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Suzie-Q ★ 34 
The Invisible Army
More than seventy thousand “third-country nationals” work for the American military in war zones; many report being held in conditions resembling indentured servitude by subcontractors who operate outside the law. Photographs by Peter Van Agtmael. Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/06/06/110606fa_fact_stillman#ixzz1Q1MvrrLM The Invisible Army For foreign workers on U.S. bases in Ira
Christ Rice: Ca$hing in on Hard Times
Click pic to enlarge A coleague just resently recieved this in the mail from the future CEO of this company. We’re excited about moving forward on this and anticipate putting food on the table on a global basis. and as far as promotion goes, all options will be on the table. When the times get tough, the Oregonians get tougher. This is a sure candidate for a small business loan because
Supreme Court Sides With Wal-Mart In Sex Bias Case
Supreme Court Sides With Wal-Mart In Sex Bias Case Huffington Post First Posted: 06/20/11 10:30 AM ET Updated: 06/20/11 02:16 PM ET WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday blocked a massive sex discrimination lawsuit against Wal-Mart on behalf of female employees in a decision that makes it harder to mount large-scale bias claims against the nation’s biggest companies. The justices all agre
Afternoon Jukebox: Rolling In The Deep
Adele – Rolling In The Deep
(title unknown) ★ 6
sat’day riddymz
WOW!! It’s hard to fathom that it’s been 2 years ago today already that MJ died. I for one have come to appreciate his music more and more.
Voodoo and Vaccines in Benin, Africa
One.org: Save 4 million children’s lives in 5 years
Father’s Day Medley
1. Far Better Men Than I: My Vision for My Sons 2. My Contribution to Society 3. We Were Once Kings 4. Sunday Chat with Dad 5. Call to Fatherhood 6. Rebirth of a Cool Dad 7. The Trials of Single Fatherhood
Amygdala ★ 1
A Good Copyediting Job, And A Big Favor To Me
A GOOD COPYEDITING JOB, AND A BIG FAVOR TO MEA very important to me friend of mine -- not me -- with solid copyediting experience is looking for immediate freelance or permanent or temporary copyediting or proofreading work of any sort, either by mail/shipping, or locally in the Bay Area. CV upon request.She's also available at present for any sort of office work in the Bay Area, or other work su
IPS Inter Press Service Earth Alert: Confronting Climate Change ★ 44
Mauritania Could Lose Its Capital City to the Sea
For the past five years, water has been seeping out of the ground beneath parts of Nouakchott, undermining foundations and transforming some areas of the Mauritanian capital into uninhabitable marshes.
Nuclear for the Poor, Renewables for the Rich?
In a debate about the future of energy, the global south wants to spend tens of billions of dollars on nuclear plants while the global north looks to spend hundreds of millions on decentralised, renewable energy.
On the Road to Green Energy for All
Like our cave-dwelling ancestors of 200,000 years ago, nearly three billion people still use fire for cooking and heating. Of those, some 1.5 billion people have no access to electricity. For a billion more, their only access is to sporadic and unreliable electricity networks.
"Microfinance Can Help Rural Communities Adapt to Climate Change"
Projects to fight climate change are being designed all around the world. But only five percent of them can be financed with the current international funds available, which means resources have to be used more wisely. Microfinance could be one solution.
Gender Indicators for Global Climate Funds Still an Afterthought
Of the millions of dollars spent on climate change projects in developing countries, little has been allocated in a way that will benefit women. Yet, in Africa, it is women who will be most affected by climate change.
U.N. Chief Quashes Reports of Run for President of Korea
Ban Ki-moon, who has been re-elected Secretary-General of the United Nations for a second five-year term beginning next January, dismissed longstanding speculation that he plans to run for the office of president in his home country, South Korea.
Obsolete ★ 26
Another unfunny short post.
David Cameron has insisted human rights issues are not "off limits" with China after holding talks with the Chinese premier, Wen Jiabao."On the contrary", Cameron said, "we had a long and fruitful discussion on the very subject. In line with Wen's insistence on treating each other as equals, he gave me a very helpful insight into how his government deals with unruly trade unionists, advice which
Unfunny short post.
Osama bin Laden was apparently considering changing the name of al-Qaida. He was pondering altering it to the frankly dull Monotheism and Jihad Group, or failing that, the Restoration of the Caliphate Group. Personally, I think he ought to have had a look at the average British high street and take inspiration from there: how about Jihads R Us, or even better, Caliphate-U-Like? If not, he could
Paul Dacre must die!
It's always nice being surprised. Just when you think those behind this nation's tabloids couldn't be any more hypocritical, pathetic or cowardly, along comes the legal threat from the Daily Mail to Kevin Arscott, blogger at Angry Mob. Two years ago he wrote a furious post on an atypical piece of Mail immigration dog-whistling which took what was a heart-warming story on the number of babies tre
All aboard the Lulz boat.
The media, just in case you haven't noticed, is a strange beast. The people behind it get terribly excited about sexy, new things like "hacking", even if they have even only a very rudimentary knowledge of the subject; then they suddenly remember that the people behind it are mostly bedroom or basement dwelling virgins with greasy hair and bad teeth, qualities they share with a fair few bloggers
And yet again, the tabloids win.
Who could possibly have wanted to be Ken Clarke over the past few weeks? At least when John Reid, David Blunkett or Jacqui Smith found themselves in the temporary eye of a tabloid storm over crime it was primarily a result of their failing to live up to the very image they had courted of themselves as common sense, salt of the earth hard liners, in tune with what the editors of the Daily Mail and
Syria Comment ★ 24
Syrian Opposition Conference: Semiramis Hotel: 200 members – First Impressions
video Syrian opposition conference held in Semiramis hotel in Damascus with 200 opposition members. Addendum” BBC’s Roundup SANA Reports that “Participants in the meeting, in their final communiqué, voiced support for the ‘”popular peaceful Intifada” for the realization of its aims as to ‘move to a civil, democratic and plural state” securing the rights: cultural, political and social, and freedom
Syria’s Opposition Faces an Uncertain Future
President Assad’s Speech: Most of the Western press disparaged the President’s third speech for being defiant and more of the same. The opposition joke about how the speech was sponsored by Dettol, the anti-bacterial disinfectant, because of the President’s use of the term “germs” to describe its enemies. Addendum: numerous readers have written to correct me: The President did not call his opponen
What is new on the Economy (24 June 2011): Oil Sanctions
Ehsani tries to answer these two questions: Is bringing down the economy and bankrupting the country a realistic danger? And as for the Lira. Is there a way to manipulate the currency from outside the country? Is it technically possible to put pressure on the Lira from governments outside? First, it is important to note that everything we read and write about Syria’s economy is speculative a
“The Alawi Dilemma – Revisited,” By Khudr
The Alawi Dilemma – Revisited By Khudr For Syria Comment June 20, 2011 Basil-Hafiz-Bashar Dr. Joshua, You are completely right when you say that most Alawis these days either support the regime (better to say that they support Assad family rule) or are living in complete denial of the situation. I have discovered that a number of my fellow Alawis who used to be staunch critics of Asad family r
Jisr al-Shaghour – the Government Story as told by a Foreign Member of the Organized Press Visit
I asked a friend who joined the organized Foreign Press Corps visit to Jisr al-Shaghour to tell me what his take was on the visit. This is his account: We got a tour of the place with lots of press. The story is that the Syrian Military Intelligence (SMI) garrison was attacked and seized over the course of about 36 hours between 4 and 5 June. 500 “armed criminals” attacked. The detachment, abou
“Where is the Truth in Conflicting Reports? Not in the Middle but at the Extremes,” by a Foreigner in Syria
“Where is the Truth? Not in the Middle but at the Extremes,” by a Foreigner in Syria (who has lived, studied and traveled there for years.) For Syria Comment June 20 2011 The stories people are hearing from their friends and family certainly give cause to question the narrative being carried by the international media. Cartoon in Jamahir Newspaper June 12, 2001, Sent by author “Eye Witness to al-
Hatewatch | Southern Poverty Law Center ★ 46
Authorities Find Bomb Apparently Targeting Immigrants in Arizona
A U.S. Border Patrol agent found a live pipe bomb while patrolling a known smuggling route west of Tucson on May 30, 2009, a classified memo released by a group that hacked the Pima County, Ariz., sheriff’s department reveals. The device, described in an intelligence bulletin issued by the department’s bomb squad as “moderately complex,” exploded [...]
News Roundup for June 23, 2011
A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit over “blatantly racist and offensive” comments made by white Philadelphia officers on the popular police Internet forum Domelights.com. The settlement requires the city to hire an anti-discrimination consultant as well as enhance anti-discrimination training within the department. Two New York men pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting [...]
News Roundup for June 24, 2011
Two men have been arrested in a plot to attack a U.S. military recruiting post in Seattle. The men, ex-convicts and Muslim coverts, allegedly planned to take over the post and shoot military personnel there to gain media attention. Six New York teens charged with murder are now under indictment for committing a hate crime in [...]
News Roundup for June 27, 2011
White nationalist Richard Poplawski was found guilty of murdering three Pittsburgh police officers in a 2009 ambush. The jury today began deliberating Poplawski’s fate. He faces the death penalty. A skinhead leader pleaded guilty to the revenge killing of a Missouri man. Eric Fairburn, co-founder of the Vinlanders Social Club and a former skinhead musician, admitted [...]
Racist Prof Latest to Join Group That Seeks White Rule in America
Racist activist Jamie Kelso announced this past Friday that long-time professor Virginia Abernethy has joined the board of the white nationalist American Third Position (ATP) political party. Established in 2009, the ATP was originally created by racist Southern California skinheads and is now led by a man who once sought to deport any American with [...]
Fundraising Drive Under Way to Help Jailed White Supremacist
August B. Kreis III, who calls himself the director of the Aryan Nations, will remain in jail in South Carolina unless he can come up with a $50,000 secured bond. A wealthy, elusive racist, who once bought a house for the late Aryan Nations leader Richard Butler, already is heading up an Internet fundraiser for [...]
ArmsControlWonk ★ 20
ENR Transfers, Pending
I just wrote a long post about not getting the Additional Protocol in the new NSG guidelines — but there is some language in a different spot that I skipped over. Hold that thought … it may not be so bad, after all.
US Loses on ENR Transfers
Meeting in Noordijk, Netherlands, the 46 members of the NSG have agreed to new guidelines on the transfer of enrichment and reprocessing technologies. The Administration is hailing this as a “significant victory.” If it was a such a big victory, why did they put it out with the trash on Friday? In fact, this is a defeat – the United States caved in to opposition by South Africa on the crucial iss
Six Years Later
On July 18, 2005, President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced their commitment to a civil nuclear energy cooperation agreement at the White House. The Bush administration pledged to take the lead in persuading the 46-member Nuclear Suppliers Group to make an exception to its restrictive rules so as to allow nuclear commerce with India. In return, the deal’s backers expect
Nuclear Matters 2011
The Office of the Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Matters — DATSD(NM) — has issued the 2011 edition of Nuclear Matters, which is significantly revised and expanded from the copy I have. (Here is a link to the 2008 edition.) Nuclear Matters is probably the most useful reference book in my library on a day-to-day basis. (I know, you are thinking “Assistant to the Secretary
Moving forward on China, Pakistan, and the NSG
Just a couple of weeks after I joined the Carnegie Endowment at the beginning of March last year, I found myself in a musty agricultural exhibition hall in east Beijing, across Dongsanhuan Beilu from the Sanlitun diplo quarter. In the corner of one wing of that Mao-flavoured building, an engineering subsidiary of China’s leading nuclear state-owned enterprise, China National Nuclear Corp, display
Reflections of A Nuclear Weaponeer
Most readers probably know how much I love books and that I have amassed a formidable library of rare books relating to nuclear weapons. There are some holes in the collection, though and Frank Shelton’s privately printed memoir, Reflections of a Nuclear Weaponeer, is one of them. A copy of Reflections of a Nuclear Weaponeer is available for sale on Amazon. At $1,745, this one is way out of my l
Craig Murray ★ 27
Frustration
I am currently reading “Outline of the Operation of the British Troops in Scinde and Afghanistan Betwixt November 1838 and November 1841 with Remarks on the Policy of the War” by Geroge Buist, published by the [Bombay] Times Office, Bombay, 1843. Only 200 copies were printed, but on Google Books you can get a full copy of one in the library of the University of California, without leaving your de
Greek Authorities Act to Block Gaza Peace Flotilla
The US ship in the Gaza peace convoy has been blocked from sailing by the Greek authorities on the grounds that they have received a “Private complaint” that the vessel is unseaworthy. This is ludicrous. What if I were to choose a large commercial vessel in a Greek port from Lloyd’s Register, and make a “privare complaint” that it is unseaworthy. Would it be blocked from sailing? Of course not
Confused of Accra
Jerry Rawlings’ office has today put out a press release accusing me of publishing a series of “scurrilous” articles about his wife, aimed at damaging her electoral chances. This is being carried widely in the Ghanaian media. This is strange to me because I have written no articles in the Ghanian media for years, and have not written anything about the Rawlings for over four years. Possibly some
Rancid Sandwich and Establishment Glastonbury
A few years ago, I was thrilled to be asked to give a talk at the Glastonbury Festival, in the “Left Field” as they called it. But when I dialled the number given to organise the details, the man who answered was very curt and rude indeed, treating me as though I was trying to cadge a free ticket, despite the fact they had contacted me and asked me to speak. In fact he was so very rude, I declin
Obama Wants More Dead Rachel Corries to Boost AIPAC Standing
I am proud to call Ray McGovern a friend. He is a retired senior member of the CIA, and was so valued as an analyst that he used to give the US President his daily intelligence briefing. Ray and I both had senior government service careers, in the course of which you make personal friendships that last, hopefully as long as you do. So sometimes we both get told things from the inside of governm
Afghan Drawdown, Libyan Murder
Could anyone watch Jeremy Bowen’s piece on BBC News last night, which showed a grieving father hugging the wrapped bodies of two tiny children killed in a NATO bombing? The fact the tiny childrens’ grandfather was a Gadaffi minister seemed to Jeremy Bowen a possible justification – he posed a dichotomy that by killing these children, more civilian lives could be saved. But how could this warping
infowarsnews at Yahoo! Groups ★ 30
Texans to Launch 'Citizen Filibuster' Over TSA Groping
Texans to Launch 'Citizen Filibuster' Over TSA Groping Campaign seeks to pressure public servants into following will of the people Paul Joseph Watson Prison
Protesters to March on Capitol Over Sabotage of TSA Groping Bill
Protesters to March on Capitol Over Sabotage of TSA Groping Bill Legislation set to be heard in both House and Senate today, but amendments inserted by Straus
Alex Jones: Beyond The Box
Alex Jones: Beyond The Box Paul Joseph Watson Infowars Saturday, June 25, 2011 In this exclusive new video for Prison Planet.tv subscribers, Alex Jones gives
Texas Lawmakers Go AWOL For Vote On TSA Groping Bill
Texas Lawmakers Go AWOL For Vote On TSA Groping Bill More dirty tricks by feds who previously intimidated Senators with threats of federal blockade? Paul
Obama Administration Caught Running False Flag Against Second Amendm
Obama Administration Caught Running False Flag Against Second Amendment Most damning evidence indicates Operation Fast and Furious was a deliberate assault on
Perry Supporter Claims Alex Jones Works For Obama
Perry Supporter Claims Alex Jones Works For Obama In accusing Infowars of being an Obama propaganda front to disseminate conspiracy theories about Rick Perry,
Pickled Politics ★ 26
Andrew Gilligan’s rubbish about the East London Mosque
Man, its a full-time job just fact-checking Andrew Gilligan and his smears. He says today that East London Mosque has already broken its commitment to banning homophobic speakers from ELM. This time, however, it has only taken just over a week for the mosque’s bad faith to emerge. The day after tomorrow, 29 June, it welcomes to its premises an organisation called Sex and Relationship Education Isl
The caste system in Britain
Nick Cohen reports on a disturbing new piece of research from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research into the caste system in Britain: Faced with the prospect of confronting the prejudices of core supporters, the Labour government preferred holding on to seats to living by liberal principles and backed away from extending anti-discrimination law to cover caste. With Labour gone, ca
Did Geert Wilders deserve to be acquitted over ‘free speech’?
Reuters reports: Dutch populist politician Geert Wilders was acquitted of inciting hatred of Muslims in a court ruling on Thursday that may strengthen his political influence and exacerbate tensions over immigration policy. The case was seen by some as a test of free speech in a country which has a long tradition of tolerance and blunt talk, but where opposition to immigration, particularly from
Crowing over Brian Haw’s death
You may have heard that peace campaigner Brian Haw died last week. Haw wasn’t a perfect man by any stretch of the imagination. But he had good ideals, he was campaigning for peace and he stuck by his mission. I deeply respect him for that. LBC radio regularly called me for a comment on why Haw should have the right to occupy that space and I resolutely defended his right every time. Far from showi
EDL’s Guramit Singh on BBC West Midlands Radio
The English Defence League’s “Sikh” spokesman Guramit “Singh”, who recently posted a message on Facebook publicly announcing his resignation, was interviewed by BBC West Midlands radio a few days ago. The issue of Guramit’s potential excommunication was one of the subjects mentioned during his radio interview; it was subsequently discussed in detail by a number of other programme participants, and
Centauri Dreams ★ 20
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altmuslim ★ 13
Sharia in the USA: Not what you think it is
You might have seen a government-required sign at a McDonald's restroom telling employees to wash their hands. Muslims do this as a part of living their faith, which is called sharia in Arabic. The Prophet Muhammad also encouraged Muslims to wash their hands before and after eating. Muslim parents raise their children on many such manners. The first chapter in almost all books on sharia is about m
Clothing and society: Encounters with the niqab
She came to interview for an internship. We had spoken earlier on the phone, a benign exchange of niceties and logistics that had belied anything unusual. Now she sat before me, blue eyes peering at me through her beige niqab. Her name was Christy, she was from Ohio and she had converted to Islam two months ago at a local mosque. I began to conduct the interview, going down my list of queries abou
Osama bin Laden: Pepsi, pot, porn… and politics
News sources have recently reported on an interesting assortment of materials at Osama bin Laden’s Abbottabad compound. Not only was bin Laden living far from any cave on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, his house apparently had a large supply of Pepsi and Coke (inexplicably, Pakola wasn’t good enough), a significant stash of pornography, and marijuana plants on the property. On the one hand, thes
Muslim identity: How Islamic is “Islamic”?
A Malaysian political leader has asked political parties in his country to stop using the word “Islam” in their names so that, “nobody can make use of the religion for their political gains.” This progressive thought is ironically closer to the classical understanding of Islam’s sacred texts. For in the early century of Islam, use of the word “Islamic” (Islamiyyah in Arabic) was limited in its sco
Nuclear Pakistan: Curse of the bomb
It is said that Pakistan was born on Aug 14, 1947. But like other hazy snapshots in the tampered-with album of our wishful history, this fact, nurtured through rote and repetition, has faltered under the weight of reality. If the fervor of homage and sacrifice is a reason to reconfigure Pakistan’s creation story, then the country was actually born on May 28, 1998. On that day, Pakistan announced
Finance: What if the IMF head was a Muslim?
The inflation adjusted billion dollar question has become, ‘what nationality should lead the International Monetary Fund (IMF)?’ It used to be the $64,000 question, and then became the million dollar question. This says something about the ‘naked’ dollar or US influence or both. The tradition has been the Managing Director of the IMF was European. The tradition and traditional thinking has gotten
Texas Liberal ★ 44
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WWF - Latest News ★ 23
More than 1000 new species found in New Guinea
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea - A remarkable 1,060 new species have been discovered the island of New Guinea from 1998 to 2008, but poorly planned and unsustainable development - particularly from logging and forest conversion to agriculture - is putting many of these unique creatures at risk, a new WWF study finds. Final Frontier: Newly Discovered species of New Guinea (1998 – 2008) shows that
World’s biggest cement producer fights climate change by cutting emissions and developing energy efficient buildings
Gland, Switzerland – WWF and Lafarge, the world’s largest cement maker, today agreed to continue working together to further reduce the company’s greenhouse gas emissions and to help build hundreds of energy-efficient buildings – targets that will help fight the effects of climate change. As part of its ongoing partnership with WWF, Lafarge committed to further reduce its net greenhouse gas emiss
Arrests made in Uganda mountain gorilla death
Three men have been arrested for killing a critically endangered mountain gorilla in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, according to Ugandan officials. The male gorilla was discovered dead by Uganda Wildlife Authority trackers on June 17. Officials say the gorilla was speared through the neck and shoulder by the suspects who encountered it in the park while illegally poaching antelopes. Autho
Sweet news for environment as sustainable sugar comes to market
Sao Paulo, Brazil: A mill in Sao Paulo, Brazil has become the first to have its sugar cane production certified under the new Bonsucro sustainability standard. “This will change the sugar cane industry forever,” said Kevin Ogorzalek, WWF-US programme officer and Chairman of the Bonsucro Board. “Sugar is everywhere, on our tables, in our drinks, and in the food we eat. Increasingly sugar cane is
Brazilians reject axing of forest protections
Brasilia, Brazil: Nearly 80 percent of Brazilians want President Dilma Rousseff to veto proposed changes to the country’s Forest Law that would dramatically slash forest protection measures and offer wide-ranging amnesties for illegal deforestation. The finding was contained in poll results carried out by the Datafolha polling institute in early June at the request of environmental organizations
Massive destruction of “Europe’s Amazon” planned ahead of Croatia’s accession to the EU
Osijek, Croatia – 111 kilometres of "Europe’s Amazon”, comprising parts of the natural meandering river stretches of the Danube, Drava and Mura rivers in Croatia could be channelled in a way that would destroy Europe’s largest river protected area without bringing any real economic benefit to the region. What is more, this old fashioned way of river management is being enforced ahead of the coun
Phronesisaical ★ 30
Curses Upon Stupidity and Venality
Someone last week had to have a fire somewhere near the Borrego Trail. Or flicked a lit cigarette butt. Now we have the Pacheco Fire eating up the Pecos Wilderness, 7000 acres or so and only starting to be contained. Today, someone had to have a fire at Las Conchas, one of the prettiest places that New Mexico State Road 4 winds through in the Jemez Mountains. Or it used to be. If I took a picture
Mamoncillos
Top photo: chiujason flickrBottom photo: f_msantos flickr
Another Way To Look At Community Organizing
From Ezra Klein: When presidents succeed in presiding over great change, they do so by recognizing an existing opportunity, not squeezing one from the stone of existing opposition. The way I've been saying it is that Obama is trying to get the rest of us energized and moving toward whatever it is we want. We are the people, after all, and he can't and shouldn't be doing it alone.Add in something I
Reworking Paradigms
Perry Link writes about his disillusionment, as a convinced Marxist, with the China he actually saw. Pure ideology usually doesn't stand up to reality. I keep hoping that the Republicans will experience something like this, but I can't think just now of a country that practices pure whatever it is that they seem to believe in. One of the ways to hang on to an ideology is to make it abstract or cha
Bits and Pieces - June 21, 2011
It's hard to be cheerful these days. The Republicans have abdicated any pretense of being a responsible political party and want to destroy the country in order to get elected. I think that they would change that last infinitive to "to save it," but that gets harder and harder to believe. Balloon Juice front-pagers keep using the metaphor of the circus clown car for the Republican presidential fie
Nuclear Misinformation Followup
This is what smoke looks like. Not at all like that video. This picture is of the Pacheco Canyon Fire, northeast of Santa Fe, last night. The smoke is way down today. The tankers have been overhead yesterday until dark and all day today. Sorry the image is blurry. For some reason, the camera was very uncooperative.Update: Unfortunately, the wind has whipped the fire up again. Here's a better pictu
red ★ 12
New Track
It occurs to me that the two most recent posts to this blog have concerned chunder, horse semen, and bowel burgers. I don’t think we need any more of that here. Lest next I descend to posting selections from the outhouse sequence in Ulysses, or maybe great chunks of Celine. So, on this Saturday night, let’s go somewhere Real. Like space. Courtesy one of the shows from the 1971 Port Chester telepat
Bottoms Up
Once upon a time there flickered a possibility that I might venture to Australia, there to compile a travel guide to the place. So I spent a fair amount of time soaking up information about the various whys and wherefores of the down-under realm. Among the things I learned was that Australians, and particularly Australian males, can tend towards a relationship with alcohol that is somewhat reminis
Waste Not, Want Not
There are some problems here. The planet is damaged, depleted by agricultural/industrial pollution and deranged by greenhouse gases; it’s overpopulated and over-policed; the land, it is exhausted; the oceans, they are dying. Or so it was set forth in the 1973 cinematic dystopia Soylent Green. Several years ago I ran this film for someone who had never before seen it. When it was over, she said: “I
Each Star’s A Pool Of Water
In Neal Stephenson’s Anathem, Arbrean avout several times dialog the notion of a sun with a block of ice at its core, as an example of a Reality that might require some trouble to reach, unmoored as it is from what hereabouts is considered Possible. Today, however, the worldtrack of a sun with a block of ice at its core, has strayed significantly closer to Terran consensus reality. In the 1936 C&a
Feel Like Goin’ Home
The surge to retain the surge in Afghanistan has begun. Friday morning the Wall Street Journal reported that the nation’s military “is asking President Barack Obama to hold off on ending the Afghanistan troop surge until the fall of 2012, in a proposal that would keep a large portion of the 33,000 extra forces in the country through the next two warm-weather fighting seasons.” From the Journal jum
They’re All Wasted
I’m thinking that if I had it to do over again, I might be a Science Man. Because it is becoming increasingly clear to me that Science Men get paid money to do Fun Things. For instance, the Science Man Andrew Adamatzky of the University of the West of England recently decided that it should be determined whether slime moulds prefer food, or drugs. Adamatzky is something of an aficionado of slime m
Obsidian Wings ★ 14
The arc of history
has bent once more toward justice. (by Doctor Science) from twitpic As Andrew Sullivan says, "This is the moment that marriage for gay couples became irreversible in America." New York is too big, too rich, and too important for marriages made there not to be accepted elsewhere in the country. And the NY State Senate has a *Republican* majority, and the bill was promoted by a *Republican* NYC
Of mice and men Friday open thread
I am more convinced of the existence of synchronicity, because as the Weiner gate storm was unfolding, there were news stories like this, that I put below the fold. They are about the excitement of archeologists discovering sacks of human excrement discovered under the ancient Roman city of Herculeum. While the title sounds like their find was pre-bagged, reading the article makes it seem like &#
You Are Now Leaving the First World
by Doctor Science The United States is no longer a First World country, not all the way through. A meme-engendering 1895 cartoon in "Punch", by George Du Maurier. We're not a First World country because we no longer have one of their most important characteristics: a high and steadily-increasing life expectancy. A study released this week shows that in significant areas of the US life expectan
How to tell harassment from the P Game
by Doctor Science Now that Anthony Weiner has made a noise like a hoop and rolled away, I've been able to get someone to tell me, coherently, what he *did*. During the melee last week it was impossible for me to get information about the most important issue, because it was so hard to find anyone who would talk about it. I felt as though the entire news media was playing a game which I'm told is
Your Friday rainy season thread
Japan, my students tell me dutifully, is a country with 4 seasons, but I have never figured out which one they take out to make room for the rainy season. Fortunately, I was prepared for the whole concept by these torrential downpours we used to have in Southern Mississippi, but other places in the US would have had me less prepared. I still have that Pacific Northwest habit of never using an umbr
The Trauma of War: Going or Staying Behind
by Doctor Science An absolutely not-to-be-missed discussion is taking place in the comments to Ta-Nehesi Coates' post, "The Great Trauma Of Your Generation". TNC front-pages a comment on Shelby Foote:While other celebrated [the Japanese surrender] in the streets, Foote was devastated that World War II was over. According to Tony Horowitz, he had "missed the great trauma of his own generation's ad
Pesticide Action Network ★ 16
Birth defects linked to pesticides, again
It's been more than a few years now, but I remember the roller coaster ride of pregnancy like it was yesterday. Nine months of bouncing from giddy excitement to mind-bending worry, pure joy to frantic nesting. Powerful emotions are amplified by equally powerful hormones, working overtime. As scientists report yet again this week, those churning hormones also make exposure to pesticides dur
Pesticides to be stripped from Clean Water Act - Call your Senator!
Last week we alerted readers to behind-the-scenes lobbying in Congress that would strip pesticide protections from our nation's stongest environmental laws. On Tuesday, June 21st, the Senate Agriculture Committee quietly approved legislation to exempt pesticide applications from permitting requirements under the Clean Water Act — with no notice, and no press. The bill, Reducing Regulatory
Tell Obama: Good food = fair food
This morning, while my boys are eating breakfast, I’m going to take a moment to mentally thank our local dairy farmers for the milk on our table and our chicken farmers for our eggs. Then I’m going to pick up the phone and call the President. It won’t take long, and it’s really important. Family farmers and ranchers' livelihoods are on the line. read more
U.S. Pesticide law is broken - and industry knows it
Right now, behind closed doors in DC, pesticide industry lobbyists are maneuvering to strip critical pesticide protections from federal law. This week it's the Clean Water Act, next week it may very well be the Endangered Species Act. And they think nobody’s watching.read more
Pesticide residues: From fork to farm
Apples and celery this week. Cilantro a couple back. Stories about pesticide residues on food are making the rounds again. After my umpteenth media call, a blog seemed in order. As I told the LA Times, here's my basic response: "It’s the farmers, farmworkers and residents of rural communities who are really most at risk" from pesticides, not consumers. While these folks are expos
It's the (political) economy, stupid!
A New York Times Environment reporter has been pumping out a series of attention-getting blogs on agriculture, climate change and the environment. So far, so good. But, while glad to see serious attention given to this intersection, I was disappointed by the author’s apparent infatuation with the promise of technological miracle cures to increase yields, evident in his near-reverential regard fo
American Leftist ★ 10
Taking Care of My Mother
So, I probably won't be posting anything until early next week. But I do anticipate getting back in the regular routine soon. I have, however, had enough time to notice that the Greek situation is getting more and more turbulent, with the US, through the IMF, trying to muscle through a full bailout of European lenders. Can the Greeks on the street stop it? Can they pull down the edifice of the
Blockade of Greek Parliament Planned for Tomorrow
My mother is ill, and I am visiting her to assist with some medical issues. Meanwhile, there is a blockade of the Greek parliament planned for tomorrow to prevent it from approving yet another, more severe austerity plan imposed by the IMF, the EU, and the European Central Bank. For an anti-authoritarian perspective as events unfold, go here. While protesters are about to engage in a massive di
The Perpetual Warfare State
The leadership of the United States is bent upon proving that the truth of the old anarchist maxims about the relationship of the state to violence, as concisely articulated by Randolph Borne: War is essentially the health of the state. One cannot access any news source in the US without being confronted with stories about US military actions in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Libya, with articl
Zionist Food Coop of Sacramento
The saga continues. For those of you who read the linked article, you will discover that it describes activities reminscent of what transpired in regard to the attempted takeover of KPFA in the late 1990s. In both instances, the governing boards acted to concentrate power in themselves so as to render them unaccountable to anyone else. At KPFA, the Pacifica Board wanted to prepare the ground fo
Zionist Food Coop of Sacramento
Faced with the competitive peril of the direct delivery of organic produce by local farmers, it is hard to imagine how the embrace of Zionism by the Sacramento Natural Foods Coop is going to help.
GeneSharpTaughtMe
I don't recall if I have posted about it here, but I have ascerbically commented elsewhere upon the ethnocentrism associated with the belief that American radical pacifist Gene Sharp played a promiment inspirational role in regard to the Egyptian protests that brought down Mubarak, as reported in the New York Times in February: Few Americans have heard of Mr. Sharp. But for decades, his practical
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