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Thomas Paine

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

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

21 February - My Feedly Page II

Robert Mugabe at the Vatican City while attend...Image via Wikipedia
Français : Manifestation contre le régime de R...Image via Wikipedia
Prime Minister Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe depar...Image via Wikipedia
English: Procession in Zimbabwe of Robert Muga...Image via Wikipedia

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ALEC - An Evil That Knows No Boundaries
"It's interesting to me that (ALEC) has managed to stay below the radar and secretive for many, many years," Underwood said in a phone conversation. "It piques my curiosity. Why have they worked so hard to be secretive all of these years?""Today, ALEC calls this approach ‘choice' and renames vouchers ‘scholarships,' but its aim is clear: Defund and dismantle public schools," particularly low-incom
TSA: Tyrants Sucker America
VIDEO AVAILABLE SHORTLY by James Corbett BoilingFrogsPost.com February 21, 2012 Welcome. This is James Corbett of The Corbett Report with your Eyeopener report for BoilingFrogsPost.com. Of all of the myriad agencies, bureaucracies, laws and legislation that have sprung up to oppress the American citizenry in this age of the unending war against an abstract noun, perhaps none have garnered as much
Mugabe scoffs at calls to retire
In power since 1980, Zimbabwe's president declares himself "fit as a fiddle" as he celebrates his 88th birthday.


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Food World Order 008 – Organics to You
James Evan Pilato guest hosts Corbett Report Radio while James is out of town. He covers the latest news and information from around the world and goes over all the latest in the Food World Order. Thanks to Morgan Lesko of WikiWorldOrder for hosting this video on his YouTube account.
Corbett Report Radio 067 – Solutions: Cognitive Liberty with Richard Grove
Richard Grove, Lisa Arbercheski, Paul Verge and Tony Myers of the Tragedy and Hope community fills in for James while he’s out of town. They discuss the solution to so many of the problems facing us today: cognitive liberty. They also discuss the brand new film project The Ultimate History Lesson: A Weekend With John Taylor Gatto. Click here for details of how to purchase the film and for document
Corbett Report Radio 066 – MediaMonarchy with James Evan Pilato
James Evan Pilato of mediamonarchy.com guest hosts while James is out of town. He goes over all the latest news and information from around the world, from foreclosuregate to the Syrian crisis and everything in between. He also takes your calls and goes over the regular Thursday night FoodWorldOrder update.
Corbett Report Radio 065 – OKC Updates with James Lane
James Lane and Holland Van den Nieuwenhof of the documentary film “A Noble Lie” and Kevin Hayden of TruthIsTreason.net fill in while James is out of town. They discuss details of the OKC false flag and the behind-the-scenes details of the disgraceful response to Hurricane Katrina.
Blackballed: How the FBI Bends FOIA
[CLICK HERE to continue watching this report on Boiling Frogs Post.] by James Corbett BoilingFrogsPost.com February 7, 2012 The Freedom of Information Act is intended to be one of the American citizens’ key checks against the fraud and corruption that inevitably happens in the corridors of power when information can be hidden behind a secrecy classification. Originally enacted in 1966, it has been

 
 

CPAC Straw Poll Results 2012: Mitt Romney Wins Conservative Vote
Huff Post – Posted: 2/11/12  |  Updated: 2/11/12 Mitt Romney won this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) straw poll. Rick Santorum came in second, with Newt Gingrich in third place and Ron Paul in fourth. Here’s a breakdown of the results for the presidential contenders: Romney: 38% Santorum: 31% Gingrich: 15% Paul: 12% Romney addressed the crowd at CPAC on Friday. “My path
Obama Approval Ratings Rise Tracks Increasing Consumer Confidence
Huff Post- First Posted: 02/10/2012  4:35 pm Updated: 02/10/2012  4:57 pm By- Max Blumenthal WASHINGTON — On Thursday, the Gallup Daily tracking poll marked a symbolic milestone. For the first time in more than a month and only the third time since last July, Gallup reported an approval rating for President Barack Obama (49 percent) that was slightly higher than his disapproval rating (46 percent
Afternoon Jukebox: We Take Care Of Our Own
Bruce Springsteen – We Take Care Of Our Own This song has been selected by President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign, along with some other songs, which I will post those, as well.
String of Positive Economic News Helps Boost Obama’s Job Approval
FDL- By: Jon Walker Thursday February 9, 2012 1:34 pm Recently we have seen a string of positive economic indicators that all point to the same general pattern. While the individual pieces are subjectively good compared to pre-crisis level, the data gives the clear impression that the economy is modestly trending in a positive direction. The GDP increased at an annual rate of 2.8 percent in the fo

 
 

Mainstreaming teh Crazy
In an attempt to give both sides equal time, Brian Resnick today looks into the question of fluoride in water supplies. As he admits, it's the Tea Partiers who are bringing up this pollution of our precious bodily fluids, which might supply a clue to his question But why is politicized opposition to fluoride happening now?Or one may consult General Jack D. Ripper in the video clip above from "Dr.
Bits and Pieces - February 8, 2012
42,000 year old drawings of seals, from Spain. The oldest human drawings found so far. via The Agonist.Where are the leaks on the Obama 2013 budget?In case you still harbor any respect for Congress, check out this and this.The state of California has cut off all its funding for libraries.No, radical muslims have not been a problem in the US for quite some time now.If Israel weren't freaking out ov
Bits and Pieces - February 7, 2012
My partner reappears and plunges the blog into darkness. I think he is waiting for the muse to inspire something even more beautiful than what we've had in the past. Why It's Kicking Off Everywhere: the contagion of revolution. A lot to think about.Why the free market is the wrong way to fund medical research.Nuke your house using NukeMap.
On the Beaches
A new round of EPA grants totaling almost $10 million will help states monitor and assess the state of their beaches — something that’s sorely needed, according to the Surfrider Foundation’s State of the Beach report findings, which explains the challenges of tracking the condition of beaches around the country.The EPA is also launching the new BEACON website to provide timely information on beach
Manchurian Tea Partier
Romney as Tea Party Perfect:...if he ends up in the general-election race, Romney’s campaign will rarely mention the tea party. While throwing occasional red meat to the conservative faithful, he will generally repackage himself as a centrist who knows how to grow the economy and create jobs. Some voters and commentators may even conclude that the “true Romney,” the moderate Romney, is reemerging

 
 

US Warns Iran Not To Fight Back Against Israeli Attack
US Warns Iran Not To Fight Back Against Israeli Attack US warship remains in Strait Of Hormuz amidst simmering tensions Paul Joseph Watson Prison Planet.com
Full Body Scanners At Super Bowl 2012
Full Body Scanners At Super Bowl 2012 First time devices linked with cancer risk used for public sports event Paul Joseph Watson Prison Planet.com Thursday,

Obsolete
 
 
 
 

We're all in the same boat - apparently.
I have to admit to being thoroughly uninspired so far this week, with the poverty of recent politics not helping. Thankfully, Adam Curtis has updated his almost worth the licence fee alone blog, this time with a post on the initial utopian ideals of those behind cruise liners. Read alongside Jon Ronson's piece from last year on the disappearance of Rebecca Coriam from the Disney Wonder cruise sh
Learned nothing and forgotten nothing.
The civil service is, as we know, politically neutral. It's therefore implausible, not to mention offensive to suggest that the Forfeiture Committee was in any way lent on or obliging towards the government in deciding that Fred Goodwin should lose his knighthood. Just as David Cameron has been made to look weak and vacillating in his refusal to say Stephen Hester shouldn't be receiving a bonus
Looking for "errors" products?
The things you find when you look for the latest album by the "post-electro" band on Mogwai's Rock Action label:(The Mail has apparently been tagged as such due to the mistakes in the paper's Kindle edition, but hey, it works both ways.)

 
 

High-level call for green revolution should be heeded, says WWF
Gland, Switzerland: The UN High-Level Panel for Global Sustainability call for a radical redesign of the global economy for a healthy environment and social well-being deserves a wide audience and the full attention of all governments before this year’s Rio+20 Earth Summit, global environment organization WWF said today. Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future worth Choosing, more than a yea
Illegal ivory trade booms during Egypt's Arab Spring
The illegal trade in elephant ivory is flourishing in Egypt due to a lack of law enforcement, combined with the entrance into the market of a major new consumer—the Chinese buyer, according to a new TRAFFIC investigation. The new report, Illegal ivory sales in Egypt, published in the latest issue of the TRAFFIC Bulletin states “Egypt remains one of Africa’s largest markets for illegal ivory item
Sustainable business edges up Davos agenda
The World Economic Forum, meeting this week in Davos, Switzerland, is the biggest annual gathering of influential thinkers and leaders from the worlds of business, politics, media and civil society. WWF Director General Jim Leape explains why WWF is there. What are the main environmental issues on your mind going into this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos? There is an ever greater need for a
Both sides of the river protection confirmed for Danube sturgeons
Sofia, Bulgaria: Bulgarian authorities have confirmed that a one year ban on sturgeon fishing in the Danube river is to be extended for a further four years.  Bulgaria's original ban ended the anomaly of sturgeon receiving protection only on the Romanian side of the Danube, following that country's 2006 announcement of a 10 year sturgeon fishing ban. “It is of utmost importance that
Indonesia signals intent to conserve Borneo’s “lungs of the world”
Jakarta - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed a decree on Jan 5 authorising conservation of at least 45 percent of its share of the island of Borneo, known as Kalimantan.  The decree covers a massive area of more than 250,000 km2 encompassing vast tracts of rainforest in the Heart of Borneo and landscapes beyond. "At least 45 percent of Indonesian Borneo will serve as the lungs
Tiger captured for first time using northeastern India wildlife corridor
New Delhi - The New Year brought a new surprise for wildlife monitoring teams near northeastern India’s Kaziranga Tiger Reserve, as a tiger was captured for the first time using one of the important wildlife corridors south of the famous park. The Karbi Anglong landscape south of Kaziranga has been used by wildlife for generations during peak monsoon periods when the Reserve itself if flooded.

 
 
 

Project Bifrost: Return to Nuclear Rocketry
Back in the days when I was studying Old Icelandic (this was a long time ago, well before Centauri Dreams), I took a bus out of Reykjavik for the short journey to Þingvellir, where the Icelandic parliament was established in the 10th Century. It was an unusually sunny day but that afternoon the storms rolled in, and just before sunset I remember looking out from the small hotel where I was staying
The Dunes of Titan
The methane/ethane cycle we see on Titan is reminiscent of the water cycle on Earth, which is what people are really talking about when they refer to this frigid place as vaguely ‘Earth-like’ — this is not exactly a temperate climate! But we have a long way to go in understanding just how the cycle operates on the distant moon, which is why new work on Titan’s sand dunes is drawing interest. By st
Eternal Monuments Among the Stars
Yesterday’s post looked at SETI and its assumptions, using the lens of a new paper on how the discipline might be enlarged. The paper’s authors, Robert Bradbury, Milan Ćirković and George Dvorsky, are not looking to supplant older SETI methods, but rather to broaden their scope by bringing into play what we are learning about astrobiology and artificial intelligence. It is perilous, obviously, to
Rethinking SETI’s Targets
Have you ever given any thought to intergalactic SETI? On the face of it, the idea seems absurd — we have been doing SETI in one form or another since the days of Project Ozma and without result. If we can’t pick up radio signals from nearby stars that tell us of extraterrestrial civilizations, how could we expect to do so at distances like M31’s 2.573 million light years, not to mention even the

It Takes Two to Tango
by Doctor Science The current issue of Christian Century has several articles about dating, sex, and relationships. One is about College chaplains on the hookup culture, with commentary by six chaplains from across the spectrum of American colleges: state schools, Ivy League, Christian, small, and large. Vermeer's Girl with a Wineglass. Her face is certainly rather odd, but the expression to
Something Strange on the Way to Writing this Post
--by Sebastian You may or may not have been aware that the US government was pushing the Supreme Court to allow warrantless placement of GPS tracking devices with unlimited monitoring.  But it was.  United States v. Antoine Jones The Supreme Court was about to hand down the decision so I was gearing up to write something scathing about an out of touch institution with idiot conservative justices w
Look away, Dixieland
by liberal japonicus Haley Barbour, the outgoing governor of the state I used to call home, (who apparently had seriously entertained pursuing a presidential campaign but thought better of it) decided to distribute some of that compassionate conservatism that I keep hearing about, and pardoned 221 as he was out the door.  Not precisely sure about how it breaks down, but some observe that certain c

 
 

Disabled people face unlimited unpaid work or cuts in benefit.
Shiv Malik   Thursday 16th February 2012.  Find Full Article Here:- Mental health groups and charities attack plans drawn up by Department for Work and Pensions. Read the documents from the government meeting Disabled people demonstrate against benefit cuts outside parliament last year. Photograph: Carl De Souza/AFP/Getty Images Some long-term sick and disabled people face being forced to work
Who’s paying for MPs’ lunches? We are!
By Oliver Thring  Wednesday 15th February 2012.   Find Article Here:-   Bargain dining … There are 28 food outlets at Westminster. Photograph: Graeme Robertson It is just after prime minister’s questions, and it’s all rather lively in the Strangers’ Dining Room in the House of Commons. Sir Peter Tapsell, father of the house, is at a corner table, burbling contentedly. Tory and Labour MPs are r
The good ancestors: squatters go back to land to save wilderness centre.
By Steven Morris  Thursday 16th February 2012.  Find Full Article Here:- Stephanie prepares a hazel stick to build a hurdle while other activists build a roundhouse a hazel stick to build a hurdle at Plump Hill wilderness centre near Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire. Photograph: Adrian Sherratt The notices the county council has pinned up demanding that Tom and his fellow squatters leave – and threa
Iran oil exports: where do they go?
Ami Sedghi  Monday 6 thFebruary 2012.  Find Full Article Here:- Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz through which 20% of global oil supplies pass through. Which countries does Iran export to and how much of their crude oil supply does it make up? • Get the data Iran has threatened to cut oil exports to the West and threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz through which one fifth
Oil’d – a video about the facts of the 2011 BP Gulf oil spill.
by Chris Harmon  May 2011.   Watch Video Here:- In April 2010 a massive oil spill began in the Gulf. The entire country was glued to the news until the well was capped, and then we forgot about it. As the year anniversary was approaching I became curious, just how much oil was that exactly? Where would it have gone? What I found was shocking. So in an effort to further our discussion on oil depend
20 Times More Japanese Earthquakes in the 6 Months Following March 2011 than in the Previous 9 YEARS.
February 15th, 2012 by WashingtonsBlog   Find Article Here:- Quake May Have “Awakened” Fukushima Fault. Pandora’s Box? We have extensively documented the fact that engineers knew that Fukushima was built in an area which was highly-susceptible to giant earthquakes, and that it would fail in a large earthquake. Unfortunately, Pandora’s Box may now have been opened. Specifically, Japanese scientists

 
 

Man Arrested With Explosives Near Topeka Capitol Released
Investigators with the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) will seek criminal charges against a Florida man who was detained Wednesday after explosive material was found in his pickup truck, which was parked near the state Capitol in Topeka. The suspect, detained in a publicly accessible tunnel on the Capitol campus, was released following questioning by KHP’s Capitol [...]
Anti-Immigrant Theocrat Repeats Lies About Disease
A recent fundraising letter from the Conservative Caucus Foundation bears an interesting warning for subscribers: Not only are “illegal aliens” “stealing American jobs,” “DEMANDING amnesty” and having “jackpot babies” so they can “get on the welfare gravy train” – they’re also endangering U.S. citizens with the filthy diseases they carry over the border. “Some illegal aliens [...]
A New Sheriff Loses His Compass: Muslims Are Not the Enemy
Editor’s Note: This post was written for Hatewatch by Jim Cavanaugh, the recently retired Special Agent in Charge of the Nashville, Tenn., office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It’s a response to a story today about a sheriff in Tennessee planning training by an anti-Muslim bigot. Today’s Nashville Tennessean reports [...]
Arizona Murder Suspect Uses ‘Sovereign’ Language in Court
A man accused of twin murders in a Phoenix suburb and facing a possible death sentence used language in his initial court appearance mimicking false legal theories advanced by antigovernment “sovereign citizens.” Michael Lee Crane, 31, is charged in Maricopa County with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, two counts of armed robbery, [...]
Man With Bombs Arrested as Kansas Anti-Immigrant Hearing Opens
A man whose pickup truck contained several homemade anti-personnel bombs was arrested yesterday in a tunnel leading to the Kansas Capitol in Topeka on the same day that hearings on controversial anti-immigrant immigration opened, The Associated Press reports. The man, who police declined to identify, had a sticker on his truck that read, “Welcome to [...]
Progressive Faith Group to MSNBC: Stop Hosting Tony Perkins
A progressive religious group on Tuesday delivered to MSNBC 20,000 signatures from people who want the cable news channel to stop inviting Family Research Council (FRC) President Tony Perkins to serve as a guest commentator on its programs. Faithful America began the petition drive about a month ago. The group describes itself as “an online community [...]

 
 

The Origins of Occupy? Mission District Murals, 12/31/2003
UPDATE: Hat tip to bakononist for discovering that the person who composed the poem is Daisy Zamora. According to her wikipedia entry, she is one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Latin American poetry. Her work is known for its uncompromising voice and wide-ranging subject matter that dwells on the details of daily life while encompassing human rights, politics, revolution, feminist
The Hunger Strike of Khader Adnan
From al-Jazeera: By the time you read these words, Khader Adnan could be dead. After 58 full days on hunger strike, his body is already well past the stage where his vital organs may cease to function at any moment. But Khader Adnan is dying to live.The 33-year-old Palestinian baker, husband, father, and graduate student has refused food since December 18, a day after he was arrested in a nighttim
An Open Letter from 4 Oakland Radicals
UPDATE: On Twitter, laurenriot engages in an ongoing debate, tweet by tweet, with the signatories of the statement. Here is a sample of them, expect more to come at the hashtag #laurenriot: 58m lauren riot @laurenriot I wonder if these folks actually spent any time in the days we laid down roots at Oscar Grant Plaza. I remember ferocity! Militance!59m lauren riot @laurenriotDo they mean taking
Doctor Hedges Misdiagnoses the Decline of Occupy
t at Pink Scare demonstrates, yet again, that he is one of the most incisive critics of Chris Hedges' condemnation of the Black Bloc, and the evasion of the true challenges facing Occupy: So, the question of Black Bloc: Pro or Con? is not one that can be answered abstractly. It should only be answered by direct participants in a mass movement who collectively debate and deliberate together in an o
Doctor Hedges Misdiagnoses the Decline of Occupy
The police have raided many of the encampments across the country. Protests and actions called by Occupy are declining in number, with reduced participation. Workers and marginalized people, like the homeless, who were initially drawn to Occupy have, in many instances, departed. It is discouraging, and someone or some people must be responsible.Chris Hedges has the answer: Occupy has a cancer k
Anonymous and the Black Bloc
UPDATE: Please consider reading t's highly original and provocative objections to the methodology of Chris Hedges' condemnation of the Black Bloc over at PInk Scare.INITIAL POST: For now, I am posting this for your personal evaluation. I have some thoughts about the subject of Occupy and the Black Bloc, and I expect to post them soon.Hat tip to Louis Proyect at the The Unrepentant Marxist.

 
 

The Right to a Choice
You may have to trust me on this, but the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is a terrific organisation that does remarkably good work, considering that it works for member states as diverse, and governments as severally ill-intentioned, as the United States, Russia, Uzbekistan and the UK. When I was looking
Frank Goebbels Gardner at it Again
Wonderful bit of balanced reporting from the BBC’s Frank Gardner. He said of Bahrain at 5.42pm on BBC News: “The Shiite majority does suffer discrimination, but the rest of the population is getting fed up with the continual disruption and demonstrations.” I remember similar arguments during apartheid: “The black majority does suffer discrimination, but the rest of the population is getting fed
Mentions and Non-Mentions
I was the answer to a question on University Challenge yesterday! Thanks to all who sent me messages to let me know. If anyone remembers the actual question I should be interested to hear. Apparently none of the students had ever heard of me. From surprising mentions to surprising non-mentions. The Guardian wrote an excellent editorial on the continuing hypocrisy of the West’s relationship wit
The Nightmare of Government
I am wasting enormous energy lately in an absolute nightmare of visa applications. The insolence of office is to be seen in its most extreme forms, everywhere around the world, in those connected with the organised atavism of immigration control. I was chatting with a charming young lady, one of those wealthy young women who pass a brief season as interns and personal assistants before marriage
The Mystery of Quantitive Easing
The headlines all say that the Bank of England has pumped another £50 billion into the economy in the third round of quantitive easing. In fact, the money will not get far into the economy. It is given to the banks and other financial sector companies, and evidence from the previous £250 billion worth of quantitive easing is that almost all of it will stay there, being very handy stuff with whic
The Organ of Synchronicity
Recently I have been plagued by coincidences. I was talking on a train about someone I hadn’t seen for thirty years, and then met them coming out of the train toilet. Had I subconsciously seen them on a platform and not consciously registered it? I don’t know, but coincidences of that nature have been occurring recently with a strange frequency. I have never quite been able to get my head roun

 
 

Occupy Galveston Celebrating Mardi Gras And The 99%
Occupy Galveston is out and about working for the 99%. (Above–Occupy Galveston out on the streets.) Here are details of Occupy Galveston celebrating Galveston Mardi Gras-– Ready to parade at Mardi Gras? We will be the pre-parade show for the two major Seawall parades! We are planning on meetings: Sat, Feb 11th: Meet at 11am in the open, grassy space at 21st and Seawall across from the Galvez. Sat
Republicans Think The United Nations Directs American Public Policy—When Somebody Tells You They Are Crazy You Should Believe Them
Many conservatives and Republicans in our nation operate under the view that the United Nations is directing a number of  public policy priorities in the United States. (Above–Example of United Nations sponsored bike trial in the radical hotbed of Granbury, Texas.) From the New York Times— Across the country, activists with ties to the Tea Party are railing against all sorts of local and state ef
Black Justice Tuesday Coalition Protest For A More Accountable Houston Police Department—Remember Chad Holley
To mark the one year anniversary of the release of the Chad Holley police beating video tape, the Black Justice Tuesday Coalition will be holding a protest from noon until 3 PM at the Harris County Criminal Courthouse located at 1201 Franklin Street in Downtown Houston. ( Above–A scene from the Chad Holley tape.) Here are details of this protest from the Black Justice Tuesday Coalition— Black Jus
El Vez Is The Mexican Elvis—Retaining The Past And Moving Forward
Above is a picture from 1995 of El Vez. El Vez bills himself as the Mexican Elvis. This picture you see above was taken in Cincinnati at a bar called Sudsy Malone’s. This is establishment was a bar and laundromat. You could get a beer and have a shot of  whiskey. Bands played there on many nights of the week. I saw this show. I can recall it 17 years after the fact. El Vez put on quite a concert.
Texas Progressive Alliance Round-Up
Here is  the weekly posting of the  Texas Progressive Alliance round-up. The TPA is a confederation of the best political bloggers in Texas. TPA members are citizen-bloggers working for a better Texas. Every Texan and every American has the ability to attend a public meeting, attend or organize a protest, write or call an elected official, talk to friends and family, start a blog, donate money, w
Links To Learn More About Syrian Crisis—People Continue To Fight The Government No Matter The Risks
Protests and fighting in Syria continues despite brutal repression by the Syrian Government. Russia and China have vetoed a United Nations efforts to address the violence despite a new round of killings by the Syrian state. Here is reaction from President Obama as reported in the New York Times— “President Obama condemned what he called “the Syrian government’s unspeakable assault against the peop

 
 

My love affair with strawberry jam
I don't use the phrase love affair much, but there's no other way to describe my devotion to Swanton Berry Farm and their just-plain-yummy jam. Swanton grows strawberries organically — no methyl iodide or other cancer-causing pesticides. They were the first organic farm to sign a union contract with the United Farm Workers (UFW) — proof in the pudding that they value fairness and transpa
Science still catching up on DDT harms
Two recent studies report new evidence of the harms of a very old pesticide. It's that pesky, persistent and infamous chemical, DDT. Nearly 40 years after its use in agriculture was banned in many countries around the world, it's still present in our environment, food and bodies at levels that harm human health. And children, once again, are especially vulnerable. read more
Tribunal Permanente de los Pueblos
Testimonios de todo el mundo resaltaron la falta de un mecanismo legal para imputar a las corporaciones. Escuchamos a 19 testigos de cinco continentes presentar evidencia contundente tanto científica como sobre los abusos conectados a las agroquímicas gigantes.  read more
Online innovations help farmers sell locally
Direct marketing arrangements such as the popular community supported agriculture (CSA) systems across the country eliminate intermediaries. A greater portion of every food dollar remains on the farm – and families in urban areas are able to know and support their local farmer. Now online innovators are stepping up to expand on the idea by helping farmers market their produce directly to consu
Controversial "Ag Gag" bill considered in Iowa
The Iowa Senate is considering a state law that would criminalize the reporting of abusive conditions at animal or crop operations. Several citizen and food transparency groups in Iowa have opposed the law, which they have dubbed the "Whistle Blower Suppression Bill" and the "Ag Gag Bill." Strong support for the measure is coming from multinational corporations like Monsant
2,4-D corn? Bad idea, and here's why.
There are many, many reasons that Dow's new strain of corn that's genetically engineered to withstand high doses of the herbicide 2,4-D is a terrible idea. Since 2,4-D has been around for so long, there's plenty of evidence about how it can harm human health. Children, as usual, are most at risk, and USDA needs to know that ramping up use of 2,4-D in fields across the country is

 
 

Anniversaries From ‘Unhistory’
George Orwell coined the useful term "unperson" for creatures denied personhood because they don't abide by state doctrine. We may add the term "unhistory" to refer to the fate of unpersons, expunged from history on similar grounds. The unhistory of unpersons is illuminated by the fate of anniversaries. Important ones are usually commemorated, with due solemnity when appropriate: Pearl Harbor, fo
When it Comes to Education Technology, Trust but Verify
The release of Apple's computer-based textbooks last month had the usual technology triumphalists buzzing. "Apple And The Coming Education Revolution," blared the headline at Fast Company magazine. "Apple puts iPad at head of the class," screamed MacWorld. And Time declared the announcement the "debut (of) the holy grail of textbooks." It sounds exciting--a rise of the machines that promises educa
Farewell to Our Feminist-in-Chief
The woman on the platform seems happy. She's an ordinary woman, well-dressed but not ostentatiously so, pretty but not playing it up, heading gracefully into late middle age. Her voice is low and calm; her tone is gracious. She smiles frequently as she speaks, compliments the reporters surrounding her and tells them how good it's been to work with them, with what reads as genuine affection. "I t
When Less is More Political Engagement
No more boom and bust," said Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1997, New Labour's first year in government. Fifteen years later, we are reminded daily that we are very much in a bust, and that things will get worse. We must all (or perhaps not quite all) tighten our belts in this era of austerity. This may be less of a shock for those of us who remember Britain during the 1930s and Wor
U.S. Military Toxins: The Gift That Keeps on Killing
Hey, Iraq, don't say we never gave you anything. In addition to hundreds of thousands dead and untold injured, the United States is leaving behind enough toxic waste sites to kill your rats. "Open-air burn pits have operated widely at military sites in Iraq and Afghanistan," the Department of Veterans Affairs notes on its website. On hundreds of camps and bases across the two countries, the U.S.
Illinois’ Injustice System
CHICAGO--From where he stands today, Kerry Owens is optimistic. He was released from an Illinois prison in November, after serving a year for retail theft. Owens, 41, has been in and out of the criminal justice system before, but his most recent sentence, for his first felony conviction, has changed his life forever. He resolved to live differently by volunteering, kicking the addiction that le

 
 

WEST AFRICA: Water Shortage Threatens Wildlife
The story of a pair of buffalo aggressively prowling the edges of a village in eastern Burkina Faso is a warning sign of severe water stress in the region which threatens humans and wild animals alike.
2011 - A Year of Weather Extremes, with More to Come
The global average temperature in 2011 was 14.52 degrees Celsius (58.14 degrees Fahrenheit). According to NASA scientists, this was the ninth warmest year in 132 years of recordkeeping, despite the cooling influence of the La Niña atmospheric and oceanic circulation pattern and relatively low solar irradiance.
OP-ED: After Durban, Latin America Looks Towards Rio+20
After the climate change negotiations in Durban, South Africa in December, there is space to continue advancing in the short and medium term. Now the attention of Latin America and the rest of the world is turned towards the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development taking place this June in Rio de Janeiro.
NICARAGUA-HONDURAS: Re-Greening the Border
Ignacia Matute looks back nostalgically on the days when the hills around her home in northwestern Nicaragua were blanketed in green, and she woke every morning to the sounds of birds singing in the treetops and the rushing waters of the nearly Coco River.
CUBA: Adapting to Climate Change Proves a Complex Challenge
No one who lives in this fishing village on the south coast, 70 km from the Cuban capital, can forget the devastation wrought by hurricanes in 2008.
Thematic Social Forum Awash with Criticism for Green Economy
Critical voices raised against what was dubbed "the gospel of green capitalism" resonated in every discussion and street march held during the Thematic Social Forum, which brought thousands of activists to the capital city of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in southern Brazil.

 
 

I Love Wacky Republicans
Politicol News - Politicol News Politics Online “I love this country, I love freedom”- have you ever seen such a wacky candidate and could you trust a rambling idiot to be the President? This is what he said in Michigan: A little history. I was born and raised here, I love this state. It seems right here. The trees are the right [...]You just finished reading I Love Wacky Republicans! Consider le
The Walrus Workout
Politicol News - Politicol News Politics Online The Walrus Workout Even walruses need to workout and at one of Europe’s largest Dolphin Theatre and aqua shows called Dolfinarium in Holland. These walrus that swim both in the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, can weigh up to 3,500 pounds and grow to be 12 feet long with the males of the species can [...]You just finished reading The Walrus Workout!
Sheriff Babeu Threatens Boyfriend with Exportation
Politicol News - Politicol News Politics Online Sheriff Babeu Threatens Boyfriend with Exportation I am gay. The Arizona sheriff that did a commercial with Senator John McCain about the “dang fence” and who is working for Mitt Romney’s election campaign came out of the closet over the weekend. In a press conference Pinal County Arizona Sheriff Paul Babeu came out after The [...]You just finished r
Santorum’s Cheap Shots against Obama
Politicol News - Politicol News Politics Online  Santorum’s Cheap Shots against Obama  The words “Phony Ideals- Phony Ideology ” mean anything to you when referencing President Obama’s christian faith? Those were the words uttered by a phony Christian radical Rick Santorum this weekend who is running for the Republican party nomination. This is the same candidate that said rape was a gift [...]You
Apple Files EU Patent Claim on Motorola Mobility
Politicol News - Politicol News Politics Online Apple Files EU Patent Claim on Motorola Mobility Patent wars are brewing in the EU as Apple requests the European Union to resolve its claims of patent infringement from Google’s addition to its stable of companies, Motorola Mobility. Every week brings a new claim, new suit, and new counterclaims filed by the industry giants as [...]You just finished
Anti-Depession Drugs-is it just a Placebo Effect
Politicol News - Politicol News Politics Online Do anti-depressants really work or is it a placebo effect including faked surgery as Irvin Kirsch analyzes the data the FDA has not previously revealed on the placebo effect of drugs.You just finished reading Anti-Depession Drugs-is it just a Placebo Effect! Consider leaving a comment!You just finished reading an article by our staffers at Independe

special day
Pancake day today. Also, it would be Mrs Treasure and I's 25th wedding anniversary if we had bothered to get married in the first place. In acknowledgment, I lovingly wrapped her lunchtime butty in silver foil this morning. I think it was Peter Mandelson who first raised the idea of paying recalcitrant cohabitees to tie the knot in 1996 or thereabouts, which means we've been hanging around
fall of the people's princeling?
It looks like the Wang Lijun affair may have claimed a serious scalp; Bo Xilai apparently offered to resign from the Politburo.  This may just have been a "Look at me, I'm so contrite that I failed to see this bad, bad man" move, but if it gets accepted, then everything's on the table for Bo's future, from quiet retirement (most likely) to full-on investigation to biding his
wolf-killing west of the pennines
Brendan Barber, the TUC's general secretary, wrote to Gove in December expressing alarm that a booklet containing "homophobic material" had been distributed by a US preacher after talks to pupils at Roman Catholic schools across the Lancashire region in 2010. The booklet, "Pure Manhood: How to become the man God wants you to be", discusses a boy dealing with "homosexu
on buckets
I have an editorial up at Global Times on the Sun, Murdoch and media ownership generally. The story is from Horrie and Chippendale's Stick it Up Your Punter.
if i hear a certain song
Pleasing trivia: The film about the life of my fellow Polytechnic of Central London alumnus Carlos the Jackal, which I'd been meaning to watch sometime, has a music track taken from my all time favourite album. PCL was still a bit like that when I was there; not so much in the political sense, more because it was the kind of place rich third world families sent their more troubled offspring, i
trying to find home
At the end of that war in 2006, I felt the cost of that more than I ever had. My marriage had fallen apart, I was away from my daughter, and I really didn't have a sense of having a home. And that was what was so important about being in Marjayoun and rebuilding the home. At its most elemental, it was about trying to find home, and in the end, I did. From a very recent interview with the lat

Timelapse: Atacama Starry Nights
Atacama Starry Nights: Episode IThe Atacama Desert of Chile has been called “an astronomer’s paradise,” with its stunningly dark, steady and transparent skies. It is home to some of the world’s leading telescopes, such as the Very Large Telescope (VLT) is located on Paranal. Babak Tafreshi, an astronomer, journalist and director of The World at Night (TWAN) is creating a series of timelapse video
Recent Geologic Activity on the Moon?
Newly detected series of narrow linear troughs are known as graben, and they formed in highland materials on the lunar farside. These graben are located on a topographic rise with several hundred meters of relief revealed in topography derived from LROC stereo images. Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University/Smithsonian Institution Recent images from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Ca
A Beginner’s Guide to Photographing The International Space Station
Long Exposure Photograph of the ISS Credit: Mark Humpage If you have seen the International Space Station (ISS) pass over a few times with your own eyes, (here’s our guide on seeing it) you may want to have a go at photographing it.Photographing the ISS is very worthwhile and gratifying. There are two basic methods; one being easy and the other being a little more difficult. Both methods are inc
Dramatic Rocket Launch Into an Aurora
A two-stage Terrier-Black Brant rocket arced through aurora 200 miles above Earth as the Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling in the Alfvén resonator (MICA) mission investigated the underlying physics of the northern lights. Stage one of the rocket has just separated and is seen falling back to Earth. Photo by Terry E. Zaperach, NASA.Over the weekend, a two-stage sounding rocket launched into a sky
This Week’s Carnival of Space (#237) Right Here!
Carnival of Space. Image by Jason Major.It’s been awhile since Universe Today has hosted the Carnival of Space, so we’re happy to be home for this edition of space news from various space blogs and news sites from the past week. Just grab some cotton candy and step inside the Carnival! (...)Read the rest of This Week’s Carnival of Space (#237) Right Here! (884 words)© nancy for Universe Today, 2
Bright Peaks, Dark Shadows
MESSENGER image of Mercury's Amaral craterThe 68-mile (109-km) -wide Amaral crater on Mercury reveals its brightly-tipped central peaks in this image, acquired by NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft on Feb. 4, 2012. Long shadows are cast by the crater’s peaks and rugged rim (north is to the left.)The image was acquired as a high-resolution targeted observation with MESSENGER’s Narrow-Angle Camera (NA

 
 

EU carbon prices soar 9 pct on set-aside deal
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