Global
He looked like the fool he is, the liar, deceiver, hypocrite and evil man that he is. That’s how TV coverage showed George Bush speaking at his sham “major emitters” climate conference at the State Department on Thursday and Friday. There he was, acting as if he had the credentials to lead the world in the make-or-break battle to immediately slow and, over time, stop and reverse global heating.
Comments by delegates from the 16 countries invited to this conference, as reported in news stories, were mostly tepid, downright dismissive sometimes.
Comments by delegates from the 16 countries invited to this conference, as reported in news stories, were mostly tepid, downright dismissive sometimes.
Contempt for the empirical that can’t be readily jiggered or spun is
evident at the top of the executive branch in Washington. The country is
mired in a discourse that echoes the Scopes trial dramatized in “Inherit
the Wind.” Mere rationality would mean lining up on the side of “science”
against the modern yahoos and political panderers waving the flag of
social conservatism. (At the same time that scientific Darwinism is under
renewed assault, a de facto alliance between religious fundamentalists and
profit-devout corporatists has moved the country further into social
Darwinism that aims to disassemble the welfare state.) Entrenched
opposition to stem-cell research is part of a grim pattern that includes
complacency about severe pollution and global warming -- disastrous trends
already dragging one species after another to the brink of extinction and
beyond.
Hello!
Gosh, I always have so much to say and there's never really enough time or space to say it all in. I don't want to clog your boxes with mail. Mine is certainly full, but I enjoy staying abreast of all the news and so I don't mind. However, I am respectful of your time and storage limitations. I will keep this message themed to Louisiana (as much as possible)!
The first item is a blatant disregard by the Times-Picayune for the candidacy of Malcolm Suber, running for New Orleans City Council. Knowing how I've been treated in the "mainstream" media (MSM), I didn't dare let the omission pass without contacting the newspaper. Of course, somehow I held out hope that they were different given their outstanding coverage during the Katrina tribulations. In the case of candidate Suber, they are proving to wear the same blinders as many others in the MSM. Suber's candidacy showcases the Reconstruction Party--a new political party being formed around the country.
Gosh, I always have so much to say and there's never really enough time or space to say it all in. I don't want to clog your boxes with mail. Mine is certainly full, but I enjoy staying abreast of all the news and so I don't mind. However, I am respectful of your time and storage limitations. I will keep this message themed to Louisiana (as much as possible)!
The first item is a blatant disregard by the Times-Picayune for the candidacy of Malcolm Suber, running for New Orleans City Council. Knowing how I've been treated in the "mainstream" media (MSM), I didn't dare let the omission pass without contacting the newspaper. Of course, somehow I held out hope that they were different given their outstanding coverage during the Katrina tribulations. In the case of candidate Suber, they are proving to wear the same blinders as many others in the MSM. Suber's candidacy showcases the Reconstruction Party--a new political party being formed around the country.
BANGKOK, Thailand -- A Burmese man who hijacked a Thai International Airways passenger plane, to publicize his country's struggle against its military regime, says other protestors in Burma should not seize aircraft but find "dramatic" and "creative ways" to gain world support.
"I do not regret the 'hijacking'. I am proud of what I did -- this peaceful 'hijacking drama' in 1990 -- given the kind of situation at that time," Soe Myint said in an interview.
"There was very little international attention on how the peoples of Burma were struggling under the military regime," he said, reflecting on the reasons he and another Burmese activist commandeered the plane from Burma to India 17 years ago.
The two Rangoon University students wielded a fake bomb and forced the Bangkok-to-Rangoon flight to continue east to India's port of Calcutta in November, 1990, with 220 passengers.
"We were able to do it without any weapon, without harming anyone, and [with] the whole-hearted support we got from the peoples of India," after the plane landed in Calcutta, also known as Kolkata, Soe Myint said.
"I do not regret the 'hijacking'. I am proud of what I did -- this peaceful 'hijacking drama' in 1990 -- given the kind of situation at that time," Soe Myint said in an interview.
"There was very little international attention on how the peoples of Burma were struggling under the military regime," he said, reflecting on the reasons he and another Burmese activist commandeered the plane from Burma to India 17 years ago.
The two Rangoon University students wielded a fake bomb and forced the Bangkok-to-Rangoon flight to continue east to India's port of Calcutta in November, 1990, with 220 passengers.
"We were able to do it without any weapon, without harming anyone, and [with] the whole-hearted support we got from the peoples of India," after the plane landed in Calcutta, also known as Kolkata, Soe Myint said.
While they may not be in Congress, there are members of our government willing to risk their careers and more to blow the whistle on the criminal takeover of our former democracy. One of them is Sam Provance.
I've just posted an amazing video of Sam Provance telling his story, along with videos of others telling theirs, including: Dan Ellsberg, Ann Wright, Larry Johnson, Coleen Rowley, Bob Parry, Akbar Ahmed, Peter Kuznick, Edward Mortimer, Max Friedman, and Ray McGovern: http://afterdowningstreet.org/whistleblowervideos
Sam Provance exposed the torture in Abu Ghraib and as thanks had his career ruined, was threatened with prison, has had his wife leave him, and is now barely scraping by. He said last Thursday evening that on a personal level his choice to speak out was not worth it. "But," he said, "this is not about me." And everyone in the auditorium where he was speaking knew exactly what he meant, because we had just heard all the other speakers listed above lay out the gravity of the situation this nation and the world are now in.
I've just posted an amazing video of Sam Provance telling his story, along with videos of others telling theirs, including: Dan Ellsberg, Ann Wright, Larry Johnson, Coleen Rowley, Bob Parry, Akbar Ahmed, Peter Kuznick, Edward Mortimer, Max Friedman, and Ray McGovern: http://afterdowningstreet.org/whistleblowervideos
Sam Provance exposed the torture in Abu Ghraib and as thanks had his career ruined, was threatened with prison, has had his wife leave him, and is now barely scraping by. He said last Thursday evening that on a personal level his choice to speak out was not worth it. "But," he said, "this is not about me." And everyone in the auditorium where he was speaking knew exactly what he meant, because we had just heard all the other speakers listed above lay out the gravity of the situation this nation and the world are now in.
Monday, October 1, at 12 noon--Washington Square Park, 1:30pm--March to 250 Broadway
Artist/Activist Mos Def, Idris Elba, Common, Erykah Badu, M1, Talib Kweli, MC Lyte, the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Sankofa Community Empowerment, Change the Game, the National Hip Hop Political Convention, The Hip Hop Association, Color of Change and student leaders from over 100 campuses call for a National Student Walk-Out on Monday October 1 at 12 noon to support the Jena 6, who are being denied their human rights by the Louisiana criminal justice system.
In New York, a MOBILIZATION of all those participating in the walkout will occuring Washington Square Park directly following the 12 noon walkout. At 1:30p those present will MARCH from Washington Square Park to 250 Broadway (near City Hall) where a PRESS CONFERENCE will be held and the demands of the walkout will be read. This mobilization will feature Congressman Charles Barron, HipHop Artist Immortal Technique, Soul Singer/Songwriter Gordon Chambers, speakers from New York Area Schools including New York University, Columbia University, Fordham University, New School as well as area high school students and YOU!
Artist/Activist Mos Def, Idris Elba, Common, Erykah Badu, M1, Talib Kweli, MC Lyte, the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Sankofa Community Empowerment, Change the Game, the National Hip Hop Political Convention, The Hip Hop Association, Color of Change and student leaders from over 100 campuses call for a National Student Walk-Out on Monday October 1 at 12 noon to support the Jena 6, who are being denied their human rights by the Louisiana criminal justice system.
In New York, a MOBILIZATION of all those participating in the walkout will occuring Washington Square Park directly following the 12 noon walkout. At 1:30p those present will MARCH from Washington Square Park to 250 Broadway (near City Hall) where a PRESS CONFERENCE will be held and the demands of the walkout will be read. This mobilization will feature Congressman Charles Barron, HipHop Artist Immortal Technique, Soul Singer/Songwriter Gordon Chambers, speakers from New York Area Schools including New York University, Columbia University, Fordham University, New School as well as area high school students and YOU!
There are now two types of Democratic presidential candidates, the ones who promise to end the occupation of Iraq, and the ones who say they may very well keep it going for another four years.
MSNBC hosted another Democratic presidential debate Wednesday evening. Due to a technical error, the cable network failed to identify itself as a subsidiary of General Electric, a major weapons maker. Due to another technical shortcoming, viewing the debate streaming live on the MSNBC website was slow and choppy, and no recorded file was made available after the fact, just little segments selected by GE.
MSNBC hosted another Democratic presidential debate Wednesday evening. Due to a technical error, the cable network failed to identify itself as a subsidiary of General Electric, a major weapons maker. Due to another technical shortcoming, viewing the debate streaming live on the MSNBC website was slow and choppy, and no recorded file was made available after the fact, just little segments selected by GE.
BANGKOK, Thailand -- Dodging a deadly military crackdown, bloggers in Burma are now on the front lines providing news and photos of death and insurrection.
Their Internet blogs, written in Burmese language and grammatically-flawed English, are mostly by people living in the commercial port of Rangoon, also known as Yangon, where Buddhist monks, pro-democracy activists and residents have been defying security forces during more than a week of protests.
The bloggers rely on word-of-mouth, cell phones, online chat groups, instant messaging, and first-hand experience in barricaded streets amid tear gas and gunfire.
The best blogs provide photos, video and text updates purportedly by eyewitnesses, which are later confirmed by news organizations or, in some cases, can't be verified.
Burma's bloody pro-democracy protests have captivated the outside world, including U.S. President George W. Bush, the United Nations and the public, thanks largely to the bloggers' media.
Burma's military regime refused to grant visas to foreign correspondents, and blocked visas for many foreign tourists, after the mass uprising worsened several days ago.
Their Internet blogs, written in Burmese language and grammatically-flawed English, are mostly by people living in the commercial port of Rangoon, also known as Yangon, where Buddhist monks, pro-democracy activists and residents have been defying security forces during more than a week of protests.
The bloggers rely on word-of-mouth, cell phones, online chat groups, instant messaging, and first-hand experience in barricaded streets amid tear gas and gunfire.
The best blogs provide photos, video and text updates purportedly by eyewitnesses, which are later confirmed by news organizations or, in some cases, can't be verified.
Burma's bloody pro-democracy protests have captivated the outside world, including U.S. President George W. Bush, the United Nations and the public, thanks largely to the bloggers' media.
Burma's military regime refused to grant visas to foreign correspondents, and blocked visas for many foreign tourists, after the mass uprising worsened several days ago.
Killer of Sheep, a remarkable social document about urban working-class African- Americans in the Watts district of Los Angeles, is now playing at the Wexner Center through tonight and Saturday at 7 p.m.
Director Charles Burnett shot the film over several weekends in the early 1970s, as a reaction to cartoonish and stereotypical blaxploitation films, and submitted it as his master’s thesis film at UCLA in 1977. Since then, the film languished in obscurity and had not been released due to music copyright issues. It is has been re-issued and is playing at various festivals and college campuses. A DVD release is scheduled for November.
Director Charles Burnett shot the film over several weekends in the early 1970s, as a reaction to cartoonish and stereotypical blaxploitation films, and submitted it as his master’s thesis film at UCLA in 1977. Since then, the film languished in obscurity and had not been released due to music copyright issues. It is has been re-issued and is playing at various festivals and college campuses. A DVD release is scheduled for November.
Letters received yesterday by The Cornucopia Institute, Organic Consumers Association, and the Center for Food Safety from Aurora Organic Dairy, based in Boulder, Colorado, threatened the three public interest groups with a lawsuit if they did not retract statements they had made concerning Aurora and refrain from filing a lawsuit against Aurora alleging consumer fraud.
The legal threats by Aurora are the latest salvo in a media battle stemming from formal legal complaints filed by The Cornucopia Institute in 2005 and 2006 with the USDA over Aurora’s alleged organic management practices. On April 16, 2007, the USDA confirmed Cornucopia's allegations by making administrative findings that the giant industrial-scale dairies, milking thousands of cows each, were not providing their cattle with pasture, as required by law, had illegally brought conventional cattle into their operations, and had committed a number of other serious improprieties.
The most serious finding, resulting from the USDA investigation, was that Aurora sold, labeled, and represented milk as organic when in fact it was not, in "willful violation" of the law.
The legal threats by Aurora are the latest salvo in a media battle stemming from formal legal complaints filed by The Cornucopia Institute in 2005 and 2006 with the USDA over Aurora’s alleged organic management practices. On April 16, 2007, the USDA confirmed Cornucopia's allegations by making administrative findings that the giant industrial-scale dairies, milking thousands of cows each, were not providing their cattle with pasture, as required by law, had illegally brought conventional cattle into their operations, and had committed a number of other serious improprieties.
The most serious finding, resulting from the USDA investigation, was that Aurora sold, labeled, and represented milk as organic when in fact it was not, in "willful violation" of the law.