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Newest Blog Entries:
Suppressing Research: Eight Ways Monsanto Fails at Sustainable Agriculture
Posted by Michael Butler, Thursday, February 9, 2012FOCUS | Facebook Is Using You
Posted by Michael Butler, Monday, February 6, 2012At Hearing on “Fracking,” Capitol Police Arrest Director of “Gasland”
Sari Gelzer at Truthout ..On Wednesday, House Republicans ordered Capitol police to arrest Josh Fox, director of the Academy Award-nominated documentary "Gasland," along with his crew. The group was attempting to film a meeting of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment that was to discuss hydraulic fracturing, also known as "fracking" .. Fox faces a court hearing on February 15 on charges of "unlawful entry." As an independent filmmaker, Fox called on congress to make all meetings and hearings accessible to independent journalists. "The truth that fracking contaminates groundwater is out, and no amount of intimidation tactics - either outright challenges to science or the arrest of journalists - will put the genie back in the bottle," he stated.we're being China-fied in the US - mab .. read more
Posted by Mike Blaxill, Thursday, February 2, 2012
Pesticides Blamed for Bee Decline
Jonathan Owen reports in The Independent ..Compelling new evidence from the US government's top bee expert that modern pesticides may be a major cause of collapsing bee populations led to calls yesterday for the chemicals to be banned. A study published in the current issue of the German science journal Naturwissenschaften, reveals how bees given minute doses of [Bayer's] widely used pesticide imidacloprid became more vulnerable to infections from a deadly parasite, nosema. Bee experts described this as clear evidence of the role pesticides play in the plight of bees. Although research into the furry insects may seem like a very academic exercise, bees are vital to human survival. More than 70 of the 100 crops that provide 90 per cent of the world's food are pollinated by bees, and Albert Einstein once predicted that if bees died out, "man would have no more than four years to live.".. read more
Posted by Mike Blaxill, Wednesday, February 1, 2012
NYT Op-Eds (3)
"Charles Murray’s 'Coming Apart' describes the most important cultural trends today and offers a better understanding of America’s increasingly two-caste society" (Brooks); "Thanks to a gap between discrimination laws and disability laws, it’s possible for a pregnant woman to be forced from her job" (Guest Op-Ed); "With use of drones, the world could get clear, instant evidence of atrocities in Syria" (Guest Op-Ed)Posted by Ian Alterman, Tuesday, January 31, 2012
NYT Editorial & Op-Eds (10)
"The system for reviewing presidential appointments is broken. Changing the rule is a risky course, but it is the only way to get the nation’s work done" (Editorial); "A student movement led by Camila Vallejo and centered on reforming Chile’s educational system is upending the society" (Guest Op-Ed); "Millions of children take drugs to help them pay attention — but do they really help?" (Guest Op-Ed); "Focusing on public expectations of privacy means that our rights change when technology does" (Guest Op-Ed); "While Cynthia Nixon’s critics have good reason to worry about how her words will be construed, they have no right to demand silence and conformity from her" (Bruni); "Would it be ethical to produce, or take, a drug that makes us more likely to help others?" (Guest Op-Ed); "What is it about runways that brings out the fire in our cool president?" (Dowd); "There is a big gap in how C.E.O.’s and political leaders look at the world" (Friedman); "The power of the state can crowd out other forms of community" (Douthat); "Religious people are more likely to donate to charity" (Guest Op-Ed)Posted by Ian Alterman, Sunday, January 29, 2012
FOCUS: Low IQ & Conservative Beliefs Linked to Prejudice
Posted by Michael Butler, Saturday, January 28, 2012NYT Editorials & Op-Eds (4)
"President Obama has promised a full inquiry into the mortgage meltdown. Could this finally lead to clear results that hold those who broke the law accountable?" (Editorial); "The Supreme Court was correct to rule that placing an electronic surveillance on a suspect’s car violates privacy rights, but it left too many questions unanswered" (Editorial); "Evangelical concerns about Mitt Romney’s faith ultimately say more about the insecurities of the establishment denominations than about Mormonism itself" (Guest Op-Ed); "The Supreme Court’s decision to give a death-row inmate another chance presents a puzzle for anyone who witnessed the sharp right turn the Roberts court took during the 2006-2007 term" (Greenhouse)Posted by Ian Alterman, Thursday, January 26, 2012
Space: The next war zone? – U.S. Military – Salon.com
Posted by Michael Butler, Wednesday, January 25, 2012Store Front in Berlin – You Tube
fascinating, thanks to Tom PiersonPosted by Michael Butler, Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Public Integrity
Posted by Michael Hamilton, Tuesday, January 24, 2012NYT (2): National News
Outrageous anti-Muslim film shown during NYPD training; Why are dozens of dolphins washing ashore in Cape Cod?Posted by Ian Alterman, Tuesday, January 24, 2012
NYT (4): National News
SCOTUS says GPS use by police violated privacy rights; Giffords will leave House; As "right-to-work" "line of scrimmage" develops at Superbowl, unions face yet another problem: lockouts.Posted by Ian Alterman, Monday, January 23, 2012
NYT (4): Int’l Affairs
In almost-unheard-of case, bird flu scientists agree to halt research, keep certain info secret; U.S. may close embassy in Syria; Self-immolation on the rise; China warns Iran on nukes.Posted by Ian Alterman, Saturday, January 21, 2012
NYT (8): Foreign Affairs
Bahrain opposition unimpressed by King's suggested reforms; Taiwan elections stir democracy-minded hearts in China; Hacker who hit Israeli credit card accounts strikes again, crippling sites of ElAl and Stock Exchange; Romanian protests over austerity measures turn violent; Hard lesson learned, Nigerian leader reinstitutes gas subsidy; Sarkozy vulnerable due to economic situation; Pakistan's highest court initiates contempt of court proceedings against PM; Captain of capsized liner likely to face charges.Posted by Ian Alterman, Tuesday, January 17, 2012
TomDispatch – Nick Turse: Drone Disasters
Posted by Bill Swiggard, Sunday, January 15, 2012NYT Editorials, Op-Eds, Letters (12)
"Voters, unionized or not, should recognize the new “right to work” push for what it is: bad economics and cynical politics" (Editorial); "An important new study based on capital cases in Connecticut provides powerful evidence that death sentences are haphazardly meted out" (Editorial); "A lab-created bird flu virus needs to be destroyed, or better contained, and future research closely reviewed" (Editorial); "President Obama could cut the arsenal by two-thirds without diminishing its power. It would also save billions of dollars" (Guest Op-Ed); "Street lighting is at risk of being restricted once again to residences and neighborhoods able to afford it" (Guest Op-Ed); "I spent seven and a half years at Guantánamo, without explanation" (Guest Op-Ed); "I was arrested on a bus ride and wound up in prison at Guantánamo Bay" (Guest Op-Ed); "To hear the Republican candidates speak, you’d think Ronald Reagan was the last Republican president — and that he upheld the party’s current values" (Bruni); "When something extraordinary happens, like the uprising and subsequent truly free elections in Egypt, you just shut up and take notes" (Friedman); "The attacks on Rick Santorum and his wife are weird but inevitable" (Douthat); "In New Hampshire, Rick Santorum’s hot politics of aggrievement are competing with Mitt Romney’s cold politics of convenience" (Dowd); "Sunday Dialogue: Do We Live in a Less Deadly Time, or Not?" (Letters)Posted by Ian Alterman, Sunday, January 8, 2012
NYT (4): Foreign Affairs
Hacking scandal refuses to die, as cover-up is suspected; In search for spies, tough South Korean law is snaring innocents; New books on Himmler and Heydrich; A new book on whales, from slaughter to saving.Posted by Ian Alterman, Sunday, January 8, 2012
NYT (5): Foreign Affairs
Al-Maliki welcomes terrorist group into politics; Egyptian prosecutors call for death for Mubarak; Cyberattack exposes financial details of 20,000 Israelis; German president remains unrepentant and obstinate; In irony, U.S. warship threatened by Iran saves Iranians taken by pirates.Posted by Ian Alterman, Saturday, January 7, 2012
NYT Op-Eds (3)
"Technology is a means of enabling freedom, not an end in itself" (Guest Op-Ed); "If Mitt Romney ends up winning the Republican presidential nomination, let’s hope that he reverts to the moderate pragmatist he was for most of his career" (Kristof); "Can’t wait to see what the Republicans do next. New Hampshire is lovely this time of year" (Collins)Posted by Ian Alterman, Thursday, January 5, 2012
FOCUS | AP: Officials Say Fracking Caused Ohio Earthquake
Posted by Michael Butler, Tuesday, January 3, 2012NYT Op-Eds (3)
"Mitt Romney likes to use the song 'Eye of the Tiger' at his campaign events. But 'Karma Chameleon' might be a better tune for him" (Bruni); "The largest slice of the Republican Party may have found a champion in Rick Santorum" (Brooks); "Addiction to the hand-held device is a modern curse" (Cohen)Posted by Ian Alterman, Tuesday, January 3, 2012
NYT Editorial & Op-Eds (10)
"The Keystone pipeline is bad energy policy and doesn’t do enough for the economy. President Obama should argue for alternative fuel sources and clean energy jobs" (Editorial); "The obsession with deficit reduction is wrongheaded and ill-informed" (Krugman); "Extreme positions on the campaign trail in Iowa do damage to the Republican Party" (Bruni); "An unusual political trajectory has taken Ron Paul from the fringe to the caucuses" (Douthat); "As our elected 'leaders' exasperate us with narcissism and paralysis, some Hollywood figures are actually showing a moral compass on humanitarian issues" (Kristof); "Egos in disguise: 'humble' men and the women who 'shove' them" (Dowd); "Our refusal to see what we know is true has led to one global disaster after another" (Guest Op-Ed); "Extremists on both sides of the drug-policy issue have taken over the conversation. We must give centrists a voice, or America’s drug problem will only get worse" (Guest Op-Ed); "Trying to escape the constant stream of too much information" (Guest Op-Ed); "Forget egocentric New Year’s resolutions. It’s time for New Rules for how the world should work" (Maher)Posted by Ian Alterman, Monday, January 2, 2012
NYT (6): National News
Fracking once again implicated in quakes; Six economists look at 2012; After three decades, ethanol subsidies expire; Previews and predictions for NYC 2012; A new book on Roger Williams and "the creation of the American soul"; A new book on how five cold warriors banded together to ban the bomb.Posted by Ian Alterman, Monday, January 2, 2012
