but if you can't, make sure to watch the livestrea ...

First Truths

• State-Corporate Healthcare: No "Right to Choose"
  I responded to Monday's U.S. District Court decision on the new healthcare law for C4SS.
• Cartelization Harries the UK Student
  Britain's education oligopoly bleeds its students dry while the ruling class invokes "austerity." My analysis here.
• The Ivory Coast and "Power-Sharing"
  The election controversy in Ivory Coast has raised the idea of "power-sharing" within the country, an idea that arguably, when carried to its ultimate end, leads to anarchy. Read my comment here.
• Liberty or Authority: The Social(ism) Question
  Although the vicissitudes of the political season belie the fact, when November draws to a close the state will persist. And with it will remain its ring of members, superficial substitutions notwithstanding, all ready to deal in douceurs with wealth created by the productive among us. Convinced a ...
• The State's Corporate Wasteland
  Corporations, while they are celebrated as paragons of innovation and efficiency, suffer from the same slow reaction time, waste, and lack of creativity that defines government agencies. Taking into account the fact that the state and the corporation are pieces of the same coercive puzzle, a system ...

Media Co-Op

• Algonquins of Barriere Lake - Fight for Self-Deter ...
  On Dec 13 2010, over a hundred members of Barriere Lake Algonquin Nation, along with supporters from Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa, took their message to parliament (on uncede ...
• Gunshot Wounds and Evictions: Taking Advantage of ...
  Repression against Indigenous Peoples around the world even more under-reported Originally posted on Intercontinental Cry With the world's media focused on Wikileaks--and activists still working though the COP16 Summit in Cancun--governments h ...
• G20 police training exaggerated powers outside fen ...
  Cops told to be on guard for âbagpipe players,â âyoung peopleâ and âfirst aid equipmentâ Police trainers appear to have told officers at last June’s G20 summit in Toronto that special search and arrest powers extended far beyond the so-called ...
• Continued Support and Solidarity with the Morong 4 ...
  On December 10, while the President of the Philippines, Noynoy Aquino, instructing the Department of Justice to withdraw charges against the 43, the health workers remain incarcerated.� For over 10 month, they live in fear, anxiety, subjet to torture, intimidation, forced confessions, sickness, and ...
• Photos from Barriere Lake action on Parliament Hil ...
  A mass demonstration by members of Barrere Lake First Nation and their supporters on Parliament Hill this afternoon (Mon Dec 13) was met by silence from Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Indian Affairs Minister John Duncan. Members of the First Nation presented copies of the UN Declaration on the Ri ...

David Seaton's News Links

• The travails of Pfc Bradely Manning
  From the beginning of his detention, Manning has been held in intensive solitary confinement. For 23 out of 24 hours every day -- for seven straight months and counting -- he sits completely alone in his cell. Even inside his cell, his activities are heavily restricted; he's barred even from exerc ...
• Is "freedom" just another word for nothing left to ...
  David Seaton's News Links There is a world, a universe, of pain in the following quote from the Financial Times: If you want something to get angry about, I wouldn�t look at tuition fees. I�d look at a little graph produced by Leon Feinstein of the Institute for Education, which shows tests of cogn ...
• Holbrooke and Assange: the end of empire and the d ...
  Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori "You've got to stop this war in Afghanistan." The last words of Richard HolbrookeDavid Seaton's News LinksAmerica's most famous über-diplomat went out like an old Roman: his last words, lucid and noble, are worthy of the best moments that American history has to ...
• Wikileaks (virtual world) versus lynching the Prin ...
  David Seaton's News LinksOn Saturday the 11th of December, about 50 people demonstrated in favor of Julian Assange in front of the US Embassy in London. The demonstration was organized on the Internet.� Two days before, in the same city, a crowd of rioting students nearly lynched the Prince of Wales ...
• Tea Time 2010: Hope trashed, audacity smashed and ...
  "2008 answered the question,' Is America ready for a black president?' In 2010 we'll answer 'Are we ready for an orange speaker?'" � Paul Begala (hat Doonesbury)David Seaton's News LinksIt seems that much of the fate of the Republic is presently in the hands of a tearful man, dyed orange, whose surn ...

EWG - Environmental Working Group

• EWG response to EPA’s review of chromium-6 health ...
  December 15th, 2010 Read our Press Release Download PDF. November 23, 2010 Office of Environmental Information (OEI) Docket Mail Code: 2822T U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW. Washington, DC 20460 Re:... [[ This is a content summa ...
• Lawmakers, Researchers, Doctors Reject Schwarzeneg ...
  Contact: Renee Sharp,             (510) 444-0973      x302 or renee@ewg.org Read our letter to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Oakland, Calif. – Lawmakers, public health advocates, scientists, public utility managers and medical doctors are demanding that... [[ This is a content summary only. ...
• Put Low Radiation Smart Phones on Your Shopping Li ...
  Contact: EWG Public Affairs,            (202) 667-6982       alex@ewg.org or leeann@ewg.org Washington, D.C. — Shoppers looking for smart phones with the most features don’t have to expose themselves to higher radiation levels to get what they want, a new... [[ This is a content summary only ...
• Obama Signs Child Nutrition Act
  Contact: EWG Public Affairs:            202-667-6982       Alex Formuzis alex@ewg.org or Leeann Brown leeann@ewg.org Taking an historic step to improve the health of children across the country, President Obama signed into law today (Dec. 13) the Healthy,... [[ This is a content summary only ...
• Child Nutrition Act Signed
  Contact: EWG Public Affairs:            202-667-6982       Alex Formuzis alex@ewg.org or Leeann Brown leeann@ewg.org Taking an historic step to improve the health of children across the country, President Obama signed into law today (Dec. 13) the Healthy,... [[ This is a content summary only ...

Dr. Mercola Natural Health

• Avoid this Type of Water Purification
  By Dr. Mercola It's a well-established fact that clean, pure water is a foundational cornerstone of good health. What's open for discussion, however, is what constitutes "clean, pure water." There are many opinions and much confusion about which kind of water imparts the greatest health benefit ...
• The Marshmallow Test
  A simple marshmallow, simple instructions and simply hilarious results!
• This Kills Twice as Many People as AIDS – Why are ...
  About $282 million was paid to doctors by drug companies last year. Is this compromising the best interests of their patients?
• Amazing Woman with No Arms
  This woman lives an amazing, fulfilling life despite her differences.
• Top 10 Food Additives to Avoid
  Some food additives are worse than others. Food Matters suggests these as the top ones to avoid: Artificial Sweeteners Aspartame, also known as Nutrasweet and Equal, is believed to be carcinogenic and accounts for more reports of adverse reactions than all other foods and food ...

JAMA

• Ensuring Safe and Effective Use of Medication and ...
• Improving the Supply of Donor Organs: Being Carefu ...
• 2011 Theme Issue on Violence and Human Rights--Cal ...
• Antiretroviral Treatment for HIV-Infected Infants ...
• Antiretroviral Treatment for HIV-Infected Infants ...

Survival - tribal peoples

• Tribe reveals new evidence of uncontacted Indians ...
  Kayapó Indians dance at a protest against the Belo Monte dam © T Turner A tribe in the Brazilian Amazon has revealed new evidence showing that there are uncontacted Indians living in the area of the planned Belo Monte mega-dam, and has warned that these Indians are seriously threatened by the p ...
• Success! USA is final country to support tribal ri ...
  All countries that opposed the Declaration, including Australia, now support it. It is a small step in creating real change for tribal people like this Aboriginal boy. © John Miles/Survival The United States has formally endorsed the UN Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples, meaning t ...
• Survival calls on Obama to support the UN Declarat ...
  The UN Declaration sets standards by which governments' treatment of indigenous people can be judged. © 1996 Fiona Watson/Survival To mark tomorrow’s opening of the White House Tribal Nations Conference, Survival has called on President Obama to support the UN Declaration on the rights of indi ...
• Borneo tribesman arrested in palm oil conflict
  Oil palms planted on recently-deforested land, Sarawak © M Ross/ Survival An Iban tribesman in Sarawak, in the Malaysian part of Borneo, has been arrested and charged with attempted murder following an argument with workers from a palm oil company. Tribesman Liam Rengga denies the charges, and ...
• Botswana government rejects high-profile court rul ...
  Four years later, the Botswana government continues to reject the High Court ruling. © Survival Four years on from a court victory which saw the Kalahari Bushmen win the right to live on their ancestral lands, the Botswana government has issued a statement flouting the ruling. In 2002, the Bo ...

Montreal Gazette

• Editorial: Making war on sick anglos
  The Montreal chapter of the Societe St. Jean Baptiste has become increasingly strident, and increasingly absurd, under the leadership of professional language hawk Mario Beaulieu. In its latest sortie in aid of preserving the health of the French language in the province, the organization ha ...
• Editorial: Deschamps did his bit to liberate Quebe ...
  No academic, historian or political analyst of Quebec's eternal struggle over its place in Canada ever did a better job than Yvon Deschamps. In a single brilliant sentence, the comedian summed up the irresolvable impasse of Quebec's conflicting desires:
• Deschamps did his bit to liberate Quebecers
  No academic, historian or political analyst of Quebec's eternal struggle over its place in Canada ever did a better job than Yvon Deschamps. In a single brilliant sentence, the comedian summed up the irresolvable impasse of Quebec's conflicting desires:
• Making war on sick anglos
  The Montreal chapter of the Societe St. Jean Baptiste has become increasingly strident, and increasingly absurd, under the leadership of professional language hawk Mario Beaulieu. In its latest sortie in aid of preserving the health of the French language in the province, the organization ha ...
• Welfare of the children should always come first
  Deyan Perisic is dead at age 10 and his 12-year-old sister, Danyela, lies injured in a Texas hospital. No one, in the face of these facts, can pretend that the best interests of these two children prevailed once the state was forced to get involved in their lives.

Food World Order

• before your next grocery trip, get the non-gmo sho ...
  non-gmo shopping guide: get the app & download the pdf! from NonGmoShoppingGuide.com: The Institute for Responsible Technology is a world leader in educating policy makers and the public about genetically modified (GM) foods and crops. We investigate and report their risks and impact on health, e ...
• grocer a&p files for chapter 11 reorganization
  from ap: The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., once the nation's largest grocer, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Sunday after years of struggling with enormous debt and rising competition from low-priced peers. The 151-year-old company, based in Montvale, N.J., operates 395 stores ar ...
• 12/9 binge & purge: nano-foods & merck muppets
  dems try to pass 'food safety' by hiding it in hr3082* even forbes agrees: more fda authority won't improve food safety* leaked cables reveal gmo, agrofuel agendas* food stamp rolls continue to rise* artificial 'nano-food' could soon show up at a store near you* rat in curry prompts c ...
• eu food safety chief forced to quit gm lobby role
  from the ecologist: A key figure in charge of food safety within the EU has been forced to quit her director role at a pro-GM group. European Green MEPs had called for EFSA chair Diana Banati's resignation after she had failed to disclose her seat on the board of directors of the International Life ...
• 'botox apples' genetically modified to keep from b ...
  from delish: The expression "one bad apple spoils the bunch" may soon have to be retired. Okanagan Specialty Fruits, a Canadian biotechnology company, has petitioned the USDA for approval of its genetically modified "non-browning apple." The company is marketing the fruit as the "Arctic" while criti ...

CrusadeWatch

• "Crorepathy" Fr. Jegath Gasper Raj main ...
  source:  Asian Tribune The Sri Lankan Catholic Church, the Catholic Radio Veritas based in Phillipines, the Tamil Catholic hierachy and its priests have been the main links of the global network of the Church to protect, promote, provide succor and cover to the internationally banned T ...
• Sex, lies and money in the church
  source: Indian Express, October 24, 2010 Shevlin Sebastian It was midnight. Fr Jose George could not sleep because there was no fan in his room. Jose knocked on Anna Jacobs door. When she opened it, he told her he could not sleep. She invited him inside, because there was a fan. ...
• Denigration of Buddhism & conversion of the vu ...
  source:  Vijayvaani.com,   Oct 25, 2010 Christianisation was the third force of colonialism as best expressed by Jomo Kenyatta, the late Kenyan leader, who said: When the white man came he had the bible we had the land. Then he said let us close our eyes and pray. When we opened our eyes ...
• Christianity's contributions mostly negative, Amer ...
  source:  Christian Century, October 26, 2010 (RNS) When asked about Christianity's recent contributions to society, Americans cited more negatives than benefits, according to a new survey.
• Evangelism as part of foreign political strategy
  source:  The organiser, Oct 3, 2010  By Manju Gupta Evangelical Intrusions, Sandhya Jain, Rupa & Co., Pp 251 (HB), Rs 395.00 THIS book comes at an opportune moment when repeated reports of religio-political violence in the north-eastern states are pouring in, accompanied by the ris ...

Whole Truth Coalition

• .Lies, Damned Lies and Scottish Justice
  Robert Green, the man who was brave enough to speak out about the horrific paedophile rapes of Hollie Greig, the most probable murder of her uncle Robert Greig to “shut him up”, and the sickening wall of silence by the Scottish establishment, has been arrested. We believe the charge is Breach of th ...
• Child Rapists Protected By The State
  In the October 2009 print edition of the UK Column, we reported in our article “BBC Hides Truth of Girl’s Sexual Abuse Ordeal” the shocking ordeal of Downs Syndrome girl, Hollie Greig, who was horribly abused by an Aberdeen paedophile ring, over a period of ten years. After investigating and planni ...
• An Invitation to Meet Hollie and Anne Greig
  ‘Hollie and Anne would like to thank their many supporters for their continuing hard work and support. Towards that end, they have decided to host an informal function near Berwick-upon-Tweed at the Marshall Meadows Hotel on Sunday the 21st of March from 2 until 5pm. The Marshall Meadows Hotel is s ...
• Robert Green Speaking at Truthjuice Llangollen, Ma ...
  Wednesday 24th March 2010 at 7pm Reporter Robert Green was arrested in Aberdeen for the crime of seeking justice and an investigation into the case of Down’s Syndrome girl, Hollie Greig, who says she was serially-raped over a decade by an establishment paedophile ring operating in Scotland. Robert ...
• Mary Rodwell The New Human Vers. 02

The Economic Collapse

• Did The Price Of Oil Help Cause The Financial Cris ...
  Oil prices are starting to spin out of control once again.  In London, Brent North Sea crude for delivery in February hit 91.89 dollars a barrel on Friday.  New York crude moved above 88 dollars a barrel on Friday.  Many analysts believe that 100 dollar oil is a virtual certainty no ...
• Trillions In Secret Fed Bailouts For Global Corpor ...
  Has the Federal Reserve become the Central Bank of the World?  That is what some members of Congress are asking after the Federal Reserve revealed the details of 21,000 transactions stretching from December 2007 to July 2010 that totaled more than $3 trillion on Wednesday.  Most ...
• Debt = Money, Money = Debt
  Where does money come from?  You would think that question should be so simple that any 10-year-old child could answer it, but that is not the case.  You see, the truth is that the vast majority of American adults cannot even answer that question.  Yet we all use money every day.  W ...
• Tipping Point: 25 Signs That The Coming Financial ...
  The financial collapse that so many of us have been anticipating is seemingly closer then ever.  Over the past several weeks, there have been a host of ominous signs for the U.S. economy.  Yields on U.S. Treasuries have moved up rapidly and Moody's is publicly warning that it may ha ...
• Less Money, More Problems
  How in the world is the U.S. economy going to recover if the American people have less money to spend?  Millions of American families are heading into 2011 knowing that either they won't be seeing an increase in income or that their incomes will be smaller next year.  Long-term unem ...

CASSE

• Ecosystem Services: Pricing to Peddle
  Markets are good for several things, but allocating ecosystem services is not one of them.
• Real Economies and the Illusions of Abstraction
  Hazel Henderson, a true champion of the steady state economy, digs deep into the deficiencies of our economic and financial systems.
• A Shift in the Burden of Proof
  The World Bank and other proponents of growth need to prove that growth is actually "economic" instead of "uneconomic."
• From Black Friday to a Better Way
  Rethinking consumption and consumer spending may be the key to enjoying the holidays.
• In Search of Answers about Economic Growth
  It's time to rethink the dilemma of economic growth and find some much-needed answers for the economy.

The Talking Clock

• Liar, liar, pants on fire: Hague's EU whoppers... ...
  Watch this... listen to the lies. Liar, liar, liar. And we don't even need to look at a politician from a different party than Hague's own for support to back up our 'liar' assertion. Backbench patriotic Conservative MP Douglas Carswell is compiling a list of the transfers of power to and ...
• Sunday Paper Review: 19th December 2010
  Not much Christmas spirit here, I'm afraid. Instead, it is beholden on me to point out that none of the following is made up. Links are provided to all the relevant stories. We start the misery with the Sunday Telegraph which trumpets big with a 'swine flu' story, but I think we all heard enou ...
• Jim Corr: "Top-down engineered financial crash des ...
  I agree with Jim Corr...
• Quote of the Day: 18th December 2010
  "Look at the silly monkey! Look at the shiny keys." - the ever brilliant Mary Ellen Synon cuts through the crap spouted by Cameron and trumpeted in press releases issued by his image gurus... and tells you what his EU budget 'victory' really means. Don't worry Mary... or maybe do, depending on ...
• I probably won't get shot in my bed for living in ...
  You know, one of the funny things (funny as in 'odd', not as in 'ha ha!') about compiling this blog is that - sometimes - I write blog posts where I think: "Watch out... this one will get me shot in my bed by the state stormtroopers." And what's so funny about that, you may ask? What's so funn ...

Facing South

• IKEA at center of labor rights controversy in Virg ...
  By Phil Mattera, Dirt Diggers Digest When my colleagues and I at Good Jobs First introduced the Subsidy Tracker database recently, our hope was that the information would be helpful to a wide range of campaigns for economic and social justice. I can now offer one particular use. By p ...
• Georgia prisoner strike comes out of lockdown
  By Kung Li Georgia prisoners came out of their cells today, ending the lockdown phase of the largest prison work strike in U.S. history. The coordinated, nonviolent action drew support from around the country. Months in the planning, the work strike this past week surprised prison officials.�� � ...
• INSTITUTE INDEX: Segregation forever?
  Over the past five years, percent of the 100 largest U.S. metro areas where racial segregation increased: 25 Percent of those same metro areas where segregation increased for Hispanics: 50 Percent of U.S. whites who live in predominantly white neighborhoods today: 79 That figure in 2000: 8 ...
• Feds sue companies behind BP oil disaster as exten ...
  The Department of Justice announced yesterday that it was suing BP and eight other defendants for their roles in the oil rig disaster that claimed the lives of 11 workers and spilled 172 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The defendants named in the suit include BP Exploratio ...
• South Carolina's governor-elect targets unions wit ...
  By Corey Hutchins, Columbia Free Times When Gov.-elect Nikki Haley said her nominee to head up the state's labor agency will aid her in helping "fight the unions" -- and specifically help keep unions from organizing at aircraft-maker Boeing's North Charleston assembly plant -- the director of So ...

CenterLine

• Today’s Terrorism News
  Lawyers for Zubaydah Ask Poland to Open Investigation Lawyers for Abu Zubaydah, a Palestinian detained at Guantanamo, have filed a lawsuit in Poland to request a formal investigation into whether Zubaydah was mistreated at a secret CIA-run prison in the … Continue reading →
• Today’s Terrorism News
  Guyanese Man Gets Life Sentence for JFK Bomb Plot Abdul Kadir, a former Guyanese politician who was convicted earlier this year for plotting to detonate the fuel system at JFK International Airport in New York, was sentenced to life in … Continue reading →
• Today’s Terrorism News
  Virginia Man Arrested After Threatening DC Metro on Facebook A Virginia man was arrested earlier this month and charged with communicating threats via interstate communications after allegedly making threatening comments about bombs on DC Metro trains on Facebook. According to … Continue reading →
• Today’s Terrorism News
  Sweden Investigates Suspected Bomber’s Past for Clues Swedish investigators said Monday that they were â98 percentâ certain that the man killed Saturday in twin car bombings in Stockholm was the suspected bomber, a man they identified as Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly, … Continue reading →
• Today’s Terrorism News
  Bombings in Stockholm Wound Two, Kill Suspected Bomber Two car bombings in central Stockholm Saturday wounded two people and killed the suspected bomber in an attack that the Swedish foreign minister called a terror attack, according to reports. The suspect … Continue reading →

Short Sharp Science

• New leaks sites set to proliferate
  A former WikiLeaks employee is spinning off a new online whistleblowing outfit, adding to a profusion of such sites
• NASA solar sail may have failed to 'hatch'
  NanoSail-D blasted to orbit last month but has not yet made contact with ground controllers – it may still be inside its carrier satellite
• Today on New Scientist: 13 December 2010
  All today's stories on NewScientist.com, including: the real power of placebos, the animals that eat sunshine, and mice with two fathers
• Who's the daddy? The mice with two fathers
  Researchers in Texas have created mice from the genetic material of two males
• Robots May Provide Initial Triage in the ER
  The TriageBot system could reduce a bottleneck of patients in the Emergency Room that represents a serious public health problem.

Tech Drive In

• Top 6 Eyecandy Compiz Animations and Effects that ...
  Who doesn't like some eyecandy for their desktops, definitely not me. Compiz has enthralled Ubuntu users for years now. When GNOME officially ditched Compiz for Mutter for its next version, Ubuntu decided to stick with Compiz for its Unity Shell. Compiz is actively being developed now and we can exp ...
• If Web Browsers Were Celebrities..
  Now, here is something interesting for you all. The following infographic lists your favorite browsers with interesting 'character' description. Take a look. You Favorite Browsers Compared With Celebrities Thanks to waylou for this awesome infographic. Hope you all liked it as much a ...
• Official Ubuntu Advertising Team is Now Alive and ...
  Official Ubuntu Advertising Team is now alive and kicking. The team is focused on advertising and sharing the love of Ubuntu with others through various mediums. The project strives to produce professional quality advertisements and promotions and deliver them to the general public. And the support ...
• Bitcoin - Open Source Virtual Currency Project tha ...
  Bitcoin is an open source peer-to-peer digital currency project. Peer-to-peer (P2P) in this context means that there is no central authority to issue new money or keep track of transactions. Instead, these tasks are managed collectively by the nodes of the network. This is one important open source ...
• Grooveshark Interface Receives an HTML5 Boost!
  As if you don't know this already, Grooveshark is an online music broadcasting application. Nobody puts it better than TNW, "Grooveshark is a wonderful application that we intend on using until someone sues them into the ground." Grooveshark ditched its previous Flash based interface and now has a m ...

Case About Bird Flu

• MERKEL PREVENTS EUROZONE MELTDOWN BUT CAN EUROPE B ...
  Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel backed by other European leaders managed to stop economic devastation for millions of people across the eurozone on Thursday by blocking the introduction of eurobonds and the expansion of the 750 billion euro bank bailout fund at a Brussels summit on Thursday. Whil ...
• Germany honours Prince Harry, shuns the Guttenberg ...
  A TV take show special featuring German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (CSU) and his wife in a German military base in Afghanistan has flopped, attracting only 1,01 millionen viewers yesterday, a figure below the SAT 1 average audience. German media criticised the Guttenbergs of underta ...
• Trial of activists spotlights problems in Austrian ...
  The corruption plaguing the Austria’s justice system has been dramatically highlighted by the trial of 13 animal rights activists under a new paragraph introduced to deal with organised crime. Though millions of euros have been spent, and a 200,000 page report compiled, it has become evident Judge S ...
• EUROPE AT CROSSROADS: Feudal economy and political ...
  Ahead of a key meeting of eurozone finance ministers  in Brussels today on how to rescue the euro,Germany’s conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel and Austrian Social Democrat Chancellor Werner Faymann have paired up forming an unlikely Batman and Robin to try to save the people of Europe from an unp ...
• Support for Ireland’s government plunges to ...
  The Irish Times – Thursday, December 16, 2010 Government feels brunt of public’s anger DAMIAN LOSCHER, Managing Director Ipsos MRBI ANALYSIS: Relatively unscathed by Budget cuts, over-65s alone buck the anti-Government trend TODAYâS IRISH Times /Ipsos MRBI poll lays bare the public anger towards h ...

Invisible Opportunity

• A Transmission from the Invisible Planes
  If your idea of loving someone is to give them things in place of the love, you’re going to have a front row seat through the years to what that policy accomplishes. In the age of black materialism you’re going to find all kinds of people who insist that you should give them things, because [...]
• Global Warming Causes Kidney Stones
  You really couldn’t make this stuff up! Kidney stones are one of the most painful urological disorders. They’re also one of the most common. One in 10 people will experience the pain of passing a kidney stone at some point in their lives. New research says where you live may put you at higher risk [ ...
• Is Your Doctor Being Paid and Manipulated by the D ...
  By Dr. Mercola Many people are still completely unaware of the many ways in which they are being manipulated into taking dangerous and unnecessary drugs. There’s the $5 billion direct-to-consumer marketing, of course, which is rather obvious. But physicians also play a major role, and the manipulati ...
• ‘Israel involved in Kosovo organ trade&#8217 ...
  Jonathan Ratel, who serves in Kosovo as part of the EU’s rule of law mission, has announced that the seven suspected Kosovons working as physicians for a clinic called Medicus in the capital, Pristina, belong to an international network that trades in the organs of people suffering from extreme pove ...
• US lies about Flight 253 “crotch bomber&#822 ...
  The US government who lied for wars in other resource-rich countries are lying about what happened on Delta Flight 253 with an alleged underwear/crotch bomber. Below is a summary of facts reported at this time… Before the flight to the US: * Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab traveled to Yemen to meet with â ...

Veterans Today

• Senate Repeals ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’
  WASHINGTON — The Senate on Saturday struck down the ban on gay men and lesbians serving openly in the military, bringing to a close a 17-year struggle over a policy that forced thousands of Americans from the ranks and caused others to keep secret their sexual orientation. By Cark Hulse in the NYT B ...
• Herzl was an Anti-Semite in Disguise.
  “The wealthy Jews control the world, in their hands lies the fate of governments and nations. They set governments one against the other. When the wealthy jews play, the nations and the rulers dance. One way or the other, they get rich” ..Theodor Herzl
• OBAMA’S AFGHAN STRATEGY: SURGE, BRIBE AND FA ...
          President Obama’s outrageous and blatant sellout on the Bush Tax Cuts is minor compared to his Afghan strategy of surge, bribe and fabricate the truth at the expense of the growing reality on the ground. This is a man who increasingly cannot be believed and most certainly does not deserve a ...
• JEFF GATES: WIKILEAKS–WHOSE AGENDA?
  WikiLeaks — Whose Agenda? By Jeff Gates Those tracking the agenda now advancing behind the WikiLeaks façade should check for the undisclosed bias among editors at the four newspapers chosen to select what was leaked. And when it was leaked. The pro-Israeli bias of The New York Times needs no citati ...
• JEFF GATES: DEFLATION, INFLATION-TAKE YOUR PICK
  Deflation, Inflation – Take Your Pick By Jeff Gates U.S. stock markets rallied to recent highs on news that the U.S. Federal Reserve planned to pump up to $900 billion more cash into the economy. Financial markets reflect today’s appraisal of tomorrow’s cash flows. More cash means more flows. Fed Ch ...

electric politics

• Priorities
  To be honest, the shrimp fishermen don't matter. The Gulf coast tourist traps don't matter. The economic effects of the spill. Don't matter. It's not about the money. What matters is that we're destroying the environment, killing countless innocent creatures. I keep hoping things may not be quite a ...
• Regime Change Politics
  We tell ourselves that humans are sentient animals. Yet here in the U.S. our politics seem rather more directed by delusion, or denial, than reason. Collectively, we not only do not know that our political system does not produce democratic results, we pretend the results are democratic no matter h ...
• The Death and Life of Intelligence Analysis
  Magical thinking drives the Neocons' perpetual efforts to start a war with Iran. Politicians, by and large, fail to apprehend the danger. If it weren't for analysts like Dr. Thomas Fingar — and many others — who have held the line on explaining the real costs of war, we would by now be well and tru ...
• (Unlawful) Targeted Killing
  The U.S. government should not murder people abroad. A simple enough rule, yet in a bizarre, barbaric, and cold-blooded fashion Washington now not only claims the right to murder anyone it wants, anywhere it wants, abroad, including American citizens, but actively carries out such intent with drone ...
• The Power of Imagination
  Harkening back to an earlier age, the prolific and brilliant author and anthologist Michael Sims helps us to understand science, natural history, literature, and all manner of other things. A Renaissance man. In Dracula's Guest he explores through Victorian eyes the universal human fear of the dark ...

PR News

• PR image still improving after ethics issues
  Several instances of questionable PR and public affairs practices became public this week, reflecting the industry's somewhat shaky definition of ethical PR.
• GlobalHealth PR adds to network
  WASHINGTON: GlobalHealth PR added three agencies to its network - Guess What PR in Lisbon, Alert Media Communications in Warsaw, and Paradigma Pel Comunicación in Buenos Aires.
• BerlinRosen names McDonald MD
  NEW YORK: BerlinRosen Public Affairs hired Andy McDonald as MD of the firm's national issue advocacy practice, effective January 1.
• Banfield Pet Hospital taps Coyne
  PARSIPPANY, NJ: Banfield Pet Hospital, which has 770 hospitals in various US neighborhoods, hired Coyne PR as its AOR, following a competitive review.
• Fortune 50 companies failing to promote mobile too ...
  NEW YORK: Few Fortune 50 companies are promoting their mobile communications tools to reach stakeholders, a new study says.

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.  ...

k2p blog

• Coldest December in 135 years
  Sweden has experienced more cold days and more snow than is normal for December. This has been the coldest December in 135 years.
• UN to “investigate” its introduction o ...
  The United Nations secretary-general plans to call for an independent commission to study whether U.N. peacekeepers caused a cholera outbreak that has killed more than 2,400 people in Haiti, an official said on Wednesday.
• Winter variations and global warming
  A good thing that Cancun didn't do too much and deferred everything again but of course the jamboree can - and will - continue next year in S. Africa. Global warming is going out of fashion and I have the gut feeling that climate alarmism is beginning to be seen in perspective.
• Chemistry unsettled
  A change will be made to the atomic weights of some elements listed on the Periodic table of the chemical elements.
• Capitation fees: The stench of corruption in the I ...
  All degrees and especially post graduate degrees in medicine, engineering and IT related subjects from private colleges in India are granted solely for the payment of a capitation fee.

Left Foot Forward

• Where will the NHS go from here?
  Director of the Socialist Health Association, Martin Rathfelder, discusses the future of the NHS.
• Look Left – Wikileaks saga comes to town as Assang ...
  Julian Assange tastes "the fresh air of London" as he is released on bail; Eric Pickles unveils savage cuts to local councils; and the rest of the week's news.
• The government must invest in today’s youth ...
  Ben Fox argues the government must invest in the youth of today to avoid a lost generation.
• Johnson: Clegg’s talk on bankers’ bonu ...
  Despite hard talk over bankers' bonuses Nick Clegg is being accused of "hot air" over the issue by shadow Chancellor Alan Johnson, reports Chris Tarquini.
• Local authorities face much higher cuts than Pickl ...
  Eric Pickles has masked the true cuts to local government budgets by using a total inflated by council tax and NHS social care funding, reports Rosanna Singler.

Consumerist

• Best Buy Puts An End To Tyrannical Restocking Fees
  For years, Best Buy customers have complained about the 15% restocking fee on most electronics (10% on iPhones). So in the spirit of the holidays (and because they are afraid of losing anymore customers than they already have), Best Buy has very quietly announced that as of today, almost all restoc ...
• Con Ed Won't Change The Name On My Electric Bill B ...
  John recently married his significant other in Vermont and the couple hasn't had any problem getting their names legally changed at the bank, the DMV, the Board of Elections, the Social Security Administration, or even their cellphone provider. All they had left to do was change the name on their e ...
• Monitored Alarm System Won't Stop Break-Ins, Compa ...
  Jules says ADT's alarm system isn't responding to repeated break-ins at his aunt's property. She wants out of her 3-year contract, but can't get the company to let her off the hook. Jules writes: My aunt's husband passed away on 10/31 of this year. He had some unsavory friends so to protect his h ...
• Say No To (Most) Store Credit Cards
  Holiday Cat here. My cousin Tax Cat is out shopping, so I thought I'd pop in and offer some helpful tips before he comes back with his calculator and thick glasses and ruins everything. So, shoppers, let's talk about store cards. Specifically, let's talk about they kind of suck. Sure, you may be p ...
• Arizona Sues Bank Of America Over Home Loan Modifi ...
  The attorney general for Arizona is none too pleased with Bank of America. Earlier today, he filed a lawsuit against BofA, alleging the bank misled customers about its home loan modifications. Arizona AG Terry Goddard charges that Bank of America violated a 2009 consent judgment in which the compa ...

Whistleblogger - GAP

• Serpico, MacLean Support Whistleblower Legislation ...
  Orange County Register: Will Serpico, MacLean, Finally Get New Whistleblowers Law? This article specifies how Frank Serpico, Robert MacLean, and many other well-known whistleblowers have expressed support for passage of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (S. 372) by writing a letter ...
• 63 Good Government Groups Urge Issa to Support Vot ...
  Conservative, Oversight Groups Plead Representative Not to Delay Crucial Reform (Washington, D.C.) – Today, the Government Accountability Project (GAP) and over 60 other groups, including the National Taxpayers Union and Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, sent a letter to Rep. Darrell ...
• Satyam Scandal Still Haunts World Bank
  Last week, Senator Lugar sent out this press release, "Lugar Urges International Development Banks to Step Up Corruption Cases." Bless the man for trying to uphold notions of honesty not-currently-in-vogue in most of the rest of the world -- or in government for that matter. Lugar had asked the mult ...
• Good Government Groups Support Passage of S. 372, ...
  Government Accountability Project: Oversight Groups Overwhelmingly Support Passage of Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act A “vote alert” sent yesterday by the National Taxpayers Union is just one of the latest actions from over 90 good government groups that support passage of S. 372, the ...
• Criticisms of S. 372 Are Flawed and Dangerously Mi ...
  We’re at the crossroads of a breakthrough for free speech rights; however, there has been a divergent campaign in the 11th hour. Today, Ms. Julia Davis wrote an article titled “Kill the Bill” – referring to S. 372, the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act. Curiously, days earlier this same autho ...

UK Progressive

• Tale of Three Cities: Foreclosures Don’t Always Fo ...
  by Jennifer LaFleur, ProPublica, and Sanjay Bhatt, The Seattle Times As a symbol of the national foreclosure crisis, Jaymie Jones isn’t what you might expect. The 52-year-old Seattle-area woman worked her way up in the financial-services industry over three decades from bank teller to mortgage exec ...
• Senate Finally Passes Cloture, Paves Way for Repea ...
  Moments ago the US Senate passed cloture on the stand alone bill for the repeal of the US military’s controversial Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law. By a vote of 63-33 with several Republicans joining the Democrats (and a number of abstentions), the bill made it through the equally controversial cloture/fi ...
• Poor Air Quality Forces Boris’ London ‘Cabbie’ Han ...
  The British government received a second and final written warning this summer from Europe to clean up London’s air or be taken to the European Court of Justice and face fines of up to £300m for being in breach of air quality standards. It is currently awaiting the outcome by the European commissio ...
• The New Tax Deal: Reaganomics Redux
  More than thirty years ago, Ronald Reagan came to Washington intent on reducing taxes on the wealthy and shrinking every aspect of government except defense. The new tax deal embodies the essence of Reaganomics. It will not stimulate the economy. A disproportionate share of the $858 billion deal wil ...
• Rep. Barney Frank Speaks Out on DADT – The ‘Distra ...
  Representative Barney Frank (D) represents the Massachusetts Legislative District I grew up in. I was long removed from it when he took over and the district was gerrymandered after a census took one seat away from MA and gave it to either Florida or California. Barney is openly gay and has long bee ...

NewsAlert

• Dream Act's failure in Senate derails immigration ...
  The L.A. Times reports:Five Democrats join the GOP in blocking a path to citizenship for some children of illegal immigrants.
• Donation Drive at Newsalert
  We need your help to keep this website going. If you value this site please make a contribution . Any amount is welcome, of course the more the better. We try and keep you informed through a variety of news sources. Click on the donate button down below and have a great holiday!
• Google Body Browser: Explore The Human Anatomy In ...
  The Huffington Post
• Chicago Mob Linked Old-School Politician Thrives i ...
  Chicago New Cooperative reports on powerful Chicago Alderman Ed Burke:This month, his office helped 200 constituents review their property tax bills and look for exemptions, he said. “I don’t see anything wrong with the old-school way of doing things,” Mr. Burke said. “The proof is in the pudding — ...
• 10 Companies That Could Go Bankrupt
  Minyanville

JoNova

• A journalist who confuses journalism with propagan ...
  Great news: This commentary appears in The Weekend Australian tomorrow (in a slightly different edited version). Below was what I submitted, before the edits, with the links intact. Comments are open at The Australian. I’ll be posting less often over the Southern Summer, possibly quite irregularly, ...
• Could we make that flood worse?
  It’s not like we need another case study in just how creatively dumb bureaucracy can be, but Jennifer Marohasy has been relentless in pursuing the extraordinary case of a government contracting a corporation to pour nearly 7000 Mega litres into a area facing life threatening floods. That’s more than ...
• Global Warming — it’s just another joke
  Armstrong and Miller mock the Global Warming thought police as they tell us to ignore our lying eyes, and give us glossy printed pamphlets telling us what we are allowed to think. The formerly fashionable theory of man-made catastrophe is becoming the regular butt of jokes. Bear in mind that half of ...
• Inflation: the creeping hand of corruption
  You might think inflation and climate science are only linked metaphorically. But the corruption in science is fed by the corruption in our currencies. The monetary system that allows a privileged few to print money from nothing is the same system that allows massively misdirected spending. When the ...
• Cancun in a nutshell: nothing achieved but it’s a ...
  After the awful post-Climategate-and-Copenhagen year, more than anything else, the Big Scare Campaign needed a PR win. And in that sense Cancun was a major victory. Nothing legally binding has came out of it, but the headlines would warm the hearts of all on Team-Scare-Us. The most important thing f ...

ReNew America

• North American Union: Why the U.S. coverup?
  (WorldNetDaily) - Operating much like a "memory hole" in George Orwell's classic novel "1984," the Obama administration has replaced the content of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America website, providing additional evidence the White House intends to implement the SPP agenda by e ...
• Obama signs massive tax bill, hails deal with GOP
  (Associated Press) - President Barack Obama signed into law a huge, holiday-season tax bill extending cuts for all Americans on Friday, saluting a new spirit of political compromise as Republicans applauded and liberals seethed. The benefits range from tax cuts for millionaires and the middle class ...
• The Islamic tsunami
  (Washington Times) - Is an Islamic tidal wave coming? "There is a plan to take over Western civilization," warns David Rubin, "and we need to recognize it for what it is." Mr. Rubin is a native New Yorker who served as mayor of the Israeli town of Shiloh. He spoke to The Washington Times about his n ...
• Iraq: Al Qaeda planning holiday attacks in West
  (Associated Press) - Iraqi authorities have obtained confessions from captured insurgents who claim al Qaeda is planning suicide attacks in the United States and Europe during the Christmas season, two senior officials said Wednesday...
• Reagan aide: START treaty 'seriously flawed'
  (NewsMax) - Instead of pressuring reluctant Republican senators for rapid ratification of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia, the Obama administration should just drop it, says Richard Perle, a key architect of President Ronald Reagan's strategy to end the Cold War...

Truth Offering

• Podcast: Truth Offering w/ Matt Gordon - December ...
  Check out our first Podcast featuring TruthOffering.com's Matt Gordon. Topics range from WikiLeaks and Internet censorship, to food freedom and the Federal Reserve. Being that it's our first Podcast, it's a work-in-progress. So, please leave any and all feedback. Thanks...and enjoy: �
• Latest Poll - Week Ending 12/19/10
  This week, we asked visitors, "Where do you think the economy is going in 2011?" An overwhelming majority said they believed it was heading toward difficult times, but some still hold on to the hope that we're through the tough part and headed toward better times. Here are the results: What do we t ...
• Chemtrails: Scars in the Sky
  Geoengineering is a relatively new idea to the world. According to�Wikipedia,�"The modern concept of�geoengineering�(or�climate engineering) is usually taken to mean proposals to deliberately manipulate the�Earth's�climate�to counteract the effects of�global warming�from�greenhouse gas�emissions. Th ...
• Levi's: All-American or Neo-Communist
  It seems that everywhere I go recently, I see these massive Levi's billboards along the side of the road. At first, I thought nothing of them. After all, they're just billboards, right? Plus Levi's is an all-American company, right? Visually, these ads are quite striking; mostly black and white, and ...
• Latest Poll - Week Ending 12/12/10
  This week, we asked site visitors about what the true aim of WikiLeaks is. Are they trying to expose US government and military tyranny? Are they a US government-created group put in place to advance a covert US agenda to censor the Internet? Or enable public support of war with Iran or North Korea? ...

2012 Blog

• Noah’s Ark / Facebook Game / Bollide Data
  With state-funding, a Christian ministry will build a $150 million theme park, featuring a full-size Noah’s Ark, complete with live animals. There will also be a Tower of Babel. Can’t wait to take my family, and it is aiming to open in 2014. Those 500 million Facebook users now have ...
• Prince Charles and 2012 Topics
  First of all, I severely doubt HRH Prince Charles is a 2012er, and although I respect his principles, I never thought I would write a blog post about him. But today it crossed my mind that perhaps he has a role to play in the peripheral topics of 2012. He has written a book called [ ...
• Chinese Pyramid: Excavation Now
  Many tourists in China have seen the terracota warriors and been told that the nearby tree-covered hill is the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang. Tourists are unaware, and Chinese authorities have refused to admit that the “tomb” is actually one of the largest pyramids in the world. Legend ...
• Our Galactic Centre: “enormous energetic eve ...
  Every time a scientist tells us we have nothing to fear, another will admit that they often don’t know much at all. Some 2012 theorists have suggested our galactic centre might be the cause of a 2012 event. For some, like me, it is because most galaxies have very energetic centres, ...
• Sitchen RIP / Beringian Explorers / Djedi Robot
  Zecharia Sitchen passed away on October 9th, in New York City, at the age of 90. He wrote a large volume of books on a singular topic, and has many fans, as well as numerous detractors. I’ve gotten a few leads from his work, but he isn’t trustworthy enough to reference I’m afraid. S ...

Facing South

• IKEA at center of labor rights controversy in Virg ...
  By Phil Mattera, Dirt Diggers Digest When my colleagues and I at Good Jobs First introduced the Subsidy Tracker database recently, our hope was that the information would be helpful to a wide range of campaigns for economic and social justice. I can now offer one particular use. By p ...
• Georgia prisoner strike comes out of lockdown
  By Kung Li Georgia prisoners came out of their cells today, ending the lockdown phase of the largest prison work strike in U.S. history. The coordinated, nonviolent action drew support from around the country. Months in the planning, the work strike this past week surprised prison officials.�� � ...
• INSTITUTE INDEX: Segregation forever?
  Over the past five years, percent of the 100 largest U.S. metro areas where racial segregation increased: 25 Percent of those same metro areas where segregation increased for Hispanics: 50 Percent of U.S. whites who live in predominantly white neighborhoods today: 79 That figure in 2000: 8 ...
• Feds sue companies behind BP oil disaster as exten ...
  The Department of Justice announced yesterday that it was suing BP and eight other defendants for their roles in the oil rig disaster that claimed the lives of 11 workers and spilled 172 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The defendants named in the suit include BP Exploratio ...
• South Carolina's governor-elect targets unions wit ...
  By Corey Hutchins, Columbia Free Times When Gov.-elect Nikki Haley said her nominee to head up the state's labor agency will aid her in helping "fight the unions" -- and specifically help keep unions from organizing at aircraft-maker Boeing's North Charleston assembly plant -- the director of So ...

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