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Suzie-Q ★ 50 
Gas Prices Tightening Family Budgets Just In Time For Summer
Gas Prices Tightening Family Budgets Just In Time For Summer JONATHAN FAHEY 05/27/11 05:17 PM ET via HuffPost NEW YORK — There’s less money this summer for hotel rooms, surfboards and bathing suits. It’s all going into the gas tank. High prices at the pump are putting a squeeze on the family budget as the traditional summer driving season begins. For every $10 the typical household earns bef
Is the American Revolution Dead?
A few years ago, on my very first day in the United States, I read these stirring words on an information plaque on Boston Common. What do we mean by the American Revolution? Do we mean the American war? The Revolution was effected before the war commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people; a change in their religious sentiments, of their duties and obligations…This radical
Srebrenica Revisited
Between 1994 and 1995 I was working as a teacher of English at a school run jointly by the British Council and the Warsaw University of Technology in Warsaw, Poland. In my free time, having little to do, I watched CNN and Sky News around the clock and was appalled at what I heard of what was going on in Yugoslavia including the shelling of the market place in Sarajevo, in which a large number of
Inviting Chaos: The Perils of Toying With the Debt Ceiling
Crowd at New York's American Union Bank during a bank run early in the Great Depression. (Photo: Public Domain) Inviting Chaos: The Perils of Toying With the Debt Ceiling Friday 27 May 2011 by: Ellen Brown, Truthout [T]hreatening to default should not be a partisan issue. In view of all the hazards it entails, one wonders why any responsible person would even flirt with the idea. - Alan S. B
Green & White ★ 6
Signs of a growing market? Blend.pk a job search engine
The job portal market has been growing rapidly for last few years, we have rozee.pk, mutakbil and brightspyre to name a few. Blend.pk goes a step ahead and instead of creating another job board, they create an aggregator for existing job sites. A very neat Idea, for some one looking for jobs it does not really matter which job portal and site he has membership of. Also it eliminates the need to cr
CEO Talks : It’s not about low costs any more.
Image linked from http://www.computerworlduk.com/ I had an interesting discussion with a CEO of a software development firm on running costs. Will try to encapsulate the conversation and shed some light on it. Few years back, starting a Software Business was easy, gather a few clients (or find references through your teachers and seniors), setup an office space (preferably a residential house at l
Pakistan gets its first Google Adwords Certified Partner
It gives me great pleasure to announce that we have First Person who is Certified as Google AdWord Partner. Mudassar Saeed Khan is an SEO and Online Marketing professional from Islamabad who has achieved this feat. It is strange that we have so many Firms claiming to do digital marketing and still did not have a certified AdWord partner, But nothing to take away from this young gentleman who has
Textualy: SMS-Based Customer Engagement Solution
With so many ‘texting’ deals and devices floating all around for cell phone users, textualy has found a unique niche. Going to be launched soon, textualy offers SMS-based customer engagement solution for businesses. Textualy is more than SMS marketing. It enables businesses to engage their customers via two-way texting. They can send discount coupons or product updates, run reward programs, and cr
Afro-Netizen ★ 1
Want an Equitable Economy? Start Building One Based on Abundance
By Chris Rabb Guest Contributor Colorlines.com Something’s gone horribly wrong economically in this country, so highly regarded across the globe for its spirit of enterprise and golden opportunity. And while it’s true that from the greatest challenges arise the greatest opportunities, it is also true that things are getting objectively worse for already struggling communities, who for generat
bastard.logic ★ 2
Obama’s Citizenship & Race: Separated at Birth?
It never ceases to amaze me how eager some white liberals are to divorce race from political analysis when it comes to Obama. Bob Somerby of the Daily Howler (who seems to have settled nicely into his blogospheric role as the curmudgeonly Luddite uncle who refuses to replace his black and white TV with a flat-screen plasma because, goddammit, a 10″ Zenith was good enough for Al Gore back in colle
Amygdala ★ 1
You Have The Right To Freeze And Be Utterly Silent
YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO FREEZE AND BE UTTERLY SILENTThe Fourth Amendment continues to be onion-peeled into nothingness. KENTUCKY v. KING puts another nail in the coffin as police gain the right to kick in your door simply because they hear movement within your dwelling.Obviously that's probable cause, because noise indicates a crime. Does that make sense to you? It does to 8 out of 9 members
Amused Cynicism ★ 2
Results so far
With 4 results in, the big stories are it’s a massive success for the SNP, and the Lib Dems are doing very badly. Indeed the Lib Dems might lose every single seat they held in the Scottish Parliament — if that happened, could Clegg continue as Lib Dem leader? For the SNP, they might win an overall majority (who said that was impossible with proportional representation?). Even if they don’t, there
If AV wins in Scotland but not the UK…
Tomorrow (Thursday) there’s a referendum on whether to use AV for elections to the the UK parliament. It’s entirely possible that Scotland will vote yes to this, but the UK as a whole will vote no. If that happens, it would make sense for Scotland to consider using AV for constituency elections to its own parliament. Admittedly, the referendum is for the UK parliament, not the Scottish one, but if
Hatewatch | Southern Poverty Law Center ★ 37
‘Sovereign’ Tries Out Fantasy Arguments in Murder Defense
“Sovereign citizens,” those delusional antigovernment extremists who seem to believe that the right incantation can magically erase their debts or resolve their tax troubles, keep on fighting the law. They’re tying up courts with meaningless pseudo-legal arguments, filing bogus liens that ruin their enemies’ credit ratings, confounding police officers with fake license plates and [...]
It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World: Klan Takes on Westboro Gay-Bashers
It’s a new and twisted world when the Ku Klux Klan takes on the Westboro Baptist Church, the famously rabid anti-gay group founded by Fred Phelps in Topeka, Kan. Needless to say, most Klan groups despise gays and lesbians only slightly less than black and Jewish people. But over Memorial Day weekend, about 10 members of [...]
Racist Leader, Refusing to Surrender Tomorrow, Faces Arrest for Fraud
Longtime racist and Christian Identity leader August Byron Kreis III, who now leads a splinter faction of the neo-Nazi Aryan Nations, faces three felonies for allegedly cheating the U.S. government he despises so much. Arresting Kreis and getting him to U.S. District Court is the next challenge facing federal authorities. Kreis says he won’t surrender voluntarily. Kreis, [...]
NumbersUSA Denies Bigotry but Promotes Holocaust Denier
Update: Hatewatch has received a response from Roy Beck, who says the groups that appeared as state and local contacts on the NumbersUSA website are not endorsed by or affiliated with his organization. His complete response is included below the post. Roy Beck, head of the immigration-restriction group NumbersUSA, has devoted a lot of energy to [...]
Abortion Activist Foils Own Plot to Kill Doctor, Clinic Workers
A Wisconsin man arrested Wednesday night after accidentally shooting a pistol through the door of his Madison motel room faces federal charges for allegedly plotting to kill an abortion doctor and clinic workers. Ralph Lang, 63, told police that he planned to use the gun to kill the doctor at a Planned Parenthood clinic near the [...]
Minnesota Anti-LGBT Group Spouts, Then Hides, Timeworn Lies
Among the most obsessed anti-gay activists, lies die hard. The Minnesota Family Council (MFC) — an independent affiliate of both the Family Research Council and the more-moderate Focus on the Family — was one of the most prominent proponents of a state referendum to constitutionally outlaw same-sex marriage. After the state Legislature’s May 21 vote to [...]
Syria Comment ★ 28
News Round Up
Hamza al-Khatib’s death has become a rallying point for anti-government protesters. In France philosopher Bernard Henri Levy has written to Le Monde about the need to save Syria. Australia’s foreign Minister is insisting that Assad “should be tried.” In the US, every TV station has taken up the subject of what should be done. Andrew Sullivan posted this story on his blog, which a Syrian friend stu
“Syria in Fragments: Divided Minds, Divided Lives,” by an American in Syria
video This is the best piece of writing on Syria since the uprising began. Read it. Hello Dr. Landis, Thanks for taking my call today, and sorry for interrupting your meal with your kids. I hope the hot dogs were good. …. I can tell you more about myself later, but I’d prefer that you not mention me or my name to anyone (hope I don’t sound too paranoid… feeling especially vulnerable these days). If y
EU Lays Off Syrians and Stops all Aid; Shell Pressured to Leave
The EU lays off hundreds of Syrians as it suspends all aid programs for Syria. In a sweeping decision to punish the government for its violent crackdown on the protest movement, the EU will cease all all aid and shut down energy programs and development. Royal Dutch Shell is being pressured to quite the country as well. The construction of a 724-mw combined cycle electric plant near Deir al-Zor w
Syria’s Economic Challanges: How Long Can the Government Pay the Growing Costs of the Uprising?
Demonstrators in the mainly Kurdish city of Qamishli in Syria's northwest hold a banner saying "army and people are one" in a protest on Friday. It’s the economy stupid. Most analysts are coming to the conclusion that the Syrian economy must collapse before the military will turn on the government or split. There are growing signs that economic pressure is mounting on the regime. Abo
Divisions within the Syrian Opposition on Eve of Turkey Meeting
video Burhan Ghalioun - Leading Opposition Intellectual The opposition meeting scheduled to take place in Turkey in four days (May 30) has brought out divisions among leaders of the Syrian uprising. A meeting of some 400 opposition members in Washington on Tuesday also brought some unity. The opposition is divided over the proper role foreign governments should play in bringing down the Syrian regime. S
Syrian Opposition to Meet in Turkey: May 31 – June 2
Opposition groups and activists are planning to meet in in Antalya, Turkey from May 31 to June 2 in an attempt to elect a transitional council, connect with protesters inside the country, and present the international community with a clear alternative to Assad. In April, the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood gathered in Istanbul, where a press conference was held by Riad al-Shaqfa, a mentor of t
altmuslim ★ 17
Middle East: Palestine’s unity agreement is a golden opportunity for all
The Egyptian-brokered Palestinian “national unity” agreement between the two main Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, took the world by surprise when it was announced on 27 April. Palestinians hope this internal peace deal – officially inaugurated in Cairo last Wednesday – will bring an end to years of infighting and conflict, and mend the burnt bridges between Fatah, which currently dominates
Islamic charities: Building donor confidence through transparency
Earlier this month, many charities and nonprofits filed a crucial transparency, marketing, and financial form that will boost the confidence of their donor base: their informational tax return. While annual individual tax return filings are well behind us, many organizations were required to file the Form 990 to the Internal Revenue Service by May 15. It often comes as a surprise to many charit
Presidential candidate Herman Cain: Stupidity from a smart man
Not too long ago, Atlanta-based commentator, successful businessman, and potential presidential candidate Herman Cain, was asked whether there was a place for a Muslim appointee in his administration. His response: “No.” He followed with “There is this creeping attempt to gradually ease Sharia law and the Muslim faith into our government. It does not belong in our government.” Cain is no doubt a b
Society: It’s time to take back our civil liberties
It took the United States government nearly 10 years to hunt down and kill Osama bin Laden in retribution for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Over that same period, Muslims struggled to overcome guilt by association for the criminal acts of bin Laden. Meanwhile, all Americans were forced to give up civil liberties in a purported exchange for more security. As part of its concerted war on terror, the
Libya uprising: Why intervention in Libya is justified
President Obama has become the target of a lot of criticism from the Republicans in the U.S. and from many anti-West critics in Europe and the Arab World. The criticisms present a plethora of reasons why the US should not have intervened in the Libyan civil war. These criticisms also come with attendant accusations of imperialism and war mongering. Some of the Republican critics of Obama are disin
The new Egypt: The challenge of Christian-Muslim solidarity
The recent burning of two churches in Cairo’s Imbaba district reminded me of New Year’s Eve this year, when I was in Cairo. At the time, I heard about the bombing of the church in Alexandria, and I saw the outrage that took place on the streets of Cairo – and the solidarity it resulted in, with Muslim men and women standing guard outside of churches on 7 January, when Copts celebrated Christmas.
ArmsControlWonk ★ 20
Seven Days in May
Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb gets all the attention, but there are other great cinematic period pieces about the Bomb. My suggestion for wonkish Netflix lists is Seven Days in May (1964). Frederic March plays a wise and tired President – think of Ike, but without military service – up against a politically ambitious, spell-binding Burt Lanc
Storm Shadow, Saudi & the MTCR
When France sold the Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missile to the UAE (under the name Black Shaheen) in the 1990s, the United States strongly objected that the sale violated the voluntary guidelines under the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). France sold the missile anyway, but the US successfully pushed to tighten up MTCR guidelines in 2002 to prevent further transfers like this. So, when n
On Memorial Day
On Memorial Day, I wanted to remember Major Arthur D. Nicholson, a U.S. Military Liaison Mission Tour Officer who was killed on March 24, 1985 by a Soviet soldier. As a lapsed epistemologist, I can’t help letting my interest in arms control, disarmament and nonproliferation creep into an interest in intelligence and espionage. I don’t think one can understand the spread of nuclear weapons wi
Atomic Cupcakes
Reader Dan Joyner — a professor at the University of Alabama School of Law and author of the forthcoming Interpreting the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty – sends along a photograph of one of a batch of cupcakes made by his students. “They are, of course, made of yellow cake,” he explains “I told her that if she had added nuts she could have called them North Korean atomic cupcakes.”
Amimut
The Hebrew word for nuclear opacity or ambiguity is amimut, which Avner Cohen believes to be “Israel’s original contribution to the nuclear age.” Avner has written two books on Israel’s bomb. His latest, The Worst-Kept Secret: Israel’s Bargain with the Bomb (2010) acknowledges the prior utility of amimut, while highlighting its corrosive effects for “democratic values at home and with norms of t
Uranium Deuteride Initiatiors Redux
ISIS has published the IAEA Director-General’s reports on Iran and Syria. Paragraph 35 of the Iran report reveals that Iran conducted “experiments involving the explosive compression of uranium deuteride to produce a short burst of neutrons” — research that has no known application other than for nuclear weapons. Although this information was reported in December 2009, this is the most explicit IA
ALL THINGS PAKISTAN ★ 26
Death of a Journalist. Warning to a Nation.
Adil Najam Pakistanis have gotten used to feeling unsafe and afraid. Today they are feeling even more unsafe and afraid. And that is no accident. Afraid and unsafe is exactly how the butchers who tortured and then murdered Syed Saleem Shahzad want us to feel. Those who brutally murdered journalist, and author of the recent book Inside Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, Syed Saleem Shahzad clearly wanted t
Grading Our Leaders: Analyzing Our Polls
Adil Najam Over the last two years we have asked ATP readers to grade and rate Pakistan’s power centers – the President, the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice, the Chief of Army Staff, the Leader of the Opposition, and the Media – on five occasions: first in June 2009 (~800+ respondents) and September 2009 for the Media (~760 respondents), then in April 2010 (~875 respondents), October 2010 (~100
Mystery Solved: Why Students Cheat?
Tamashbeen Have you ever wondered why students, specially Pakistani students, cheat. A news reporter from The Express Tribune has finally cracked the mystery. ‘We cheat only to pass our exams’ screams the headline. In case you did not already know, students cheat only because they need to pass their exams, otherwise they would never do such a thing! One should, of course, not be unfair to the news
Devising a Growth Strategy for Pakistan (7): New Growth Framework Approved
Adil Najam On Saturday, the National Economic Council approved the New Growth Framework based on the New Development Approach developed by the Planning Commission of Pakistan.We at ATP have been following and encouraging a discussion on the elements of the new growth framework over the last many months and prior to this have carried six posts on the subject: here and here and here and here and her
Arieb Azhar, Yet Again: Meray Des Mein Hain Imkaan Bohat; Aas, Umeed, Armaan Bohat
Adil Najam Music is on my mind again. Literally. This song has been playing non-stop in my mind as well as in my headphones for two weeks now (ever since I did my last post on Arieb Azhar’s music). I thought it would be overkill to write, yet again, about him and his music, but the lyrics of this song are just not letting go of me. Not right now. Not with all that I am thinking on Pakistan right n
Science and Technology: Why PAF Did Not Detect US Helicopters in Abbottabad?
Imran H. Khan The recent US mission to get Osama Bin Laden without the knowledge of Pakistan Air Force was a success because of PAF’s lack of investment in sensors that can detect low flying aircraft in undulating and hilly terrain. People are thinking hard about the political and military lessons in this, but they should also be thinking hard about what this means for technology and science devel
Obsolete ★ 23
Links dump.
Hopeless time management today. Have some links as a feeble replacement for an actual post:Left Outside - The Financial Sector is still bad for Britain, and everyone elseHeresy Corner - Polly Toynbee, the baroness and the chavsBenSix - Lay off the damn sodas!
How can someone so right also be so wrong?
Apologies in advance for this latest completely subjective moan about the ever dreadful state of modern popular music.A top record executive has launched a damning attack on music industry attitudes, claiming the insistence on over-sexualising female artists has led to "boring, crass and unoriginal" music.Well, to be slightly more accurate, it isn't just the over-sexualisation of recent years, it'
Hello it's us again.
Well, that turned out to be a pretty good week to be away. I'm going to ease myself slowly back into the blogging, so will just do the usual video post tomorrow that everyone ignores. Have a fun weekend.Still, Paul Scholes, eh? Who knew?
Trim and hiatus.
And yeah, I'm not here next week. Should be back Friday but whether I'll post anything significant or not we'll see.
A new starting point on injunctions.
It would certainly be nice if following today's excellent report by the committee on super-injunctions (PDF), the media finally drop the entirely misleading claim that injunctions which anonymise the claimant(s) are anything approaching the equivalent of the orders sought by Trafigura and John Terry, both of which were subsequently overturned. As they point out, as far as they're aware only two "
Texas Liberal ★ 45
Either You Run The Blog Or The Blog Runs You
I’m taking a day to catch up with some personal e-mail. Either you run the blog, or the blog runs you. As I catch-up, please enjoy this picture I took yesterday at the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. I’m very much a city person, but nature is good as long as it is contained in a nice safe park. Thanks for reading Texas Liberal.
Houston Mayor Annise Parker Must Continue To Stand Up To Bullying From Some Houston Firefighters
Houston Mayor Annise Parker is standing up to Houston firefighters who are trying to bully both her and the people of Houston in these tough financial times. (Above–Houston Firefighter Memorial. Will our Houston firefighters continue a tradition of sacrifice, or will they risk the jobs of fellow city workers and, also, Houston’s financial well-being in exchange for personal gain?) From the Hou
Texas State Senator Wendy Davis Does The Work That Average Texans Should Be Doing
I appreciate Texas State Senator Wendy Davis of Fort Worth holding up the terrible school finance bill last Sunday night. However, the real work of freedom and the real force for a better Texas will come from average everyday Texans who are willing to vote and work for a more hopeful future. Here are some details of the Texas Legislative special session that is in the works after the Sunday night
Memorial Day
Here is the dog tag of Korean War combat veteran and medic Tony Aquino. Tony never said anything macho or boastful about his service. He would tell you if you asked. He was a liberal who opposed the Vietnam War and both Iraq wars. He resented people like B. Clinton, Quayle, G.W. Bush & Cheney who used connections to get out of serving, and then sent other people to war. Just like you and I, a
Houston Police Officer Kevin Will Killed While Serving City Over Memorial Day Weekend
A Houston police officer was killed while serving the city over Memorial Day weekend. (Update--Here is the latest on this story from the Houston Chronicle from Tuesday, 5/31 at 10:00 PM.) From the Houston Chronicle— “A Houston police officer was struck and killed by a suspected drunken driver early Sunday while investigating an accident on the North Loop near Yale. The 38-year-old officer, Kevin
Texas Republicans Pass State Budget That Attacks Education, Health, And Family Planning—TPA Round-Up
At the end of this post is the weekly Texas Progressive Alliance round-up. The TPA is a confederation of the best politcal bloggers in Texas. TPA members are citizen-bloggers who are working for a better Texas. With the round-up this week comes the news that the Texas Legislature has passed a state budget. From the Houston Chronicle— ’Texas lawmakers approved a $172.3 billion, two-year budget on
(title unknown) ★ 16
Kola Boof: “Cultural Blackness without Physical Blackness is a Fraud”
I read a lot of commentators and there are currently 3 people I would love to meet. These are people I respect for their opinions, not that I agree with all that they believe, but I applaud them for not being slaves to the groupthink of their respective communities. I would considerate it a privilege to be able to sit with them and exchange ideas about a variety of topics. These 3 are David Brooks
Byts and Bytes
Truthdig: 1. The Obama Deception: Why Cornel West Went Ballistic 2. Why Liberal Sellout Attack Prophets Like Cornel West AfroDaddy: 1. The Plight of Blue People 2. The Plight of Blue People – Part II The Great Blue Uprising 3. The Plight of Blue People – Part III The Finale The Daily Voice: Kola Boof, former mistress of Osama Bin Laden, on his death A “hat tip” to The Field
No Welcome Home for Canadian Jamaicans
Image via Wikipedia Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer Jamaican Gleaner WESTERN BUREAU: As children born in Jamaica, they played dandy shandy, bat and ball, hopscotch and jacks. As adults, they have invested in real estate and played a pivotal role in sustaining remittances to the country. However, once they land at the Norman Manley or Sangster International airports here, the words on the
I guess this is what they really mean by “Black Irish”
First Obama had to release his birth certificate to prove that he is an American. Now he has released his ancestoral tree to prove that he is actually Irish: The President and the First Lady are on a visit today to his Irish ancestoral home of Moneygall. This will of-course greatly improve his re-election bid back home. First time around he bamboozled the African-American community to vote for hi
“Better or Bitter Life for all?” by Nkwazi Mhango
When I deeply muse on how an arrogant and brutal cabal of hoity toity (Coverted Con Men (CCM)) is tirelessly hoodwinking and dividing the hoi polloi of ill-fated Africa, like a bomb, I feel like exploding. I’m not a medical doctor. But thanks to my knowledge in psychology, education, journalism, law and conflict resolution studies, I can easily predict the gloomy future of Africa shall things rema
sat’day riddymz
From Jazzuloo Bob Marley: 6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981 I can’t believe it’s been 30 years ago since our musical prophet died. I grew up with his music in my formative years in Jamaica. His music brought pride and clarity to my teenage years. His music brought wisdom and calm to my adult life. I have passed this legacy onto my son.
IPS Inter Press Service Earth Alert: Confronting Climate Change ★ 17
WORLD: Tropical Forest Summit Opens
Heads of state from the Amazon, Congo and Borneo-Mekong basins are meeting in the Congolese capital, Brazzaville: leaders hope to reach an accord on sound management of valuable rainforest ecoystems, but civil society actors believe the problems faced by local populations may be ignored.
SOUTH AFRICA: Sound Policy Key to Renewable Energy
A radical rethink of current energy policy can cut South Africa's greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent in 2050 compared to 1990 levels. More than that - after an initial spike in investment - South Africans four decades down the line would pay 23 billion dollars per year less for their electricity compared to business as usual.
EUROPE: New Move to Protect Virgin Forests
Seven countries from the Carpathian Region in Eastern Europe have signed a protocol to prevent one of Europe's last natural and virgin forests from disappearing at the hands of illegal logging.
World Bank Calibrating its Measurement of Sustainability
The World Bank is working to update the mechanisms it uses to measure the effects of the financing it provides, particularly in environmental and social terms, now that it is gearing up to administer the new Green Climate Fund.
Europe Sowing the Seeds of Hunger
Europe is facing a hungry future unless it changes agricultural policies and makes farmers the main participants in agriculture research, a new report has found. And there is little hope of meeting Europe's recently announced goal of reducing the loss of biodiversity in ten years without making those changes.
A Dark Day for Brazil's Amazon Jungle
The same day that the lower house of the Brazilian Congress approved a reform of the forestry code that would make it easier to clear land in the Amazon jungle for agriculture, a husband and wife team of activists who spent years fighting illegal deforestation in the rainforest were murdered.
Phronesisaical ★ 37
A Hundred Years of the Atom
As we know it, that is.A hundred years ago today, Ernest Rutherford published a paper, “The Scattering of α and β Particles by Matter and the Structure of the Atom,” in the Philosophical Magazine. He described atoms as we visualize them today, with most of the mass concentrated in a tiny nucleus. The full story is here.That's one of those facts that give great power to science. From that discovery
Cancer Risks from Radiation
What most people want to know when they read about a reactor accident like Fukushima is how dangerous it is, particularly to themselves. The media responds poorly to the desire for that information, not without good reason.The link between radiation and cancer risk is complex and difficult to understand, particularly for low doses of radiation, which is what most people, including reactor operator
Increased Cancer Risks From Radiation for Workers and Children in Japan
I’ve finally gotten to where I’ve wanted to be in working through BEIR VII: capable of evaluating radiation doses at Fukushima in terms of health risk. I would have liked to have been able to evaluate the radiation readings at various places around Japan in terms of health risk, but that is a few steps further still. I have a busy summer coming up, and I may not be able to get to that.It’s too bad
What Are the Lockheed Martin Hackers Looking For?
This week brought an announcement of a very big hack: Lockheed Martin said that it had thwarted unauthorized entry to its computers by apparently the same hackers who got the secret of the RSA SecureID tokens, cards that generate random numbers in sync to authenticate users of computer systems. According to Lockheed, no harm was done because of their system security features.That is, of course, th
Gil Scott-Heron
NY Times: Gil Scott-Heron, Voice of Black Culture, Dies at 62LA Times: Gil Scott-Heron dies; music pioneer was 62The Guardian (February review of Gil's last album): Gil Scott-Heron: the godfather of rap comes backBottom image from here.
Convergence
"Choose your enemy carefully, for you will become like him."I've long been concerned that the United States and Soviet Union were on convergent courses. Not in everything, perhaps, but in many significant ways. Perhaps it's just the side effects of being superpowers together.Russia has picked up some of those threads; how could it not?Today's news had more than the usual amount of convergence.Russ
Pickled Politics ★ 28
Why the murder of journalist Saleem Shahzad matters
Pakistani TV is reporting that the body found today of a dead man was indeed that of journalist Saleem Shahzad. I hadn’t heard of this case earlier but I’ve been horrified by it. A few days ago Shahzad wrote an investigative article for Asia Times pointing out that Al-Qaeda elements and the Pakistani navy had been negotiating over some prisoners. When the talks broken down, Karachi naval base got
Moscow gay pride protest marchers attacked
Peter Tatchell, who went to Moscow to protest against the government’s decision to ban the gay pride march, reports on the violence directed against him and others by both neo-Nazis and the police. A number of observers pointed out the collusion between the neo-Nazis and the police: I went to City Hall to protest but was separated from our Moscow Gay Pride group. Neo-Nazis identified me for attack
Geneticist warns of dangers of cousin marriage
Professor Steve Jones, a highly respected geneticist, has warned about the dangers of inbreeding. Using Bradford as an example, he pointed out that 75% of Pakistanis in Bradford marry their cousins: ‘There may be some evidence that cousins marrying one another can be harmful,’ he told an audience at the Hay Festival. ‘We should be concerned about that as there can be a lot of hidden genetic damag
How Asians in the USA are doing
There’s an interesting study into the demographics of the different Asian communities in the USA. Jeanne Batalova examined the size, distribution, demographics and socioeconomic characteristics of immigrants from Eastern Asia, South Central Asia, South Eastern Asia, and Western Asia. Using the most recent government data available, it was found that: · Immigrants from Asia number more th
Leading by example
It has been revealed that David Cameron spent around £680,000 of taxpayers’ money on Downing Street last year: Records of all government spending reveal nine bills for the refurbishment of Downing Street including £30,000 for work he and his wife Samantha carried out on the No 11 flat last summer. The centrepiece of their revamp was the kitchen, revealed this week in official photographs of the Pr
Depressing gender census data in India and tackling the problem
The latest figures from India’s national census make for grim reading. Between 2001 and 2011 the gender ratio (number of girls compared to number of boys per thousand) worsened, with only 914 girls for every 1000 boys being recorded, down from a ratio of 974:1000 in 1961. Some of the worst offending states, especially Haryana, did see slight improvements, but this was more than offset by the decli
infowarsnews at Yahoo! Groups ★ 41
Nanny State Betrays Decline and Fall of America
Nanny State Betrays Decline and Fall of America Firework ban, tree ordinance latest examples of rampant authoritarian assault on all levels of society Paul
Footage of Western Troops Confirms Criminality of War on Libya
Footage of Western Troops Confirms Criminality of War on Libya NATO forces have broken the terms of their own resolution, Obama deceived nation in speech Paul
Big Sis Pre-Crime System to Scan Americans For "Malintent"
Big Sis Pre-Crime System to Scan Americans For "Malintent" Guilty until proven innocent - physiological sensors and DHS interrogations to control behavior at
Obama's Promise to Veto Worldwide War Bill Rings Hollow
Obama's Promise to Veto Worldwide War Bill Rings Hollow Another nail in the coffin of the American republic Paul Joseph Watson Prison Planet.com Friday, May
TSA Thug Grabs Crotch of Injured Vet
TSA Thug Grabs Crotch of Injured Vet One more reason why this odious federal agency needs to be abolished Paul Joseph Watson Prison Planet.com Friday, May 27,
Republican Lt. Governor Killed TSA Bill For Obama
Republican Lt. Governor Killed TSA Bill For Obama Creature of federal government played role of Judas in betraying his own state Paul Joseph Watson Prison
WWF - Latest News ★ 22
Leaders at Brazzaville summit must make brave choices to save world’s forests
Congo Brazzaville, May 31 –Leaders of the world’s key tropical forest countries must make brave choices at this week’s Brazzaville rainforest summit and show commitment to save their forests and support the fight against devastating consequences of climate change. The Amazon, Borneo-Mekong and Congo forest blocks account for one third of the planet’s forests. These vast expanses of forest play a
WWF calls for justice on Amazon assasinations
Pará state, Brazil: WWF-Brazil has called on Federal Police to conduct "an agile, in depth investigation" of the murder of a couple who were prominent community leaders in the fight against illegal logging. A statement issued by WWF Brazil reads: "With great sadness and indignation WWF-Brazil received the news of the cowardly assassination of a married couple of extractive agriculturalists, Ma
States unite to protect primeval European forests
Bratislava, Slovakia: Europe's largest areas of old growth forests outside Russia are to be protected across the seven country span of the Carpathian Mountains. The commitment comes in the form of a Protocol on Sustainable Forest Management, signed today in Bratislava, Slovakia, by ministers of all the Carpathian Convention countries - the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slov
Russian government moves to protect critically endangered whales
Companies seeking oil extraction rights to a newly available concession off Russia’s Sakhalin Island will not be permitted to conduct activities while Western gray whales are present. The seasonal restriction, imposed by the Russian government, will require developers to conduct activities only from late November to late May, when the whales are away from their summer feeding grounds around the is
WWF and FISA launch their Clean Water alliance
Gland, Switzerland - FISA, the World Rowing Federation (“World Rowing”) and WWF have announced their strategic alliance for the promotion of Clean Water. The two organisations have agreed to use this alliance to promote Clean Water and to educate rowers and those who follow the sport, about its importance to the global environment. Efforts will be made to establish new best practices in sustaina
Kiwis want over a third of New Zealand oceans protected
Wellington, New Zealand - New Colmar Brunton polling has revealed that New Zealanders want more than a third of their oceans protected in marine reserves – a 100-fold increase on current levels. The research, commissioned and published by WWF-New Zealand today has found more than nine in ten New Zealanders (96%) think more of New Zealand’s oceans should be protected in ‘no take’ marine reserves
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