Saturday, June 19, 2010
Will the BP Oil Spill Set Off A Tsunami?
from David DeGraw's blog. There are some startling speculations coming from knowledgeable sources about methane eruptions related to BP's drilling disaster.
BP CEO Tony Hayward Is Spending His Saturday Attending A Yacht Race
from Business Insider. Hey, ya'll, Tony has his life back!
Senate Bill Would Give Obama Internet ‘Kill Switch’
from Anti-War.
The introduction of a new Senate bill, S.3480, dubbed the “Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act of 2010,” is sparking concerns about a massive power grab over the Internet under the guise of “national security.”Moreover, with a sponsor like Sen. Joe Lieberman, I think we have much to worry about.
Ridleyed With Errors
from George Monbiot's own blog.
The article discusses the favorable reception Matt Ridley received from mainstream media in the UK over recently published book, The Rational Optimist. Monbiot makes a convincing case that this is another very dramatic example of how big corporate media grossly favors those who favor unrestrained corporate rule.
This excellent illustration reminds me of the mainstream media coverage of the noted author, John Le Carré. Prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union he wrote numerous novels that focused on Russian and East European spy themes. Because they were "politically correct", he was given widespread publicity in mainstream media in the West.
But things radically changed after this period when Le Carré turned his attention to themes relating to Western spy agencies. Suddenly he was dropped from all coverage. One certainly cannot argue that the quality of his writing dramatically deteriorated. I think that his novels are better than ever. However, he has been relegated to obscurity in the literary world of the West. I was most startled by this fact during the course of a conversation I had with an English instructor at Oregon State University in 2000. He expressed surprise that Le Carré was still writing novels.
The article discusses the favorable reception Matt Ridley received from mainstream media in the UK over recently published book, The Rational Optimist. Monbiot makes a convincing case that this is another very dramatic example of how big corporate media grossly favors those who favor unrestrained corporate rule.
This excellent illustration reminds me of the mainstream media coverage of the noted author, John Le Carré. Prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union he wrote numerous novels that focused on Russian and East European spy themes. Because they were "politically correct", he was given widespread publicity in mainstream media in the West.
But things radically changed after this period when Le Carré turned his attention to themes relating to Western spy agencies. Suddenly he was dropped from all coverage. One certainly cannot argue that the quality of his writing dramatically deteriorated. I think that his novels are better than ever. However, he has been relegated to obscurity in the literary world of the West. I was most startled by this fact during the course of a conversation I had with an English instructor at Oregon State University in 2000. He expressed surprise that Le Carré was still writing novels.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Hot Times in Antarctica
from Time Magazine.
The world's polar regions are warming up faster than the global average, but the western edge of the Antarctic Peninsula is especially steamy. Over the past 50 years, winter temperatures have shot up by an almost unbelievable 6°C—more than five times the global average, according to a paper just published in Science.
Deficit Terrorists Strike in the UK - USA Next?
from Ellen Brown's Web of Debt. I think that she is a good source for understanding the creation of money.
Last week, England’s new government said it would abandon the previous government’s stimulus program and introduce the austerity measures required to pay down its estimated $1 trillion in debts. That means cutting public spending, laying off workers, reducing consumption, and increasing unemployment and bankruptcies. It also means shrinking the money supply, since virtually all “money” today originates as loans or debt. Reducing the outstanding debt will reduce the amount of money available to pay workers and buy goods, precipitating depression and further economic pain.
Oil and Gas Lobby, Unfazed by Gulf Disaster, Defends Regulators and Status Quo
from Pro Publica.
...the job done by offshore drilling regulators at the Minerals Management Service has been marked by fast-tracked offshore drilling plans, self-policing by industry, lax enforcement, the occasional sex and drug scandal, and loose royalty collection.
The Bad, the Bold and the Bogus: Food Industry Health Claims to Watch Out For
from Eco Salon. It is unfortunate that a society dedicated to the private pursuit of profit inevitably ends up with the chronic lies we are told about consumer products by those who sell them--the powerful mega-corporations.
...the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is one of the government agencies in charge of regulating such claims, has signaled a greater willingness to regulate than under past administrations. As evidenced by the warning letters sent to industry. But it remains to be seen whether these letters will translate into actual regulation.Yeah, like when hell freezes over. The mega-corporations are in charge of FDA.
License To Drill
from Mother Jones.
Why did the Obama administration just approve more than 400 new leases for oil companies to operate in the Gulf of Mexico?Simply because the profit driven system requires energy. Profit under this system always trumps every other consideration. It doesn't matter in the least which front man, demopub or repocrat, occupies the White House.
http://www.newshoggers.com/blog/2010/06/hell-has-frozen-over.html
from News Hoggers.
The British are upset that Obama is attacking the very own corporate criminal. The most tribal and corporate Republicans and conservatives are taking BP's side.I agree with his thesis given the laws of capitalist society. But there is something more fundamental here--it is the system itself that corrupts governments which enables corporations like BP to take huge risks in their efforts to maximize profits. It's the economic system, stupid!
Towards a New Economy and a New Politics
from Solutions.
This is an interesting article from a website that I have just discovered. The website is dedicated, as indicated by the title, to solutions to the general crises that we are facing today. For someone like myself who have seen these problems develop over the past fifty years, the articles seem to come from a rather naive perspective. Yet, I think that it is a sincere perspective and one that should be supported in hopes that greater understanding of the problems can be achieved, and thus more effective solutions formulated.
The theme of this particular article is summarized here:
This is an interesting article from a website that I have just discovered. The website is dedicated, as indicated by the title, to solutions to the general crises that we are facing today. For someone like myself who have seen these problems develop over the past fifty years, the articles seem to come from a rather naive perspective. Yet, I think that it is a sincere perspective and one that should be supported in hopes that greater understanding of the problems can be achieved, and thus more effective solutions formulated.
The theme of this particular article is summarized here:
The U.S. political economy is failing across a broad front—environmentally, socially, economically, and politically. Deep, systemic change is needed to transition to a new economy, one where the acknowledged priority is to sustain human and natural communities. Policies are available to effect this transformation and to temper economic growth and consumerism while simultaneously improving social well-being and quality of life, but a new politics involving a coalescing of progressive communities is needed to realize these policies.
Twenty-Two Reasons Why American Working People Hate the State
by James Petras from Global Research.
The author's list of twenty-two reasons is a very good list for working people to hate the state. But there are many problems that working people face when trying to change the state. First, the problem of identifying the real source of their problems. The governing class is very successful at obscuring any understanding of where the real causes lie through their control of all significant media. Moreover, they are adept at deflecting the anger away from them onto others. Typically this is directed toward minorities, either racial or ethnic, social-economic groups such as "welfare cheats", unwed mothers, illegal aliens, etc. Thus ordinary people often hate these targeted groups as well as the government.
The anger at the government can be directed at usually one other political party or individuals in those parties. Their carefully controlled election systems always provide the illusion of choice so that people feel that they can get rid of the bad political leaders and elect good ones. Witness the recent euphoria over the Democratic candidates that were presented as candidates in the US in the 2008 elections. One was of mixed race, but identified as African American and the other a woman. Thus both were seen as providing different kinds of leadership, and were packaged by mainstream media as offering real change.
Once again, the "wool was pulled over the eyes" of US working people and they now discover that nothing has changed. Nothing will ever change until working people take charge of their society by taking away the private ownership of the economy and putting it under the real democratic control of ordinary people. The same applies to the agencies of indoctrination--the media and educational institutions.
I will argue there are many sound, rational, material reasons for working people to be in revolt against the state.The state, as in the US and most other countries, is controlled by the class of owners of the main sections of the economy, usually referred to as capitalists, ruling elites, governing classes, etc. This class exploits its dominant position in the state as well as in the economy to the detriment of working people--those people who actually produce wealth.
The author's list of twenty-two reasons is a very good list for working people to hate the state. But there are many problems that working people face when trying to change the state. First, the problem of identifying the real source of their problems. The governing class is very successful at obscuring any understanding of where the real causes lie through their control of all significant media. Moreover, they are adept at deflecting the anger away from them onto others. Typically this is directed toward minorities, either racial or ethnic, social-economic groups such as "welfare cheats", unwed mothers, illegal aliens, etc. Thus ordinary people often hate these targeted groups as well as the government.
The anger at the government can be directed at usually one other political party or individuals in those parties. Their carefully controlled election systems always provide the illusion of choice so that people feel that they can get rid of the bad political leaders and elect good ones. Witness the recent euphoria over the Democratic candidates that were presented as candidates in the US in the 2008 elections. One was of mixed race, but identified as African American and the other a woman. Thus both were seen as providing different kinds of leadership, and were packaged by mainstream media as offering real change.
Once again, the "wool was pulled over the eyes" of US working people and they now discover that nothing has changed. Nothing will ever change until working people take charge of their society by taking away the private ownership of the economy and putting it under the real democratic control of ordinary people. The same applies to the agencies of indoctrination--the media and educational institutions.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Tax Dollars Used To Fund ‘Preemptive Drugging’
from The Public Record. There appears to be an error in the article in referencing this piece as Part 1--it clearly is Part 2.
The author provides abundant evidence to back up her assertion that the pharmaceutical industry is influencing medical treatment of mental illness to enhance their profits. And, of course, corporate media plays along.
The author provides abundant evidence to back up her assertion that the pharmaceutical industry is influencing medical treatment of mental illness to enhance their profits. And, of course, corporate media plays along.
Iceland Becomes "New Media Haven"
by Julian Assange from Counter Currents. Apparently the much sought after US government target, who revealed US atrocities on Wikileaks, has found safe refuge in Iceland.
The WikiLeaks advised proposal to build an international "new media haven" in Iceland, with the world's strongest press and whistleblower protection laws, and a "Nobel" prize for for Freedom of Expression, has unanimously passed the Icelandic Parliament.
Gulf Cleanup Training Ignores Advice From Health Agency, Official Says
from Pro Publica. Just like after the 9/ll disaster--the cleanup workers be damned!
...we spoke with a federal official who said the four-hour safety course that BP is providing to Gulf cleanup workers lacks basic information on health risks and is too short to cover the necessary material.
Joseph Hughes, director of the worker training program at the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, said the course fails to incorporate important information. Among the subjects not included are chemical inhalation, the health effects of dispersants, and the risks of direct contact with weathered crude oil.
Tale of Two Nuclear Whistleblowers
by David Krieger from Common Dreams. Kieger is a leader in the global effort to abolish nuclear weapons. He is an attorney, political scientist and the author of many studies on achieving peace in the nuclear age.
In this article he illustrates the deceptive games that the Empire plays on its own citizens to maintain its global hegemony. But these are games that will inevitably lead to global catastrophe just like the recent oil drilling disaster that is filling up the Gulf of Mexico with oil.
In this article he illustrates the deceptive games that the Empire plays on its own citizens to maintain its global hegemony. But these are games that will inevitably lead to global catastrophe just like the recent oil drilling disaster that is filling up the Gulf of Mexico with oil.
4 Ways BP and Officials Are Working to Suppress the Outrageous Facts About the Gulf Disaster
from AlterNet.
With BP's oil gusher in the gulf approaching two months, public anger is approaching the boiling point. When will the oil spilling into the gulf be stopped and what remediation can be done for the ecosystem and the local economy? Those of us who aren't at ground zero have to rely on what the media is reporting -- which is turning into an outrageous scandal of its own.
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