Countercurrents Archive January 2013

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31 January,2013

Global Grain Stocks Drop Dangerously Low
As 2012 Consumption Exceeded Production
By Janet Larsen

The world produced 2,241 million tons of grain in 2012, down 75 million tons or 3 percent from the 2011 record harvest. The drop was largely because of droughts that devastated several major crops—namely corn in the United States (the world’s largest crop) and wheat in Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Australia. Each of these countries also is an important exporter. Global grain consumption fell significantly for the first time since 1995, as high prices dampened use for ethanol production and livestock feed. Still, overall consumption did exceed production. With drought persisting in key producing regions, there is concern that farmers in 2013 will again be unable to produce the surpluses necessary to rebuild lowered global grain reserves

The Legacy Of Fukushima: Two Years On
By David Elliot

The Fukushima disaster left Japan facing huge social and economic costs and the impacts will continue for many years, but it may have also led to a change in direction, which will benefit not only Japan but the rest of the world. And with Japan’s track record in technological innovation, it may help us all to develop more sustainable ways of living

Against Growth: A Conversation With Economist Joshua Farley
By Almantas Samalavicius

Given the relation between economic production and ecological degradation, Joshua Farley is convinced that economic growth must stop. It is just a question of when. And whether cooperation will displace competition as the dominant concept in the economic paradigm

Living With Just Enough
By Azby Brown

Artist and designer Azby Brown offers simple lessons in sustainability from the Edo period of Japan

Hot Cities Make Environment Hotter
By Countercurrents.org

A study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, found that the heat thrown off by major metropolitan areas on America's east coast caused winter warming across large areas of North America, thousands of miles away from those cities. Winter warming was detected as far away as the Canadian prairies. In some remote areas, temperature rose by as much as 1 degree C under the influence of big cities, which produced changes in the jet stream and other atmospheric systems, the study found

Only One Solution To The Fed Debt Trap
By Rand Clifford

Our only other choice is limping from economic bubble to bursting economic bubble, hobbled by debt and drenched in austerity until we can limp no more. And if MSM ever publicly calls derivatives, "derivatives", it's far too late. The imminent financial crisis will render public interest a ghost from a distant past. The only epoch offering Americans a future: the Fed, AD. The Fed, after death

Gun Control or Crappola?
By Timothy Gatto

This gun control debate has me scratching my head. I’m not against gun control…but I’m not completely for it either. I know for a fact that if they outlawed all guns tomorrow, criminals would still manage to get their hands on any type of weapon they wanted to possess. Look at what a great job they have done with drugs

The Delhi Rape And The Struggle For Space
By Justin Podur

A lot of what we do to close space to women, we may not even realize we are doing. But if we are anywhere on this continuum, we are part of the problem. Are men in the streets, markets, subways, buses, and campuses going to treat women as equals, or try to use violence to drive them out? I believe that women will continue to successfully assert themselves and enter these spaces, and whenever they do, the spaces themselves become better. The choices men make can make the process easy, or violent and difficult

The Empire Within: India 's Imperialist Misogyny, A Response to Madhu Kishwar
By Pubali Ray Chaudhuri

These women are my home; they are my family; they are my people. Ideas are the ties that bind us. Our rebellion holds us together and makes us sisters. I stand with them

Dhule Violence: Changing Anatomy of Communal Violence
By Ram Puniyani

The violence in Dhule Maharashtra seems to be the new face of communal violence in India. As per the report of a major national daily (Jan 26, 2013), the evidence with the newspaper shows the evidence of police looting and destroying the property. The video clips in possession of the civil society groups also show one police official exhorting the rioting mob to move on. So far even if it was there it was not so blatantly clear. One sensed the partisan nature of police as discerned through different inquiry commission reports, but this type of role of police is a new and downhill chapter in the history of communal violence in India

Republic of Fear : II
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

A report from Humanize India march

30 January,2013

Israel Hits Syria
By Countercurrents.org

Israel has hit Syria. Citing a Western diplomat and regional security sources a London datelined Reuters report said on January 30, 2013: Israeli forces attacked a convoy on the Syrian-Lebanese border overnight

Monsanto's GM Corn Biosafety Data Raises Serious Concerns: Report
By Green Peace India

In a startling development an independent scientific analysis released by Greenpeace India on January 29, 2013 exposed major flaws in the Genetically Modified (GM) corn biosafety assessment process done by the regulatory bodies in Indi

US Secures Drone Base In Northwest Africa
By Bill Van Auken

Washington has secured an agreement with the government of Niger to establish a US military base in the Northwest African country, which borders Mali. The agreement comes in the midst of the French intervention in Mali, employing ground troops and warplanes

Egyptian Demonstrators Defy Emergency While Islamists And The US Support Morsi
By Countercurrents.org

As thousands of Egyptians defy emergency and curfew imposed in cities the army warns of collapse of the Egypt state. The opposing camps turn visible: progressives oppose emergency while the Islamists and the US back Morsi, the Muslim brotherhood leader imposing emergency

Climate Crisis: Bengal Tigers And The Sundarbans Face Extinction
By Countercurrents.org

Bengal Tigers and their habitat the Sundarban, the single largest mangrove forest in the world, are facing extinction. The killer-criminal is well-known: Climate crisis

Iraqi MP states: “No Rape In Iraqi Prisons, But Consensual Sex
Between Inmates And Policemen”
By Dirk Adriaensens and Tahrir Swift

Iraqi Member of Parliament Ali Shubbar accused Iraqi female inmates in Iraqi prisons of " sexual lust " and continued by claiming that they “ expose themselves to the police ”. Ali Shubbar, an MP of the Citizen Bloc, is a member of the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee . This says something about the Human Rights standards in the new “democratic” Iraq

U.S. Military: A Multi-Gender Crime Syndicate
By Mickey Z.

I am proud to declare that I was not among those celebrating the recent announcement from U.S. Defense (sic) Secretary Leon E. Panetta about lifting the military’s official ban on women in combat. Mic Check: Not all equality is created equal

Crackpot Pragmatism: Richard Cohen and Torture
By Steve Breyman

It's 2013 and Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen is still conflicted about torture . Why? The proximate cause is that he went to the movies, and saw “Zero Dark Thirty,” which impressed upon some viewers the efficacy of torture in unearthing the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden. Cohen considers the movie “fantastic,” Oscar worthy “in the category of ‘thought-provoking.'” The fuller explanation is that Cohen is a crackpot pragmatist

The Republic of Fear
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

A group of activists on the Humanise India journey are passing through a "Republic of Fear"

Reopen All Investigations Into The Terror Attacks In Maharashtra
And Restructure The Anti-Terror Squad
By Feroze Mithiborwala & Kishore Jagtap

Reopen investigations into all terror attacks in Maharashtra since 2002, as well as appoint new honest & secular officers in the ATS squad

The Recent ShahRukh Khan Controversy And Being A Muslim In India
By Shaik Zakeer Hussain

ShahRukh Khan may not be a victim, in fact he is one of the few privileged ones in this country, but there are scores of others, who are stigmatized for being a Muslim in this country, thousands of everyday men and women, who have to prove their credibility, every debate, every article, every speech related to Muslims in this country, always centers around this subject, how long will it continue, how long, before everyone in this country realizes that, Muslims in this country, did not cross the Khyber pass to get here

RSS And Murder Of Mahatma Gandhi: What Do Contemporary Documents Tell?
By Shamsul Islam

Contemporary evidence points to RSS involvement in the murder of Mahatma Gandhi

Crime Against Women In India
By Ajay Kumar Ranjan

A nationwide campaign is needed to reignite India's core values and traditions that respect and nurture women and children. This can only be borne out of consensus in society. Awareness amongst men of the scope of this issue is critical. Men who turn a blind eye to such brutal acts in their own neighborhoods, communities and families are just as culpable as those that perpetrate these acts. Action from courts and police will not suffice if the community remains defiantly opposed to change

Bangalore Indifferent
By Abhishek Kamat

It is really sad to see that people are deriving a completely new meaning of these protests. As an intern with a news channel, when I interacted with most people at these protest sites, the response I generated was – protests have really transformed itself into a medium of propaganda. People were seen laughing and cracking jokes; these protests had indeed lost its value

29 January,2013

Britain, US Escalate War Aid As France Advances Into Northern Mali
By Alex Lantier

The imperialist powers are escalating the war in Mali. Britain has pledged to deploy troops, and the US is planning a base for drone aircraft in the region, as French troops marched into the rebellious north of its former colony

Mali Conflict: Hunger Haunts Millions
By Countercurrents.org

Along with conflict hunger is haunting the people in Mali. Escalation of the conflict is exacerbating food insecurity and malnutrition in the adjoining Sahel region. Millions face starvation. Many northern Malians are likely to face severe food shortages in the coming days if markets remain blocked by border and road closures, and humanitarian access remains limited, warn food security agencies

Syria Conflict: Food Production Drops By Half
By Countercurrents.org

External armed intervention and conflict is ruining agriculture sector in Syria. A UN mission has found: cereal, fruit and vegetable production dropped by half and there is massive destruction of irrigation and other infrastructure

Dipankar Chakroborty, Aneek Editor, Passes Away
By Countercurrents.org

Dipankar Chakroborty, the founder-editor of the independent left Bangla journal Aneek, passed away on Sunday night. He was 71

New Facts Emerge About the 2006 Al-Ishaqi Massacre. Investigation Must Be Reopened(PDF)
By Mayyasa Abduljabbar and Dirk Adriaensens

The Al-Ishaqi incident refers to the reported mass murder of Iraqi civilians committed by US forces in Al-Ishaqi in 15 March 2006. After the incident, US troops rounded up and deliberately shot 11 people, including five children and four women, before blowing up their house

Now Lady GIs Can Kill The Poor Overseas Too And Be Spit On
By Jay Janson

Big step forward for society's ruling rich adding half of the population to its reservoir of cannon fodder as they heavily invest in WMD and their deployment surrounding Iran, China and Russia. But potential recruits should consider how difficult it will be to avoid self-incriminating themselves in obvious crimes against humanity and peace. An Nuremberg style trial is inevitable

Scientists Search For New Earth-Like Planets, Alien Life To Be Exploited By Capitalism
By Dustin Lewis

A satire

Non-Equitable Effects of Post-Liberalization Growth in India : Social Dynamics Approach
By Dr. Narendra Kumar Arya

The societal implications of the Reforms are very grave and grim. They have biased preferences .These policies have fostered and deepened the inequality in a society which was already tuned to the advantages of privileged few whether socially or in terms of wealth and power. The new regime of liberalized globalisation is creating unsustainable structures of deceptive development which is inherently and advertently hollow in its essence

The Atheist And His God
By Azaan Javaid

“Let me tell you a story which shook the very foundations of my belief system, my so called ideology and ever since I am in sort of a limbo. Ever since this incident I ask myself; what had changed.”

UN Resolutions Vis -À- Vis Shimla Agreement
By Abdul Majid Zargar

The author argues that Shimla agreement has neither overtaken UN nor made its resolutions redundant. Instead it has made its role & resolutions more relevant & important

Indian Woman - An Unborn Personality
By Farha Iman

Empowerment is about the right of taking decision and making informed choices. The concept of women as strong ‘personality’ is yet to born. Thus far, they are seen as beautiful female bodies roaming around to fulfill men’s desires

28 January,2013

Mursi Declares State of Emergency As Protests Escalate In Egypt
By Alex Lantier & Johannes Stern

Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi declared a 30-day state of emergency in three Suez Canal cities yesterday, as protests begun on the second anniversary of the Egyptian revolution spread throughout the country. Police and army units fired live ammunition, killing dozens of people and injuring hundreds, while protesters attacked police stations and offices of Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in cities across Egypt

“How Many Times Did You Blow Yourself Up?” Or, Why Iraq Is Revolting
By Dirk Adriaensens

The issue of tens of thousands of jailed Iraqis is at the top of demands of Iraqi demonstrators and protesters. Stories of families being destroyed following the arrest of their breadwinners without charges and proper trial are common in Iraq . Some of the prisoners started their terms at the age of 19 or even younger and have been in jail for many years without trial

National Nervous Breakdown
By Linh Dinh

As of January 26 th , Philly has 16 murders for the year, compared to 29 for all of January, 2012, so unless there is a sudden uptick in the next few days, we have made progress, so to speak, since last year, but I'm not just counting corpses here, but trying to limn the increasing alienation and sickness of my environment. As the country tortures, so do its citizens. As it kills for material gains, ego replenishment or just the hell of it, most casually, so do Americans

Reciprocity And Karma
By John Scales Avery

The peoples of the industrialized nations urgently need to acquire a non-anthropocentric element in their ethics, similar to reverence for all life found in the Hindu and Buddhist traditions, as well as in the teachings of Saint Francis of Assisi and Albert Schweitzer. We need to learn to value other species for their own sakes, and not because we expect to use them for our own economic goals

Persecuted Citizens of Saudi Arabia, Iran And Tunisia
By Countercurrents.org

Persecution of advocates and activists for human rights and poor are regular incidents in several countries. The three incidents, cited below, related to Saudi Arabian, Iranian and Tunisian citizens show a part of the existing reality

Verbal Defecation Buries Truth
By William A. Cook

A take on Lib Dem MP David Ward's statement on Palestine " Having visited Auschwitz twice – once with my family and once with local schools – I am saddened that the Jews, who suffered unbelievable levels of persecution during the Holocaust, could within a few years of liberation from the death camps be inflicting atrocities on Palestinians in the new State of Israel and continue to do so on a daily basis in the West Bank and Gaza"

Good Terrorist, Bad Terrorist
By Chandra Muzaffar

The French military operation in Mali has brought to the fore the blatant double standards in the approach of certain Western nations to the whole question of terrorism. In the case of Mali, France, with the support of Britain, Germany and the United States, has committed itself to combating diehard militants who are determined to use violence to establish their power and authority. Yet in Libya, these countries and their allies in West Asia and North Africa (WANA) had no compunctions about colluding with militant groups to oust Muammar Gaddafi in a bloody and brutal campaign which killed tens of thousands of people in 2011

Counting Down To 2014 In Afghanistan
By Ann Jones

Compromise, conflict, or collapse: ask an Afghan what to expect in 2014 and you’re likely to get a scenario that falls under one of those three headings. 2014, of course, is the year of the double whammy in Afghanistan: the next presidential election coupled with the departure of most American and other foreign forces. Many Afghans fear a turn for the worse

US Lackey Australia's Shame: Pro-Zionist Defamation Of
Anti-Racist Jews Critical Of Apartheid Israel
By Dr Gideon Polya

The Australian taxpayer-funded ABC (the Australian equivalent of the UK BBC) and the universities-funded website The Conversation have been involved in continued sidelining, censorship and blocking of humane, anti-racist, scholarly views of people critical of horrendous US-backed Israeli human rights abuses

Shinde On Hindutva Terror: Terminological Confusions
By Ram Puniyani

So all this protests and threats of BJP, threats to disrupt the session of Parliament are their usual political tactics and do not have any meaning, as their indirect or direct association with the terrorists is so much obvious. What Shinde is stating is factual but terminology is confused, and that’s not due to his own fault. We as a society have not been able to come to coin correct terminologies for different acts of terror anyway, so why get away with using the word Jehadi terrorism and haul Mr. Shinde to the coals for such a use of the term.?

Why Have Muslims Ignored Kabir
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

We respect Kabir not because he was a Hindu or a Muslim but a human being who preached love and affection and had the courage to speak against all forms of oppression without any hesitation. It need a lot of courage of conviction and ideals to be so and Kabir is India’s shining example of humanist heritage and it is our duty to revive his great legacy and take it to the people. Muslims, Hindus, secularists, atheists, humanists, all will gain from understanding Kabir who was hated by the fundamentalists of all kinds but could not challenge his authority as he remained down to earth closely associated with the masses

27 January,2013

50% of The Andean Glaciers Melted Down
By Countercurrents.org

Climate change has shrunk Andean glaciers between 30 and 50 percent since the 1970s and could melt many of them away altogether in coming years, finds a study. Andean glaciers, a vital source of fresh water for tens of millions of South Americans, are retreating at their fastest rates in more than 300 years, according to the most comprehensive review of Andean ice loss so far

Oil Billionaires Back Climate Crisis Deniers: Koch Connection And $500m
By Countercurrents.org

The Independent, the UK daily, in an exclusive report by Steve Connor said a section of the super-rich linked to fossil fuel industry back climate crisis deniers. The report headlined “Billionaires secretly fund attacks on climate science” said: A secretive funding organization in the US that guarantees anonymity for its billionaire donors has emerged as a major operator in the climate "counter movement" to undermine the science of global warming

The Eritrean “Coup” That Never Was
By Thomas C. Mountain

The New York Times and its cult followers in the American media, amongst others, manufactured an attempted “coup” that never happened in the small East African country of Eritrea

Dead Children And Arrested Babies: Palestinian Life Under Israeli Colonialism
By Juan Cole

Since 2000, roughly 6700 Palestinians have been killed by Israelis. About 1100 Israelis have been killed by Palestinians in the same period. Although Israelis have been steadily encroaching on Palestinian territory, Western media almost never categorize Palestinian responses as resistance, using the Israeli propaganda term ‘terrorism’ instead. Israeli aggression is almost always portrayed as ‘retaliation,’ even when Israelis initiated the violence. Israelis are depicted as the ones in danger, even though Palestinians are in 7 times more danger

Bangladesh Arms Purchase From Russia: A Case of Disparate Exchange?
By Dr. Peter Custers

In the final analysis the defense deal appears to be one more case of ‘disparate exchange’, i.e. of the international exchange of Northern weaponry against raw materials supplied by countries of the global South

26 January,2013

Indian Farmers Trapped And Desperate
By Graham Peebles

The number of farmer suicides - the largest in human history is estimated to have reached 300,000+ and rising as we speak. Add to this the 400 a day who attempt suicide and fail, the 2,200 that daily quit farming and the one and a half million family members affected by suicides, plus the millions facing the very issues that are driving the tragedy, and the scale of the inferno begins to be clear

US-Led Sanctions Contribute To The Destruction Of Syria’s Millenary History
By Franklin Lamb

According to archeological experts here, Syria, with its six UNESCO world heritage sites testifying to its deserved reputation as being one of the most archeologically well-preserved cradles of civilization, may soon to be the most wantonly destroyed in modern times (Iraq being the other). This frequently-predicted catastrophe is a result, not only of war in the usual sense, but war in its more subtle form of US-led sanctions aimed at political regime change

On Tahrir Uprising Anniversary Protests Across Egypt, Troops Deployed, 9 Dead
By Countercurrents.org

The second anniversary of Egypt's uprising saw thousands of Muslim Brotherhood opponents massed on January 25, 2013 in Cairo's Tahrir Square – the centre of the uprising against Mubarak – to rekindle the demands of a revolution they say was stolen by the Muslim Brotherhood. Protests across the country saw violent street battles, torching of Muslim Brotherhood offices, storming of government offices, deployment of troops and armored personnel carriers . The protest marches that began on the early hours of the day continued into night. There were nine deaths including deaths of eight protesters, who were shot

For Workers, A Thinner Slice of Pie
By Farooque Chowdhury

Once again, the much told fact has been reiterated: Workers get a thinner slice of pie. ILO's Global Wage Report 2012/13: Wages and Equitable Growth records the fact. The bigger slice is always for capital. This is the rule, and the rule was enacted and being implemented by capital. There is no division of power; although capital markets the power-division formula in democracy market

Nothing Gold Can Stay: Mali, Mercury, Manipulation & More
By Mickey Z.

As the West (this time, with France mostly taking the lead), unleashes a frenzy of spin to justify its latest lethal military intervention (this time, with Mali mostly taking the hits), it may be a challenge for some to discern the ulterior motives

The Cultural Dynamics Of The Commons
By Sarah Schultz

An interview with Lewis Hyde , a poet, essayist, translator and cultural critic and the author of The Gift, a seminal 1983 work about the creative commons. He teaches creative writing at Kenyon College and is a Fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society. His newest book is Common as Air: Revolution, Art, and Ownership

Statement Of Protest And Demand For Withdrawal Of
Meritorious Service Award To SRP Kalluri
By Concerned Citizens

We, the undersigned, are appalled at the conferment of the President's Police Medal for Meritorious Service to SRP Kalluri, IGP of Chhattisgarh. Mr Kalluri raped a tribal woman, Ledha Bai, when he was the SP of Sarguja District, ordered her gang-rape by his juniors, and then terrorized her and her lawyer when she decided to file a complaint against him

Bangalore's Eviction Horror
By Abhishek Kamat

It has been eight days from now and the distraught families in Ejipura who were forcefully evicted from their homes lay out in the scorching heat seeking help from several NGOs and concerned citizens. So far no considerable help has been offered to these families. Many have successfully managed to erect temporary shacks that prevent them from the sun in the afternoon and the chilly cold during the night

Who Is Afraid of Tipu Sultan?
By Subhash Gatade

The fast changing political developments in Karnataka has rather overshadowed the manner in which Tipu Sultan- who died fighting the Britishers at Srirangapatna (4 th May 1799) - is being denigrated by people owing allegiance to Sangh Parivar. The latest in series happens to be the higher education minister of Karnataka Mr C T Ravi, who claimed that for them 'Tipu is also a foreigner' like the British

25 January,2013

France Sends Troops To Secure Niger Uranium Mines
By Bill Van Auken

Barely two weeks after invading Mali with over 2,000 troops of the Foreign Legion, France has dispatched special forces troops to neighboring Niger to secure uranium mines run by the French state-owned nuclear power company Areva

How Washington Helped Foster The Islamist Uprising In Mali
By Jeremy Keenan

As the French-led military operation proceeds unhindered, Jeremy Keenan reveals how the US and Algeria have been sponsoring terror in the Sahara

A Secret UK Uranium Enrichment Plant Shut Down After Safety Breach
By Countercurrents.org

A top-secret plant at Aldermaston in Berkshire that helps enrich uranium for Britain's nuclear warheads and fuel for the navy’s submarines has been shut down because corrosion has been discovered in its "structural steelwork"

A Rape A Minute, A Thousand Corpses A Year
By Rebecca Solnit

Hate Crimes in America (and Elsewhere)

The Great Dismal: “What We Speak Becomes The House We Live In”
By Phil Rockstroh

The repercussions of our acts -- the constructs we create -- endure well past the dissolution of our convictions and desires. Our actions exist as living architecture that surrounds the breathing moment. Future generations will dwell in the world we erect, thought by thought, deed by deed

Western Media Ratcheting Up Anti-Iran Propaganda?
By Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich

In launching its cyber warfare, the United States has crossed the Rubicon. Cyber warfare, much like germ warfare, is dangerous, relentless, and without boundaries. The casualties of such warfare will continue to rise – unstoppable

India-Pakistan Peace Now - Global Vigil On January 27
By Countercurrents.org

India-Pakistan Peace Now - Global Vigil being observed in several cities around the world on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013

Bangalore’s Middle Class Show Serious Visual, Auditory, Oral, Cardiac And Neurologic Deficiencies
By Dr. Sylvia Karpagam

The EWS eviction is one the middle class of Bangalore cannot pretend not to know. This is one eviction in Bangalore that the middle class has to respond to. For every person who enters the mall built by Maverick holdings, there will be a thousand curses heaped on their heads

Republic Day Who Is Killing The Patriotic Fervour?
By Zafar Choudhary

The idea of Republic Day and Independence Day of India suffers from multiple challenges in Kashmir Valley but lessening of hype and inclusive approach to participation would certainly be useful everywhere. Unless the people at the top don’t realise portends of hyped security measures, the fourth nation, as mentioned initially, would always keep itself alienated from the days of national flavours

24 January,2013

Carbon Bombs: Havoc Accelerated, China And Australia Take The Lead
By Countercurrents.org

Powerful thrusts are being made to accelerate climate crisis catastrophe (C3). These range from dirty energy projects – Carbon Bombs – to ideas for manipulating the ocean biology. A Greenpeace study finds14 planned giant energy projects will increase global emissions by 20%, and China and Australia take the lead on the dirty path

Reports Of Atrocities Emerge As France Escalates Mali War
By Ernst Wolff

A witness said the Malian army “gathered all the people who didn’t have national identity cards and the people they suspected of being close to the Islamists to execute them, and put them in two different wells near a bus station.” The soldiers allegedly poured gasoline into the wells and set them ablaze to hide the evidence

Israel’s Elections Augur Deepening Political Instability
By Jean Shaoul

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing electoral alliance, Likud-Beiteinu, and his religious coalition partners won a much-reduced majority in Tuesday’s elections, resulting in a hung parliament

What Is ‘Socialist’ About ‘Green Socialism’?
By Mario Candeias

In this article, we are experimenting with the concept of ‘green socialism.’ We want to discuss whether it could fill the void of a left-wing, ecological, feminist imagination

Universalism And Individualism versus Tribalism
By William A. Cook

This has been a curious week, especially after Obama decided to make equity a primary theme for the next 4 years. It happened to coincide with Netanyahu's decision to hold elections this week. It gave me a chance to focus on the differences between the move toward tribalism and the universal declaration of human rights. Obama's address was universal in its inclusiveness yet we are tied to growing Israeli tirbalism

Exploited And Misused: The Impossible Discourse of The ‘Arab Spring’
By Ramzy Baroud

A reductionist discourse is one that selectively tailors its reading of subject matters in such a way as to only yield desired outcomes, leaving little or no room for other inquiries, no matter how appropriate or relevant. The so-called Arab Spring, although now far removed from its initial meanings and aspirations, has become just that: a breeding ground for choosy narratives solely aimed at advancing political agendas which are deeply entrenched with regional and international involvement

Vincent Van Gogh, An Artist For Our Time: A Post-Impressionist For A Post-Industrial World
By Carolyn Baker

Becoming Van Gogh? Every one of us already is. The post-impressionist artist asks us to look, to see, to create, and to become post-industrial “evangelists” of wonder

The Corporatization of Public Higher Education: The Case of Sonoma State University
By Shepherd Bliss

The new Center for Ethics, Law, and Society at Sonoma State University in Northern California has caused quite a stir among our academic community during the first week of classes, as well as from those outside SSU. Its funding and the further corporatization of public higher education have been questioned

Lenin On "Left-Wing" Communism In Great Britain
By Thomas Riggins

There was no Communist Party in Great Britain when Lenin wrote "Left-Wing" Communism an Infantile Disorder (the Communist Party of Great Britain was founded a few months later at the end of July 1920). Nevertheless, Lenin devoted chapter nine of the aforementioned book to discussing the problems of ultra-leftism in Britain

Hindutva Terror: Concrete Action Needed
By Concerned Citizens

The acknowledgement of Hindutva terror should not remain a statement only but investigations should be seriously and sincerely pursued

23 January,2013

Who Benefits From India's Diesel Subsidy?
By S.G.Vombatkere

Government has announced that bulk diesel consumers like railways and state transport corporations have to purchase diesel at market-determined rates, while diesel purchased at fuel outlets will continue to receive subsidy. This system favours the rich and punish the poor

Obama Is “Coming Out” on Climate Change
By Rolly Montpellier

Environmentalists around the globe are applauding President Obama for including a ‘Call to Action' on Climate Change during his inaugural speech. But Obama has talked about Climate Change on several occasions before, during his 2008 presidential campaign, a 2012 campaign interview with MSN, and his acceptance speech after winning the 2012 election. What is different this time? Is he really “coming out” of the climate change closet or just doing more window dressing?

Extreme Wealth vs Global Sharing
By Rajesh Makwana

Campaigners have long proposed measures to reduce extreme inequality, but policymakers remain fixated on an economic model that threatens to undermine the fabric of society. When will the political elite heed the growing demands for redistribution that are being voiced in countless reports, books and public protests?

Speciesism: The Forgotten Privilege
By Mickey Z.

In the name of securing a future for all the earth's species, we must cultivate, refine, hone, re-invent, and ultimately expand an alternative form of human culture. We must continue to occupy and recruit and include more and more voices and ideas

Using Material Goods For Social Competition
By John Scales Avery

There is something ethically wrong with using material goods for the purpose of social competition at a time when excessive consumption is destroying our planet. Also, in our century, the world's rescources are nearing exhaustion, and roughly 40,000 children die every day from starvation or from poverty-related diseases

Qatar And U.S.: Collusion or Conflict of Interests
By Nicola Nasser

In his inaugural address on January 21, U.S. President Barak Obama made the historic announcement that “a decade of war is ending” and declared his country’s determination to “show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully,” but his message will remain words that have yet to be translated into deeds and has yet to reach some of the U.S. closest allies in the Middle East who are still beating the drums of war, like Israel against Iran and Qatar against Syria

US Cooks Up Nuclear Fairy Tale on Iran
By Dr. Ismail Salami

In a 155-page report, four US nuclear experts have called upon the Obama administration to impose tougher economic sanctions against Iran and resort to overt operations through using warplanes and missiles on Iranian nuclear sites

India: Republic Day Thoughts: For A Gender Just World, Be The Change
By Kamla Bhasin

If we want to stop violence, establish the rule of law, create homes and societies where girls and women are accepted, respected, given dignity and freedom, then all of us have to begin with ‘ourselves’. As feminists have been saying for decades, the ‘personal is political’. We are all part of the problem and all of us can and should be part of the solution. Without this ‘inner’ change, nothing will change. If we want true equality between men and women, then we need nothing less than a cultural revolution

India - Pakistan Peace Now - Global Vigil
By Feroze Mithiborwala

The hate mongers have had their moment of fame. It’s time to tell the political leadership of India and Pakistan what we stand for. We, peace-mongers around the world, are gathering on January 27, 2013, in different cities as part of a series of peace events. All we have is some candles, some placards and many hearts full of love. We want the governments of India and Pakistan know that people in dozens of cities across six continents want them to continue the dialogue and take forward the peace process

22 January,2013

Imperialist Powers Escalate War In Mali
By Ernst Wolff

Amid continuing offensives by French troops in Mali, the imperialist powers are making clear that the assault on Mali is part of a lasting, neo-colonial escalation of military intervention throughout Western Africa and beyond

Obama Inaugurates Renewed Energy On Climate Change
By Sarah van Gelder

That the president put climate change so high on his second-term agenda surprised many. But action must follow words

Fossil Fuel Intransigence and Idle No More
By Bill Henderson

Is an Idle No More style climate campaign possible with not just marginalized peoples but the 60%of Canadians that agree that climate change is happening? Is it possible to force business and government to do the right thing and put us upon a path where we regain control over not only our local economies but with the power to make the changes that are so obviously needed if we are to survive in the 21st century? Is a civil movement of this scale possible? Could uniting to close the tarsands and coal mines be that key first step in beginning actual emission reduction of a scale needed?

Turtles And Tomahawk Missiles, Together at Last?
War is Not the Answer to Climate Change
By Cyril Mychalejko

The tendency to invoke a national security framework in discussions of climate change can lead to misguided and opportunistic policies centered on greenwashed imperialism

Questions On The Rooppur Nuclear Deal Between Russia And Bangladesh
By Dr. Peter Custers

Few critical questions have been raised so far by Bangladesh’s intellectual community regarding the deal towards construction of two nuclear power plants in Rooppur. Yet questions do need to be posed. On November 2 last, Russia and Bangladesh signed the long awaited nuclear power agreement on the supply of two 1000 Megawatt reactors. Significantly, the deal was closely followed up by a major defense deal worth $1 Billion Dollars for delivery of armored vehicles, transport helicopters and other weaponry

Powder Keg In The Pacific
By Michael T. Klare

Will China-Japan-U.S. Tensions in the Pacific Ignite a Conflict and Sink the Global Economy?

How Unalienable Is Life?
By David Swanson

If the crowd learned this week that Obama is murdering people, and returned next week to demand an end to the murders, the resulting movement would indeed end them. Not only am I sure of that, but I hold it to be self-evident

Florida Taxpayers $51 Million Dollar per Year For Death Penalty Killing Machine
By Mary Hamer

The purpose of this essay is to investigate: “Why do Florida Taxpayers spend $51 Million dollars per year paying for Florida's Death Machine of: Judges, Attorneys, Clerks & Appeals, Habeas corpus & Florida Supreme Court cases -- to support Florida's Capital Killing Machine?” – When this money could be used for Children, Education, Medical programs, the Elderly & other Social programs?

Pakistna's Long March: An Instructive Absurdity
By Maryam Sakeenah

What drove the many to Islamabad in the face of security threats under the grey skies was hope. But what makes it ironic and poignant is how unworthy was that which they pinned their dreams and expectations to

Language, Map, Currency Etc.
By Samir Karmakar

India as the linguistic area always remains a fearsome battleground for warring linguistic communities whose shadows can even be seen in the rituals of reorganizing the Indian states again and again even in the post independent period. Under this situation linguistic right in the context of multilingualism needs a deeper look to understand the problems of Education and formation of Nation from a holistic viewpoint

21 January,2013

Obama To Approve Drone Assassination Manual
By Patrick Martin

President Obama is about to sign off on a manual that will institutionalize the process by which the White House orders and approves killings by remote-controlled drones, according to a report Sunday. The so-called counterterrorism “playbook” will define the circumstances under which the CIA and the military’s Special Forces Command, the two agencies that operate drones in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and other parts of the Middle East and Africa, may use lethal force

MLK Injustice Index 2013: Racism, Materialism And Militarism In The US
By Bill Quigley

While the US celebrates the re-election of its first African American President and the successes of numerous African Americans in all walks of life, there remain troubling challenges. While remembering how far this nation has come since Dr. King was alive, we cannot forget how far we have still to go to combat the oppressions of racism, materialism and militarism

Activists Celebrate King's Birthday Deny Responsibility For Wall St. Wars King Prosecuted
By Jay Janson

Americans do not celebrate Martin Luther King, trouble maker for the amoral predatory private investment community of the wealthy who condemned the criminal wars necessary to it's profits and power over us, anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, condemner of America's "atrocity wars all meant to maintain unjust predatory investments overseas" and dismissive of his gov. as "the greatest purveyor in the world." But they will soon!

A Time For ‘Sublime Madness’
By Chris Hedges

The planet we have assaulted will convulse with fury. The senseless greed of limitless capitalist expansion will implode the global economy. The decimation of civil liberties, carried out in the name of fighting terror, will shackle us to an interconnected security and surveillance state that stretches from Moscow to Istanbul to New York. To endure what lies ahead we will have to harness the human imagination

The Twinning – Palestinian Children In Israeli Military Detention
By Clive Hambidge

The children of Palestine have every right to become “arbiters of change” rather than be subjected to Israel’s military courts a situation which is permitted to go on and further exacerbated by the deafening silence of Western complicity, particularly Britain, Zionist shackled America, and the EU

The Precautionary Principle
By Ron Forthofer

One would have hoped that the U.S. experience with snake oil salesmen during the 19th century would have caused us to be protected from unscrupulous marketers. Nope. Even other examples of harmful products such as lead-based paints, asbestos, DDT, cigarettes, and lead additives in gasoline didn't lead to the adoption of the precautionary principle

Come Home, America! - A Poem
By Gary Corseri

Come home, America.
The children are dying!

Destroying Libya And World Order
By Countercurrents.org

Book Review: Destroying Libya and World Order: The Three-Decade U.S. Campaign to Reverse the Qaddafi Revolution By Francis A. Boyle

Newtown And Delhi- Two Tragedies, Two Cultures
By Dr. Shah Alam Khan

The ghastly events of Newtown and Delhi cannot be seen in isolation. They have similarities of cultural past. They do not represent isolated events of the frenzied mind. They are products of social orders supplemented by disproportionate and inconsistent national agendas. The hallmark of the two tragedies is the ease to unleash violence on the vulnerable sections of the society

When Can They Be Called ‘Terminator Seeds’? When They Kill!
By Colin Todhunter

Regardless of the absence or presence of any ‘terminator’ gene, biotech products are too often proving to be ‘terminator seeds’ in all but name

The Dream Of A Three Year Old
By Anitha.S

Anitha.S in conversation with Tamilarasu, mother of Asna, one of the youngest participants of the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy resisting the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant

The Border Clash And Jingoism: We Don’t Have To Pacify Ourselves But Realise
By Devika Mittal

We need to realise that there are people on both sides, there are “wounds” to be healed on both sides, sufferings, impartial truth and misunderstandings on both sides. People on both sides have their own challenges to meet. To an average Indian and Pakistani, earning their daily bread is much more important than demanding war. We have to realise… not to pacify ourselves but to realise

The Cold Glint Of Saffron Madness Is Upon Us
By Dr. Sylvia Karpagam

The day before yesterday, women and activists screamed as the bulldozers advanced. The intent was single-minded – to raze to the ground the homes of the economically weaker sections of society at one of the large slums in Bangalore. They stalled it for a few hours. I was there. Between then and now, the homes don’t exist. The activists and women are in prison and all that lies there at the EWS quarters is rubble

20 January,2013

Support The Iraqi Thawra(Revolution)
By The International Anti-Occupation Network

Massive protests have taken place every day in Ramadi since 25 December 2012 when more than 200,000 people demonstrated. These protests have expanded further to cities all over the country, in which hundreds of thousands have participated

Iraq: A Twenty Two Year Genocide
By Felicity Arbuthnot

It is twenty two years since the ongoing genocide of Iraq began

Sanctions As Collective Punishment
By John Scales Avery

In addition to the fact that sanctions are a form of collective punishment, and thus a war crime under the Fourth Geneva Convention, we should also remember that Iran is completely within its rights under international law and under the NPT

Sanctions: Weapons of Mass Death And Destruction
By Larry Everest

Iran hasn't been in the headlines in recent months, but there's a lot of talk that 2013 will be the year of decision on Iran —whether a deal will be struck between the U.S. and its allies and Iran on ending or restricting Iran 's nuclear enrichment program, or whether the U.S. , Israel and other big powers will attack Iran

How A Gift Economy Powers Education In Rural Nepal
By Simone Cicero

As the Maya (meaning “love” in Nepali) Universe Academy proves, love for your community and passion for solving real community problems can be new forms of currency—a new means of exchange that generate impressive changes for good

How Millions Of Farmers Are Advancing Agriculture For Themselves
By Jonathan Latham

The world record yield for paddy rice production is not held by an agricultural research station or by a large-scale farmer from the United States, but by a farmer in the state of Bihar in northern India. Sumant Kumar, who has a farm of just two hectares in Darveshpura village, holds a record yield of 22.4 tons per hectare, from a one-acre plot. This feat was achieved with what is known as the System of Rice Intensification (SRI)

Black Carbon And Warming: It’s Worse Than We Thought
By Carl Zimmer

A new study indicates soot, known as black carbon, plays a far greater role in global warming than previously believed and is second only to CO2 in the amount of heat it traps in the atmosphere. Reducing some forms of soot emissions — such as from diesel fuel and coal burning — could prove effective in slowing down the planet’s warming

Turkey Arrests 15 Human Rights Lawyers
By countercurrents.org

Overnight police raids in several Turkish cities have resulted in the arrest of 15 human rights lawyers known for defending individuals’ right to freedom of speech and victims of police violence. The police operation, which was reportedly aimed at clamping down on a banned left-wing group, included arrests in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir and targeted residential addresses as well as law offices

The African-American Army
By David Swanson

African Americans disproportionately opposed wars, enlisted in the military, and gave their loyalty to the Democratic Party. So, what happened when a Republican President led major wars that even white people opposed? Between 2000 and 2005, black enlistments in the military dropped 40%, and black presence in the military 25%. These trends continued through 2008, at which point they began to turn back around

‘Minamata’ Convention Agreed By Nations At UNEP Governing Council In 2013
By Marianne de Nazareth

The Minamata Convention on Mercury,named after a city in Japan where serious health damage occurred as a result of mercury pollution in the mid-20th Century, provides controls and reductions across a range of products, processes and industries where mercury is used, released or emitted. The decision to launch negotiations was taken by environment ministers at the 2009 session of the UNEP Governing Council and the final and fifth negotiation took place in early 2013 in Geneva. This is a global Mercury Agreement to lift health threats to lives of millions world-wide

The NRA’s Warped Logic
By Jim Taylor

National Rifle Association Executive Director Wayne LaPierre's solution to the gun cultue is curious, "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun"

RSS' Tryst With Terrorism: Past And Present (PDF)
By Shamsul Islam

Despite shrill public denials by the RSS top-brass that its swayamsevaks or cadres never indulged in terrorist activities, the RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat, while addressing a meeting of the RSS members on January 10, 2011 at Surat (Gujarat) made a significant statement saying that ... "of the majority of the people whom the government has accused (in various blast cases), a few had left voluntarily and a few were told by the Sangh that this extremism will not work here so you go away"

Rising Shadow of Trident: Modi’s Victory in Gujarat
By Ram Puniyani

What can secular elements do at this point of time? They have engaged in legal activism, advocacy work, done rehabilitation work and conducted awareness programs to the best of their capabilities. It seems their best is not good enough. The need for more innovative thinking to ward off the threat of looming communalism has become more menacing with the victory of Modi. It’s a warning signal of sorts to do our utmost to strengthen the values of freedom movement, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity

Humanise India

A campaign against Untouchability, Caste discrimination and Communalism

19 January,2013

France Escalates Mali War
By Kumaran Ira

France has increased its troop deployment in Mali to 1,400, amid escalating fighting with Islamist-led rebels who control northern Mali and a hostage crisis at an Algerian natural gas complex that was seized in retaliation for the French war in Mali

Algeria Conflict: 48 Including 34 Hostages Killed
By Countercurrents.org

Hostage incident in Algeria has taken gruesome bloody turn as 34 hostages and 14 captors have been reportedly killed

Climate Crisis Will Worsen World Food Crisis And Increase Child Malnourishment
By Countercurrents.org

Climate crisis will worsen world food crisis and increase child malnutrition although many of the damages due to the crisis are avoidable. Harvests will fall dramatically while food prices set to more than double if climate crisis is not checked and developing countries are not helped to adapt farming

What Would A Down-to-Earth Economy Look Like?
By David Korten

We are Earth’s children; she is our mother. We must honor and care for her as she loves and cares for us. Together we can forge an integral partnership grounded in the learning and deep wisdom of her 3.8 billion-year experience in nurturing life’s expanding capacities for intelligent self-organization, creative innovation, and self-reflective consciousness

Shedding Crocodile Tears While Collaborating With US-Led Sanctions
By Franklin Lamb

Are the Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation targeting Syria’s civilian population?

Torture Is Trivial, Compared To Its Other Crimes, That Is
By Robert Jensen

The great American torture debate has been rekindled by the nationwide release of “Zero Dark Thirty,” the hot new movie about the CIA’s hunt for Osama bin Laden. But all the fussing over whether or not the movie condones, glorifies, and/or misrepresents torture is trivial, because the United States’ use of torture after 9/11 is trivial in the context of larger U.S. crimes

Palestinian Unity: Israel's Nemesis
By Vacy Vlazna

Palestine’s statehood with its political, human and civil rights exists securely in international law. The world must realise that if Palestine is extinguished then no nation, no peoples, no individual is protected by international law. Hence, we are all Palestinians

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Intifada
By Ramzy Baroud

An Intifada has already been joined by thousands of Palestinian prisoners some of whom are shackled to their hospital beds. It offers little perks aside from a chance at dignity and a leap of faith towards freedom. This is the dichotomy with which Palestinians must now wrangle. The path they will finally seek will define this generation and demarcate the nature of the Palestinian struggle for generations to follow

Book Review: “Beyond Tribal Loyalties. Personal Stories Of
Jewish Peace Activists” By Avigail Abarbanel
By Dr Gideon Polya

A major commonality in these accounts of anti-racist Jews finally realizing the immense ongoing injustice to the Palestinians is their indignation over being lied to, this leading to their resolve to “bear witness”. It is indeed fitting that an anagram for ISRAEL is e-LIARS. Peace is the only way but silence kills and silence is complicity. Please tell everyone you can about the ongoing Palestinian Genocide. We cannot walk by on the other side

The Lies Of Democracy And The Language Of Deceit
By Colin Todhunter

The plight of Indian farmers is not unique. How many lives have been cut short across the world because of the inherent structural violence or silent killing of the everyday seemingly benign functioning of predatory capitalism?

Berlusconi Was A Total Disaster For Italy And Its Political System: Alexander Stille
By Kourosh Ziabari

Alexander Stille has written extensively on Italy domestic and foreign policies and has been a vocal critic of the former Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, accusing him of corruption, accumulating illegitimate power and creating an unrivaled and uncontested media monopoly in the country. Stille has also written about the role of the Sicilian mafia in Italian politics and the connections of some of the nation's high-ranking politicians with the criminal syndicate

Police Complicit In Dhule Riot

Fact Finding Report By Concerned Citizens

Modern-Day Slavery: Half A Century As A Sweeper
As Narrated to Yoginder Sikand

Never before—and I am now almost sixty years old—has anyone asked me to recount the story of my life. No, not even my own children have asked me this. I don’t blame them at all. After all, who wants to hear the story of a mere sweeper? It isn’t that I’ve earned a lot of money or that I have become a famous or powerful man that someone would like to know about my life. But, anyway, since you insist, I will tell you something about myself

They Are Mothers, Sisters And Wives: Women Empowerment In India
By Devika Mittal

Because for a woman, morality is still identified with her roles as a mother, sister and wife. Even though some of us have accepted that they should “venture out” in the public sphere, that they have proved their capabilities and they are at par with men, they still should be in their boundaries. And these boundaries of morality have been defined by a restricted and much controlled mobility and interaction. They still have to be weak and dependent on the male members of her kin and to be still protected and guarded. They still need to be tamed

A Woman And A Minor Girl Kidnapped By Police In Andhra Pradesh
Fact Finding Report

Two women of the village -- Madvi Parvathi, (aged 21, wife of Madvi Bhaskar) and a minor Kovasi Somidi, (aged 15, daughter of Kovasi Idma and Kovasi Aite) were forcibly taken away by policemen from Andhra Pradesh at about 7 am on January 12, 2013 from Nimmalagudem village . Their whereabouts are not known till date. According to Parvathi’s mother Punam Jogamma and her husband Bhaskar, Parvathi is also pregnant

17 January,2013

France Launches Ground Offensive In Mali
By Ernst Wolff

French warplanes and ground units continued their offensive yesterday against Islamist-led rebels in the impoverished African country of Mali. French ground troops began an attack on the rebels in the small border town of Diabaly, 220 miles north of the Malian capital of Bamako. It has reportedly been surrounded and blocked off by French and Malian soldiers and is witnessing hand-to-hand fighting

2012: 9th Warmest Year Since 1880, Find NASA Scientists
By Countercurrents.org

2012 was the ninth warmest of any year since 1880, said NASA scientists. They apprehend on the current course of GHG increases each successive decade to be warmer than the previous decade. The scientists said: 2012 was continuing a long-term trend of rising global temperatures. With the exception of 1998, the nine warmest years in the 132-year record all have occurred since 2000, with 2010 and 2005 ranking as the hottest years on record

More Than A Hundred-Thousand People Crossed Sea To Reach Yemen In 2012
By Countercurrents.org

About 107,500 African refugees and migrants made the perilous sea journey from the Horn of Africa to Yemen in 2012, the largest such influx since UNHCR began compiling these statistics in 2006. The previous record high was in 2011, when more than 103,000 people arrived in Yemen on smugglers' boats

The Incredible Debt Spider
By Rand Clifford

The only way the we might have a future is if we reclaim the right, mandated in the Constitution, of issuing and controlling our own debt-free money. That means a dead Fed is our only hope. Debt is venom, and the Fed will always keep us topped up

How Did The Gates of Hell Open in Vietnam?
By Jonathan Schell

A New Book Transforms Our Understanding of What the Vietnam War Actually Was

Pope Thanks CIA Panetta Sure To Be Indicted For Crimes Against Humanity?
By Jay Janson

Panetta said the Pope said to him, “Thank you for helping to protect the world.” said he replied, “Pray for me.” Fellow Catholics, can only hope that the Pope said something else that Panetta was reluctant to mention to US foreign policy promoting reporters. One paragraph re Panetta’s crimes, Reagan’s Assist. Sec of Treasury quoted, and the usual plea for a responsible public to call for prosecution of illegal war

Sri Lanka: A Brainless Head
By Nilantha Ilangamuwa

Today, President Rajapaksa accomplished his barbaric mission against the chief justice, and he installed a yes man according to his tradition. This is what his law is. Don’t we have shame in ourselves to keep this kind of man as the leader? Sri Lanka is under control by the slayer who assassinated the last milestone of the nation. But we are in general yet to understand what really is happening, and how these psychopaths eliminated everything of real value to us. Now the nation is like a head without a brain

India’s Rape Culture: Urban versus Rural
By Ram Puniyani

The statistics fly in the face of RSS supremo, Mohan Bhagwat who said rape is a phenomenon which takes place in India not in Bharat. In a significant statistical observation and study of rape cases Mrinal Satish, faculty member of National Law University, Delhi, tells us another tale. He has used the court data and observes that 75% of rape cases take place in rural India. His observations are based on the cases reported in Criminal Law Journal from 1983 to 2009

India-Pakistan: Conquering Hatred
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

The biggest casualty of the Indo-Pakistan war mongering jingoism is the community of people who believe in people to people dialogue and have mutual admiration for art, culture and sports

Third Eye On Indo-Pak Peace Process: Don’t Let The Border Bleed Again
By Farha Iman

LoC killings are pure conspiracy, by whom? Well, it needs to be investigated however; we should not let our border bleed again, should trust each other and investigate the matter unbiasedly

Pawns In, Patrons Still Out!!
By Subhash Gatade

The Strange Trajectory of Investigations in Cases of Hindutva Terror

16 January,2013

End The Hostilities On The Line Of Control
By Concerned Citizens

Petition to end tensions at LOC. A letter to, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, from the people of Jammu and Kashmir on both sides of the Line of Control and concerned citizens of India and Pakistan

France Continues To Bomb Mali As Islamist
Opposition Forces Advance
By Alex Lantier

French warplanes continued to bomb Mali yesterday as French ground forces entered the country to protect the military junta of Captain Amadou Haya Sanogo from Islamist-led insurgents based in northern Mali

Earth Is Not A Global Village: Start Living More Locally Before It’s Too Late
By The Editors Of Living Green Magazine

Life teaches us how long-lasting, sustainable economies work. These economies are local, not global. Think about it this way: The Earth doesn’t have one ecosystem or climate, but many as different from each other as oranges are from apples. Diversity is the way Life guaranteed some living things and systems would have the skills to survive almost any cataclysm. This means that we can diversify. We can relocalize or, in more realistic terms, re-regionalize economically, fit ourselves into these smart living systems and work with them

Will 2013 Be The Year Globalization Died?
By Erik Curren

And anyone who remembers that we live on a finite planet knows that economic growth will have to end someday. When that day comes, we’ll need to find a new way to be prosperous. Let’s hope that 2013 will be the year it happens

King: I Have A Dream. Obama: I Have A Drone
By Norman Solomon

In recent weeks, more than 50,000 Americans have signed a petition to Ban Weaponized Drones from the World. The petition says that “weaponized drones are no more acceptable than land mines, cluster bombs or chemical weapons.” It calls for President Obama “to abandon the use of weaponized drones, and to abandon his ‘kill list’ program regardless of the technology employed.” Count on lofty rhetoric from the Inaugural podium. The spirit of Dr. King will be elsewhere

Electronic Discrimination: Iran’s Web-based Enemies
By Kourosh Ziabari

The inhumane sanctions of the United States and its European allies against Iran know no boundaries. At the cost of the lives of thousands of Iranian patients suffering from different types of cancer, thalassemia, hemophilia, HIV/Aids, psychiatric disorders and other diseases, the West has banned the export of life-saving medicines and medical equipments to Iran and this is deteriorating the lives of those patients who cannot find medicines needed for their survival

Dhule Riots: A Petty Squabble To ‘Kargilli Firing’
By Feroze Mithiborwala

This was the first time that we would have come across this term – ‘Kargilli Firing’. It was in a meeting in Dhule where activists from both the communities were present that a young Muslim mentioned this term and most of us were shocked beyond words. What he was basically stating was that the police opened fire with an agenda to kill as if they were at war with Pakistani troops over the Line of Control

Democratization Of Public Space For Women
By Ranjita Mohanty

Delhi gang rape has alarmed us to criminalization and shrinking of public space for women. Countrywide protests have raised our consciousness about women’s safety when they are outside home, and that a safe public space is woman’s right as a citizen in a democratic set up. An inclusive public space is indeed the hallmark of democracy

Khurshid Chacha, I Won't Ever Forget You
By Yoginder Sikand

A tribute to renowned Pakistani scholar Khurshid Khan Kaimkhani

“Soon Come”; Ethiopian Regime on Life Support
By Thomas C. Mountain

“Soon come” as Jamaica’s Rastafarians say. In this case it applies to the end of the Ethiopian regime which is now in its terminal stage, in intensive care on life support and being kept alive only by an intravenous infusion of over $20 million a day in western “aid”

We Are Not Asking For Time
By Anitha S

We, the children of Idinthakarai village the centre of the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy feel so happy that within a span of few days we have celebrated New Year twice. On Dec 31st 2012, we welcomed 2013 standing on the shores of our dear sea along with friends from all over India. Now on Jan 14th the Pongal day, we have had a full day of celebrations proclaiming our right to live in a safe and secure environment in the villages where we were born and to pursue lifestyles and livelihoods of our choice

India And Pakistan: Between Hawks And Peaceniks, Is There A Middle Path?
By S.G.Vombatkere

The purpose of the present article is to examine whether, for India, there can be a middle path between the demand for hairy-chested military response and the traditional and on-going weak-kneed approach of the Government of India

Schools of Discrimination
By Subhash Gatade

The village of Majure, in Chitradurga district, Karnataka, is once again in the news.For around two months Dalits of the village are facing a social boycott. The immediate provocation would appear to be the appointment of Lakshmamma, a member of the Madiga community, as cook in the anganwadi. Upper-caste politicians from the village did not want a dalit woman to cook food and feed their children and they succeeded in getting her to resign from the post

15 January,2013

Push For Western Military Intervention In Syria Escalates
By Oliver Campbell

Speaking at a Holocaust memorial in New York on Saturday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon stepped up the vilification of the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad by comparing the death toll in the country’s civil war to the Nazi genocide of Jews during World War II. Ban’s comments are another sign that the major powers are preparing for direct intervention in Syria

It Never Was Just A Cliff. It's A Mesa
By Ellen LaConte

Bankrupting our largest economy, which isn't even accounted for on economists' or CBO spreadsheets, puts us between a rock and a hard place

The Global Problem Of River Water Salinity
By Countercurrents.org

The salinization of river water all around the world carries high environmental, economic and health cost. Climate change and the increasing water consumption can worsen the problem of river water salinity in the future

Criticize Israel And Lose Your Career: Interview with Alison Weir
By Kourosh Ziabari

American freelance journalist and researcher Alison Weir is the founder and executive director of “If Americans Knew.” She has written several articles and compiled investigative reports on the Israeli Palestinian conflict and provoked the furious and frantic criticism of Zionist organizations such as Anti Defamation League

Eight Things I Miss About The Cold War
By Jon Wiener

Fifty Years Ago, College Was Cheap, Unions Were Strong, and There Was No Terrorism-Industrial Complex

Middle Eastern Maze Perplexing
By Sean Fenley

Hamas was based in Damascus, and now it has moved to Qatar. Moneybags Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, has put a lot of bread into Gaza — an investment project worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The Gulf Arabs are knaves, though, routinely in line with U$terrorist/UK/NATO, and not to be trusted

Dissecting The Myths Of Merit And Meritocracy
By Narendra Kumar Arya

An essay exploring to deflate the notion of merit and meritocracy as ‘a palpable social reality' hinged around the myths, misconceptions, prejudices and ethnic stereotypes conspired by the elite and dominant oligarchs globally and in special context of India. It enquires the claims and arguments from multidisciplinary approach of politics, neoliberalism, elite theory, psychology and neurosciences

Kashmir Autonomy: Call Their Bluff
By Abdul Majid Zargar

The issue of autonomy has once again been raised by National Conference-this time by its legendary General secretary, Sheikh Nazir Ahmad. Previously the subject was broached upon by its additional General Secretary Sheikh Mustafa Kamal, whom the people did not take very seriously

Vivekananda And His Vedantik Values
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

The irony of Vivekananda is that unlike Ambedkar, Phule, Periyar and other icons of social justice, who questioned the very legitimacy of the religious texts of Hindus, Vivekananda became a counter revolutionary, a revivalist of brahmanical propaganda. He talked about injustices, caste hierarchy and untouchability but ultimately wanted to establish the supremacy of Vedas which were the fountainhead of discrimination

14 January,2013

Give Peace A Chance: A Plea To End The Hostilities On The Line Of Control
By Concerned Citizens

We are still collecting signatures for this petition which will be sent to the heads of states of India and Pakistan. It is a collective voice from people of Jammu and Kashmir, on either side. So kindly endorse it, if you agree with it and send your endorsements to [email protected]

France Launches War In Northern Mali
By Ernst Wolff & Alex Lantier

French aircraft and ground troops attacked Islamist rebel forces in northern Mali on Friday and over the weekend, while hundreds more French troops arrived in Mali’s capital Bamako

Sri Lankan President Removes Country’s Chief Justice
By W.A. Sunil & S. Jayanth

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse yesterday flouted the rulings of the country’s top courts. He issued a decree dismissing Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake, just a day after his ruling coalition rammed a vote through parliament to impeach her. The president’s action has set the stage for a constitutional and political crisis

The Myth Of Human Progress
By Chris Hedges

Clive Hamilton in his “Requiem for a Species: Why We Resist the Truth About Climate Change” describes a dark relief that comes from accepting that “catastrophic climate change is virtually certain.” This obliteration of “false hopes,” he says, requires an intellectual knowledge and an emotional knowledge

The Australian Bushfires: Homo “Sapiens” Scorched Earth Program (PDF)
By Dr Andrew Glikson

As Australian bushfires persist, the reality of climate change as manifested by extreme weather events is hitting, like a blast out of a furnace

How To Mobilise $2.8tr To Finance The Global Sharing Economy
By Share The World's Resources

There are many policies that governments could implement to raise the finances needed to reverse austerity measures, tackle climate change and prevent needless poverty-related deaths. But we cannot rely on governments to change the current world direction - the only hope is a huge groundswell of popular support in favour of global sharing

Global Warming Is Changing American Way Of Life
By Countercurrents.org

A special panel of 240 scientists convened by the US government issued on Jan 11, 2013 a 1,146-page draft report detailing ways climate change is disrupting the health, homes and other facets of daily American life

Aaron’s Death: Product Of A Criminal Justice System Rife With Intimidation
By Countercurrents.org

Aaron Swartz, the internet activist was an advocate for open society. And, Aaron faced an abusive prosecution from a government. Aaron killed himself a month before going on trial for what his family calls 'an alleged crime that had no victims'

How 20 Tents Rocked Israel: Palestinians Take The Fight To Their Occupiers
By Jonathan Cook

It was left to a group of 250 ordinary Palestinians to show how the idea of a "state of Palestine" might be given practical meaning. On Friday, they set up a tent encampment that they intended to convert into a new Palestinian village called Bab al-Shams, or Gate of the Sun. On Sunday, in a sign of how disturbed Israel is by such acts of popular Palestinian resistance, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had the the occupants removed in a dawn raid -- despite the fact that his own courts had issued a six-day injunction against the government’s “evacuation” order

An Unsung Nirbhaya In Kandhamal
By Asha Kowtal

This is the story of a young girl in a remote village in Kandhamal district of Odisha. On Oct. 26, 2012, she went to watch a movie with her male friends from her village during the Dussera celebrations. She was brutally assaulted, gang raped and murdered. The next morning, her body was found in the bushes nearby. This case resembles the recent Delhi case in all aspects, except that the ‘outrage’ expressed from all corners of the country differs vastly

Rape And Murder Of Dalit And Minority Girls In Kandhamal - Fact Finding Report
By Concerned Citizens

Interim Report of the Fact Finding Investigation of Rape and Murder of Dalit & Minority Girls in Kandhamal, Odisha

The Sikh Separatist Insurgency in India –
Political Leadership And Ethnonationalist Movements
Book Review By Parwaz Sra

This book is a useful resource for referencing the chronology of political developments in Punjab during the mentioned years. It does not, however, measure up to its attempt to explain the dynamics of the Khalistan separatist movement

13 January,2013

The U.S. Military Swarms Over Africa
By Glen Ford

A long-planned U.S. escalation of its military presence in Africa will soon get underway, with the permanent deployment of a 3,500-strong brigade. The heavy combat team will make itself at home in African bases in 35 countries. “This is a very different kind of invasion – more like an infiltration-in-force.”

Pakistan In Throes Of Genocidal Ideology
By Ismail Salami

The ethnic cleansing in Pakistan has reached an alarming point, with over 120 Shia people killed and several severely wounded in the recent bombings across the country

When Did India Become Part of Israel’s Stable?
By Dr Paul Larudee

The self-proclaimed Jewish state is selling itself to India as a worthwhile ally on the basis that it is a) an experienced and effective leader in the fight against Islamist extremism and terrorism, b) a supplier of high-tech weapons and intelligence, and c) a means of access to U.S. support and cooperation. In effect, Israel is saying that both states have common friends and enemies and that Israel is in a position to provide what India needs

Global Warning
By Ellen LaConte

How about, let’s pretend the world’s worsening weather is a threat akin to a pending asteroid collision, because, though its effects will be less sudden and simultaneous, it is. How about we call it “Global Warning.”

Optimum Population In The Future
By John Scales Avery

What is the optimum population of the world? It is certainly not the maximum number that can be squeezed onto the globe by eradicating every species of plant and animal that cannot be eaten. The optimum global population is one that can be supported in comfort, equality and dignity, and with respect for the environment

What MLK Might Say Today About Israel Palestine And US
By Eileen Fleming

I imagine if we the people of this homeland would honor King by following his example, it would be a very different world

Prosecuting The Crimes of Hyper-Empire
Jay Janson Interviewed By Kim Petersen

An interview with Jay Janson, a long time CC writer and fierce anti-imperialist Jay Janson

A Significant Defeat For The Zionist Lobby?
By Alan Hart

As I write it looks as though the Zionist lobby realises that it overplayed its hand in smearing Chuck Hagel in the hope of causing President Obama to back off nominating him for the post defense secretary. The implication is not that the lobby’s stooges in the Senate will refrain from giving Hagel a hard time at his confirmation hearing, but that they will not risk, at least for a while, further public exposure as Israel Firsters by causing the nomination to be rejected

Ethnic Cleansing The Nice Way
By Alan Hart

Moshe Feiglin, one of the most deluded and racist of those who make up the extreme right of Israeli politics and who is guaranteed his first seat in the Knesset after the upcoming election, has proposed what I imagine he regards as a nice way to complete Zionism’s ethnic cleansing of Palestine. At a recent settler-organized conference in Jerusalem, he said Israel should pay Palestinian families to leave the West Bank, using funds earmarked for security measures. “We can give every family in Judea and Samaria $500,000 (USD) to encourage them to emigrate… This is the perfect solution for us.”

How To Defend The Public Sector
By Ann Robertson & Bill Leumer

The attacks on the public domain, particularly public education, social services, and the public sector unions that are linked to these services, are coming in rapid-fire succession, sometimes in an overwhelming barrage where the victims have little time to comprehend what is happening and respond effectively

Shed A Tear For Rizanna Nafeek
By Fil Munas

They made her kneel and extend her neck, severing her young head with an unmerciful swish of a sword, shortly before noon on Wednesday, January 9, 2013. The forlorn woman was publicly beheaded by the pitiless Saudis in the town square of Dawadmi in Saudi Arabia, slaughtered like an animal for everyone to see, her separated head dropping to the ground with a muffled thud. Her name was Rizana Nafeek and she was from Muttur in Sri Lanka

New York City Stop And Frisk Police Harassment Found Unconstitutional
By Thomas Riggins

A federal judge has found the NYPD policy of "stop and frisk"-- whereby the police can stop anyone they please and frisk them for weapons whenever they like-- at least in the Bronx-- unconstitutional

Obama Will Not Launch A War Against Iran : Dave Lindorff
By Kourosh Ziabari

Award-winning U.S. investigative journalist Dave Lindorff said in an interview with Tehran Times that the American people are deceived by the government about the alleged threats jeopardizing the States' security and also about the size of military budget

12 January,2013

Aaron Swartz, Key Architect Of Creative Commons No More
By Jon Queally

Aaron Swartz—a pioneer of key social networking technologies, champion of internet freedoms and credited with playing a major role in bringing Creative Commons to the internet—has committed suicide at the age of 26, a lawyer for his family has confirmed

“Mr. Obama, Tear Down These sanctions!”
By Franklin Lamb

Today in Syria, from the streets and cafes to the Universities, a main subject of discussion and one that is nearly universally judged immoral and illegal are the US-led sanctions that in effect, are targeting the civilian population

Venezuela Without Chavez: A Possible Scenario
By Roberto Lopez

Ensuring the continuation of the revolutionary process will depend on the emergence of new forms of popular collective leadership, which will be born in the heat of the difficult political confrontation that will characterize the months and years ahead

World War In Asia?
By Linh Dinh

With the Asia Pivot, the US wants to encircle China, and supplies old and new allies with missiles aimed at its main rival. An amped up arms race means cash flow for the world's biggest death dealer. If all these Asian nations buy as many American fighter planes as Taiwan, US armament workers can knock down a few more Bud Lites, and take their wives and kiddies to Ruby Tuesday twice a week even

Food Prices Drop, But Half Of World Food Is Wasted
By Countercurrents.org

Till bad news of food price rise comes out there is good news: food prices have dropped. But, there is a bad news: half of world food is wasted

Gaddafi's Libya Was Africa's Most Prosperous Democracy
By Garikai Chengu

Contrary to popular belief, Libya , which western media described as "Gaddafi's military dictatorship" was in actual fact one of the world's most democratic States

Harper Launches Major First Nations Termination Plan,
As Negotiating Tables Legitimize Canada's Colonialism
By Russell Diabo

Aside from the unilateral legislation being imposed, or the funding cuts and caps to First Nation's and their political organizations, the September 4, 2012, announcement of a “results based” approach to Modern Treaties and Self-Government negotiations amounts to a “take it or leave it” declaration on the part of the Harper government to the negotiating First Nations

Australia At The UN: An Obstacle To World Peace
By Ghali Hassan

On 01 January 2013, Australia began its two-year non-permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). With no foreign policy of its own, Australia will kowtow to the U.S., supporting and participating in U.S. aggression at the expense of world peace and Australia’s national interests

Past And Prejudices
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

The atrocious beheading of Indian soldiers at the LOC and subsequent firing between the Indian and Pakistan troops must not be allowed to escalate into a blame game

10 January,2013

2012 Was Hottest Year Recorded In US
By Bryan Dyne

Last year was the warmest for the contiguous United States since records began in 1895, according to preliminary data from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released Monday. The year included the warmest spring, second warmest summer, fourth warmest winter and a warmer-than-average autumn

Sea Level Could Rise Up To Three Feet By 2100
By Countercurrents.org

Actual sea level rise could be much higher than earlier predictions. It could be more than three feet. Millions of people will be displaced. To cope with rising sea level, mega-cities including New York and Tokyo may need billions of dollars

Target: India-Pakistan Visa On Arrival And The Growing Bonhomie Between The Two Countries
By Feroze Mithiborwala & Kishore Jagtap

The killings of the 2 Indian and 1 Pakistani soldier at the LOC and the rising tensions and rhetoric need to be analysed. The killings of the 3 soldiers have an agenda to target India-Pakistan relations and that is obvious, especially the Visa on arrival for senior citizens, that was being mooted by the two countries

Protest In Saudi Arabia, 11 Women Held
By Countercurrents.org

A group of women protesters detained by the Saudi Arabian authorities must be released unless they are charged with an internationally recognizable crime, said Amnesty International

Journalist Faces Military Trial In Egypt
By Countercurrents.org

Mohamed Sabry, an Egyptian freelance journalist facing an unfair military trial after he was arrested while covering a story in the North Sinai region must be released, Amnesty International has urged

CVS Pharmacy Embattled Coast-to-Coast
By Shepherd Bliss

Cities from coast-to-coast continue to resist the country-wide expansionist plans of the largest pharmacy in the United States, CVS. In a recent victory for activists, CVS abandoned plans to open a store in Nantucket, Massachusetts, bowing to pressure from a petition with over 4500 signatures

The Next Big Thing
By Tim Gatto

Most people in America are waiting for something to happen. Most don’t know or don’t want to know what the real truth is. One third of the people living in America were for the Revolution, one third was against it and one-third didn’t give a damn, according to the History Channel’s series The American Revolution. We only need to wake up a few more people. That is the next big thing

The Cancer Cash Cycle
By Colin Todhunter

Cancer is big business. Despite massive public screening campaigns and talk of cures, cancer rates continue to soar, and certain companies not only profit from making the chemicals that cause cancer but also from selling the drugs that treat it. The 2010 documentary 'Cut, Poison, Burn" provides revealing insight into the medical monopoly of cancer 'treatment'

Lenin On The Need For Political Compromise
By Thomas Riggins

I think it will be helpful to understand the politics of today by considering the nature of compromises and how to deal with them as put forth by V.I. Lenin in chapter eight ("No Compromises?") of his classic work "Left-Wing" Communism an Infantile Disorder

History Of The People: Articulating ‘Palestine’ Despite Israeli Hasbara
By Ramzy Baroud

What does a Palestinian farmer who is living in a village tucked in between the secluded West Bank hills, a prisoner on hunger strike in an Israeli jail and a Palestinian refugee roaming the Middle East for shelter all have in common? They are all characters in one single, authentic, solid and cohesive narrative. The problem however, is that western media and academia barely reflect that reality or intentionally distort it, disarticulate it and when necessary, defame its characters

How To Make India Safer For Women
By Merlin Flower

Last February, Soni Sori wrote, “that by giving me electric shocks, by stripping me naked, or by brutally assaulting me and inserting stones in my rectum-will the problem of Naxalism end? Why so many atrocities on women? I want to know from my country people.”

Mandalisation Of Muslims Essential For Social Justice And Secularism
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

The power of dalits and OBCs political groups is here to stay and it is time for Muslim dalits and Muslim OBCs to rise up and challenge the orthodox leadership whose only quality is not working positively for the benefit of the community but unleashing ‘emotional blackmailing’ of the community. We all need to remember that Islam is not in danger; it is the Muslims who are endangered in the hands of such bankrupt leadership who want power, position and millions of ignorant people to clap for them. Empowered and awakened masses will only disempower the dictatorial power elite

Sufferings Of The Orissa Victims Still Cotinue
By Countercurrents.org

. The violence that began in 2007 Christmas time followed by a series of attack in 2008 that took away more than 100 lives and made more than 54000 people homeless is not yet over completely. In several parts of Kandamal, people live under severe threats and in dehumanized conditions. While some houses that have been burnt away were rebuilt, their lives have not been turned to normalcy due to the discriminations and rejections for being Christians

09 January,2013

Australia: Hundreds Of Bushfires As Heatwave Continues
By Mark Church

Driven by a record-breaking heatwave, more than 300 bushfires, some still out of control, continue to burn across the southeastern Australian states of Tasmania, New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria. They have already destroyed large areas of bush and farmland, and scores of homes and other properties. About 450,000 hectares, or 1.1 million acres, has been burnt in the three states so far

Geoengineering With Climate Will Bring Unpredictable World Crisis
By Countercurrents.org

Geoengineering to manipulate climate could lead to an unpredictable world crisis; and temperature in the Middle East could rise up to 6 degrees. The region will experience lower rainfall, higher temperatures and continuing desertification

Who Should Pay For The Costs Of Climate Change?
By David Morris

The conversation will be hard and loud. But the confluence of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy and the agreements at Cancun and Doha by richer nations to help pay for adaptation and mitigation as well as assist the victims of climate change has brought to the United States and the world the centrality of the question. Who will pay the costs of climate change?

Want Peace? Talk To Your Enemy!
By Asad Wahab

How can India and Pakistan find real peace?

Rape Has Nothing To Do With Love
By Jim Taylor

Contempt. Hatred. These are the emotions that drive rape. Not love. Not even lust. Nothing will bring back the Delhi woman. But if her death finally forces a few more people to realize that there is no excuse for rape, ever, her death may not have been a total waste

Republic Of Rape
By Satya Sagar

A letter to a friend abroad enquiring about the horrific gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student in the Indian capital New Delhi recently

Blood Lust Mars India’s Tiananmen Moment
By N. Jayaram

The mere passage of laws and amendments will fail to make a dent when police forces enjoy impunity, society remains deeply patriarchal and son-preference as well as other anti-female practices remain

Protest For A Pause
By Mallika Kaur

A pause could help in seeing our own contribution to the culture of gender violence: when we laugh off our boy’s exploits for being such a ‘Casanova’ or ‘stud,’ while we pride ourselves in curtailing our girl’s movements and dreams

Learn From China, Don’t Blame The Migrant Worker
By Vidyadhar Date

Rural migrants in India have always got the flak and the recent rape in Delhi has reinforced the prejudice. Our migrants are treated very badly compared to workers in China. Migrant workers working in factories in China are provided free dormitory accommodation and free meals, observes Mr P.S. Deodhar, a former electronic technology adviser to Rajiv Gandhi and long time China watcher

Now That Owaisi Is In Jail, How About Praveen Togadia?
By Mahtab Alam

So now that Owaisi is thankfully arrested, the larger question is: what about Singhals, Yogis, Bhartis and Thackerays? Will they ever be arrested and sent to jail like Owaisi for their umpteen numbers of crimes?

Growing Violence Against Women And Degradation Of Moral Values
By Aijaz Nazir

It appears that the protracted conflict has led to the degrading of the moral values in the Kashmiri society. While the alleged human rights violations in the form of inhuman killings, enforced disappearances and rapes are still lingering in the memories of Kashmiris, it is also true that today’s Kashmiri society is also showing all the vices that one had come to attach to a materialistic modern society

08 January,2013

Burning 'Deep Purple': Australia So Hot New Color Added To Index
By Jon Queally

Wild fires continue to rage across Australia Tuesday and temperatures have become so hot the country's Bureau of Meteorology was forced to add a new color—deep purple—to show areas that have exceeded all-time heat records. Previously the Bureau's heat index was capped at 48°C (118.4°F), but now recorded temperatures of over 50°C (122°F) have pushed the limit of the scale to an unheard of 54°C, which is equivalent to 129°F

Enough: The Central Concept In Economics
By Herman Daly

For the Hebrews in the wilderness the manna economy was designed with “enough” as a built-in feature. Our economy does not have that automatic regulation. We have to recognize the value of enough and build it into our economic institutions and culture

“Promised Land”: Energy And Ethics In The Age Of Economic Decline
By Carolyn Baker

Shredded as it may be by movie critics, if we allow it to do so, “Promised Land” takes us deeper than cliché, not only into disturbing questions about hydraulic fracturing and energy depletion, but about who we want to be as humanity transitions from one paradigm to another. In these times and on so many issues, we must cultivate the discernment of Frank Yates who firmly asserts, “Sure, it’s a clean and efficient resource, but the way they go about getting it is some dirty business.”

Is Fracking A "Happy Solution" To Our Energy Needs?
By Richard Vodra JD CFP

A few weeks ago, John Mauldin called fracking a "happy solution" that will produce jobs, potentially solve our trade deficit and generate new tax revenue, though energy prices may rise in the process. But how excited should we be about the "shale revolution"?

Just Imagine
By William Blum

Capitalism gave rise to some very important innovations, such as mass production and distribution, and many technological advances. But now, and for some time past, the system has caused much more harm than good. It's eating its young. And our environment. We can take the advances instituted by capitalism for the purpose of profit and use them to create a society based on putting people before profit. Just imagine

Sanction Slashes Iran’s Oil Export 40%
By Countercurrents.org

Sanctions against Iran have started taking its toll. The country’s crude oil export has dropped

Assad At The Opera House
By Franklin Lamb

Tipping Point or Turning Point?

New Deal To Challenge The Duopoly
By Sean Fenley

The New Deal Party, I think, is a great idea for the left to seize upon. With so much of the Democrats/Democratic Party having gone DLC/Wall Street, the time is now more than ever for a third party

January 8th Unfolds: Two Goings-On Entwined
By Sunalie Ratnayake

Lasantha Remembered on his Fourth Death Anniversary & Sri Lanka’s hassled ramble towards the Slaying of its Judiciary

Marketing Victimhood
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

It is not surprising that BJP leader Sushma Swaraj has asked for Ashok Chakra to be given to the victim of Delhi rape case who died in Singapore. Now, she has been made an ‘iconic figure’ and her ‘sacrifice’ is being ‘projected’ as inspiring for a society which is still afraid of revealing her ‘identity’

My Pakistan Trip
By Ram Puniyani

A political travelogue

Understanding Adivasis
By Asit Das

Locating Adivasis in the information suprehighway junk spaces and in globalized modern world junk spaces

07 January,2013

Supreme Court Pulls Up Government Of India Over Licensing
And Trials With “Cervical Cancer” Vaccines
By Kalpana Mehta, Nalini Bhanot & V. Rukmini Rao

Supreme Court admits writ petition against licensing and trials with “Cervical Cancer” vaccines implicating the Drugs Controller of India, PATH, ICMR and others ordering Government of India to immediately respond

US, Allies Step Up Military Backing For Syria’s Sectarian Insurgency
By Chris Marsden

The sectarian character of the opposition and the fact that it is sponsored by the US and Europe, in alliance with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, is Assad’s main source of internal support. Many who oppose his brutal regime—Sunnis as well as Alawites, Christians and other minorities—back him for fear of what will come next

Assad Calls For ‘Purely Syrian' Solution
By Ismail Salami

In his rare public appearance, Syrian President Bashar Assad offered on Sunday a plan for putting an end to the country's 22-month-old crisis stoked up by the West and some regional puppet regimes, assuring his friends and foes that he did not have the least intention of stepping down and that he would steadfastly protect his people against those he described as ‘slaves of foreign powers'

Hundreds of Thousands Homeless in Haiti Three Years After Earthquake
By Bill Quigley & Amber Ramanauskas

Hundreds of Thousands Homeless in Haiti Three Years after Earthquake despite Billions in Aid Funneled to NGOs, Contractors and Internationals

In Kabul , Widows And Orphans Move Up
By Kathy Kelly

My four young friends, bright and compassionate, who educate themselves daily about the simple, dedicated life - the yearning for, and the laborious struggle for, a better world - are moving on up these mountains to comfort and aid the desperate, the widowed women and their children, who have been abandoned there. They are discovering that the promised land of adulthood, and the corrupt and dangerous city which the U.S./NATO coalition have done so much to build, is an unequal, violent world they need to resist, step by step

Guatemalans Resist Invasion Of North American Mines
By Helen Jaccard & Gerry Condon

Thirty-six years of genocide has not put an end to deep-rooted resistance in Mayan communities who wish to live free and healthy lives. Riding through the beautiful countryside, we often saw signs along reading “No a la mineria. Guatemala no se vende.” No to the mines. Guatemala is not for sale. Perhaps that was our best Spanish lesson of all

Cancer Cola, Fries And Lies: From Liverpool To Leipzig, Taking The Power Back
By Colin Todhunter

There is an alternative and it mirrors environmentalist Barry Commoner once stated aims of substituting green energy for fossil and nuclear fuels, substituting electric motors for the internal combustion engine, substituting organic farming for the chemical variety and using more metal, glass, wood and paper – recyclables, renewables and durables – instead of petrochemical products. And it also involves communal ownership of land and capital to serve the public good, rather than elite interests

The Indian Ideology
Book Review By Rajesh Sharma

Anderson 's narrative is gripping, suitably spiced here and there, and supported by adequate notes and references that any serious work of history needs. He hammers away delicately but firmly at the gods of modern Indian historiography to undermine the “pieties” that have kept truth a prisoner of darkness for too long now

Sea Level Rise Threatens The Sunderbans
By Countercurrents.org

Sea level rise threatens the Sunderbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest spread across India and Bangladesh

Daughters Of India Violated And Abused
By Graham Peebles

The widespread assault on the rights and dignity of women in India is a national plague, rooted in attitudes of gender inequality, suppression and control, injustices demanding the urgent attention of the Indian government and civil society

Americans Love To Kill People, With The Death Penalty, At War And With Hate Speech
By Mary Hamer

The purpose of this paper is: To demonstrate how Americans love to Kill people with the Death Penalty, at War & with Hate speech

06 January,2013

Ban The Two-Finger Test In Rape Trials
By Pratiksha Baxi

The government of India does not need a Committee to remind it of several submissions to get rid of the colonial, sexist and violent practice of the two-finger test. There is no law, which says that doctors must insert two fingers (sometimes more, some even quibble about the size of the fingers in our courts) in the vagina to figure out whether the hymen is distensible or not. This then leads to the inference that the rape survivor is habituated to sex, introducing past sexual history into rape trials. Past sexual history was disallowed in rape trials since 2003. However, the two-finger test, by medicalising consent, allows past sexual history of the raped survivor to prejudice her testimony

Guarantee Greater Conviction Of Sex Offenders
By Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association

Public protests and media are driving for a ‘tough law’ with harsh punishments and dilution of existing laws. Harsher punishments will not lead to higher convictions; indeed, the victim will be under greater pressure to not file complaints, and the police more reluctant to pursue the case, if death penalty is the punishment. Castration, whether surgical or chemical, derecognizes the fact that sexual crimes are not driven by sexual desire but are an expression of power and misogynist hatred. We therefore, strongly urge the Commission to reject the demands for castration and death penalty and instead institute mechanisms to ensure a more gender sensitive process of registration and investigation of complaints and trial. This can be the only guarantee of greater conviction of offenders

Why Climate Change Won’t Wait For The President
By Bill McKibben

Those of us in the growing grassroots climate movement are going as fast and hard as we know how (though not, I fear, as fast as physics demands). Maybe if we go fast enough even this all-too-patient president will get caught up in the draft. But we’re not waiting for him. We can’t

Climate-Change Summary And Update
By Guy McPherson

This essay brings attention to recent projections and positive feedbacks

Keystone XL: DilBit Through The Heartland
By Rand Clifford

Barack Obama is in the sticky situation of trying to sell a pipeline squeezing DilBit through the U.S. heartland, to feed the international market, as somehow in the nation's best interests. Extreme public risk for nothing but corporate profits. Or, as TransCanada put it “...a boon for corporate profits, but a burden for American consumers.” Keystone XL is a tar baby if ever there was one

11 Years Later, Gitmo Injustice Continues
By Mary Shaw

I strongly urge President Obama to think about this again as he starts his second term. As a constitutional attorney, he should know as well as anyone that ensuring true justice does not mean that you're weak on terror. Indeed, it takes far more strength to do the right thing

Complementary Currencies
By Gary Alexander

Can a community print its own money? The short answer is a resounding YES and for many this has become a symbol of a Transition town taking the local economy into its own hands. We are very used to using money for exchange and will likely still need it in some form, but ideally one that reduces the problems with conventional money

The Local Food Revolution In Brazil's Schools
By Kei Otsuki

Changes in public sector food procurement in Brazil have improved not just the quality of school meals; they have led to a reduced ecological footprint and a more engaged civil society driving the green economy. In this article, Kei Otsuki explores the processes of decentralization and localization that have taken place in Brazil since 1997 through the lens of food procurement. The case demonstrates how an active civil society can lead to change for better, more sustainable, and locally supportive practices

The Good War: Israel, Egypt And Hamas
By Geoffrey Aronson

It would be more accurate to say that Israel, and for that matter Egypt as well, is more prepared than it has been in the past to accommodate Hamas’ interests in Gaza as part of a “win-win-win" formula. As long as everyone keeps their guns in their pockets, Hamas can do what is most important to its leadership — turning mortar and bricks into a government that can expand its power to act in a relatively sovereign manner and that can offer Palestinians and the international community a positive contrast, and a prospective alternative, to the PLO’s rule in the West Bank

2012-2013, And Quiet Flows The Time-Stream
By Farooque Chowdhury

Here, 2013, a new year, has already dawned. But, 2012, the yesteryear, deny departing as streams of concussions and conflicts, deals and diplomacies flow into 2013 with their complexities and knots, with sounds and force. In areas of economy and politics, society and culture around the globe, 2012 saw changes and stalemates, initiatives and thwarted efforts. A glimpse into 2012 may help track unfolding time

Role Of The Left In Punjab
By Jaspal Singh Sidhu

The Left base in Punjab has already shrunk leaving communists as a ‘political non-entity’. And they should ponder over why this happened?

The Sopore Massacre
By Noor ul Haq

On 6 January 1993, 250 shops and 50 homes were burnt down although locals claim as many as 450 buildings were burnt down and at least 57 people massacred

05 January,2013

Climate Crisis Could Increase Volcanic Eruptions
By Countercurrents.org

The rapid sea level rise could cause a dramatic increase in volcanic eruptions, says a new study. The study, published in the journal Geology, found that during periods of rapid climate change over the last million years, the rapid melting of continental glaciers and the resulting sea-level rise eventually increased volcanic eruptions

Too Big To Flood? Megacities Face Future of Major Storm Risk
By Bruce Stutz

As economic activity and populations continue to expand in coastal urban areas, particularly in Asia, hundreds of trillions of dollars of infrastructure, industrial and office buildings, and homes are increasingly at risk from intensifying storms and rising sea level

One In Every Eight People On Earth Goes To Bed Hungry Each Night
By Countercurrents.org

Approximately 870 million people in the world do not eat enough to be healthy. That means that one in every eight people on Earth goes to bed hungry each night

Blowing In The Wind: The Global Control Of Food, Countries And Populations
By Colin Todhunter

As powerful agribusiness concerns seek to “consolidate the entire food chain,” it is patently clear that it's not just the health of the nation (any nation) that is at stake, but global control of food, countries and populations too

In Egypt, How To Lie And Remain Pure
By Alaa al-Aswany

Egyptian novelist Alaa al-Aswany writes that Salafist sheikhs and Muslim Brotherhood leaders do not adhere to the principles of Islam, but rather are focused on maintaining power by any means necessary

Economic Predictions For 2013
By John Scales Avery

What happens when the world reaches the limit, beyond which economic growth is no longer possible? (Perhaps we have already reached this limit.) Can we devise a system that works, even without economic growth? This the challenge and opportunity that faces us today. We need an entirely new economic system

Will The Al-Nusrah Front Announce An Islamic Emirate For Yarmouk Palestinian Camp?
By Franklin Lamb

Perhaps the next time this observer responds to a request from a graduate student somewhere who writes to him seeking help with research for a Masters or Doctoral thesis on the subject of Palestinian refugees In Lebanon and Syria and the effects of the current crisis in Syria on their lives, I will propose the following

From Iran Sanctions To ‘Influence Phobia'
By Ismail Salami

In what can be seen as a blatantly overt interference in Iran's affairs, US President Barack Obama has recently enacted a law “aimed at countering Tehran's alleged influence in Latin America” through a new diplomatic and political strategy to be designed by the State Department

2012: Another Hard Year For American Muslims
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali

American Muslim community led by civil advocacy groups such as American Muslim Voice, Council on American-Islamic Relations and Muslim Public Affairs Council have responded to the post-9/11 challenges with intensive outreach by building bridges with all ethnic and faith groups, holding interfaith peace picnics and interfaith iftar (fast breaking) during the month of Ramadan. At the same time the community is more proactive politically

Late Stage Capitalism And The Shame Haunted Life: You Can't Kill Trauma With A Gun
By Phil Rockstroh

The only failure in life comes to be when you dismiss destiny's invitation to dance. The death-besotted, collective psyche of the late capitalist state reveals the consequences of a culture-wide refusal to heed the call

Rosa Parks, The Power Of Resistance And the Rape In The Bus In Delhi
By Vidyadhar Date

This year marks the centenary of the birth of Rosa Parks, the young woman who refused to give her seat to a white man in a bus and sparked the civil rights movement in the days of segregation in the U.S. in 1955. Rosa becomes all the more relevant to us in the context of the recent rape of the girl in a Delhi bus and her murder

03 January,2013

Syria: 60,000 Deaths And Half A Million Refugees
By Countercurrents.org

Intervention induced conflict in Syria is overwhelmed with death – 60,000, and refugees – half a million. Over five months of analysis, researchers cross-referenced seven sources to compile a list of 59,648 individuals reported killed between March 15, 2011, and Nov. 30, 2012

New Year's Resolutions: Speak Out To Save Democracy, Humanity & Biosphere
From Greedy One Percenter Corporatocracy
By Dr Gideon Polya

Desperate times mean serious New Year's Resolutions. The World is acutely threatened by Nuclear Weapons, Poverty and Climate Change. Many of the 99 percent feel helpless to act against the remorseless One Percenters but we can and must win. Our key New Year's Resolution must be to do our bit to save Humanity and the Biosphere and to help restore Democracy

Poverty in Saudi Arabia: A Quarter Of The Population Live Below Poverty Line
By Countercurrents.org

To many, poverty in Saudi Arabia, a country with vast oil resource and lavish royalty, is unimaginable. But the rule of private property persists and the kingdom now finds: An estimated quarter of Saudis live below the poverty line

Iran Sends A Woman Politician To Solitary Confinement
By Countercurrents.org

Faezeh Hashemi Rafsanjani, the jailed daughter of the former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has been moved to solitary confinement. A spokesman for Iran's judiciary said Faezeh Hashemi Rafsanjani was moved as punishment for her behavior in jail

Fiscal Cliff Over, Now The Attack On The People Begins
By Kevin Zeese

Last night, Congress passed a watered down fiscal cliff package that will raise taxes on everyone, but the worst is yet to come, and this “deficit cutting” measure contains some surprises

2013 Nobel Peace Prize Nomination For Governor George H. Ryan
By Countercurrents.org

University of Illinois College of Law Professor Francis A. Boyle nominated retired Illinois Governor George H. Ryan for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize because of his courageous, heroic, and principled opposition to the racist and class-based death penalty system in America

A Short Tour of The Zionist Sewers
By Vacy Vlazna

Israel has a sewer system that is spread internationally... a system of interconnected corporations in the USA, Australia, Canada, and Europe with subterranean links to Israel's Leviathan- ‘slime minus the human form' - the savage Zionist illegal occupation of Palestine

The Bullets Which Changed The Middle East!
By Dr Salim Nazzal

Devoted to all Palestinian young men and woman who gave their life for Palestine!

‘The Iranians Are Coming': The Imagined, ‘Sinister' Iranian Threat in Latin America
By Ramzy Baroud

Reading the text of a bill that was recently signed into law by US President Barack Obama would instill fear in the hearts of ordinary Americans. Apparently, barbarians coming from distant lands are at work. They are gathering at the US-Mexico border, cutting fences and ready to wreak havoc on an otherwise serene American landscape

Why Do American Southern States Love To Kill People?
By Mary Hamer

In response to growing concerns about (Wrongful convictions for the Death Penalty), many states have suspended executions or experienced a decline in the use of capital punishment, but most Southern States have continued to condemn and execute large numbers of people who disproportionately are poor and racial minorities. The Purpose of this essay is to investigate why the Southern States including Florida, Texas & Alabama love to Kill peopl

Mali, Wahabis And Saudis; Following The Money Trail
By Thomas C. Mountain

A well armed and supplied Wahabi movement in the African country of Mali, funded by the Saudis, has taken over most of northern Mali and has begun to, amongst other Wahabi practices, destroy tombs of Islamic African kings, the world famous Mansas of Mali that are world heritage sites

Eve Ensler In India: ‘After This Gang Rape, India Must Take The Lead’
By Pamela Philipose

In one of those curious juxtapositions life throws up, Eve Ensler’s tour of India to raise awareness over her One Billion Rising campaign – calling for an end to violence against women globally – coincided with hundreds of thousands of Indians literally rising in protest against the gang rape of the Delhi student and the exponential increase in crimes against women in India

Why Not Boycott All Republic Days?
By N. Jayaram

Can what occurred in New Delhi in mid-December lead to positive change? Perhaps to an induction of more women in the next post-election parliament? To a less macho, less male-chauvinistic, less patriarchal republic, a republic whose passport one need not be ashamed of carrying and whose anniversaries one need not boycott?

Curious Ways of Indian Democracy from India Gate to the Slum Habitat
By Prachee Sinha

Indian democracy appears to be Janus-faced and it operates in very curious ways. It joins enlightened students and concerned citizenry at India Gate in their demands for justice for the Delhi rape victim. Elsewhere it nurtures criminal elements responsible for such horrific tragedies

Silence On Rapes In Kashmir
By Abdul Majid Zargar

In the backdrop of recent incident of gang-rape of a girl in Delhi, Mr. Wajahat Habibullah, Chairman National Minorities commission & former Chief information commissioner of India has admitted that there have been numerous & widespread allegations of rape against Indian Army in Kashmir which have largely remained uninvestigated with the result that culprits have gone unpunished. But regrettably it has taken nearly ten thousand rapes of kashmiri women (Figure provided by a reputed news portal-Kashmir Media Service) for his conscience to arouse and speak truth

Arrested By Multiple Crises, I Crave For Change
By Ashiq Hussain Andrabi

I'm not advocating any political idea here nor am I speaking as follower of any party or agency here. I am a Common Kashmiri with ordinary vulnerabilities, concerns and resources and extraordinary potential. I am unhappy with the status quo. The current government has proved to be heartless. Life has become impossible under the present government rule in Jammu and Kashmir . The present government has neglected the common man and has failed to understand their pains, thus increasing their alienation

01 January,2013

Fettering The Fourth Estate: Free Speech In India In 2012
By TheHoot.org

In 2012, India was a grim place for free speech. It recorded the death of five journalists. Another 38 were assaulted, harassed or threatened. There were 43 instances of curbs on the Internet, 14 instances of censorship in the film and music industry, and eight instances of censorship of content in the print medium

Climate Change in 2012: Still No Escaping BAU
By Bill Henderson

Each passing, wasted, year makes the pace and scale of needed emission reduction that much more difficult , which in turn makes acceptance of mitigation an even more difficult sell to governments and business preoccupied with keeping their economy's head above water. The Arctic warms; the icecap melts; the permafrost releases methane and the powers that be begin to fight for oil production rights

Africa 2012 In Review: Imperialism Advances While Resistance Spreads
By Abayomi Azikiwe

From Cairo to Cape Town the African masses struggle for justice and self-determination

Will Syria Go On The Offensive At The Hague?
By Franklin Lamb

Syria, which the US and Israel and their allies are today working to keep off balance and on the defensive diplomatically, should consider immediately filing an application with the International Court of Justice, and use all other available international legal, political and humanitarian tribunals, to directly challenge and boldly confront the US led sanctions campaign against its people

Syria Swings Between Hell And Dialogue
By Ismail Salami

Syria is by slow gradation descending into hell whose flames are devouring the innocent and the guilty alike and even on a more appalling scale as Mr. Brahimi has predicted, tens of thousands of people will die soon and as long as there is resistance to any peace-inspiring proposal in the country, Syria will inch towards an eventual Balkanization

Unmasking The Brotherhood: Syria, Egypt, And Beyond
By Eric Draitser

The complexities of the Arab Spring and the struggle for political freedom throughout the Arab world should not obscure what has now become an absolutely essential understanding for all anti-imperialists: the Muslim Brotherhood is one of the most powerful weapons of the Western ruling class in the Muslim world

Egypt: Ikhwan At The Crossroads
By Chandra Muzaffar

Dr.Mohamad Morsi, from an Ikhwan background, who was elected President in June 2012 with only 51.7% of the votes cast, should address the fears and concerns of the opponents of the new Constitution with sincerity and honesty

2013: International Year Of Water Cooperation
By Countercurrents.org

The year 2013 is the International Year of Water Cooperation. In December 2010, the UN General Assembly made the declaration (Resolution A/RES/65/154). In the backdrop of climate crisis, the emphasis on cooperation in the area of water is significant

Bolivia Nationalizes Two Spanish Electricity Distribution Companies
By Countercurrents.org

In an effort to assert control over national resources Bolivia has nationalized two Spanish electricity distribution companies. The measure on the eve of New Year – 2013 – comes up as an example of initiatives to secure interest of people

Violating The Vulnerable: Manifestations And Attitudes
By S.G.Vombatkere

What is agitating the minds of many is what can be proactively done to prevent rape crimes through social reform and child (school) and adult education, so that members of the male population in our heavily male-dominated communities have respect as equals for females in the family and in larger society

Rape, The Law And The Middle Class
By Walter Fernandes

One needs to ensure that the issue of rape does not end with one case. The gender, class and caste attitudes that cause such abuses have to be tackled. One cannot stop at condemning the politician and the police departments. That step is required but new laws can only give one peace of conscience and cannot solve the problem. One has to look inwards and examine the social and cultural values that are behind such crimes. If the Delhi rape case leads to such self-examination, the 23 year old para-medical will not have laid down her life in vain

Protest From The Bylanes: Bombay And The Need For Organized Action
By Divya Padmanabhan

A city that comes to a standstill for its Ganeshutsavs and Navratris, for its cricket matches and film releases, forgot to even slow down to mark the death, nay murder, of the 23 year old gang raped girl in Delhi

The Real Murders Of Children
By Dr. Elias Akleh

The whole US was shocked when armed with automatic assault weapons 20 years old Adam Lanza murdered 20 first grade students in Newtown, Connecticut, yet very few, if any, Americans get shocked when their presidents murder thousands of similar children of other nations but call them heroes and defenders of freedom and democracy

Small Town Sebastopol Sued by Giant CVS Pharmacy— Classic David vs. Goliath Story Continues
By Shepherd Bliss

On Christmas Eve, when most were at home with family and friends or out-of-town, a summons was served at the Sebastopol City Hall. The giant CVS Pharmacy sued the City and its elected officials

Young Capitalists In Love
By Mickey Z.

Some love tips from Mickey Z.

Intellectuals Demand The Release of Scientist Gopal And Others

We demand that the Kerala police should stop spreading abusive rumors against scientist Gopal and should apologize for having pictured him as an extremist and terrorist. We also demand that all those arrested in Mavelikara on 29th December should be released unconditionally and all the cases against them should be withdrawn

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