31 May, 2012
With New Malware Virus, Israel Fans A Virtual Flame Against Iran
By Pierre Klochendler
A new super-weapon has entered the Mideast cyber arena. First detected on Monday by a Moscow-based security company, ‘Worm.Win32.Flame’ – just call it ‘Flame’ – might be "the most sophisticated cyber weapon yet unleashed" on Iran’s secret nuclear networks. The newly-discovered multi-task device sniffs network traffic, takes screenshots when certain applications of interest are run, records audio conversations, intercepts keyboards – the web seems to be the limit
A Drone-Eat-Drone World
By Nick Turse
With Its “Roadmap” in Tatters, The Pentagon Detours to Terminator Planet
Starving And Broke: Yemen's Renewed 'War On Terror'
By Ramzy Baroud
Faced with the most strenuous of circumstances – the unyielding ruling family, the US-lead war on al-Qaeda, sectarian tension, unsettled political divides between south and north, and unforgiving poverty - the youth of Yemen successfully managed to introduce a hopeful chapter to an otherwise gloomy modern history. While they should be proud of this, they must also remain wary of the challenges awaiting them in the next two years
Literature In A Locked Down Land
By William T. Hathaway
Struggle: A Magazine of Revolutionary Proletarian Literature has been publishing prisoners' literature since 1985. Here are a few selection from the magazine
Pakistan Pays The Price Of Defiance As Obama Shows His True Colors
By Judy Bello
Obama is playing God. And last week, his eminence apparently decided to teach the Pakistanis a lesson about defying the mighty powers of the American Olympians. Perhaps, Mr. Obama, you would deign to look down from your lofty post and say a few words of comfort to little Fatima and the dozens of others like her
Bob Dylan Allows Masters Of War To A Put Medal Around His Neck
By Jay Janson
But Obama is familiar with Bob's “You masters of war/You play with my world like it's your little toy/You put a gun in my hand/As young people's blood flows out of their bodies you hide in your mansion/ the money will never buy back your soul.You lie and deceive/But I see through your eyes/And I see through your brain/And I hope you die/And your death'll come soon/And I'll stand over your grave 'til I'm sure you're dead.”
Planned Obsolescence In India
By Colin Todhunter
India is on the fast lane towards urbanisation. But is it really good, or necessary?
30 May, 2012
Julian Assange Loses Extradition Appeal
By Aljazeera
Julian Assange, founder of the whistle-blower website WikiLeaks, has lost his appeal at the supreme court in London against extradition to Sweden, where he faces sexual assault allegations. The decision means that Assange, 40, can be extradited. But his lawyers immediately requested to be given leave to appeal to reopen the case. The court gave his lawyers two weeks to contest their ruling, and any extradition has been put on hold until Assange decides whether to challenge the judges's decision. That means that Assange can stay in Britain for a further 14 days
Iran: A Nation That Wants To Live In Peace
By Kourosh Ziabari
Iranians want to live in peace and this is what they have always called for. But, let's judge fairly and equitably. How many enemies does Iran have, and what's the reason behind these blind enmities?
Root of Evil
By Rand Clifford
New research has exposed that Psychopathy is linked to specific structural abnormalities in the brain. Pathocracy is its flower
Manufacturing Offence: The Cartoon Controversy
By Rohini Hensman
Dr Ambedkar knew that in order to eliminate the obscenity of caste oppression and caste itself, education in the broadest sense of encouraging critical thought, speech and writing is a must. Seen from this perspective, manufacturing offence in order to attack the 2006 NCERT textbooks is undoubtedly a betrayal of his legacy
The Contemptuous Lathi-Charged Cattle Prod Of Indian Officialdom
By Colin Todhunter
The term ‘crimes against humanity’ is thrown around quite liberally these days. But seldom on such a list will you see sections of the Indian political and economic elite who have been responsible for the mass malnutrition and hunger, the early deaths, the wasted potential, the massive poverty, the daily suffering and by implication, the complete and utter contempt for the lives of crores of their own countryfolk
29 May, 2012
Fukushima Reactor 4 Poses Massive Global Risk
By Andy Johnson
More than a year after a devastating earthquake and tsunami triggered a massive nuclear disaster, experts are warning that Japan isn't out of the woods yet and the worst nuclear storm the world has ever seen could be just one earthquake away from reality. The troubled Reactor 4 at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is at the centre of this potential catastrophe
Trust Deficit: People's Strugggle At Koodankulam
By S.G.Vombatkere
Both central and state governments are attempting to ram the KKNPP project down the throats of thousands of people organized as the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE). These people have been patiently, peacefully and cogently arguing against KKNPP, bravely facing police brutality and the executive and political might of “people's” governments. Do people's democratic rights, safety and welfare have any value in today's India?
Right To Nuclear Information or A Practical Joke?
By Raminder Kaur
In an unprecedented move, the Right to Information Act (2005) has been used to obtain information from Indian nuclear authorities who have previously held themselves as strictly off-limits. The 12 page Site Evaluation Report (SER) that was released contains some startling information
Omar Barghouti And “Reverse” Racism
By Dave Fryett
Omar Barghouti, face of the Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) movement against Israel, made a racist statement while addressing a socialist conference. Standing in front of sign which reads “revolutionary politics”, he stated that the White race is the most violent, and then offered evidence in support of his claim
The War On Gays
By Chris Hedges
The sentencing of Dharun Ravi for the hateful abuse that may have driven his gay roommate at Rutgers, Tyler Clementi, to commit suicide, or Barack Obama’s public acceptance of gay marriage, prevents many of us from seeing that life for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people is getting worse—much worse
Occupy Oakland Is Dead. Long Live The Oakland Commune
By Some Oakland Antagonists
The task ahead of us in Oakland and beyond is to search out and nurture new means of finding each other. We are quickly reaching the point where the dead weight of Occupy threatens to drag down the Commune into the dust bin of history. We need to breathe new life into our network of rebellious relationships that does not rely on the Occupy Oakland general assembly or the array of movement protagonists who have emerged to represent the struggle
Syriza Programe For Greece
Translated By Gaither Stewart
The daily bulletin of Italy’s Communist Refoundation Party published today the apparently official program of Greek radical left coalition,Syriza
No One Hears The Poor
By Kathy Kelly
Lives of struggling poor in Kabul
Report Of The GMJ-Asian Caravan To Jerusalem
By Feroze Mithiborwala
A report on the Global March To Jerusalem Asia Caravan
US Memorial Day: Remember Shameful Treatment Of US 99 %
By Neocon American & Zionist 1%
By Dr Gideon Polya
On US Memorial Day we should not only remember the US war dead but also the shameful treatment of US veterans (of whom about 50,000 have suicided since 9-11), the appallingly treated American 99% (1 million of whom die preventably each year because the Neocon American and Zionist 1% spends trillions of dollars on killing Muslims abroad rather on than saving American lives at home), the 38 million Asians who have died from violence or war-imposed deprivation in the post-1950 US Asian wars, and the circa 13 million Muslims who have died from violence or war-imposed deprivation in the post-1990 US War on Muslims
Vets Radio Show - And Organizing In Northwest Indiana
By Kim Scipes
Iraq combat veteran and IVAW member, Vince Emanuele, hosts a weekly two-hour radio show he calls Veterans Unplugged. This show, and the people around it, is central to veterans organizing in Northwest Indiana
Amir Khan, The Ambanis And Medical Ethics
By Vidyadhar Date
Amir Khan’s programme is good and many decent people are connected with it. But it is completely marred by the exhortation by Mrs Nita Ambani of the Ambani Foundation and there arises a very big question of credibility
Gov. Jerry Brown’s Terrorizing Tactic
By Ann Robertson & Bill Leumer
Current political developments in California highlight the gaping chasm that divides the established political process – which is routinely mislabeled as “democratic” – with the positions embraced by the vast majority of Californians
An Asean-China Forum For The South China Sea
By Chandra Muzaffar
No one will believe that the stand-off between the Philippines and China over a disputed island in the South China Sea is a straightforward bilateral issue. It has serious implications not only for regional politics but also for the changing pattern of global power. This is why it is imperative that a clear basis be established for the resolution of the dispute without any further delay
Softening Up The UK Population For War
By Colin Todhunter
Many in the UK swore that it would never happen again. A hugely unpopular decision to go to war at the time, Tony Blair is still vilified to this day by large sections of the British public for his decision to support the Bush administration and illegally invade Iraq. Fast forward eight years, and the now British PM David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague are spewing out a similar brand of finger pointing bravado that we once heard from Blair towards Iraq, but this time in the direction of Iran
US Diktat To Pakistan Not Working
By Thomas Riggins
A brave new world is gradually coming into existence outside of the US, one that increasingly refuses to bow to the imperial diktat and to accede unquestioningly to the demands of US imperialism and its corporate masters. People everywhere are becoming more insistent on their democratic rights, even in the US itself. Let us have the audacity to hope the Obama administration gets the message
28 May, 2012
NATO Air Strike Kills Afghan Family Of Eight
By Patrick Martin
In the latest of an apparently endless string of atrocities in occupied Afghanistan, a NATO air strike wiped out an entire Afghan family—father, mother and six children—according to Afghan officials in Paktia province, near the country’s eastern border with Pakistan
Counter Revolution Disguised As Democracy In Egypt
By Shamus Cooke
Like the revolutionaries in Greece, Egyptians will fight against austerity while fighting for a truly democratic Constituent Assembly; either issue by itself could re-spark the still smoldering revolution. But democracy will have a new meaning for Egypt's revolutionaries: the abstract ideal will be tossed aside in favor of a democracy of economic and social equality, requiring that the economic and social power of Egypt's old rulers be smashed
Egypt’s Election Results: Palestinian Victory & Zionist Defeat?
By Franklin Lamb
Barring surprises such as ex-President Hosni Mubarak being found innocent of all charges on June 2 when the verdict is to be announced in his case, which many lawyers are predicting is exactly what will happen, Mohammad Mursi will very likely prevail in the mid-June run-off and become Egypt’s first democratically elected President
Transferring The “Right Of Return”
By deLiberation
There are currently more than 8 million "diaspora" Jews living all over the world. According to Israeli law every single one of them has a guaranteed "right of return to the land of Israel" simply on proof of being a Jew. Imagine the diaspora Jews calling Israel's bluff. They can. Here is one way of doing it: a transfer of the "right of return" from diaspora jews to Palestinians living in exile from their own land
Red Hot Chili Peppers: You Can't ‘Play For A Better Day' In Israel- An Open Letter From BDS Italy
By BDS Italia
Sign the international petition calling on the Red Hot Chili Peppers to cancel their concert in Israel!
Same-Sex Marriage: A Struggle Beyond Civil Rights
By Kenneth E. Bauzon
The so-called gay rights movement could no longer be regarded as a solitary movement. It is, in fact, part of a broader struggle for the rights of very human being – and linked to the preservation of the global commons -- which could no longer be postponed. To discern its connection, therefore, with the on-going struggle against the depredation of a parasitic system that preys on the weak but gives preferential treatment to the rich and the powerful – the global Top 1% -- would just be the first step
Chicago Spring: NATO And The 1% vs. The 99%
By Kim Scipes
Activists in this huge city came together in a way I haven’t seen in the 18 years I’ve lived in Chicago. There’s no doubt in my mind that the “left”—however one wants to define it—in this City is now much more unified and aware of each other in a positive manner, as well as being more aware of people’s struggles around the world
Unending Wars Against Mankind: Afghanistan And Iraq
By Mahboob A. Khawaja
Now the global institutional capacity to deal with peace and conflict management appears in ruin with the continued onslaught of the American led so called War on Terrorism in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan
American Imperial System of Peace And Freedom
By Duvvuru Kamalakar
The myth of American exceptional status before God and its divine mission to establish peace and freedom in the world has been instrumental in justification of the American violence around the world and its expansionistic policies. This myth has also made it easier to garner public support as Americans are already predisposed to “sacred” violence and receptive to more of it
Why The US Hates Assange
By Colin Todhunter
If anyone has placed US lives at risk, it’s not Assange. Holder should look much closer to home, within the US oligarchy of billionaire financiers, industrialists and corporate backed politicians who, as Julian Assange now knows too well, despise transparency, dislike democracy and will do anything to prevent themselves from being held to genuine account
A Hungry Nation Exports Food. It Can Happen Only In A Democracy
By Devinder Sharma
It is a strange paradox of plenty. While on the one hand India is overladen with mounting food stocks, on the other nearly 320 million people go to bed hungry. The number of hungry and malnourished in India almost equals the entire population of America
27 May, 2012
Limits We are Reaching –Oil, Debt, And Others
By Gail Tverberg
The world is clearly reaching many limits. In these earliest days, human systems were a part of the natural system. Humans behaved like other animals, and fit easily into the natural order. Today humans dominate nature and threaten the natural system, courting self destruction in the process
Overpopulation And Systemic Collapse
By Peter Goodchild
The world's population has risen from about 1.7 billion in 1900 to 2.5 in 1950, to over 7 billion now. If we allow the loss of petroleum to take its course, a decline of 3 percent would result in a drop in world population to half its present level, i.e. to 3.5 billion, by about the year 2030
De-OccupyStop&Frisk
By Mickey Z.
From 2004 to 2011, according to the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), more than 4 million innocent New Yorkers were subjected to police stops and street interrogations. The vast majority of those being stopped and frisked are black and Latino and roughly 9 out of 10 are innocent
Israel, US At Loggerheads Over Iran Nuclear Issue
By Ismail Salami
While Iran and the world six powers wrapped up their talks on Thursday in an atmosphere apparently meant to resolve the nuclear issue, US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs and top negotiator on Iran Wendy Sherman rushed to Tel Aviv to brief the Israeli officials on the new nuclear developments and "reaffirm our [US] unshakeable commitment to Israel's security."
CAPITOLISM
By Tim Gatto
Socialism can work. The rich will try anything to stop it. If it means social turmoil, so be it. We have the numbers, they have the money. Let their money hit the streets while we send our bodies
Bollywood Novacaine And The Dull Pain Of Poverty
By Colin Todhunter
Poverty can always be brushed aside, can’t it? There’s always Bollywood novacaine or the latest rich list to distract or dull the pain. Better still - the stroke of a bureaucrat’s pen in drawing a new poverty line will do just fine.
Kashmir: Health Care Needs Check-Up’
By Adil Akhzer
Kashmir once again is making to the news headlines. More than 350 babies have died till now and death spree continues (363 was the last number). The reason for the deaths as given by the authorities is that the “hospital does not have sufficient machinery to save children’s life.”
26 May, 2012
Mounting Signs Of Deepening Global Slump
By Andre Damon
New economic figures point to a renewed downturn of the world economy amid a growing debt crisis in Europe and the threatened breakup of the euro zone
Can Obama Stop Casino Capitalism?
By Shamus Cooke
The recent JPMorgan scandal where billions of dollars were lost in risky bets has re-ignited the move to properly regulate the U.S. banking system
Slow Death, Fast Profits: Pesticides, GMOs, India And Monsanto
By Colin Todhunter
The next time you serve up a good old ‘wholesome’ meal of rice and various vegetables in India, you will probably take in half a milligram of pesticide also, around a pin prick. That would be more than 40 times what an average North American person would consume
Kashmir: Official Report, Private Opinion
By Zafar Choudhary
A critique of the report prepared by Kashmir interlocutors
25 May, 2012
Quebec Police Mount Mass Arrests In Bid To Break Student Strike
By Keith Jones
After Tuesday’s 150,000-strong demonstration supporting Quebec’s striking students and opposing the provincial Liberal government’s draconian Bill 78, the state has intensified its campaign of repression. Police arrested almost 700 protesters in Montreal and Quebec City Wednesday evening
US Steps Up Drone War On Pakistan
By Bill Van Auken
US drone attacks in northwest Pakistan killed at least 14 people in little more than 24 hours, including 10 who died in a Thursday morning missile strike on a mosque
UN Starves One Million Somalis On 10 Cents A Day
By Thomas C. Mountain
The UN announced its budget for feeding the over one million Somali refugees under its care for the next year and have allocated less than 10 cents a day to do so
Think Globally Act Locally
By Steven Earl Salmony
Think globally while there is still time and act locally before it is too late for human action to make any difference in the clear and presently dangerous course of unfolding human-induced ecological events, both in our planetary home and in our villages, towns and cities
'Dirty War' Tactic Of Disappearances Reappears In Mexico
By Cyril Mychalejko
The War on Drugs is becoming another “Dirty War” in Mexico, with the tactic of enforced disappearances reappearing as a commonplace occurrence in the country
The Elections Wont Bring Progressive Change, So What Can?
By Jack A. Smith
Broad and deep movements as long as they are massive, activist, radical and well organized have significantly changed American history. It may be a long, arduous struggle, but that's the light at the end of this dismal electoral tunnel
US/NATO To Stop Killing Taliban In 2014, US Stopped Killing Vietcong In 1975
By Jay Janson
This week in Chicago, militarized politicians of wealthy nations pretended to sit in discussion of how much more death they will deal to the poorest nation on earth. In reality, they are powerless to do otherwise. Our real rulers, the elite of the community of private investment banking are whom the public should be focused on. In the meantime those who sign orders for killing in illegal wars will soon be facing
The Mining Lobby And Mainstream Media Censorship In Lobbyocracy Australia
By Dr Gideon Polya
Censorship violates free communication crucial for democracy. An interesting insight into Mainstream media ownership, media bias and media censorship comes from Murdochracy and Lobbycracy Australia where Big Money buys political influence and votes
Dalit Rights Activists Enraged At The Failure Of Indian Delegations
To Address Questions Raised At The UN Today
By Dalit Arthik Adhikar Andolan
Dalit rights activists gathered in Geneva are disappointedat the Indian delegation's immediate response to the real challenges that Dalits face, when India was reviewed at the UN Universal Periodic Review of India on 24 May
Celebrating The 'Americanisation' of India?
By Colin Todhunter
There was recently an article in the New York Timesthat positively salivated over the ‘Americanisation’ of India. And the author was not referring to Bolivia, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina or any other country on the American continent when he referred to ‘Americanisation’. He was referring solely to the US, which has hijacked the term. Now, there’s arrogance for you
Trinamoolisation Of History In West Bengal
By Dr.M.Mohibul Haque
The recent political adventure to change the syllabi of schools by Mamata-led Trinamool Congress in West Bengal is a move which has many negatives than positives. It is opening up of the Pandora’s Box. Very soon, the state of West Bengal and the nation at large will realize that it is not only an ill-conceived but highly dangerous political move. In fact, no political dispensation should be permitted to toy with the idea of changing the text books of history or other courses to take political advantage
24 May, 2012
Europe’s Leaders At Loggerheads At EU Summit As Markets Tumble
By Stefan Steinberg
European leaders in Brussels failed to agree on any concrete measures to deal with the continent’s rapidly worsening economic crisis
Economics As If The Laws Of Thermodynamics Mattered
By David Jones
As our leaders in business and government race to implement misguided economic models that are not founded upon the laws of thermodynamics, and as nation after nation refuses to question the pursuit of never-ending economic growth, we draw closer to a fate that will end in tears for the human race. I worry that the tears have already begun falling
Global Scarcity: Scramble For Dwindling Natural Resources
By Diane Toomey
National security expert Michael Klare believes the struggle for the world’s resources will be one of the defining political and environmental realities of the 21st century. In an interview with Yale Environment 360, he discusses the threat this scramble poses to the natural world and what can be done to sustainably meet the resource challenge
"Art Is A Hammer To Shape Reality": PalFest Breaks The Siege Of Gaza
By Ayah Bashir
PalFest came to Gaza this year and PalFest’s organizers made their support for the BDS movement crystal clear
The Failure Of Peace Without Partners
By Dan Lieberman
On May 17, 2012, the Washington based Woodrow Wilson Center featured former Israeli Shin Bet leader, Amihai Ayalon, in a book presentation: Peace Without Partners: Can Israeli Unilateralism Lead to a Two-State Solution? Careful examination of the proposal reveals sub-text. Ami Ayalon may have been unaware, but he framed a document of surrender for a Palestinian Authority to sign, and Israel dictates the surrender terms
Why I'm Going To Sanford
By Carl Dix
I’m traveling to Sanford, Florida, the scene of the crime where Trayvon Martin was gunned down by a wanna-be-cop; where police refused to arrest Trayvon’s killer, George Zimmerman, for six weeks. The place where thousands and thousands of people stood up and fought until the arrest was made. And the place where – despite all of this – public opinion is being created, and the legal basis is being laid, for Zimmerman's acquittal
Don't Be Fooled: The Indian Media's Love Affair With Hillary Clinton
By Colin Todhunter
You always know when a high-ranking US politician is in India. Much of the media turns sycophant. It happened when Obama visited in 2010, and it occurred again as Hillary Clinton recently touched down in Kolkata for a three day visit to India. The media hung on Clinton’s every utterance, looking for the odd phrase that, in their eyes, confirmed India as the great global power
NBA Confirms Monsanto/Mahyco And Others To Be Criminally Prosecuted
In B.t. Brinjal Biopiracy Case
By Environment Support Group
In its first official confirmation, National Biodiversity Authority (NBA, India's independent regulator on all matters pertaining to biodiversity protection, conservation and use) has stated that “it is proceeding with lodging of complaint against the alleged violators” of Biological Diversity Act on grounds of biopiracy in promoting B.t. Brinjal, India's first transgenic GMO food.
Small Town Sebastopol’s David And Goliath Struggle Against
Mighty Chase Bank And CVS Pharmacy
By Shepherd Bliss
The largest bank in the United States, Chase, and the globalized CVS pharmacy have been trying for over a year to get permission to move into Sebastopol’s downtown. Like the Biblical small David in his fight against the giant Goliath, Sebastopudlians are armed with little more than sling-shots and the good-will of the people. Many residents are fighting these two mighty corporations and the possibility of a lawsuit against the city if they do not get what they want
Australian Universities Complicit With Pro-Zionist Censorship And Genocidal Israeli Militarism
By Dr Gideon Polya
Australian universities have allowed themselves to become soiled by association with genocidal Israeli militarism and with evidently pro-Zionist censorship by the Australian taxpayer-funded, universities-backed and academic-based web magazine The Conversation
23 May, 2012
Eco Warriors, Arise!
By Vandana Shiva
None of us are immune from the crisis or the response to it. None of us are bystanders. We are all immersed in the processes that are either threatening the planet and our own future, or finding creative ways to shape a sustainable and a just future. Every day is an earth summit in our lives. And each of us is negotiating our collective fate on earth
Neo-Liberalism's Silent Killing In India
By Colin Todhunter
The recent claims about India’s poverty having fallen by around seven per cent provided a stark reminder of the violent times we live in. Whether you believe the dubious new figures, the fact remains that a staggering amount of people still live in devastating poverty in India. We should therefore not underestimate the extent of this violence. It is too often a form of violence that goes unnoticed and is so institutionalised that it is seldom regarded as actually constituting violence. Billions in the world are however subjected to it every day of their lives
Sharp Divisions On Eve Of EU Summit
By Stefan Steinberg
Paralleling the growing economic gulf between individual European countries, political differences are growing on how to deal with an economic crisis rapidly spiraling out of control
The Greek Affair: Symobl of The Crisis of The European Union
Or Paradigm of Europe's Salvation
By Gaither Stewart
It is an ironic twist of history that Greece, the cradle of Western culture, today, 2500 years after the acme of Hellenic glory, appears on the stage of history in the best of cases as victim, and in the worst, as the symbol of the threat to the collapse of the West European society
Redefining The 'Arab Spring': Is Chaos Overtaking Revolution?
By RamzyBaroud
The age of revolutionary romance is over. Various Arab countries are now facing hard truths. Millions of Arabs merely want to live with a semblance of dignity, free from tyranny and continuous anxiety over the future. This unromantic reality also includes outside ‘players’, whose presence is of no positive value to genuine revolutionary movements, whether in Egypt, Syria, or anywhere else
NDAA: Business As USual
By Mickey Z.
Let's bring down the NDAA, sure, but the struggle and the occupation must continue against both wings of the U.S. Corporate Party, against the perpetual whitewashing of American history, and against tyranny in all its devious disguises
Dalits In Hindurashtra
By Subhash Gatade
Perhaps it is time for 'Prime Minister aspirant' Narendra Modi to take another round of Sadbhavana fasts, this time focussing on the dalits to brush up his image
Business And Politics Of Blind Faith
By Ram Puniyani
Sanal Edamaruku, a rationalist is facing the legal trap for abusing others’ faith. (April 2012) At the same time in another event, Nirmal Baba, who is supposed to be having divine powers and who has been flashing his paid programs in over 40 TV channels, advising people on solving their problems with various’ divine’ solutions, is facing case of fraud
22 May, 2012
NATO Backs US Plan On Afghanistan
By Bill Van Auken
NATO concluded its two-day summit in Chicago Monday with a formal ratification of the Obama administration’s plans for a phased drawdown of occupation forces from Afghanistan over the next two and a half years, while laying the groundwork for a continued US-led military presence in the country through 2024 and beyond
Fresh Hockey Sticks From The Southern Hemisphere
By Eric Steig
In the Northern Hemisphere, the late 20th / early 21st century has been the hottest time period in the last 400 years at very high confidence, and likely in the last 1000 – 2000 years (or more). It has been unclear whether this is also true in the Southern Hemisphere. Three studies out this week shed considerable new light on this question
The Great Chemical Reaction: Life And Death Of Gaia
By Ugo Bardi
We can't hope to force the planet to do what we want it to do. So, we must learn to live with the flow of the Earth's cycles. For that, we must know a little chemistry my idea today was to show to you a bit of this chemistry. But more than chemistry, we must learn our limits, otherwise we won't survive for long. This is our Earth, not a fantasy planet, let's try to keep it the way we found it
How Rural America Got Fracked
By Ellen Cantarow
Bucolic landscapes disappear, aquifers are fouled, and countless farms across rural Wisconsin morph into industrial wastelands
“United” They Fall: Grexit Haunts Conflicting Eurozone
By Farooque Chowdhury
Conflicting eurozone is searching conciliation while being haunted by the specter of Grexit – Greece 's exit from the eurozone
The Nearly $1 Trillion National Security Budget
By Chris Hellman & Mattea Kramer
The national security budget in fiscal 2013 will be nearly $1 trillion -- a staggering enough sum that it’s worth taking a walk through the maze of the national security budget to see just where that money’s lodged
Is Jeffrey Feltman Iran’s Best Friend In Lebanon?
By Franklin Lamb
Key Iranian and American officials arrived in Lebanon last week to assess the strength of their local allies in the fast approaching and crucial legislative elections, the escalating spillover effects of the Syrian uprising in North Lebanon and presumably other ways each country can remain key players in this cross-roads/cross-hairs quasi-country
Nano Credibility, And The Reigning Top News Story
By Rand Clifford
News is a product concocted not to inform, but conform. News is perception management lorded over by a few monster corporations, in conjunction with the Federal Government, Inc. Fox News is a leader in nano credibility, but their record is not clean. They actually broadcast some dirty truth back in 2001, day after Christmas. The headline on their website offered, Report: Bin Laden Already Dead
Bankers And Forgiveness
By Ann Robertson & Bill Leumer
When the bankers themselves commit their own transgressions — not innocent and unavoidable transgressions like not paying back a loan because you lost your job thanks to the bankers’ recession — but actually breaking the law, the government not only forgives them, it virtually becomes an accomplice in their crimes
Islamophobia: Washington’s New Form Of Colonialism
By Ismail Salami
Islamophobia is a form of political colonialism; an ideological war against Islam and the Muslims. It is a pernicious practice used by Washington and its allies to justify their lust for Muslim blood, give validity to their military expeditions in Muslim countries and seize hold of their numerous resources
Procession Of The Dead: Shopping Malls And Shit
By Colin Todhunter
While one part of India remains trapped by poverty and disadvantage, another part has bought into the filthy veneration of money and narcissism - a power play that is concerned with redefining who people are and what India should be about – a consumerism and a neo-liberalism that is divisive and ultimately wholly unsustainable
21 May, 2012
No Agreement At G8 Summit On Deepening Financial Crisis
By Nick Beams
The communiqué issued after a day of talks at the US presidential retreat at Camp David, however, revealed there was no plan to meet the crisis, just a decision to put the best face on a worsening situation
Occupy The G8
By Brent Blackwelder
This is the text of an address delivered by Brent Blackwelder to the Occupy Movement, in Frederick, Maryland, May 18, 2012 on the occasion of the annual meeting of the G-8 at Camp David
The First Domino Falls In Greece
By Shamus Cooke
Greece’s situation is not an isolated event, but a bellwether for the industrial world and beyond. The fallout from the 2008 global crisis hasn't reached bottom yet, and the depths will be dug deeper as the Euro crisis spreads — political crisis will create economic crisis and vice versa, as periods of calm and stability are replaced by international turmoil and panic
Chicago: Peace Town
By David Swanson
A huge crowd gathered for several hours and marched for over two miles in the hot sun to oppose NATO and U.S. wars on Sunday in Chicago. Finishing the march outside the NATO meeting, numerous U.S. veterans of current wars denounced their previous "service" and threw their medals over the fence, a scene not witnessed since the U.S. war on Vietnam
The Vital Chain: Connecting The Ecosystems Of Land And Sea
By Carl Zimmer
A new study from a Pacific atoll reveals the links between native trees, bird guano, and the giant manta rays that live off the coast. In unraveling this intricate web, the researchers point to the often little-understood interconnectedness between terrestrial and marine ecosystems
Valuing Nature: Democracy or Economics?
By Paul Anderson
Aristotle asked how we as political animals could create and design institutions which assure survival with ‘some measure of the good life in it’. Although the scope of Aristotle’s question was that of the city, the question of institutional design is acutely relevant to efforts to arrest global resource degradation
The Case For A Morality Of Radical Caution
By Robert Jensen
Robert Jensen works through his underlying rationale for making moral judgments, as on meat-eating and abortion
Because You're Worth It: The Indian Premier League, Sex, Lies And Capitalism
By Colin Todhunter
The actual news bulletins in India also bear a striking resemblance to the ‘newsworthiness’ agenda used by western channels. In many respects, as in the West, the commercials and the news are becoming virtually one and the same
20 May, 2012
What’s “Rio+20″ And Why Should We Care?
By Brian Czech
The proceedings of massive, bureaucratic UN conferences are not always unhitched from reality or relevance. What the various statesmen and women, ambassadors and diplomats are cogitating is the same thing we are: How can we all get along in the world when we know that many countries are consuming resources at a rate that is unsustainable and threatening to others on the planet? And yet those same countries continue calling for economic growth? There’s got to be a better way. Let’s hope the better way is achieved through diplomatic means, and not less peaceably
As The World Warms Expect More Extreme Weather Patterns
By Rasmus E. Benestad
A warmer world is predicted to result in both increased rainfall intensity as well as increased length of dry spells . A recent paper has shown that the more extreme rainfall amounts closely follow the rainfall intensity. From these results, it seems that we can expect more extremes in both floods and droughts
A Victory For All Of Us
By Chris Hedges
U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest, in a 68-page opinion, ruled Wednesday that Section 1021 of the NDAA was unconstitutional. It was a stunning and monumental victory. With her ruling she returned us to a country where—as it was before Obama signed this act into law Dec. 31—the government cannot strip a U.S. citizen of due process or use the military to arrest him or her and then hold him or her in military prison indefinitely
“Money For Jobs Not For War”— American Chauvinism + Reformist Illusions
By Larry Everest
“Money for Jobs and Education! Jobs and Education, Not War and Occupation!” This is the slogan the ANSWER Coalition is raising at today’s anti-NATO protests in Chicago, and other groups are putting forward similar demands. This slogan is profoundly wrong and harmful—both in terms of morality that’s actually in the interests of humanity, and in terms of a scientific understanding of imperialism and war
Ending The Mindset That Gets Us Into War
By David Swanson
The majority of Americans want the wars ended and the military spending cut. And the more they learn, the more they agree. The message of peace is one that you can expect people to agree with even if they don't at first. The surveys done by Steven Kull and others establish this expectation. So, never believe your television. Never doubt the popular demand for peace. Never stop spreading the word. Never accept that mass murder has been civilized. Know your own strength
Apartheid Israel Excludes Occupied Palestinians From
All Provisions Of The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights
By Dr Gideon Polya
Nearly 45 years after the 1967 Israeli conquest of all of Palestine, the Western-backed, invasion-, occupation- , theft- , genocide-, lying- and race-based Apartheid State of Israel still comprehensively violates ALL basic human rights of the Indigenous Occupied Palestinian People as set out below with explanations in square brackets appended to the 30 Articles of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Benefits Of Equality
By John Scales Avery
The evidence presented by Hobson, Hanauer and Wilkinson shows conclusively that no one wins in a society where inequality is too great, and everyone wins when incomes are more evenly distributed
Saola Still A Mystery 20 Years After Its Spectacular Debut
By Marianne de Nazareth
When the first pictures were shown of the Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) on the news channels, we thought, gosh what a strange looking animal. It looks like a cross between and antelope and a goat. Apparently the existence of the animal surfaced two decades ago and till today, this rare animal remains as mysterious and elusive as ever
Did Texas Execute Yet Another Innocent Man?
By Mary Shaw
A recent study by the Columbia Human Rights Law Review suggests that Carlos DeLuna, who was executed by the state of Texas in 1989 for the murder of Wanda Lopez, was actually innocent. The study concluded that a man named Carlos Hernandez actually committed the murder. In other words, the so-called justice system had convicted the wrong Carlos
Ports: The New Frontier In The Development War In Odisha
By Ranjana & Nigam
To extract minerals and to set up mineral-based industries, people are being uprooted from the villages, jungles destroyed, mountains razed to the ground, streams and rivers being polluted. To export those minerals and to import materials for those industries, ports are being constructed along the 480 km coastline of Odisha from Bahuda Mouth in Ganjam district to Subarnarekha Mouth in Balasore district. So the war zone is expanding to the mainland, the coastal Odisha
Western Ghats: Censuring The Collapse
By GOI Monitor
Western Ghats are suffering irreparable damage but Indian govt is busy burying its own investigations
19 May, 2012
The Worst Is Yet To Come At Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
By Vincent L. Guarisco
The Reactor 4 building is on the verge of collapse. According to structural experts, seismicity standards rate the building at zero, meaning even a small earthquake could send it into a radiated heap of rubble. Plus -- here's the worst part -- sitting 100 feet above the ground in a pool at the top of the building that is cracked, leaning, leaking, and precarious, are 1,565 fuel rods (give or take a few), some of which are “fresh fuel” that was ready to go into the reactor on the morning the earthquake and tsunami hit
Occupy For All Species
By Mickey Z
If the new wave of occupants and the old guard of animal rights activists join hands, well... the 99% becomes that much more unstoppable
Is The Occupy Movement Justified?
By Timothy V. Gatto
Has capitalism failed? You be the judge. It sure shows that the predatory capitalism practiced in the US has left 80% of this nation poor. Don't be fooled by Obama's speeches about fairness to the Middle Class. We have hardly any Middle Class in America unless you count the 19% behind the 1% as "Middle-Class"
US Armed Forces Day Pride In The Mass-Murder Of Millions
By Jay Janson
President Obama's proclamation of Armed Forces Day change from Sunday to Saturday as heard by Majority (mostly non-white) Mankind, mindful of six decades of bombing, invasion and occupation by US Armed Forces
Mumbai Police Confiscate Nakba Day Banners
By Bharat Bachao Andolan
Mumbai Police Confiscate Nakba Day Banners at the behest and instructions of the Israeli consulate in Mumbai
18 May, 2012
Fears Grow Over European Banks
By Nick Beams
Leaders of the G8 major economies meet over the next two days with the threat of a global financial crisis hanging over their heads as the turmoil in the eurozone worsens. Every day brings the bankruptcy of Greece and its exclusion from the eurozone a step closer, with incalculable consequences for the European and global financial system as fears grow over the viability of the banking system in a number of countries
Apocalypse Fairly Soon: The Moment Of Truth In Europe
By Paul Krugman
Suddenly, it has become easy to see how the euro — that grand, flawed experiment in monetary union without political union — could come apart at the seams. We’re not talking about a distant prospect, either. Things could fall apart with stunning speed, in a matter of months, not years. And the costs — both economic and, arguably even more important, political — could be huge
Eurozone Crisis: Why Doesn't EU Scrap The CAP Subsidies?
By Devinder Sharma
If withdrawal of Euro 700 million from Greece banks can cause panic, I have failed to understand why the European heads cannot stop subsidising its agribusiness companies (my estimates show that more than 90% of the total spending under CAP goes to MNCs and top agribusiness companies). So in a way the state coffers are being emptied for the rich corporates and the austerity measures that are being spelled out would hit the middle class and the poor
NATO In Crisis
By Ludo De Brabander
NATO is confronted with a lack of enemies and a lack of resources. It is symbolic that two thirds of the Chicago budget is gathered by private corporations. The alliance offers jobs to generals, contracts to the arms industry and fully booked hotels during its meetings, but for an alliance that cannot get rid of its cold war mentality this is existentially seen rather meagre, isn't it?
The Palestinian Nakba: The Resolve Of Memory
By Ramzy Baroud
Al-Nakba is not a specific date or an estimation of time, but the entirety of those 64 years and counting. The event must not be assigned to the shelves of history, not as long as refugees are still refugees and settlers continue to rob Palestinian land. As long as Netanyahu speaks the language of Ben Gurion, other ‘catastrophic’ episodes will follow. And as long as Palestinians hold on to their keys and deeds, the old may die but the young will never forget
Erasing The Nakba
By Neve Gordon
I first heard about the Nakba in the late 1980s, while I was an undergraduate student of philosophy at Hebrew University. How is it possible that a left-leaning Israeli teenager who was living in the Negev during the early 1980s had never heard the word "Nakba"?
Peace-Making Without Mediators
By Nicola Nasser
Palestinians have had enough and now saying enough is enough: Peace is a mirage, peace-making is a failure, peace process is a sham, peace mediators are a fake, and if all the parties involved can enjoy the luxury of “addiction” to the status quo, Palestinians cannot; their survival is at stake
Learning To Love A Wounded World
By Dianne Monroe
The most precious gift we receive in turning toward a breaking world, loving and offering beauty to wounded places, reclaiming wounds, is what we will fashion from this to pass on to future generations. Perhaps from this wounding of which we are a part, we can each make an offering to future generations who will have to find their own way of creating a meaningful life on and with the planet Bill McKibbon has named Eaarth
In The Name Of My Father
By Phil Rockstroh
Requiem and renewal in the shadow of Wall Street, in the light of a Georgia spring
Withdraw False Sharges Against Kabir Kala Manch
By Concerned Citizens
Kabir Kala Manch is a Pune based cultural troupe mainly consisting of Dalit youth from the region. First coming together against the communal carnage in Gujarat, they took part in innumerable public interest causes like slum-dwellers rights, workers rights and sustainable development, but their special affinity has been fighting for the annihilation of caste to which end they even held events promoting inter-caste marriage. Around last year the state began to brand them as Naxalites and many of its members are behind the bars
Understanding Cartoon Liberalism?
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
Let HRD minister introduce ‘annihilation of caste’ and Gandhi- Ambedkar debate on caste system in our schools and University curriculum so that our student can develop ‘spirit of inquiry’ and question everything. Such essays would make our minds more rational so that we are not swept in the war cry of emotions and rhetoric
15 May, 2012
Palestinians Mark 64th Nakba Day
By Dr Salim Nazzal
May 15th 1948: The black day in humanity's contemporary history when Zionist terrorists wiped out Palestine
Five Reasons Why Drone Assassinations Are Illegal
By Bill Quigley
The use of drones to assassinate people violates US and international law in multiple ways. US military and civilian employees, who plan, target and execute people in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia are violating the law and, ultimately, risk prosecution. As the technology for drone attacks spreads, protests by the US that drone attacks by others are illegal will sound quite hollow. Continuation of flagrantly illegal drone attacks by the US also risks justifying the exact same actions, taken by others, against us
Australia 's Huge Coal, Gas & Iron Ore Exports Threaten Planet
By Dr Gideon Polya
Australia ignores top German climate change scientists who estimated in 2009 that the world must emit no more than 600 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) before 2050 if it is to have a reasonable chance of avoiding a catastrophic 2 degree Centigrade temperature rise. Australia 's annual domestic plus exported greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution is so high that it exceeded its “:fair share” of this terminal GHG pollution budget by mid-2011
Ah-Anti-Anti-Capitalista
By Mickey Z.
To be a capitalista is to act as if we are the last generation of humans. To be an anti-capitalista is to re-imagine our relationship with the natural world. Which role will you occupy? The future is waiting on your decision. We are the 99%. Join us...
US Envoys: Losing Lebanon—Visit By Visit
By Franklin Lamb
Washington has, in important strategic respects, handed Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and soon more of the Persian Gulf countries to Iran’s rising presence and influence. Next is likely Lebanon. Can Palestine be far behind?
Sonoma State University Shamed
By Shepherd Bliss
After four years of teaching various humanities courses at Sonoma State University in Northern California, I’m sad to report that our school sank to a new low on May 12 by awarding the notorious banker Sandy Weill and his wife Joan honorary doctorates. The retired CEO of Citigroup, once the world’s largest bank, purchased them for $12 million. He gave that ill-gotten money to the Green Music Center, an essentially non-educational pet project of President Ruben Arminana, which recently has dominated fund-raising at SSU
West Bengal: Increasing Political Prisoners
By Ranjit Sur
Hundreds of political activists who were in jail for their political activities in Left Front regime remains in jail without any hope of release in near future. An additional five hundred plus political activists joined them in jails for their political belief and activites in Trinomul Congress-Congress regime- that too in their 12 months of rule
U.S. And Canada Implementing Beyond The Border Perimeter Security Initiatives
By Dana Gabriel
As the U.S.-Canada action plan implementation process continues, there still remains many concerns with the further integration and militarization of the northern border. This includes the loss of sovereignty and risks to privacy rights related to more cross-border sharing of personal information. While there have been online consultations surrounding the perimeter security agreement, there has yet to be any open public hearings or congressional and parliamentary debates
14 May, 2012
Spanish Bank Debts Deepen Eurozone Crisis
By Nick Beams
The European financial crisis has taken another turn for the worse as doubts grow over the solvency of the Spanish banking system and the prospect of a Greek withdrawal from the eurozone becomes increasingly likely
Why U.S. Politicians Are Quiet About Europe's Meltdown
By Shamus Cooke
What will happen when Greece leaves the Euro? Foreign banks hold over $90 billion in Greek debt in the public and in the private sectors. These enormous losses could very well bring down banks in Europe and abroad
America As A Shining Drone Upon A Hill
By Tom Engelhardt
What they can’t see in the haze of exceptional self-congratulation is this: they are transforming the promise of America into a promise of death. And death, visited from the skies, isn’t precise. It isn’t glorious. It isn’t judicious. It certainly isn’t a shining vision. It’s hell. And it’s a global future for which, someday, no one will thank us
Colonized By Corporations
By Chris Hedges
A revolution has been unleashed across the globe. This revolution, a popular repudiation of the old order, is where we should direct all our energy and commitment. If we do not topple the corporate elites the ecosystem will be destroyed and massive numbers of human beings along with it. The struggle will be long
Thou Shalt Not Kill
By John Scales Avery
Today, with the world poised on the edge of a disaster that might be produced by escalatory cycles of revenge and counter-revenge, we need to remember wise voices from the past, among them the voices of Tolstoy, Gandhi and King. They tell us of the immorality, waste and folly of war. They tell us to recognize the humanity of all other humans. They tell us to show the love and generosity of spirit that can turn enemies into friends
Building A Jewish And Democratic State: A Conversation With Peter Beinart
By Michael Lerner
Peter Beinart, formerly an editor of The New Republic, famous during most of the past thirty years for its support of many of the most right-wing policies of the State of Israel toward Palestinians and for its hostility toward American Jews supporting the Israeli peace movement, has caught the attention of U.S. media for his switch to a pro-peace perspective in the past few years. His book The Crisis of Zionism has stirred considerable controversy within the American Jewish community, to its credit
Restructuring Detroit, A Ghost Story (PDF)
By Tom Stephens
Inspired by Arundhati Roy a tragicomic treatment of 21st century Detroit. It features diverse human spirits and voices, attempting for real to face our issues and challenges
An Urgent Appeal To The Conscience of Nation on Koodankulam
By Concerned Citizens
Today is the 13th day of the Indefinite Hunger Strike in Idinthakarai village. It is appalling that nobody from the Tamil Nadu, or Central, Government has come to speak with the people, and that police strength in the area has been enhanced, with every possible intimidating tactic –including taking away the food ration cards of agitating villagers – being resorted to
Pathribal Fake Encounter Case Judgement: Indictment Sans Justice
By Abdul Majid Zargar
The Supreme Court judgment in Pathribal fake encounter case constitutes a severe assault on the right to life of common people living in conflict areas like Kashmir
Of Imperialism, Revisionism And The Culture War: A Critique of ‘Laal' And The Official ‘Left'
By Democratic Students' Union
Even after more than ten days after the May Day programme organised by JNUSU with Laal band from Pakistan, the debate centring it refuses to die down
13 May, 2012
Could A Changing Climate Set Off Volcanoes And Quakes?
By Fred Pearce
A British scientist argues that global warming could lead to a future of more intense volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. And while some dismiss his views as preposterous, he points to a body of recent research that shows a troubling link between climate change and the Earth’s most destructive geological events
Protests In Spain Greece France And Britain
By Farooque Chowdhury
Eurozone is in turmoil. Protests in different forms, from election verdict to marches, against bankers are razing countries in Europe while an indefinite-Greece is making euroscape scene blurred
Sins Of Our Fathers
By William A. Cook
The sins of the fathers began 64 years ago when they swore allegiance to a group of men who had taken control of Palestine from the British Government laying waste both the Arab people and the Mandate government of Britain regardless of agreements made and pledges of cooperation signed between the Mandate authorities and the Jewish Agency. It began with an oath that necessitated selling the soul
A Little Idea
By Mickey Z.
What little idea can you bring to your local occupation and how soon will you create this beautiful beginning?
Supreme Court Judgement On Right To Education : Much Ado For Nothing
By Anand Teltumbde
The Supreme Court judgment may be commendable. But the issue is much bigger than mere applicability of 25 percent reservation. If the government is really sincere, it must spare at least education from its neoliberal obsession and launch a common school system for all across the country up to the age of 18 years apace with the changed times
A Dangerous Development In The Human Rights Situation In Bangladesh
By Dr. K. M. A. Malik
The current government led by Awami League (AL) came to power in early 2009, with a manifesto that included zero-tolerance on human rights abuses. Bangladesh Constitution prohibits human rights violations and it is obligatory for the state organs to respect the principles of universal human rights. Unfortunately, the government has failed miserably to protect human rights for all its citizens
Ambedkar Cartoon Debate: A Perspective
By All India Students’ Association (AISA) and Left and Democratic Teachers' Forum (LDTF)
This particular cartoon in the textbook should therefore be subjected to a serious process of review by an appropriate panel of academics including the authors and other experts including leading dalit intellectuals. And if the cartoon is found wanting in sensitivity to existing discriminatory caste stereotypes in society, it should be replaced
12 May, 2012
Bush And Associates Found Guilty Of Torture
By Kuala Lumpur Foundation To Criminalise War
The five-panel tribunal unanimously delivered a guilty verdict against former United States President George W. Bush and his associates at the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal hearing
Bush Found Guilty Of War Crimes
By Yvonne Ridley
At the end of the week-long hearing, the five-panel tribunal unanimously delivered guilty verdicts against Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and their key legal advisors who were all convicted as war criminals for torture and cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment
Judge Deliberates On Whether To Save Earth's Atmosphere
By David Swanson
U.S. District Court Judge Robert Wilkins heard the arguments on Friday in Washington, D.C., and is deliberating now on the question of whether young people can sue to compel their government to take serious measures to stop global warming
Mullivaikaal – The Time For Mourning Is Over
By Karthick RM
The Tamil youth in Canada have decided to call the occasion as ‘Tamil Uprising Day’. That probably is the closest tribute to the spirit of those Tamil women and men who went down standing in May 2009
Book Review: “The Street Sweeper” By Elliot Perlman Raises Issue Of Faction Versus Fiction
By Dr Gideon Polya
“The Street Sweeper “ by Elliot Perlman is an enjoyable middle-brow novel with a coincidence-riddled and predictable plot redolent of TV crime dramas. However this politically partisan novel raises the issue of the legitimacy of fiction versus faction (historical fact-based fiction). “The Street Sweeper” fails because in its historical sweep of 80 years to the present it has an unacceptable Zionist bias and ignores relevant Elephant in the Room realities
Politics Through Food Habits
By Ram Puniyani
It seems Mother Cow may be the major emotive weapon to be used for the politics deriving its legitimacy from Hindu religions’ identity. Interestingly it reveals the twin goals of this politics. At surface it is to reduce the minorities to a status of second class citizen and at deeper level to subjugate dalits at social, political and cultural level
11 May, 2012
Suicide Bombs Claim 55 Lives In Damascus
By Chris Marsden
Yesterday’s double suicide bombing in the al-Qazzaz suburb of Damascus claimed at least 55 lives and injured 370. The blasts occurred at 7:56 a.m. at a crowded intersection that is home to a military intelligence complex. The bombs, which detonated almost simultaneously, tore to pieces children on their way to school and incinerated people in their cars going to work in the Syrian capital
Game Over For The Climate
By James Hansen
Global warming isn’t a prediction. It is happening. That is why I was so troubled to read a recent interview with President Obama in Rolling Stone in which he said that Canada would exploit the oil in its vast tar sands reserves “regardless of what we do.” If Canada proceeds, and we do nothing, it will be game over for the climate
New IMF Working Paper Models Impact Of Oil Limits On The Economy
By Gail Tverberg
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently issued a new working paper called “The Future of Oil: Geology versus Technology” (free PDF), which should be of interest to people who are following “peak oil” issues
Shale Gas: The View From Russia
By Dmitry Orlov
So this whole shale gas thing didn't work out as planned, did it? But could it have? Had it turned out to be much better in every way, could it have swung geopolitical influence away from Russia and Iran and back toward the US? Alas, no
The Peak Oil Crisis: Perspective
By Tom Whipple
While waiting to see how the Iranian nuclear confrontation and the various Eurozone crises sort themselves out, there is time to step back and look at the interaction of the major forces that will shape our future. While the problems of oil depletion are already upon us, shrinking resources are only a part of global dynamics currently
Visualize Gasoline
By Richard Heinberg
Visualizing gasoline won’t make more of it magically appear. But understanding the extent of our dependence on it helps us address our vulnerability to the inevitable process of depletion. Imagining a world without gasoline could be a useful first step in preparing for a future that’s coming at us whether we’re ready or not
Nuclear Israel: Image Of Apocalyptic Horror
By Ismail Salami
With over 300 to 400 nuclear bombs, Israel has been translated into an image of apocalyptic horror for the entire Middle East if not for the world
10 May, 2012
Congress Proposes Giving Israel An Extra $1 Billion
For Anti-Missile Defense Programs
By Tim King
The US House of Representatives Defense Appropriations Subcommittee yesterday approved almost $1 billion for Israel's anti-missile defense programs. Congressional Committee Proposal would raise US taxpayer support for Israel's military in 2013 to a record $4 billion
Bush And Associates Authorised Torture
Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal
The third day of the Kuala Lumpur war crimes tribunal hearing saw the prosecution present its submission to establish that the accused parties are indeed guilty as charged for the Crime of Torture and Crimes Against Humanity. In the last two days, three witnesses namely Abbas Abid, Moazzam Begg and Jameelah Hameedi gave their testimony of the tortures they had faced during their incarceration. Two additional Statutory Declarations (Ali Shalal and Rhuhel Ahmed) were read out and submitted to the tribunal
The Children Of Iraq:Was The Price Worth It? (PDF)
By Bie Kentane
This is a presentation given at the side event of the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal. Iraq has turned into one of the worst places for children in the Middle East and North Africa with around 3.5 million living in poverty, 1.5 million under the age of five undernourished and 100 infants dying every day
Colin Powell's Tangled Web
By David Swanson
A list of Powell's lying taken from an extensive report released by Congressman John Conyers: "The Constitution in Crisis; The Downing Street Minutes and Deception, Manipulation, Torture, Retribution, and Coverups in the Iraq War."
The Energy Wars Heat Up
By Michael T. Klare
Six Recent Clashes and Conflicts on a Planet Heading Into Energy Overdrive
An Afghan Okinawa
By The Afghan Peace Volunteers
There is no U.S. troop withdrawal in 2014
Netanyahu Crowns Himself King Of Israel
By Jonathan Cook
Israelis barely had time to absorb the news that they were heading into a summer election when Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu yesterday pulled the rug from underneath the charade. Rancourous early electioneering had provided cover for a secret agreement between Netanyahu and the main opposition party, Kadima, to form a new, expanded coalition government
Struggle Over Iran: Tumultuous Israeli Politics Will Not Usher Peace
By Ramzy Baroud
Israel is currently experiencing the kind of turmoil that may or may not affect its political hierarchy following the next general election. However, there is little reason to believe that any major transformations in the Israeli political landscape could be of benefit to Palestinians
Why The Civil Rights Model Will Not Work For Occupy
By Katherine M Acosta
What worked for the black civil rights movement (in the South – the strategy was less successful in the North ) will not work for Occupy. This is due, in part, to a changed political and economic environment, and in part to differing goals and values of the two movements
When All Is Said And Done
By Guy R. McPherson
Is fear such a great motivator that we allow complete destruction of the living planet to give ourselves a few more years to enable and further the destruction? Is the grip of culture so strong we cannot break free in defense of planetary habitat for our children? Have we moved so far away from the notion of resistance that we can’t organize a potluck dinner without seeking permission from the Department of Homeland Security?
America Is Under Attack!
By William T. Hathaway
Vicious fanatics are trying to kill us and destroy our country. They're blowing up our soldiers overseas. They've infiltrated our country. We must defend ourselves against these mad-dog berserkers before it's too late. This litany has been repeated by corporate-controlled media and politicians for years now, pumping fear into us. It is used to justify a massive ongoing war that has killed hundreds of thousands of our fellow human beings and almost bankrupted the USA. But is it really true? Who started this war? When did it begin?
Australian Internet Censorship By Australian Government-Funded ABC
And Universities-Backed The Conversation
By Dr Gideon Polya
Resolute inaction by the Australian Government and major Australian institutions over Internet Censorship by the taxpayer-funded ABC (Australia's equivalent of the BBC) via its Late Night Live (LNL) program and by the taxpayer-, Australian universities- and CSIRO-backed and Australian academic–based web magazine The Conversation means that Australia has joined the ranks of countries involved in “pervasive Internet Censorship”
What’s Really At Stake In The Vodafone Tax Case
By Rahul Varman
The Supreme Court judgment in the Vodafone case argues that the 'corporate veil' cannot be pierced as long as there was no intention to avoid taxes.Rahul Varmanon how and why corporations in India manage to undermine the law and the public good for the sake of private profit
09 May, 2012
As The World Awakes, India Sleepwalks Into Nuclear Peril
By Niranjan Ramakrishnan
"As the world sleeps, India awakes to freedom", Jawaharlal Nehru declared as he became free India's first prime minister. It was the midnight hour of August 14-15, 1947. Today we might be on more solid ground in paraphrasing Nehru's words: "As the world awakes to its dangers, India sleepwalks into nuclear peril"
Global Temperatures Could Rise By More Than 2°C By Mid-Century: Report
By Common Dreams staff
40 years after original 'Limits to Growth' new report says 'short-termism' and 'over-consumption' killing planet
08 May, 2012
"Respect India” Campaign Launched
By People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy
‘Respect India’ is a call similar to ‘Quit India’ fervently made by the ordinary citizens of India here at Idinthakarai on May 8, 2012. ‘Quit India’ was a civil disobedience movement launched in response to Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘Quit India’ speech delivered on August 8, 1942 at the Gowalia Tank Maidan in Bombay. Gandhiji’s call for determined, but passive resistance appeared in his appeal to “Do or Die.” India is facing a similar “Do or Die” situation today as our sovereignty, independence, freedom, natural resources, livelihood of the poor, their right to life, and the very future of the country are at imminent peril
Koodankulam – Anti-Nuclear Struggle Continues
By Deepa Rajkumar
As Japan shut down its last reactor, the Koodankulam project is to go critical in ten days. Because Japan depends on local consensus for its nuclear decisions, unlike the World’s Largest Democracy, the views of Japanese people counts for something. In Koodankulam unrelenting state repression continues of the massive, non-violent struggle against the proposed nuclear plant there
A Rebellious World or A New Dark Age? On The History of the US Economy in Decline
By Noam Chomsky
The Occupy movement has been an extremely exciting development. Unprecedented, in fact. There’s never been anything like it that I can think of. If the bonds and associations it has established can be sustained through a long, dark period ahead -- because victory won’t come quickly -- it could prove a significant moment in American history
In Defense Of Occupation: Dealing With Skeptics
By Mickey Z.
If you find yourself in a similar conversation, see if you can get at least one participant to join you at the next Occupy event. Nothing explains Occupy better than participation
What Is The Limiting Factor?
By Herman Daly
Could we not take a short time-out from growth roulette to reconsider the steady-state economy? After all, the idea is deeply rooted in classical economics, as well as in physics and biology. Perpetual motion and infinite growth are not reasonable premises on which to base economic policy
New York Court Finds Defendants Guilty: 20 Freedom Fighters Expose Crimes of Stop-And-Frisk
By Li Onesto
On May 4—the fifth day of a (non-jury) trial of 20 people charged with two counts of disorderly conduct, stemming from an October 21, 2011 protest at the 28th Precinct in Harlem against the NYPD policy of stop-and-frisk—Judge Robert Mandelbaum found all defendants guilty. Three were found guilty of only one count; all were sentenced to time served and $120 fine; one defendant was also given community service
Adverse Effects Of Globalization
By John Scales Avery
Today, economic globalization aims at increased trade throughout the world. At first sight, this might seem to be a benefit. However, laws preventing the exploitation of labor are not universal. The same unspeakable conditions experienced by workers in factories and mines during the early phases of the Industrial Revolution in Europe can be found today among factory workers in Indonesia or children weaving oriental carpets in Pakistan; and it is estimated that in India alone there are 80,000,000 child laborers
The Portland Community Begins To Fight Austerity
By Shamus Cooke
On May 5th in Portland, Oregon, a group of 80 activists from a broad array of labor and community groups met to discuss the region's ongoing budget crises. Instead of simply complaining of cuts, however, the meeting was meant to discuss alternatives, both immediate and more structural
Engels On The State, Family, Education And Sex
By Thomas Riggins
In the last chapter of his book Anti-Dühring, Engels treats of the state, family,education and sex by critiquing the views of the German "socialist" and professor Eugen Dühring on these subjects. Dühring had created, on paper, a complete system of socialist governing through means of collectives which, Engels has pointed out in his analysis in earlier parts of this book, is completely unworkable and perpetuates the capitalist relations of production and distribution which socialism is supposed to abolish
Committee of Suspect Journalists
By Thomas C. Mountain
Press Watchdog Fails “Journalism for Beginners” in World Press Freedom Report
Shame On Sonoma State University
By Shepherd Bliss
Retired Citigroup CEO Sanford Weill will receive an honorary doctorate, as will his wife Joan, from Sonoma State University in Northern California on May 12. Some SSU students, faculty, staff, and alumni are upset by this degree, describing it as “dishonorable.”
07 May, 2012
Global Corporations Undermining Democracy Worldwide
By Isolda Agazzi
In a world where governments are increasingly subservient to global finance capital, multinationals are gaining ground in the fight against state regulations that aim to protect the environment, public health or social policies
Koodankulam Villagers To Return Voter ID Cards
By People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy
We request all our supporters in Tamil Nadu and the rest of India to return their Voter IDs to the local Tahsildar and express their opposition to the governments and show their solidarity with our campaign. Indians living abroad can return their Voter IDs to the Indian embassies in their respective countries
Fourteen Arrested Blocking BNSF Coal Train In White Rock
By Carrie Saxifrage
Fourteen Canadians were arrested for civil disobedience at 6 p.m. after sitting down on the tracks in front of an oncoming coal train in White Rock. Their vigil began at midnight, but Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) cancelled many of its scheduled runs in anticipation of the protest
The Oil Industry's Deceitful Promise Of American Energy Independence
By Kurt Cobb
The oil and gas industry would like you to believe that American energy independence is just around the corner. The question is, why do they want you to believe it now? After all, if energy independence were that easy to deliver, the industry would have done it a long time ago. Why has the industry chosen now, in particular, to begin a campaign of deceit to push the false promise of American energy independence?
The Poor And The Privileged And A Proposal On Resource Use
By Farooque Chowdhury
The Royal Society in the UK in a recent report focuses on the impact of “human population and consumption on the planet”. It suggests richest countries to consume less, and a more egalitarian pattern of consumption. The wealthiest group must urgently reduce their consumption to save the Earth, the report concludes
When Spies Rule The World
By K.P.Sasi
Why is the Indian State afraid of its own citizens? Is there a possible healthy governance of the Indian people without being spied upon? When will the people’s movements be free from the spies of the State? Why should the Indian people pay for the sustenance of a spy network which spy on them?
Zionist History: A Short Quiz
By Prof. Neve Gordon
Take this test to find out how much you know about the gradual shift in Israeli political thought over the decades
Western And Australian Pro-Zionist Mainstream Media Censorship Of
Muslim Holocaust And Palestinian Holocaust
By Dr Gideon Polya
Taxpayers must insist that taxpayer-funded media do not lie or censor under pain of reduction in taxpayer funding
Barbed Lives
By Ashutosh Sharma
The fence along the border with Pakistan, which has been erected several kilometres behind the zero line, has left hundreds of Indian villages sandwiched. Residents of such villages, which are almost cut off from the rest of the country, consider themselves prisoners in their own country, writes Ashutosh Sharma from Jammu and Kashmir
06 May, 2012
Thousands March As Japan Shuts Off Nuclear Power
By Yuri Kageyama
Thousands of Japanese marched to celebrate the switching off of the last of their nation's 50 nuclear reactors Saturday, waving banners shaped as giant fish that have become a potent anti-nuclear symbol. Japan was without electricity from nuclear power for the first time in four decades when the reactor at Tomari nuclear plant on the northern island of Hokkaido went offline for mandatory routine maintenance
The Lutfallah II Arms-Smuggling Scandal
By Franklin Lamb
The still unfolding Lutfallah II weapons running misadventure, in which a claimed Syrian-owned vessel registered in Sierra Leone but apparently flying the Egyptian flag, was detained off the Lebanese port of Batoun, by the Lebanese Army Marines because it was sailing too high in the water, and appeared “suspicious,” and was then found to contain 300,000 pounds of weapons may erupt unpredictably with serious political consequences for the region
Time For A Military Coup In Israel?
By Alan Hart
If a majority of Israel’s Jews wanted to cling on to Zionist mythology and continue down the path laid out by Netanyahu, there could only be catastrophe for all at some point, triggered, probably, by a final Zionist ethnic cleansing of Palestine
A Putsch Against War
By Uri Avnery
Generals and secret police chiefs get together for an attack on the politicians
Palestine: Time For A Change!
By Mazin Qumsiyeh
Palestinian political prisoners illegally held in Israeli jails are on hunger strike and some are near death. The population of strikers includes 200 child prisoners, 27 Palestinian legislative council members, and 456 prisoners from Gaza who have not been allowed family visits since 2007
Solidarity And Realpolitik: My Response To Jeff Halper
By Susan Abulhawa
I don’t presume to tell Israelis what they should or should not do but I would like to see Israelis concentrate on their own failures rather than ours. I would sure like to hear those who have made aliyah acknowledge that it was not their right to do so; that making aliyah is a crime against the native people who have been and continue to be forcibly expelled to make way for those making aliyah
Africa’s AU; A Tool Of Western Rule
By Thomas C. Mountain
The African Union (AU) has mutated into a particularly corrupt and brutal enforcer of western rule in Africa. When it comes to the interests of Pax Americana you must start with the crimes committed in the AU’s “War on Terror” in Somalia a.k.a. The War on the Somali people
Seven Myths Used To Debunk Peak Oil, Debunked
By Andrew McKay
So what are their arguments, and why are they so wrong? The top seven are listed below
Global Civil Society And The Rise Of The Civil Economy
By Robin Murray
The last thirty years has seen the re-emergence of a civil economic challenge, side by side with the advance of globalisation, as a distinct strand in the development of global civil society. Don’t underestimate its longterm significance in the glacial shifts now taking place in the world economy
Pakistan Judicial Commission On Osama Episode Fails To Complete Probe
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
With majority of Pakistanis skeptical about the assassination of Osama Ben Laden in the US military operation of May 2, 2011 on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan's judicial commission entrusted to probe the Osama episode has failed to complete its investigation till now
How Terry Jones Can Get Away With It
By Kourosh Ziabari
The infamous US Pastor Terry Jones burned copies of Quran n Saturday, April 28 in what was claimed as his protest to the detainment of a so-called Christian clergyman in Iran. Although the high-ranking officials of Islamic countries, including the Iranian statesmen condemned the renewed venture of burning the Holy Quran in strongest terms, the U.S. and European officials turned a blind eye to the blasphemy, tacitly endorsing the radical pastor
Jai Bhim Comrade, A Soulful Song Of The Nowhere People
By Dr Anand Teltumbde
A Review of Jai Bhim Comrade, a documentary by Anand Patwardhan
Killing Of Innocent In Self-Defence?
By Gladson Dungdung
The recently released, ‘Jharkhand Human Rights Report 2001-2011’exposes the killing of 550 people in the crossfire and arrest of 4372 people after branding them as Naxals in the state in last decade
05 May, 2012
Death Of Nonprofit Journalism?
By Josh Stearns
Nonprofit news organizations are winning awards and covering issues mainstream media doesn’t, so why is the IRS clamping down on nonprofit media?
A Warmer World And Weather Gone Wild: The Most Important Story of Our Lives
By Bill McKibben
It's too hot not to notice, and too important to remain passive
China’s Looming Conflict Between Energy And Water
By Christina Larson
In its quest to find new sources of energy, China is increasingly looking to its western provinces. But the nation’s push to develop fossil fuel and alternative sources has so far ignored a basic fact — western China simply lacks the water resources needed to support major new energy development
Will China Survive?
By Peter Goodchild
China may have large amounts of cash, but it is nevertheless short of almost everything needed to maintain human life. It may be wondered where its population is planning to live in the future, when China itself cannot hold those numbers
Palestinian Political Prisoners Subject To Collective Punishment
As Mass Hunger Strike Continues
By Palestinian Council of Human Rights Organisations
Israeli Prison Service is taking a series of collective and punitive measures against Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons currently engaged in a mass hunger strike. These measures include solitary confinement, daily fines of up to 500 NIS (€100), confiscation of salt for water, the denial of electricity supply and random cell and body searches
The Dysfunctional Ideology Of Jewishness
By Mazin Qumsiyeh
Review of Gilad Atzmon’s book, The Wandering Who? A Study of Jewish Identity Politic. Palestinian academic Mazin Qumsiyeh argues that Gilad Atzmon’s book The Wandering Who? provides invaluable insight into the ideology of Jewishness – crucial for understanding Israeli behaviour and the conflict in the Middle East – and urges people to engage with the ideas laid out in the book rather than dismiss it or seek to censor it
Daisy Cutters Into Daisies: #NoWarButClassWar
By Mickey Z
Green-spirited seed bombs and mean-spirited Daisy Cutters. Take a wild guess which one is illegal here in America. Seed bombing could get you arrested or sued
What About The Voters’ Rights Amendment?
By Charles Foerster
The Voters’ Rights Amendment may be the only way to unify all Americans to do something positive to overcome their shared disgust with their government, their political parties, and the puppet candidates that are forced upon them
Unlawful Imprisonment In Ethiopia
By Graham Peebles
Prime Minister Meles Zenawi presides over a brutal manipulative dictatorship that restricts all freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of the media in Ethiopia . Peaceful dissent is met with violence and false imprisonment. Intimidation and fear are the key tools in such repression, this must end and we the international community must ensure it is so
Investigate Killing Of Foreign Tourists In Kashmir
By Abdul Majid Zargar
There are now enough grounds to order reinvestigation of 1995 abduction & killing of six foreign tourists following startling revelations by a new book that they were killed by pro-government counter-insurgents fully aided & abetted by the security forces
Koodankulam: Hunger Strikers' Health Deteriorate
By People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy
The indefinite hunger strike has been going on for the past 5 days. Some 25 men have been on the fast since May 1 and 302 women and 10 more men have joined the strike on May 4, 2012. Many of the men have become very tired and are suffering from fatigue and nausea. Scores of women are suffering from severe headache this morning and some seem to be dehydrated because of the scorching summer heat. They need immediate medical advice and help
Coal Power Fiasco In India – Karnataka's Case Study
By Shankar Sharma
A large number of coal power plants in excess of 700,000 MW are reported to be in the various stages of planning, approval and implementation. Are they the best option available? Are they really sustainable?
Higher Education And Social Mobility Among MuslimsAnd Dalits In India ,
A Comparative Perspective In The Globalised Times
By Mr. Ajmal khan
This paper is an attempt to see how globalisation has impacted the higher education of Muslims and Dalits in India in a comparative and historic perspective. Based on the different secondary data sets, it tries to show how Dalit community across India has utilised the process of globalisation and achieved educational and social mobility mobility higher than Muslim
Electoral Equations And Secular Values
By Ram Puniyani
UP Assembly election results apart from other things are a pointer for the Congress party to take up the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, if it wants to make a positive contribution to Indian democracy
04 May, 2012
Obama Signs Strategic Pact In Afghanistan
By Peter Symonds
President Obama billed his secretive, fly-in, fly-out trip to Afghanistan in the early hours of Wednesday morning as marking a new dawn—the withdrawal of American troops and an end to more than a decade of war. In reality, the visit has set the stage for an open-ended US military presence in Afghanistan in line with Washington’s aims to transform the country into a permanent base of operations in Central Asia
Justice Requires Action To Stop Subjugation Of Palestinians
By Desmond Tutu
This harsh reality endured by millions of Palestinians requires people and organizations of conscience to divest from those companies — in this instance, from Caterpillar, Motorola Solutions and Hewlett Packard — profiting from the occupation and subjugation of Palestinians
Illegal Settlements Bonanza: Israel Plots An Endgame
By Ramzy Baroud
There is no doubt that Israel is plotting its version of the endgame in Palestine, which sees Palestinians continuing to subsist in physical fragmentation and permanent occupation. Unless a popular Palestinian uprising takes hold, no one is likely to challenge what is actually an Israeli declaration of war against the Palestinian people
The Israeli-American-Iranian-Holocaust-Nobel Peace Prize Circus
By William Blum
Wiesel, like Obama, is a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. As is Henry Kissinger and Menachim Begin. And several other such war-loving beauties. When will that monumental farce of a prize be put to sleep?
Extractive Capitalism And The Divisions In The Latin American Progressive Camp
By James Petras
There is a general consensus that regimes in seven countries in Latin America form what can be called the “progressive camp”: Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Peru and Venezuela. It is difficult to generalize about the performance of the progressive camp given the divergences in social and economic policies. But a “report card” of sorts can be drawn up
Hunger, Disease And $10 Billion Missing In South Sudan
By Thomas C. Mountain
South Sudan's leaders have stolen at least $10 billion in oil revenues shared with them by Sudan in the past 7 years. With somewhere between $12 to $17 billion turned over to South Sudan, Africa’s newest “government”, during this time frame some say estimates of only $10 billion stolen is to conservative
Israel Under Intelligence Fire Over Iran
By Dr. Ismail Salami
By way of countering the anti-regime remarks by the top military and intelligence people in Israel, Netanyahu and Barak have in recent days embarked on toning up their war rhetoric against Iran. In fact, the Zionist duo are steadfast in sowing the seeds of extremism, fear and hatred in order to give a cloak of legitimacy to a possible strike against the Islamic Republic
Ambedkar And Media
By Ratna Mala
This article explores the newspaper initiatives of Ambedkar, study the representation of Ambedkar in media and recognize his views on media. The paper will discuss the data observed using desk research
“Friends of Syria”: Not So Friends Of The Syrian People
By Ghali Hassan
The meeting of “Friends of Syria” in Istanbul was not a meeting for peace. Rather it was a prelude to instigate more violence and destruction in Syria. Whatever the outcome, “Friends of Syria” will be held to account for their complicity in crimes against the Syrian people
One Step Backward Taken
By John Scales Avery
It is doubtful whether Israel, a country with 300 nuclear weapons, would benefit in any way by attacking Iran on the pretext that Iran might soon be in a position to produce two or three bombs of its own. Iran has denied that it wants to produce such weapons, but an attack by Israel might push the Iranian government into militarization of its civilian nuclear power program
Obama’s Second Term: Forward March
By Joseph Grosso
Perhaps it is fitting that Barack Obama dispensed with ‘Change We Can Believe In’ and took up the banner of ‘Forward’ for his reelection campaign. Indeed it would have been preferable if he’d saved the trouble and gone with that from the beginning. Barack Obama was never serious about change as his administration from the start has continued the forward advance of corporate power and other reactionary interests
Fourth Round Of Indefinite Hunger Strike In Koodankulam
By People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy
The People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) has embarked upon the fourth round of indefinite hunger strike from May 1, 2012 against Koodankulam nuclear power plant
Condemn The Arrest of Advocate Shanavas By “Hi-tech Cell”!
By Concerned Citizens
The “Hi-tech Cell” of the Kerala Crime Branch arrested Advocate Shanavas, a leading human rights activist of Kerala in connection with the infamous Email surveillance scandal
Resist The Assaults On The People Of Nonadanga
By Democratic Students union
Resist the assaults on the people of Nonadanga by the fascist Trinamool government in Bengal! Fight for the immediate release of student activists Debolina and Abhignan! Support the Relief Campaign for the Evicted People of Nonadanga!
01 May, 2012
US Resumes Drone Killings In Pakistan
By Bill Van Auken
Washington ended a month-long pause in its campaign of drone attacks in Pakistan’s tribal areas Sunday, killing four “suspected militants” in North Waziristan and provoking a formal protest from the government in Islamabad
US Has Become 'Nation of Assassins: Jeremy Scahill
By Common Dreams staff
International law experts, peace activists, journalists and human rights advocates from around the world gathered in Washington, DC over the weekend to inform the American public about US drone policy and the impact it is having on human populations throughout the world
You Are All Suspects Now. What Are You Going To Do About it?
By John Pilger
You are all potential terrorists. It matters not that you live in Britain, the United States, Australia or the Middle East. Citizenship is effectively abolished. Turn on your computer and the US Department of Homeland Security's National Operations Center may monitor whether you are typing not merely "al-Qaeda", but "exercise", "drill", "wave", "initiative" and "organisation": all proscribed words
Welcome To The Asylum
By Chris Hedges
When civilizations start to die they go insane. Let the ice sheets in the Arctic melt. Let the temperatures rise. Let the air, soil and water be poisoned. Let the forests die. Let the seas be emptied of life. Let one useless war after another be waged. Let the masses be thrust into extreme poverty and left without jobs while the elites, drunk on hedonism, accumulate vast fortunes through exploitation, speculation, fraud and theft. Reality, at the end, gets unplugged
The Children of Fallujah: The Hospital of Horrors
By Robert Fisk
Stillbirths, disabilities, deformities too distressing to describe - what lies behind the torments in Fallujah General Hospital?
The Iraqi Resistance Is Still Fine: Iraqi Scholar
An interview with Dr. Mohammad Bashir Al-Faidhi, the Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq By Snorre Lindquist
May Day Started Here
By Noam Chomsky
People seem to know about May Day everywhere except where it began, here in the United States of America. That’s because those in power have done everything they can to erase its real meaning
Labor Not Loyalty on May 1
By David Swanson
Two key steps have helped to ruin May Day in the United States. First, Labor Day was created at a completely different time of year -- labor day without the struggle, labor day without the history, labor day without the labor movement. Second, Loyalty Day was created on May 1 st
Can We Expect The Economy To Keep Growing?
By Gail Tverberg
If we read the financial pages, economic growth seems to be viewed as the “normal” situation to which economies inevitably return. But is it really?
Obama's Election And The Union Movement
By Jack A. Smith
Perhaps the main ingredient in any possible Democratic presidential victory is the labor movement. Without it, Obama's chances plummet. AFL-CIO, Change to Win and a few independent unions are supplying Democratic candidates with over $400 million this year. Of equal importance, organized labor wants to field an estimated 400,000 campaign workers as well
Politics Of Poverty Estimates
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
The planning commission of India is set to change the poverty estimates in India after the latest survey done by National Sample Survey Organization 2010-11. According to new estimates, anyone who is earning below Rs 66.10 per day in urban areas and rupees 35.10 per day in the rural areas will be considered person Below Poverty Line. Such poverty estimates do not provide any justice to the cause of elimination of poverty which is endemic in India
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