about this.
"In a sane world, progressives would see global warming as their dominant concern. It eclipses reproductive rights, gender equality, the lot for it determines whether our world will remain capable of sustaining any civilization and not just in Africa or equatorial regions. Climate change will be the defining factor for the world our children and our grandchildren will inherit. We are writing their future today and it's being written indelibly."
I lower my head and shake it - I couldn't say it better or more succinctly. Any yet, can't I do more? Why can't I do something about it?
2012-08-29
New word of the day - Glocalisation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glocalization
Glocalisation (or glocalization) is a portmanteau word of globalization and localization. By definition, the term “glocal” refers to the individual, group, division, unit, organization, and community which is willing and able to “think globally and act locally.”
It is a term that was invented in order to emphasize that the globalization of a product is more likely to succeed when the product or service is adapted specifically to each locality or culture it is marketed in. The term combines the word globalization with localization. (An earlier term for globalization in terms of product preparedness for international marketing is internationalization.)
Glocalisation (or glocalization) is a portmanteau word of globalization and localization. By definition, the term “glocal” refers to the individual, group, division, unit, organization, and community which is willing and able to “think globally and act locally.”
It is a term that was invented in order to emphasize that the globalization of a product is more likely to succeed when the product or service is adapted specifically to each locality or culture it is marketed in. The term combines the word globalization with localization. (An earlier term for globalization in terms of product preparedness for international marketing is internationalization.)
And worse it gets.
"Yesterday, the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) announced that the Arctic sea ice cover was at its lowest level since the satellite record began in 1979. Earlier this month Australian scientists found concrete evidence of “very unusual warming” over the last hundred years in Antarctica. And in July, 97 percent of Greenland’s ice sheet melted, an event that received little coverage in the American news media."
Read more here - http://truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/item/11708-record-ice-melt-in-arctic-other-alarming-events-have-scientists-gravely-concerned-about-climate-crisis
Read more here - http://truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/item/11708-record-ice-melt-in-arctic-other-alarming-events-have-scientists-gravely-concerned-about-climate-crisis
2012-08-26
Why we will fail.
http://consortiumnews.com/2012/08/26/more-neglect-for-americas-poor/#comment-113098
That's because for many of us it's a bitter reality, as opposed to politicians where it's nothing more than a convenient issue that can be brought up when needed and ignored when no longer useful.
It's not useful when the people these politicians are trying to reach would rather be entertained with pictures of Chavril.
That's because for many of us it's a bitter reality, as opposed to politicians where it's nothing more than a convenient issue that can be brought up when needed and ignored when no longer useful.
It's not useful when the people these politicians are trying to reach would rather be entertained with pictures of Chavril.
RIP - Neil Armstrong.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Armstrong
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Apollo_astronauts#Apollo_astronauts_who_walked_on_the_Moon
We'll miss you, but we'll never forget you and the Apollo 11 mission. It certainly was a giant leap for mankind.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Apollo_astronauts#Apollo_astronauts_who_walked_on_the_Moon
We'll miss you, but we'll never forget you and the Apollo 11 mission. It certainly was a giant leap for mankind.
2012-08-25
The lengths the Big 6 will go to; to try and defeat Proposition 37 in California
Monsanto Brainwashing: GMO Myths for Kids
Monsanto and its cohorts among the "Big 6" pesticide and GMO companies -- Monsanto, Dow Chemical, Bayer, Syngenta, Dupont, and BASF -- are fighting a battle with California voters on whether or not GMO foods should be labeled. In the meantime, the trade group CBI, whose membership consists solely of those six corporations, is busily educating children on the supposed benefits of GMOs.
As several outlets have reported, CBI is promoting its dis-informative Biotech Basics Activity Book for kids. The book has cute illustrations and introduces kids to the "neat topic" of biotechnology.
Note that the industry uses the term "biotechnology" exclusively. According to Stacy Malkan, a spokeswoman for the Yes on 37: California Right to Know Campaign, "Polls show that the term 'biotechnology' is viewed much more favorably than 'genetically modified' or 'genetically engineered food.' Yet the term most easily recognized and understood by people is 'genetically engineered food.' So they are obviously trying to change the language for PR purposes, not accuracy or clarity." The choice of terms is a subtle example of the transfer or association technique to project positive qualities of one concept onto another.
On page four, the book asks, "How can biotechnology help the health of the Earth and its people?" It directs kids to "look closer" and use the decoder at the side of the page to figure out three ways that biotechnology helps us. The answers are at the end of the book.
Strangely, some of the hazards associated with GMOs, such as a large increase in pesticide use (383 million more pounds) and possible liver and kidney damage, are not listed.
Source and context - http://truth-out.org/news/item/11111-trade-group-funded-by-monsanto-creates-childrens-book
2012-08-24
Oh no .... RIP Jerry Nelson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Nelson
This is really sad day. No more Count, Herry, or Fuzzy Blue.
This is really sad day. No more Count, Herry, or Fuzzy Blue.
Well unlike MLB ...
... where the cheating goes on, and on, and on, some sports decide enough is enough -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lance_Armstrong#2012_USADA_charges
"On August 24, 2012, the USADA said it would ban the cyclist for life and stripped him of his record seven Tour de France titles.[8][9]. Later that day it was confirmed in a USADA statement [10] that he was banned for life and would be disqualified from any and all competitive results obtained on and subsequent to August 1, 1998, including forfeiture of any medals, titles, winnings, finishes, points and prizes."
When is MLB going to finally do something similar? Should people like Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds be allowed to have their home records stand along with being honored as great models, when they've been caught using drugs?
Isn't that cheating? Should teams and in-effect MLB be allowed to continually profit from this?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lance_Armstrong#2012_USADA_charges
"On August 24, 2012, the USADA said it would ban the cyclist for life and stripped him of his record seven Tour de France titles.[8][9]. Later that day it was confirmed in a USADA statement [10] that he was banned for life and would be disqualified from any and all competitive results obtained on and subsequent to August 1, 1998, including forfeiture of any medals, titles, winnings, finishes, points and prizes."
When is MLB going to finally do something similar? Should people like Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds be allowed to have their home records stand along with being honored as great models, when they've been caught using drugs?
Isn't that cheating? Should teams and in-effect MLB be allowed to continually profit from this?
2012-08-22
Funny how one creature's life events can serve as a metaphor for one's own existence.
Take for example this -
This is how my life seems to me these days. Can you guess who I am? I'm not sure which is worse - the endless pointless kicking, or the music.
This is how my life seems to me these days. Can you guess who I am? I'm not sure which is worse - the endless pointless kicking, or the music.
2012-08-19
Isn't this thing termed collusion really treason?
I mean if you follow the definition - colluding with a foreign power to affect an election outcome in one's own country through any means necessary, even if it means killing?
http://consortiumnews.com/2012/08/18/an-israeli-october-surprise-for-obama/
Should anyone really be too surprised if something like this were to actually happen? Like hmm ... suppose a foreign power decides to unilaterally invade or attack another country (or have citizens attacked, killed, or taken hostage), in order for the leader of one country (undergoing a re-election campaign) to be forced into joining along, or refuse, thus having the right-wing pounce and guarantee defeat?
Think it could happen to Obama in 2012? We know now this happened to Carter in 1980,
http://consortiumnews.com/2012/08/18/an-israeli-october-surprise-for-obama/
Should anyone really be too surprised if something like this were to actually happen? Like hmm ... suppose a foreign power decides to unilaterally invade or attack another country (or have citizens attacked, killed, or taken hostage), in order for the leader of one country (undergoing a re-election campaign) to be forced into joining along, or refuse, thus having the right-wing pounce and guarantee defeat?
Think it could happen to Obama in 2012? We know now this happened to Carter in 1980,
Thank you Wikipedia!
I've always wondered about this. Now I know -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flammability#Linguistics:_flammable_vs._inflammable
Flammable and inflammable both mean capable of burning. The word "inflammable" came from Latin inflammāre = "to set fire to," where the prefix "in-" means "in" as in "indoctrinate", rather than "not" as in "invisible" and "ineligible". Nonetheless, "inflammable" is often erroneously thought to mean "non-flammable". This safety hazard has been avoided by the use of flammable on warning labels referring to physical combustibility. In the United States the word inflammable has been largely abandoned in common, scientific, industrial, and written language.[1] Antonyms of flammable/inflammable are non-flammable, non-inflammable, incombustible, non-combustible, uninflammable, or simply "not flammable".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flammability#Linguistics:_flammable_vs._inflammable
Flammable and inflammable both mean capable of burning. The word "inflammable" came from Latin inflammāre = "to set fire to," where the prefix "in-" means "in" as in "indoctrinate", rather than "not" as in "invisible" and "ineligible". Nonetheless, "inflammable" is often erroneously thought to mean "non-flammable". This safety hazard has been avoided by the use of flammable on warning labels referring to physical combustibility. In the United States the word inflammable has been largely abandoned in common, scientific, industrial, and written language.[1] Antonyms of flammable/inflammable are non-flammable, non-inflammable, incombustible, non-combustible, uninflammable, or simply "not flammable".
This is pretty ugly.
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/08/18-1
Priceless comment - "This is where the concept of sovereign states being more valuable than are actual human beings shows its ugly face."
Priceless comment - "This is where the concept of sovereign states being more valuable than are actual human beings shows its ugly face."
2012-08-17
Animal Farm published this day 67 years ago.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Farm
Animal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell published in England on 17 August 1945.
It was about Stalinism, but I would agrue the book was largely a critique of pretty much all forms of government that were created prior to the 21th Century. The basic flaws in them as I see it are twofold -
Sigh - what the world needs is a actual system of living to balance designed to meet the needs of the global collective society at large.
- An ability for pretty much any system of government to be manipulated by a concentrated few such that said system is reduced to supplying money, power and resources, from the collective society.
- In inability to for said system of government to then weather the impacts of point one on the collective society, or any other for that matter, rending it useless, ineffective and ultimately globally toxic.
2012-08-16
2012-08-14
Let's hope it's more than symbolic.
http://the-mound-of-sound.blogspot.com/2012/08/julian-assange-granted-asylum.html
Julian Assange Granted Asylum
2012-08-13
TrapWire
http://io9.com/5933966/wikileaks-reveals-trapwire-a-government-spy-network-that-uses-ordinary-surveillance-cameras.
Makes you wonder if those DDoS attacks on WikiLeaks were really a coincidence.
More here - http://www.nowpublic.com/world/trapwire-wikileaks-highlights-massive-us-domestic-spying-scheme-2969714.html
Makes you wonder if those DDoS attacks on WikiLeaks were really a coincidence.
More here - http://www.nowpublic.com/world/trapwire-wikileaks-highlights-massive-us-domestic-spying-scheme-2969714.html
2012-08-12
I don't know about dumber, but certainly louder.
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2012/08/is-pop-music-dumber-and-louder-than-ever.html
"A new study by Spanish researchers suggests that's the case. According to their findings, after analyzing 55 years of pop music history, modern pop is less musically complex and engineered at higher volumes. "
The latter part is definitely true. Go here - http://www.dr.loudness-war.info/, and enter in your favorite Album or Artist to see just how good or bad the dynamic range on the songs are. And yes you can compare original releases with 're-releases' or 'remasters' to see just how louder things have gotten.
I used to think record companies did it to make their product more competitive. And on some level I think there's a connection with this and both the decline of CD sales, and the increase in online music sales.
But I wonder if there might be another reason. Perhaps the record companies were so afraid of copying, that they deliberately made a shitty product so that no one would do it.
"A new study by Spanish researchers suggests that's the case. According to their findings, after analyzing 55 years of pop music history, modern pop is less musically complex and engineered at higher volumes. "
The latter part is definitely true. Go here - http://www.dr.loudness-war.info/, and enter in your favorite Album or Artist to see just how good or bad the dynamic range on the songs are. And yes you can compare original releases with 're-releases' or 'remasters' to see just how louder things have gotten.
I used to think record companies did it to make their product more competitive. And on some level I think there's a connection with this and both the decline of CD sales, and the increase in online music sales.
But I wonder if there might be another reason. Perhaps the record companies were so afraid of copying, that they deliberately made a shitty product so that no one would do it.
2012-08-10
2012-08-08
True freedom in this life involves ridding onself of hatred.
Source: Gandhi -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quit_India_speech
" I have noticed that there is hatred towards the British among the people. The people say they are disgusted with their behaviour. The people make no distinction between British imperialism and the British people. To them, the two are one This hatred would even make them welcome the Japanese. It is most dangerous. It means that they will exchange one slavery for another. We must get rid of this feeling. Our quarrel is not with the British people, we fight their imperialism. The proposal for the withdrawal of British power did not come out of anger. It came to enable India to play its due part at the present critical juncture It is not a happy position for a big country like India to be merely helping with money and material obtained willy-nilly from her while the United Nations are conducting the war. We cannot evoke the true spirit of sacrifice and velour, so long as we are not free. I know the British Government will not be able to withhold freedom from us, when we have made enough self-sacrifice. We must, therefore, purge ourselves of hatred. Speaking for myself, I can say that I have never felt any hatred."
From the Quit India speech speech made by Mahatma Gandhi on August 8, 1942, on the eve of the Quit India movement.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quit_India_speech
" I have noticed that there is hatred towards the British among the people. The people say they are disgusted with their behaviour. The people make no distinction between British imperialism and the British people. To them, the two are one This hatred would even make them welcome the Japanese. It is most dangerous. It means that they will exchange one slavery for another. We must get rid of this feeling. Our quarrel is not with the British people, we fight their imperialism. The proposal for the withdrawal of British power did not come out of anger. It came to enable India to play its due part at the present critical juncture It is not a happy position for a big country like India to be merely helping with money and material obtained willy-nilly from her while the United Nations are conducting the war. We cannot evoke the true spirit of sacrifice and velour, so long as we are not free. I know the British Government will not be able to withhold freedom from us, when we have made enough self-sacrifice. We must, therefore, purge ourselves of hatred. Speaking for myself, I can say that I have never felt any hatred."
From the Quit India speech speech made by Mahatma Gandhi on August 8, 1942, on the eve of the Quit India movement.
2012-08-05
The perfect corporate dream couple.
Walmart and Monsanto. Together selling frakenfood on the American public by keeping them ignorant -
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/08/04-0
Outcry as Walmart OK's Monsanto GM Corn
- Common Dreams staff
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, has confirmed to the Chicago Tribune that despite protests from environment and food-safety advocates, it will not restrict sales of genetically modified corn in its stores.
The corn will not be labelled and consumers will not be notified that the sweet corn they are buying are engineered by agro-giant Monsanto and genetically-altered (GMO stands for genetically modified organism) to resist the toxic impact of being sprayed with chemical pesticides and herbicides.
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/08/04-0
Outcry as Walmart OK's Monsanto GM Corn
- Common Dreams staff
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, has confirmed to the Chicago Tribune that despite protests from environment and food-safety advocates, it will not restrict sales of genetically modified corn in its stores.
The corn will not be labelled and consumers will not be notified that the sweet corn they are buying are engineered by agro-giant Monsanto and genetically-altered (GMO stands for genetically modified organism) to resist the toxic impact of being sprayed with chemical pesticides and herbicides.
How horrific.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/06/us/shooting-reported-at-temple-in-wisconsin.html?_r=2&hp
Will have to wait and see what law enforcement learns about the shooter.
Will have to wait and see what law enforcement learns about the shooter.
One more time - with feeling.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-05/recent-heat-waves-caused-by-global-warming-hansen-says.html
"“We now know that the chances these extreme weather events would have happened naturally -- without climate change -- is negligible,” James Hansen, the top climate-change scientist at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the main writer of the paper, said in a statement. “The natural changes in weather from day-to-day and year-to-year” don’t explain those events. "
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/08/james-hansen-extreme-heat-events-connected-to-climate-change.html
"In fact, [climate change] has now driven our climate outside the range that has existed the last 10,000 years..."
Who is this Hansen guy?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hansen
Hansen is best known for his research in the field of climatology, his testimony on climate change to congressional committees in 1988 that helped raise broad awareness of global warming, and his advocacy of action to avoid dangerous climate change.
"“We now know that the chances these extreme weather events would have happened naturally -- without climate change -- is negligible,” James Hansen, the top climate-change scientist at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the main writer of the paper, said in a statement. “The natural changes in weather from day-to-day and year-to-year” don’t explain those events. "
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/08/james-hansen-extreme-heat-events-connected-to-climate-change.html
"In fact, [climate change] has now driven our climate outside the range that has existed the last 10,000 years..."
Who is this Hansen guy?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hansen
Hansen is best known for his research in the field of climatology, his testimony on climate change to congressional committees in 1988 that helped raise broad awareness of global warming, and his advocacy of action to avoid dangerous climate change.
2012-08-04
2012-08-02
2012-08-01
Farewell Mr. Vidal, but not goodbye.
http://www.thenation.com/blog/169184/gore-vidal-and-unfinished-american-revolution
The revolution continues, even if it doesn't appear as if anyone has been actually winning for some time.
Rather than give up, Vidal's message (well at least to me) was that as long as injustice occurs and until everyone actually gets an equal shot of pursuit of happiness, then we must continue and move forward.
Losing occurs when you stop and let idiots take over.
The revolution continues, even if it doesn't appear as if anyone has been actually winning for some time.
Rather than give up, Vidal's message (well at least to me) was that as long as injustice occurs and until everyone actually gets an equal shot of pursuit of happiness, then we must continue and move forward.
Losing occurs when you stop and let idiots take over.
Just to let y'all* know ...
... next week will be light in terms of posting, as I'll be away much of the time. I plan on taking the family to the Fair and to the coast.
* - 0
* - 0
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