Observations on current events

Ecology:

Tierramérica: LEONARDO BOFF: 'This Time There Will Be No Noah's Ark'
"...LB: Bolivia supports the thesis that the Earth is "Pachamama," a living organism that must be respected and cared for, not just exploited. It stands in opposition to the dominant vision, which is set in the framework of the economy: selling carbon credits, for example, means granting the right to pollute.
The dominant societies see the Earth as a chest of resources that can be used indefinitely, although now they have to be utilized in a sustainable way, because they are scarce. They don't recognize the dignity and rights of natural beings, they see them as means of production and their relation is based on utility. These are issues that do not enter into the discussions at Cancún or any other COP.

TIERRAMÉRICA: Why should they be included?

LB: Because the system that has created the problem is not going to save us. If each country has to grow a little each year, and to do so means degrading nature and increasing global warming, then that system is hostile to life.

TIERRAMÉRICA: The argument is that it is necessary for development...

LB: Growth means what? Exploiting nature? It is precisely that type of growth and development that could lead us to the abyss, because we humans are consuming 30 percent more than what the Earth can replace.
That is the vicious circle. China can't go on emitting 30 percent (of global greenhouse emissions), because the pollution does not stay in China, it enters the global system.
The problem is the relation of the human being with the Earth, because it is a violent relationship, a closed fist... As long as we fail to change this, we are headed for the worst. And this time there is no Noah's Ark. Either we save ourselves or we all perish..."

Technology:

Transition Culture: Ingredients of Transition: Intermediate Technologies
"...The Challenge

It is easy to be dazzled by what are put forward as low carbon technologies. They can entice us to stay within our comfort zones, of someone else providing a solution for us that we don’t need to take responsibility for without any fundamental change. When discerning which technologies are going to underpin the transition of our communities, it is key to avoid those that end up creating more dependency...

...The Solution

Implement technologies which can be made or at least repaired locally, which you can understand, and where you can see the supply chain for parts. Ensure that any technologies bring social, economic and community benefits to the local area..."


One Nation, Under Surveillance:

Dana Priest & William M. Arkin: Monitoring America
"Nine years after the terrorist attacks of 2001, the United States is assembling a vast domestic intelligence apparatus to collect information about Americans, using the FBI, local police, state homeland security offices and military criminal investigators.
The system, by far the largest and most technologically sophisticated in the nation's history, collects, stores and analyzes information about thousands of U.S. citizens and residents, many of whom have not been accused of any wrongdoing.
The government's goal is to have every state and local law enforcement agency in the country feed information to Washington to buttress the work of the FBI, which is in charge of terrorism investigations in the United States.
Other democracies - Britain and Israel, to name two - are well acquainted with such domestic security measures. But for the United States, the sum of these new activities represents a new level of governmental scrutiny..."

The Environment:

I'd be curious how many Paris-registered vehicles will be affected. It would surprise me if any French citizen, if they even own a car, owns an SUV in the first place.
Carless Parisians have decent public transit solutions and France has many great small car options. None of this would not fly in the U.S., where enough people are told by vested interests, through PR firms and pundits, to be skeptical of the role of energy-use in climate change...

Detroit Free Press: Paris may say 'non!' to SUVs
"Paris is planning to test restrictions on gas-guzzling vehicles, likely including sport utility vehicles, as part of attempts to curb pollution.
Denis Baupin, an environmental official in the mayor's office, said Wednesday that sport utility vehicles and old diesel cars are likely to be targeted in upcoming test restrictions.
To any Parisian who drives an SUV, Baupin's advice is: 'Sell it and buy a vehicle that's compatible with city life.
'I'm sorry, but having a sport utility vehicle in a city makes no sense,' Baupin told RTL radio.
Paris, Lyon, Grenoble and Aix-en-Provence are among the cities planning to try restrictions on gas-guzzlers in late 2011 or 2012.
The Environment Ministry says officials in each city are still discussing precisely how the restrictions would work -- what types of cars would be affected, in what neighborhoods, during what hours or periods of the year. Exact penalties are also an open question.
Many other European cities, including London and Berlin, already have 'low emission zones,' with varying restrictions on the type of vehicles targeted."

The Fourth Estate:

Rather than a 'news' organization, Fox News is actually a propaganda arm of pro-business interests generally and the GOP in particular. There is nothing illegal about this, since the demise of the Fairness Doctrine under Reagan, but it should sicken anyone who cares about real journalism as one of society's checks on power.

Democracy Now! - Fox News Ordered Reporters to Question Climate Change Data
"The right-wing network Fox News is under scrutiny over newly disclosed directives to its on-air reporters. The group Media Matters has released a leaked memo showing a top Fox News editor ordered journalists to always state that climate change data has been called into question when discussing the topic. The directive originated during the U.N. Climate Change Conference talks last year in Copenhagen when a Fox News correspondent reported the U.N.’s data that the last decade was the warmest on record. Minutes later, Fox News Washington managing editor Bill Sammon sent out a memo questioning the 'veracity of climate change data' and ordering correspondents to 'refrain from asserting that the planet has warmed (or cooled) in any given period without IMMEDIATELY pointing out that such theories are based upon data that critics have called into question.' The revelation follows disclosure of another memo ordering Fox News reporters to avoid use of the term 'public option' in favor of "government option" when discussing healthcare. The directive echoed advice from a Republican pollster on ways to sway public opinion against healthcare reform. The news comes on the heels of a poll from the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland showing that Fox News viewers are more misinformed on key issues than audiences of other news sources. Over 60 percent of Fox News viewers believe President Obama either was not or may not have been born in the United States..."

...our commercial media takes full advantage of how money drives political races, laughing all the way to the bank. They enable the degeneration of the campaign process to one of media saturation by those who can afford to out-advertise their opponents...

John Nichols & Robert W. McChesney: The Money & Media Election Complex
"...Roughly three-quarters of all GOP House gains came in districts where independent expenditures by groups like the Chamber of Commerce and Rove's American Crossroads gave Republican candidates, some of them virtual unknowns until the outside money flowed in, the advantage. The money is powerful, of course, but that power is supercharged because of the decay, and in many cases disappearance, of independent and skeptical journalism at the state and regional levels, where elections are decided. Campaign narratives used to be created by reporters who, imperfectly but seriously, pulled together the multiple threads of an election season to give voters perspective. Now that narrative is driven by commercials—millions of them, most negative. The narrative for the most part still comes from broadcast and cable TV stations, as it has for some time, but it is now produced and paid for by economic elites that seek to define not just the results of an election but the scope and character of government itself. To neglect the money-and-media election complex or, worse yet, to imagine that progressive forces can compete within it will make the 2012 election season look like 2010 on steroids. Determined and dramatic responses are the only options if we hope to maintain anything more than the remnants of a functioning democracy..."


The Environment:

It is amazing that so much time has gone by since plastic was introduced (and discarded in landfills) before anyone bothered to figure this out, but it is good news just the same...

Gizmag: New technique recycles 100 percent of household plastic
"...According to scientists from the University of Warwick, however, only about 12 percent of plastic sent to depots actually gets recycled. Because of problems such as glued-on paper labels, or different types of plastic being combined in one product, the rest of it goes to the landfill or is burnt as fuel. Those same scientists have now devised a system that could recycle 100 percent of household plastic.
The Warwick system is based around a unit that utilizes pyrolysis within a fluidized bed reactor. Pyrolysis is the use of heat in the absence of oxygen for the decomposition of materials, while fluidized bed reactors pass a gas or liquid through solid granular material at high velocity, causing it to behave like a liquid.
The researchers shoveled a wide variety of mixed plastics into the reactor, which were then broken down into useful elements that could be retrieved (in some cases) through distillation. Those elements included wax, which could be used a lubricant; original monomers such as styrene, that could be used to make new polystyrene; terephthalic acid, which could be repurposed in PET plastic products; methylmetacrylate, that could be used to produce acrylic sheets; and carbon, which could be used as Carbon Black in paint pigments and tires. The char left over at the end of the process could reportedly also be sold as activated carbon..."

Pesticide-maker Profits vs The Bees

Without bees, plant life is placed at serious risk. Bayer's profits are more important?

FastCompany: EPA Document Shows It Knowingly Allowed Pesticide That Kills Honey Bees
"The world honey bee population has plunged in recent years, worrying beekeepers and farmers who know how critical bee pollination is for many crops. A number of theories have popped up as to why the North American honey bee population has declined--electromagnetic radiation, malnutrition, and climate change have all been pinpointed. Now a leaked EPA document reveals that the agency allowed the widespread use of a bee-toxic pesticide, despite warnings from EPA scientists.
The document, which was leaked to a Colorado beekeeper, shows that the EPA has ignored warnings about the use of clothianidin, a pesticide produced by Bayer that mainly is used to pre-treat corn seeds. The pesticide scooped up $262 million in sales in 2009 by farmers, who also use the substance on canola, soy, sugar beets, sunflowers, and wheat, according to Grist...
...The entire 101-page memo is damning (and worth a read). But the opinion of EPA scientists apparently isn't enough for the agency, which is allowing clothianidin to keep its registration.
Suspicions about clothianidin aren't new; the EPA's Environmental Fate and Effects Division (EFAD) first expressed concern when the pesticide was introduced, in 2003, about the 'possibility of toxic exposure to nontarget pollinators [e.g., honeybees] through the translocation of clothianidin residues that result from seed treatment,'...
...Clothianidin has already been banned by Germany, France, Italy, and Slovenia for its toxic effects. So why won't the EPA follow? The answer probably has something to do with the American affinity for corn products. But without honey bees, our entire food supply is in trouble."


The Fourth Estate?

Raw Story: ‘The Fourth Estate is dead,’ former CIA analyst declares

"'The Empire' is 'being threatened by a slingshot in the form of a computer'
Traditional lines of communication between the people and the press have fallen into such disrepair in America that a whole new approach is necessary to challenge the military-industrial-governmental complex, according to a former CIA analyst sympathetic to WikiLeaks.
'The Fourth Estate is dead,' Ray McGovern, of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, told Raw Story in an exclusive interview. 'The Fourth Estate in his country has been captured by government and corporations, the military-industrial complex, the intelligence apparatus. Captive! So, there is no Fourth Estate.'
McGovern explained that the term the 'Fourth Estate,' known today as the news media in the US, was first coined by 18th century British statesman Edmund Burke. Burke is said to have pointed to the balcony in Parliament and lauded the print media of his day for being the safeguards of democracy.
'That was very powerful back then,' McGovern said. 'And just a century later you get Tom Paine, James Madison. You know what Thomas Jefferson said? He said if we have to make a choice between having a government and having a press, I’ll go for the press every time. He understood that any government without a free press will resort to despotism,'..."

On Wikileaks:

Mr. Assange is a messenger, not a 'traitor.'
With any scandal, one must always ask 'who benefits?'
Sex charges are quite common when some is the target of a public smear campaign.

James D. Catlin: When it comes to Assange rape case, the Swedes are making it up as they go along
"Apparently having consensual sex in Sweden without a condom is punishable by a term of imprisonment of a minimum of two years for rape. That is the basis for a reinstitution of rape charges against WikiLeaks figurehead Julian Assange that is destined to make Sweden and its justice system the laughing stock of the world and dramatically damage its reputation as a model of modernity.
Sweden’s Public Prosecutor’s Office was embarrassed in August this year when it leaked to the media that it was seeking to arrest Assange for rape, then on the same day withdrew the arrest warrant because in its own words there was 'no evidence'. The damage to Assange’s reputation is incalculable. More than three quarters of internet references to his name refer to rape. Now, three months on and three prosecutors later, the Swedes seem to be clear on their basis to proceed. Consensual sex that started out with a condom ended up without one, ergo, the sex was not consensual.
For three months Assange had been waiting in vain to hear whether media statements by and for the two female 'victims' that there was no fear or violence were going to be embellished so the charges might be carried forward due to greater seriousness. Such statements would stop a rape charge in any Western country dead in its tracks. Rape is a crime of violence, duress or deception. You can rape someone by deluding them into thinking you are someone else or by drugging them or by reason of their young age but essentially it’s a crime of violence..."

Dana Kennedy: 'Sex by Surprise' at Heart of Assange Criminal Probe
"The international manhunt for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in a sex-crime investigation in Sweden apparently stems from a condom malfunction.
Assange's London attorney, Mark Stephens, told AOL News today that Swedish prosecutors told him that Assange is wanted not for allegations of rape, as previously reported, but for something called 'sex by surprise,' which he said involves a fine of 5,000 kronor or about $715..."

The Bankster Bailout:

This is the same instance I posted about five days ago. It still sounds like an interest-free gift to the biggest and most risk-indulgent players. I thought these people were fans of the efficiency of markets without government interference (or help)? And now, at year's end they have zero shame in paying out huge bonuses, even though their firms might not exist today without these special favors.

Sen. Bernie Sanders: A Real Jaw Dropper at the Federal Reserve
"At a Senate Budget Committee hearing in 2009, I asked Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke to tell the American people the names of the financial institutions that received an unprecedented backdoor bailout from the Federal Reserve, how much they received, and the exact terms of this assistance. He refused. A year and a half later, as a result of an amendment that I was able to include in the Wall Street reform bill, we have begun to lift the veil of secrecy at the Fed, and the American people now have this information..."


The Gulf Oil Disaster:

Our attempts to exploit the geology of the Gulf of Mexico has risks that we do not fully realize...

Tom Termotto: The Gulf of Mexico is Dying
"...After conducting the Gulf Oil Spill Remediation Conference for over seven months, we can now disseminate the following information with the authority and confidence of those who have thoroughly investigated a crime scene. There are many research articles, investigative reports and penetrating exposes archived at the following website. Particularly those posted from August through November provide a unique body of evidence, many with compelling photo-documentaries, which portray the true state of affairs at the Macondo Prospect in the GOM..."


Security Theatre:

This is one of the best-reasoned pieces I've read on the subject...

Evan DeFilippis: A nude awakening — TSA and privacy
"Daily columnist Kate McPherson wrote a column on Tuesday in defense of the Transportation Security Administration’s newest screening procedures, arguing that because security protocol in other countries is far more invasive than that implemented in the U.S., the American public should be grateful to have such ‘minor’ abbreviations of liberty. In my experience with debate I have found that any position whose primary justification is “it could be worse” is almost certainly wrong.
My colleague argues that aggressive pat-downs and full-body scans are crucial to our security. This argument fails in multiple respects — it makes the false assumption that these new procedures are actually effective in mitigating the risk of terrorism, which they aren’t; it fallaciously presumes that one’s security risk is higher in an airport than it is anywhere else, which it isn’t; and it prescribes a remedy that is far worse than the disease. Benjamin Franklin had a pithy rebuttal: 'those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.' Here’s mine..."


Freedom of Information vs Secrecy:

Julian Assange: Don't shoot messenger for revealing uncomfortable truths
"In 1958 a young Rupert Murdoch, then owner and editor of Adelaide's The News, wrote: 'In the race between secrecy and truth, it seems inevitable that truth will always win.'
His observation perhaps reflected his father Keith Murdoch's expose that Australian troops were being needlessly sacrificed by incompetent British commanders on the shores of Gallipoli. The British tried to shut him up but Keith Murdoch would not be silenced and his efforts led to the termination of the disastrous Gallipoli campaign.
Nearly a century later, WikiLeaks is also fearlessly publishing facts that need to be made public...
...Every time WikiLeaks publishes the truth about abuses committed by US agencies, Australian politicians chant a provably false chorus with the State Department: 'You'll risk lives! National security! You'll endanger troops!' Then they say there is nothing of importance in what WikiLeaks publishes. It can't be both. Which is it?
It is neither. WikiLeaks has a four-year publishing history. During that time we have changed whole governments, but not a single person, as far as anyone is aware, has been harmed. But the US, with Australian government connivance, has killed thousands in the past few months alone.
US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates admitted in a letter to the US congress that no sensitive intelligence sources or methods had been compromised by the Afghan war logs disclosure. The Pentagon stated there was no evidence the WikiLeaks reports had led to anyone being harmed in Afghanistan. NATO in Kabul told CNN it couldn't find a single person who needed protecting. The Australian Department of Defence said the same. No Australian troops or sources have been hurt by anything we have published..."

Economics:

The Fed had trillions to make loans to business, even foreign ones?

Huffington Post: Federal Reserve Documents
"The Federal Reserve has just released a vast trove of documents that detail a massive $3.3 trillion dollar aid program offered to the financial industry during the height of the financial crisis. Until now, the details of the program have been kept secret. But, thanks to a lawsuit from Bloomberg News and Congressional action, the details have now been made public...
...For the lucky few on Wall Street, the Federal Reserve sure was sweet.
Nine firms -- five of them foreign -- were able to borrow $5 billion in U.S. government securities, which effectively act like cash on Wall Street, for four weeks at the minuscule interest rate of 0.0077 percent.
That is not a typo.
On 31 separate transactions, the lucky nine were able to borrow billions for 28 days as part of a crisis-era Fed program that lent the securities, known as Treasuries, for 28-day chunks to ensure that firms had cash on hand to lend, invest with and trade. The market was seizing up; effectively free money, courtesy of Uncle Same, helped it thaw.
The European firms -- Credit Suisse (Switzerland), Deutsche Bank (Germany), Royal Bank of Scotland (U.K.), Barclays (U.K.), and BNP Paribas (France) -- borrowed $5 billion worth of Treasuries 19 different times, each paying just $383,561.64 in interest for the privilege. Deutsche led the way with seven such deals/
That's equal to 0.0077 percent interest for the 28-day loan. The annual interest rate equals 0.10 percent..."

Democracy Now! - Noam Chomsky: WikiLeaks Cables Reveal 'Profound Hatred for Democracy on the Part of Our Political Leadership'
"...AMY GOODMAN: That was Secretary to Hillary Clinton yesterday at a news conference. I wanted to get your comment on Clinton, Netanyahu’s comment, and the fact that Abdullah of Saudi Arabia- the King who is now getting back surgery in the New York- called for the U.S. to attack Iran. Noam Chomsky?

NOAM CHOMSKY: That essentially reinforces what I said before, that the main significance of the cables that are being released so far is what they tell us about Western leadership. So Hillary Clinton and Benjamin Netanyahu surely know of the careful polls of Arab public opinion. The Brookings Institute just a few months ago released extensive polls of what Arabs think about Iran. The results are rather striking. They show the Arab opinion holds that the major threat in the region is Israel- that’s 80. The second major threat is the United States- that’s 77. Iran is listed as a threat by 10%.
With regard to nuclear weapons, rather remarkably, a majority- in fact, 57–say that the region would have a positive effect in the region if Iran had nuclear weapons. Now, these are not small numbers. 80, 77, say the U.S. and Israel are the major threat. 10 say Iran is the major threat. This may not be reported in the newspapers here- it is in England- but it’s certainly familiar to the Israeli and U.S. governments, and to the ambassadors. But there is not a word about it anywhere. What that reveals is the profound hatred for democracy on the part of our political leadership and the Israeli political leadership. These things aren’t even to be mentioned. This seeps its way all through the diplomatic service. The cables to not have any indication of that.
When they talk about Arabs, they mean the Arab dictators, not the population, which is overwhelmingly opposed to the conclusions that the analysts here- Clinton and the media- have drawn. There’s also a minor problem; that’s the major problem. The minor problem is that we don’t know from the cables what the Arab leaders think and say. We know what was selected from the range of what they say. So there is a filtering process. We don’t know how much it distorts the information. But there is no question that what is a radical distortion is- or, not even a distortion, a reflection–of the concern that the dictators are what matter. The population does not matter, even if it’s overwhelmingly opposed to U.S. policy..."