Posts

The Most Brazen Corporate Power Grab in American History

Chris Hedges If there is no sustained uprising to prevent the passage of the TPP in Congress this spring we will be shackled by corporate power. Wages will decline. Working conditions will deteriorate. Unemployment will rise. Our few remaining rights will be revoked. The assault on the ecosystem will be accelerated. Banks and global speculation will be beyond oversight or control. Food safety standards and regulations will be jettisoned. Story here.

Loved to Death (Video)

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by George Monbiot The UK’s national parks should be redesignated as ecological disaster zones. A lecture to the UK National Parks conference, by George Monbiot, 14th October 2015 This is my ferocious attack on the dire state of the UK’s national parks, and my ideas for how they could be improved. (See Video, below.)

Vast Amazon Wildfire Destroys Forest in Brazil and Threatens Uncontacted Tribe

theguardian  The blaze, which has burned for two months on indigenous land and spread across 100km at its peak, is suspected to have been started by illegal loggers. Story here.

Ruptured Dams Engulf Brazilian Village in Toxic Mine Waste

CommonDreams More than a dozen are feared dead, with scores missing, after tailings dams owned by some of the biggest mining companies in the world burst. Story here.

A Retired Professor Takes a Newspaper Columnist to Task for her Column About Tainted Milk and "Junk Science."

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  Dear Editor, Re; The phony tainted milk scare (Margaret Wente, Globe & Mail, October 29, 2015).  In her preamble, Ms. Wente suggests that  “we need to blow the whistle on junk science”.  I agree, but we need to do the same on junk journalism, which is exemplified by her article. My understanding is that journalism’s first obligation is to tell the truth (i.e. the whole truth, and not half-truths & tainted opinions; as is the case with Ms Wente’s piece).  For example, she states that: The (bovine) growth hormone, also known as rBST, which stimulates the cow’s milk production, is  “the same hormone that is naturally produced in the cow’s pituitary gland.”  Further:  “Milk from treated cows is virtually identical to other milk.”   And:  “ there aren’t any effects of  rBGH on human health”.   These statements are not true; in fact, Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone  (rBGH or rBST) is a genetically engineered drug, originally developed by Monsanto, which la

New York Authority Investigates Exxon Mobil for Possible Climate Change Lies.

New York Times The New York attorney general has begun an investigation of Exxon Mobil to determine whether the company lied to the public about the risks of climate change or to investors about how such risks might hurt the oil business. Story here.

'Worse Than We Thought': TPP A Total Corporate Power Grab Nightmare

CommonDreams 'President Obama has sold the American people a false bill of goods,' says Friends of the Earth. Story here.

In Attempt to Muzzle Opposition, 'Petro Dictatorship' Declares State of Emergency in Maldives

CommonDreams Questions rise as to whether imprisonment of former president and climate hero Mohamed Nasheed was an 'oil grab' as much as a power one. Story here. ===== These island states are literally beginning to submerge beneath the waves, and it's utterly unjust -- they have polluted way less than the rest of the world. Unless we act now, they could be wiped from the map forever, and their people will face the daunting choice of drowning or abandoning their lands. Avaaz. Please help with a donation!

Beyond Violence, Water Stress Is a Deeper Cause of Europe’s Migration Crisis

World Resources Institute Beyond violence, there is a more fundamental cause: water scarcity. Story here.

Indonesia Forest Fires: The Death Toll Mounts

TheGuardian Nineteen people have died and half a million have fallen ill in two months as haze from thousands of fires chokes south-east Asia. Details here.

Time For a Green Makeover For 24 Sussex?

National Observer Momentum is building for an audacious plan to turn the prime minister’s official residence in Ottawa into a national showcase for super-energy-efficient housing, and a powerful symbol of Canada’s promise to make a difference on global climate change. Story here.