30 November, 2013
Chinese Fighters Shadow US/Japanese Warplanes In Disputed ADIZ
By Peter Symonds
The Chinese air force yesterday scrambled Su-30 and J-11 fighter jets after a dozen American and Japanese military aircraft entered the air defence identification zone (ADIZ) proclaimed by Beijing last weekend in the East China Sea. The incident is the first direct Chinese reaction to a US or Japanese incursion and heightens the danger of a miscalculation leading to a clash and conflict
US In Secret Talks With Hezbollah
By Keith Jones
Washington has reportedly begun secret talks with Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia militia closely allied with Iran, and whose fighters have helped Syria’s government withstand a US- and Saudi-backed Sunni Islamist insurgency. Britain is reportedly facilitating the negotiations. According to stories in the Kuwaiti press that were subsequently confirmed by the Jerusalem Post, British diplomats are meeting with Hezbollah representatives to apprise them of the Obama administration’s demands and deliver their responses to Washington
Freedom Starts With A Seed
Vandana Shiva Interviewed By Sarah van Gelder
The seed in its essence is all of the past evolution of the Earth, the evolution of human history, and the potential for future evolution. The seed is the embodiment of culture because culture shaped the seed with careful selection—women picked the best, diversified. So from one grass you get 200,000 rices. That is a convergence of human intelligence and nature’s intelligence. It is the ultimate expression of life, and in our language, it means “that from which life arises on its own, forever and ever and ever.”
Delicious Food Is Not An Indulgence—It’s A Way To Solve Our Ecological Crises
By Frances Moore Lappé
In the past four decades, food has taught me what is possible. I have realized that delicious eating is not an indulgence. It is the body’s way of reminding us how we can solve the ecological crises we face. All of us long for good food, and I believe that it’s possible for a groundswell of food lovers to heal the Earth—as millions of us align our taste buds with what the planet and people need
Who Are The Mother Agnes Critics?
By Hussein Al-Alak
It would be hilarious, if it wasn’t for the severity of the Syrian crisis, to read some of the allegations being directed against the Syrian based nun, Mother Agnes Mariam. The Open Letter to Stop the War coalition, has been signed by over fifty alleged activists, who declare themselves to be “opponents of conflict”, and having been endorsed by the Independent’s journalist Owen Jones, has since seen Mother Agnes remove herself from Stop the War’s annual conference
A Meal In School Is A Powerful Tool, Finds State Of School Feeding Worldwide 2013 Report
By Countercurrents.org
The World Food Program finds: The coverage and quality of school feeding programs vary with national income. In low-income countries, where the need is greatest in terms of hunger and poverty, the coverage is the lowest
9/11 In The Academic Community
By Dr. Ludwig Watzal
This documentary on the role of the Academia concerning 9/11 by the producer and filmmaker Adnan Zuberi was bestowed with the “Documentary Achievement Award” at this year's University of Toronto Film Festival . The documentary focuses on the surprising reluctance of the academic community to examine the events of September 11, 2001
Drones: Draining The Sovereignty Of Pakistan
By Ishaq Begh
If armed or unarmed men of a nation are being attacked by any other nation, means the future of former one remains in dark, because these attacks are not killing the men but are killing the sovereignty and future of that nation
Resist Police Brutality And BMC's Violence Against Migrant Workers
In Agarwadi, Mankhurd, Mumbai
By Students Against Eviction in Agarwadi
On 28th November 2013, Thursday, at around 12 pm the police and the BMC forcefully, violently and without following any procedures evicted more than 100 migrant workers living behind Agarwadi bus stop close to Mankhurd. This eviction with gross human rights violations took place despite a Suo-moto notice being served to the BMC, PWD and the police by the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission, dated 26/11/13. The hearing for which is scheduled on the 13th of December 2013
29 November, 2013
Nuclear Power In The Context Of Global Warming
By Shankar Sharma
A critique of the call by four scientists to environmentalists to support the development of safer nuclear power as one way to cut fossil fuel pollution. The call was given out by Kenneth Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution, Kerry Emanuel at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, James E. Hansen of Columbia University and Tom Wigley of the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the University of Adelaide
Even If Emissions Stop, CO2 Could Warm Earth For Centuries
By Countercurrents.org
Even if carbon dioxide emissions came to a sudden halt, the carbon dioxide already in the Earth's atmosphere could continue to warm our planet for hundreds of years, found a new study. If the results are correct, said one of the scientists conducting the study, the total carbon emissions required to stay below 2 degrees of warming would have to be three-quarters of previous estimates, which is only 750 billion tons of carbon instead of 1,000 billion tons
Global Warming ‘Slowdowns' Will Be Frequent, Say UK Scientists
By Ed King
Prolonged slowdowns in global warming could occur as frequently as 3-4.5 times a century, according to new analysis published by the UK Met Office. The findings were printed in a document distributed to delegates at the UN climate summit in Warsaw , which ended last weekend
Tensions Escalate Over Chinese Air Defence Zone
By John Chan
Tensions continued to rise in the East China Sea yesterday after Japan and South Korea dispatched military aircraft into China’s newly demarcated “air defence identification zone” (ADIZ). Both the Japanese and South Korean governments, following the lead of the US administration, declared that their aircraft would ignore Chinese instructions to submit flight plans, identify their nationality and maintain radio contact
Salafist Crimes Against Islam In Syria
By Franklin Lamb
Reports from across Syria, and increasing coming in from many areas including Aleppo, Qalamoun and Reqaa lay bare massive crimes being perpetrated against the Syrian people in the name of Islam from areas under Salafist control. A recent German domestic intelligence service annual report described Salafism as the fastest growing Islamic movement in Syria. Based on interviews conducted by this observer recently in Damascus, it is evident that mainstream Salafism, with its emphasis on adherence to the Korans principles and standards for correct behavior towards humanity, is being deeply subverted in the Syrian Arab Republic from forces organized from outside this country
Detroit Has Been Plunged Into A State Of Emergency
By Detroiters Resisting Emergency Management
We exist under a siege of financial dispossession, massive unemployment, elimination of basic welfare supports, and suspension of democratic rights -- all fostered by the bankers, the multinational corporations, the far right, and the U.S. ruling class. We say to social justice advocates and others worldwide that Detroit's state of emergency calls for vigorous response
Iran Yields To The West's Demand On Nuclear Issue
By Akbar E. Torbat
After investing about forty billion dollars in its nuclear facilities, Iran has agreed to nearly shutting them down. This has been done quietly since the new government of President Hassan Rouhani took over in August 2013. Some opposition groups see Rouhani as the West's stooge who tries to abandon Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the West's support for the survival of the clerical regime in Tehran. To downgrade Iran's nuclear activity, Rouhani has combined the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran with the Power Ministry. The daily Kayhan reported on November 20, 2013, nearly all the IAEA requests in Geneva meetings had been already implemented since Rouhani took over and practically most of Iran's nuclear facilities were almost shutdown
Nuclear Deal Catastrophic For Iran
By Garikai Chengu
The recent denuclearization deal is catastrophic for Iran, simply because it paves the way for yet another U.S. military intervention against Iran
Afghanistan : Rationality Questions Insanity of War
By Mahboob A. Khawaja
Obama administration is pushing President Hamid Karzai to sign a strategic agreement enabling the US troops to stay in Afghanistan indefinitely after its planned withdrawal in 2014. Ironically, Hamid Karzai lacks legitimacy and constitutional power to do that as his terms of presidency will expire during the summer of 2014
USA On Thanksgiving: Millions Of Wrongful Death Lawsuits Not Filed Yet
By Jay Janson
English and native men, women, and children ate together, but indigenous peoples of North America would be destroyed at the constant inciting of land speculative banking, which now all powerful, has let the now neo-colonized majority mankind know with merciless gunfire and missiles, that they are prohibited from choosing their own governments. A weaker economically USA will be sued for wrongful death in the millions before its WW III
On The Wisdom Of Duration
By Vincent Di Stefano
We have lost our discernment, our capacity to know the difference between wisdom and folly, fairness and cruelty. We have lost our sense of outrage, our capacity to react to the abuse of vulnerable minorities by the powerful and the mighty. And we are in danger of losing our compassion, our capacity to feel the suffering of others
The Dismal State Of Health Care In India
By Graham Peebles
With 9% growth for two decades one would expect a major level of government investment into health and education, however this is far from the case. Spending on public health care according to the WHO is 1.1% of GDP, placing India below Pakistan, China and Nigeria in the spending table
Telangana State Formation: An Historic Resolve
By Dr. K.V.Reddy
At this historical hour of formation of 29th state of telangana in the Indian Union, it is time for the Telanganites to appreciate the chronicle of young endeavors and exemplary sacrifices that swayed the political leadership of the country
Holding On The Shoulders The Flag Of Prudence
Book Review by Anil Pundlik Gokhale
Book Review of Dr. Narendra Dabholkar's Marathi book, a compilation of his Articles and writings during 2003 to 2008
27 November, 2013
The Sound Of Death In Koodankulam
By Anitha S
Last evening the sound of death came to us in the form of a bomb blast. Not knowing to even utter the word bomb or even seeing such a man made destructive tool, the children have become the victims of a senseless massacre.Amidst all the speculations and confusions about the bomb blast in our village that has taken away 6 lives, we in Idinthakarai wish to tell the world one simple fact. We are not bomb makers or perpetrators of violence. If we were we could have done it many years ago when we were more stronger and determined than now. We who have been resisting the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant for many years have not hurled a stone, burnt a bus or killed any one
Obama Approves Major Border-Crossing Fracked Gas Pipeline Used To Dilute Tar Sands
By Steve Horn
Although TransCanada's Keystone XL tar sands pipeline has received the lion's share of media attention, another key border-crossing pipeline benefitting tar sands producers was approved on November 19 by the U.S. State Department
US Methane Emissions Surpass Previous Estimates
By Countercurrents.org
Government calculations of total US methane emissions may underestimate the true values by 50 percent, finds a new study. The study found large discrepancies with government estimates in some regions of the US , particularly the south-central US, where total methane emissions were 2.7 times greater than those reported in most inventories
US Unveils Military Strategy For Arctic
By Carey L. Biron
The United States is calling for greater cooperation in the Arctic, even as it warns that it will defend its sovereignty in the face of strengthening international interest in newly opening shipping lanes and natural resource extraction opportunities as the region’s ice disappears
Egyptian Military Junta Issues Anti-Protest Law
By Johannes Stern
The military junta in Egypt is intensifying its efforts to suppress opposition to its dictatorial rule and reinstate the apparatus of terror that existed prior to the mass revolutionary uprising which toppled former dictator Hosni Mubarak
Thanksgiving Anxieties, Political And Personal
By Robert Jensen
“Are you the guy who hates Thanksgiving?” The man posing that question on my voicemail continued with a sharply critical comment about one of the essays I have written in recent years about the holocaust-denial that is at the heart of that U.S. holiday. My first reaction was not to argue but to amend: “I don't hate Thanksgiving—I just think it's appropriate to critique a celebration that obscures the reality of the European conquest of the Americas.”
Iran's Interim Nuclear Agreement: Averting Another War
By Chandra Muzaffar
The Rouhani government should now embark upon a massive campaign to eliminate the whole of West Asia and North Africa (WANA) of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The people of WANA will give enthusiastic support to such a cause. It should be the first phase of a worldwide campaign to get rid of WMD everywhere
Historic Nuclear Deal: The Art Of Delicate Iranian Diplomacy
By Kourosh Ziabari
The fact that Iran’s nuclear program will remain unaffected by the Geneva accord, and that Iran will experience a remarkable relief from the sanctions shows that the Iranian diplomacy is working effectively
Obama’s ‘Big Prize’ To Earn Nobel Peace Prize
By Nicola Nasser
Obama’s “big prize” to make him “feel that I deserve” the Nobel Prize as he had said then will be waiting for him until he ends the ongoing Israeli war on the Palestinian people and occupation of their land, at least since 1967
The Plot Thickens: Gaza Is Flooded With Sewage And Conspiracies
By Ramzy Baroud
The latest punishment of Gaza may seem like another familiar plot to humiliate the strip to the satisfaction of Israel, Mahmoud Abbas’s Palestinian Authority, and the military-controlled Egyptian government. But something far more sinister is brewing
10 Reasons The 9/11 Report Is Properly Classified As "Fiction"
By Sherwood Ross
Key points in the government's version of 9/11 events do not stand up to scientific scrutiny, according to McKnight Professor Emeritus, Dr. Jim Fetzer, a distinguished philosopher of science, who has more than 20 books on scientific reasoning, artificial intelligence and cognitive science. Fetzer formerly taught at the University of Minnesota Duluth and is the founder of Scholars for 9/11 Truth
TICFA, Political Economy Of US Bilateralism And Bangladesh
By Mohammad Tanzimuddin Khan
Those who advocate, or at least do not oppose, TICFA vindicate it exclusively from an economic point of view, disregarding the political economy context of the USA’s recent predilection towards BTI agreements and the obvious and multi-dimensional power asymmetry of the signees. However any comprehensive understanding must consider (a) the political economy of the US preference for BTI; (b) the implications of TICFA for Bangladesh; (c) the experiences of the countries already in such agreements with the USA
15 Critically Endangered Species Of Indian Birds
By Marianne de Nazareth
The species falling under the Critically Endangered category in India include migratory wetland species: Baer’s Pochard, Siberian Crane and Spoon-billed Sandpiper; non-migratory wetland species: White-bellied Heron; grassland species: Bengal Florican, Great Indian Bustard, Jerdon’s Courser and Sociable Lapwing; forest species: Forest Owlet and scavengers: Indian Vulture, Red-headed Vulture, White-backed Vulture and Slender-billed Vulture. Himalayan Quail and Pink-headed Duck are now considered Extinct for all practical purposes
26 November, 2013
Momentum Builds Around US Nuclear Deal With Iran
By Keith Jones
Important sections of the US ruling class have signaled their support for the “interim agreement” which the Obama administration, its European Union allies, and China and Russia have reached with Iran over its nuclear program. Under the deal, announced early Sunday morning, Tehran will roll back and freeze much of its nuclear program and open its nuclear facilities to a highly intrusive inspections regime. In return, the US and the EU will marginally relax punishing economic sanctions that have more than halved Iran’s oil exports and frozen the country out of the world banking system
Iran-US Nuclear Deal: A Gorbachev Moment For Rouhani?
By Sufyan bin Uzayr
As of now, it is too early to judge whether the nuclear deal between USA and Iran is a good thing to happen or a bad one. However, pros and cons aside, one thing is certain: with the new Rouhani government in place, the Islamic Republic is indeed headed towards some noticeable changes
Why Don't We Try To Understand And End Human Violence?
By Robert J. Burrowes
The pre-eminent problem confronting humankind is human violence. It is our own violence, in its various guises, including the ongoing possibility of nuclear war and the ongoing devastation of the natural environment, that threaten to consign us to the fossil record within decades, if not sooner. And yet we devote virtually no effort to trying to understand human violence and to developing strategies to end it. Why?
Localists Of The World, Unite! An Urgent Call To Join The Movement Against The TPP & TTIP
By Brian Emerson
Ever since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was proposed more than 20 years ago, critics have warned about the negative implications of “free” trade treaties and other efforts to deregulate global trade and investment. Today, after two decades of deregulation, the impacts are exactly as feared: endemic unemployment and economic ‘precarity’, massive social dislocation in the global North and South, a widening gap between rich and poor, financial instability, growing hunger and food insecurity, and the weakening of public interest laws meant to protect people and the environment. Meanwhile, global corporations and big banks have grown larger and ever more powerful
Decline Of The American Empire? Global Configurations Of Power,
The Swindle Economy And The Criminal State
By Prof. James Petras
The world political economy is a mosaic of cross currents: Domestic decay and elite enrichment, new sources for greater profits and deepening political disenchantment, declining living standards for many and extravagant luxury for a few, military losses in some regions with imperial recovery in others. There are claims of a unipolar, a multi-polar and even a non-polar configuration of world power. Where, when, to what extent and under what contingencies do these claims have validity?
Sad: Nothing Indigenous About Kashmir
By Bashir Manzar
India is happy and so is Pakistan. None of the two countries is much concerned about the sufferings of people here. The only thing that would trouble them (India and Pakistan) is a genuine Kashmir narrative and that seems not coming forward
Cricket: False Populism And Imposed Nationalism
By Kshirod Nag
Nation, nationalism, inspiration, populism, service and so on. What do these terms all about? Whether these are represented through collective conscience/imagination or merely imposed, manufactured and socially-constructed metaphors by the shrewd minds ? To put it differently, did Sachin play for the 'nation' ? Even then, whether he is the only sport person to have glorified the nation?
25 November, 2013
Climate Conference Ends With UN Admission Of Failure
By Bryan Dyne
During the final press conference of the 19th Conference of Parties (COP19), the latest international climate change summit, which ended on November 23 in Warsaw, a top UN official admitted that current efforts were not adequate to halt the pace of global warming. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres said that the summit “does not put us on track for a two-degree world.”
Shielding A Flickering Flame
By Chris Hedges
With the folly of the human race—and perhaps its unconscious lust for self-annihilation—on display at the U.N. Climate Talks in Warsaw, it is easy to succumb to despair. The world’s elite, it is painfully clear, will do little to halt the accelerating destruction of the ecosystem and eventually the human species. We have, through our ingenuity and hubris, unleashed the next great mass extinction on the planet
Israeli Genocide Of Palestinian Olive Trees
By Dr. Elias Akleh
Extreme hatred of everything non-Jewish seems to be ingrained in the blood of Zionist Israeli Jews. This hatred is expressed by their warmongering politicians, their terrorist army, their fundamentalist rabbis, and their extremist civilians. They spew out this hatred against everything Palestinian; people, homes, and fields. Last few years they have developed what could be called a yearly terrorist harvest ritual where they target Palestinian harvest products particularly the olive trees
The False Analogy Of Syria And Palestine
By Jonathan Cook
As with many of those who express a view in the continuing debate about the wisdom of launching yet another “humanitarian intervention” in Syria, I have found myself under attack from those calling for more war. The charge against me and many like me is one of hypocrisy. So where are my double standards?
Leon Krier: Architecture In The Age Of Austerity - Video
By Øyvind Holmstad
This lecture by Leon Krier is one of the most informative I’ve ever watched on the field of architecture, each minute is a flash of insight. Great architecture is just so simple, maybe this is why it is so difficult to achieve for modern man? We are born with the language of architecture, it’s universal, but we lost it with the coming of Modernism. Luckily, as Krier states, flowers have not become modernists
A Google For India’s Poor
By Keya Acharya
Encouraged by success stories, tribals have swiftly embraced CGNet Swara, which literally means ‘Chhattisgarh’s voice’ through the Internet. Started for the central Indian state, where 32.5 percent of the population is tribal, it is fast spreading to other parts of this vast country to reach out to areas that were beyond the pale of modern communication
'This Is Rape Number Two'
By Arundhati Roy
The rape of the values and the politics that Tehelka claims it stands for, and an affront to those who work there and who have supported it in the past. It is the hollowing out of the last vestiges of integrity, political as well as personal
24 November, 2013
P5+1 And Iran Agree Landmark Nuclear Deal At Geneva Talks
By Russia Today
The P5+1 world powers and Iran have struck a historic deal on Tehran’s nuclear program at talks in Geneva on Sunday. Ministers overcame the last remaining hurdles to reach agreement, despite strong pressure from Israel and lobby groups. Under the interim agreement, Tehran will be allowed access to $4.2 billion in funds frozen as part of the financial sanctions imposed on Iran over suspicions that its nuclear program is aimed at producing an atomic bomb
Fear Not The Path Of Truth: A Veteran's Journey After Fallujah
By Ross Caputi
This documentary follows Ross Caputi, veteran of the 2nd siege of Fallujah, as he investigates the atrocities that he participated in and the legacy of US foreign policy in Fallujah, Iraq
Palestinian Sisters As Keepers Of Their Brothers: Inside Emergency Damascene Shelters
By Franklin Lamb
Al Zahera neighborhood, south Damascus: This brief update is not focused on the ever deteriorating grave conditions of Palestinians and Syrians displaced and often trapped inside dangerous areas on Damascus, where this observer had been visiting some of the 24 former Damascus public schools currently being used as shelters. Rather it seeks to highlight the esprit de corps, solidarity, resistance, and good will among Palestinians here in Damascus who were forced from Yarmouk and other camps and how they are huddled and preparing for a harsh winter which one senses these frigid nights is not far off
Israel’s Unwritten Veto Power: Immunity To International Law
By Kourosh Ziabari
It sounds like Israel is itself a member of the Security Council with a veto power. What is clear is that as long as the United States doesn’t allow the world to stand firm against Israel’s criminal and illegal conducts, the international law will continue to be ridiculed and undercut
Chilean Socialism 1: Indonesian Fascism 0
By Andre Vltchek
Rebelliousness works better. It has been working all over Latin America, including Chile. ‘Jakarta came’, but was fought, and thrown to the dogs. But, as a result of the joint efforts of local and Western propaganda, the success of Latin America is absolutely unknown in Indonesia. And there is no one screaming in Jakarta at those brutal faces of the elites: “Watch out, bandits, Santiago is coming!”
US Bullying At TPP Negotiations For Big Pharma Profits
By Popular Resistance
Outrageous US bullying by US Trade Representative Stan McCoy on intellectual property and health. McCoy puts profits of pharmaceuticals ahead of the lives of people. “The world should stand up to the United States. US corporations are not more important than people’s lives.”
Is There A Hindu Left?
By S.G.Vombatkere
While it may not be possible to create a viable Hindu Left before the upcoming 2014 general elections, Left parties' work in that direction could be to motivate voters to press the NOTA button on the EVM, rather than drift into voting for the BJP or INC, or for any ragtag coalition of regional, casteist parties that cannot possibly have a national perspective and relevance
Tribal Women Of India: The Potential Contributors To Growth
By Swaleha Sindhi
There is a need on the part of the government and civil society to enable improvement in the quality of life of such vulnerable sections of the Indian population. More importantly the developmental process in India should give priority to welfare schemes and programmes meant for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes’ including women
Five Injured,Hospitalized After Police Brutality – Workers On Indefinite Hunger Fast
By Anuj Wankhede
The atrocities perpetuated by the Uranium Corporation of India (UCIL) management against hapless and displaced indigenous people in Jharkhand continue unabated
Phony Muslimness Among Muslim Boys In Schools And Colleges In UK
By Mike Ghouse
I am concerned about the segregated seating arrangements in colleges and Universities for seminars and other educational activities organized by Muslim Students Associations in the United Kingdom
22 November, 2013
Pact Provides For Permanent US Occupation Of Afghanistan
By Bill Van Auken
A draft agreement reached late Wednesday night between Washington and the puppet regime of President Hamid Karzai calls for as many as 15,000 foreign troops, the vast majority of them American, to continue occupying Afghanistan through 2024 and beyond. The deal would also leave the Pentagon in control of nine major bases spread across eight provinces. While these bases are to be formally ceded to Afghanistan next year, they would effectively remain in US hands
Storm Brews At U.N. Climate Talks
By Wambi Michael
Hundreds of representatives from various NGOs walked out of the negotiating rooms at the United Nations climate talks in Poland on Thursday in protest against the reluctance by developed nations to commit towards achieving a global climate treaty
Drone Wars, P2: The Empire Strikes Back
By Judy Bello
We might conclude, in this context, that the military itself represents the clear and present danger - surely to the people of the Tribal Lands (FATA) in Pakistan, but potentially to every living thing. If we turn our priorities to peace, perhaps all these wonderful possibilities that derive from the wars will go away. But it may be that like an addict who finally clears the drugs from his system, we will see the world in a new light and find that we have new potentials to manifest in our lives and society that are yet unimagined
Drone Wars, P3: Who Will Tell The Emperor He Has No Clothes?
By Judy Bello
It is past time for the screen to fall and reveal the Wizard so that Dorothy and Toto can go home. It's past time for the Scare Crows to use their brains, the Tin Men to take heart and the Lions to have the courage to see the world as it is. The Emperor has no clothes, and although the whole world sometimes seems determined to keep his secret, the facts are on the table
Fear In A Handful Of Dust: The Sacred Vehemence Of Imagination In A Soulless Age
By Phil Rockstroh
The economy is chronically depressed. Isotopes of Fukushima are carried on currents of wind and wave. The oceans and seas are rising from humankind-created greenhouse gas Climate Change. The world's oceans are being destroyed. The human element evinces the pathology displayed in psychoanalytic consulting rooms: The economic elite are psychopathic; Tea Party types exhibit paranoid displacement while liberals exhibit neurotic insularity. Pain and pathology are extant. A crisis is imminent
Justice Coalition For Slain Andy Lopez Founded
By Shepherd Bliss
A new, powerful coalition of Latino, social justice, green, progressive Democrats, student, civil liberties, peace, and other groups has emerged in Sonoma County, California. The killing of 13-year-old Andy Lopez by sheriff’s deputy Erick Gelhaus on October 22 unites them
Industrialisation: For Whom, By Whom?
By Dipankar Bhattacharya
Socialist experiments today are in a relatively advantageous position to minimise the human and environmental cost of industrialisation. Technological advances, increased awareness about environmental aspects and above all, the valuable experience of past efforts have laid the foundation for a more environmentally sustainable and pro-people pattern of industrialisation under socialism and this is the challenge that all future models of socialism will have to fulfil
Rose Petals For Terrorists, Headgears For Hatemongers
By Subhash Gatade
BJP MLAs Sangeet Som and Suresh Rana, accused of inciting communal violence in Muzaffarnagar, were on Thursday 'felicitated' at a rally in Agra. Sangeet Som, who was arrested for his alleged role in inciting communal violence in Muzaffarnagar, was recently released on bail by a Deoband court. He was accused of uploading a fake video that played a role in provoking communal tension in Muzaffarnagar. He is also facing allegations of having made inflammatory speeches
21 November, 2013
Geneva Talks On Iran Resume While War Threat Remains
By Peter Symonds
International talks over Iran’s nuclear programs resumed in Geneva yesterday amid the strident public opposition of Israel to the agreement being discussed and the continued threat of war against Iran. Negotiators for the P5+1 group (the US, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany) met yesterday and talks will continue today
Geneva 3 Talks: Iran Nuclear Negotiations For Dummies
By Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich
The third round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and P5+1 is well under way in Geneva. Both proponents of peace, and of war, are looking to the outcome of these negotiations with abated breath. Hope and fear abound, an understanding of the demands and expectations is a good indicator of the direction these talks are likely to take. Moreover, the key to the potential of these talks is to review why Iran's nuclear program is the subject of these negotiations in the first place
133 Countries Walk Out Of Warsaw Climate Crisis Meet Over Compensation Row
By Countercurrents.org
The G77+ China group of 133 countries walked out of the climate crisis conference in Warsaw on the Loss and Damage mechanism after the rich, developed countries refused to agree to terms
Corporate Lobbyists Flood Warsaw Climate Talks
By Amy Goodman
“This is perhaps the most corporate climate talks we have ever experienced ... not to say that previous ones haven’t had a large corporate influence,” Pascoe Sabido told me. “But what’s different this time is the level of institutionalization, the degree to which the Polish government and the U.N., the UNFCCC, have welcomed this with open arms and have actively encouraged it.”
Climate Change: Why The Divestment Movement Against Big Energy Matters
By Todd Gitlin
Now, the divestment movement, too, becomes a junction point where action in the here-and-now, on local ground, gains momentum toward a grander transformation. These movements are the hinges on which the door to a livable future swings
Krugman Goes Splat: On Endless Growth And Permanent Depression
By Richard Heinberg
I was fairly amazed to read Paul Krugman’s latest op-ed in the New York Times, titled “A Permanent Slump?” He seemed to be coming remarkably close to saying what several of us have been trumpeting for the past few years—that world economic growth is ending and we’d better retool accordingly. “What if the world we’ve been living in for the past five years is the new normal?,” he writes. “What if depression-like conditions are on track to persist, not for another year or two, but for decades?”
Top 5 Threats To The World’s Beaches (And A Systemic Solution)
By Brent Blackwelder
Professors Orrin Pilkey and Andrew Cooper are writing what promises to be an outstanding book. In The Last Beach (to be published this summer by Duke University Press), they describe the top five threats to beaches around the world. Even a quick overview of these threats suggests a strategy for confronting the degradation and loss of beaches. It’s no surprise that a comprehensive, long-term beach protection strategy requires significant changes to our economic system — a system that has overdeveloped and polluted beaches to the extent that they have become unhealthy places to swim or even play in the sand
Connecting With The People Of Afghanistan
By Kathy Kelly
I think it's important to establish skype connections between people living in the U.S. and people who are in Afghanistan . Toward that purpose, I want to encourage people in Colorado Springs and beyond to search for hope and security by listening to young people in Afghanistan tell about their experiences longing for a better world, a world wherein women and children can survive hunger, disease, pollution and illiteracy
Pakistan : How To Revisit Political Darkness?
By Mahboob A. Khawaja
The optimism for change and reshaping ANEW Pakistan rests with the new educated and intelligent young generation of Pakistanis. All segments of educated, informed and conscientious Pakistanis have genuine interests and should feel priority to rebuild a strong foundation for the unity of the nation
Where We Fail: Can C N R Rao Not Be An Icon Of Indian Students?
By Dr. Vivek Kumar Srivastava
Songs in praise of Sachin were sung , media was flooded with ceaseless programmes, news, articles on Sachin but who cared so much for the C N R Rao who could easily be presented as the best icon of studies to the students who could find a motivator in their goal. Alas the neoliberal order with corporate tilt in the society failed to live up to basic social ethical norms
20 November, 2013
Global Carbon Emissions Set To Reach Record 36 Billion Tons In 2013
By Countercurrents.org
Global emissions of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels are set to rise again in 2013, reaching a record high of 36 billion tonnes, informed the Global Carbon Project. The 2.1 percent rise projected for 2013 means global emissions from burning fossil fuel are 61 percent above 1990 levels, the baseline year for the Kyoto Protocol
US Military Build-Up Continues In Philippine Disaster Zone
By Joseph Santolan
Washington has deployed a massive military force to the region. The nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington, with 5,000 sailors and 80 aircraft, is in the Leyte Gulf, along with its strike group of two guided-missile cruisers, two guided-missile destroyers, a cargo ship, an oceanographic survey ship and a submarine tender. These are to be joined by 3 amphibious warfare ships and 2 littoral combat ships. Some 850 US troops are on the ground in Leyte and are to be joined by an additional 1,000 US Marines in the next two days
Terrorist Attack At Iranian Embassy In Lebanon Kills 23, Wounds 140
By Keith Jones
At least 23 people were killed and over 140 injured Tuesday in a suicide bomb attack targeting Iran’s embassy compound in Lebanon. Most of the dead were passersby in the predominantly Shiite southern Beirut neighborhood of Janah, where the embassy is situated. Iran confirmed the death of its embassy’s cultural attaché
Syria, Egypt Reveal Erdogan’s ‘Hidden Agenda’
By Nicola Nasser
Erdogan’s neo-Ottomanism charged by his Islamist sectarian ideology as a tool has backfired to alienate both Sunni and Shiite regional environment, the Syrian, Iraqi, Egyptian, Emirati, Saudi and Lebanese Arabs, Kurds, Armenians, Israelis and Iranians as well as Turkish and regional liberals and secularists. His foreign policy is in shambles with a heavy economic price as shown by the recent 13.2% devaluation of the Turkish lira against the US dollar
Economic Stagnation Haunts U.S
By Jack A. Smith
As though the erosion of American democracy, the weakening of civil liberties, inequality, joblessness, indifference to global warming, a penchant for wars and the healthcare mess were not enough, now we have this: “ What if the [economic] world we’ve been living in for the past five years is the new normal? What if depression-like conditions [in the U.S.] are on track to persist, not for another year or two, but for decades?” This question was asked by the liberal Keynesian economist Paul Krugman in his New York Times column Nov. 18.
France’s Sham Philosopher: Bernard Henri Levy And The Destruction Of Libya
By Ramzy Baroud
“Bernard Henri Levy: I have never seen an army as democratic as the IDF” was the title of an article on May 30, 2010, reporting on the “Democracy and Its Challenges” Conference in Tel Aviv. “I have never seen such a democratic army, which asks itself so many moral questions. There is something unusually vital about Israeli democracy.” Considering the wars and massacres conducted by the Israeli army against Gaza in 2008-9 and 2012, one cannot find appropriate phrases to describe Levy’s moral blindness and misguided philosophy. In fact, it is safe to argue that neither morality nor philosophy has much to do with Levy and his unending quest for war
The Convenience Of Racism In The Name Of Taj Mahal
By Richard Kamei
Archaeological Suvery of India and Agra Development Authority taking charge of the tourism activity at Taj Mahal should take note of this that it is only north east people among Indians who produce identity cards to procure entry ticket to Taj Mahal. It may facilitate work in identifying Indians out of presumed foreigners to northeastern people and also an easy task in separating foreigners from Indians but the position from where I come from, this is nothing but racial profiling- a racism at one of its worst display
19 November, 2013
Philippine Typhoon Victims Desperate For Aid
By Peter Symonds
More than a week after Super Typhoon Haiyan hit the central Philippines, towns and villages in remote areas are only starting to receive assistance. According to Philippine authorities, the death toll yesterday reached 3,974. At least 11 million people have been affected, the number of homeless has climbed to four million and 2 million need food
Surviving Climate Change: Is A Green Energy Revolution On The Global Agenda?
By Michael T. Klare
Nobody can say that a green energy revolution is a sure thing, but who can deny that energy-oriented environmental protests in the U.S. and elsewhere have the potential to expand into something far greater? Expect them, like the Chinese, to respond to these perils with increased ire and a determination to alter government policy. So don’t be surprised if that green energy revolution erupts in your neighborhood as part of humanity’s response to the greatest danger we’ve ever faced. If governments won’t take the lead on an imperiled planet, someone will
Coal Tries To Clean Up Its Image
By Claudia Ciobanu
An International Coal and Climate summit organized by the Polish Ministry of Economy and the World Coal Association kicked off Monday in the Polish capital Warsaw in parallel to the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP19, amid outcry from environmentalists who accused COP host Poland of bias in favor of the coal industry
Hacktivist Jeremy Hammond Sentenced To 10 Years; His Idealism Remains At Large
By Nozomi Hayase
Even though this young transparency activist is locked up, his spirit and idealism will be carried on by those he has inspired and continues to inspire. Information he brought to the public continues to shed light on abuse by those in power
Future Of Internet After The Snowden Affair
By Boris Kazantsev
Edward Snowden’s recent revelations about American intelligence agencies’ wiretapping of European leaders, as well as their collection of the personal data of European citizens, will apparently have far-reaching implications which go far beyond a simple diplomatic scandal
Some Thoughts On Bharat Ratna Awardees
By S.G.Vombatkere
One cannot help wondering about the propriety of a Bharat Ratna awardee, a (priceless) Jewel of India, continuing to sell his name, pictures and video shots for advertisements of commercial products, as a source of income. Even if the ad does not state that Sachin is a Bharat Ratna, would it be appropriate for Sachin to now act for, or give his name or picture for commercial purposes and receive remuneration for it? Surely politicians in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha would have a view on this subject. One is left to wonder whether they will say anything on this matter, though one can be sure that they will have something to say to Dr.C.N.R.Rao
Poverty Reduction In Post Reform Era: Myths And Reality
By Kishore Jha
There is a lot of data that proves that the current development model is exclusive (jobless growth as describe by many)and not inclusive . It has not benefited marginalized sections and the trickledown theory, the argument given in favour of liberalization and privatization, has not worked
Poor Paths Lead to Madrassas
By Ashfaq Yusufzai
Madrassas are widely seen as a breeding ground for terrorists in these two regions where the Taliban is very active and where acute poverty and militancy go hand in hand. “Poverty is forcing people to send their children to madrassas,” says Muhammad Atif, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa education minister
Non-Drama And Drama In Bangladesh Politics
By Farooque Chowdhury
Two politics are running parallel in the present day Bangladesh: Of the mainstream with political demands, and of the working people with economic demands. The number of life lost in these two is different. The number is far higher in the mainstream politics although agitation of the working people, now the garments workers, is more intensive, wide, prolonged, although agitation by the later is mostly closer to luddite type, anarchism and vandalism: pelting of stones at factories, ignite fire, vandalism with public and private transport, which are not at all connected with organized labor movement, and which ultimately harm the movement, and which are facilitated to subvert rise of organized, aware labor movement
CBI Inquiry Should Be Initiated Against Illegal Anti Women Snooping In Gujarat
By Joint Statement By Women’s Groups
We strongly condemn the illegal, unconstitutional and essentially anti-women snooping conducted by the Gujarat government as revealed in the recent media expose’. We collectively demand that a CBI inquiry should be initiated in the case at the earliest as it concerns the future of our democracy and polity. The direct involvement of the opposition party’s prime ministerial candidate in such brazen and fundamental violation of democratic rights and the party’s shameless defence is totally unacceptable
17 November, 2013
Mounting Anger At Philippine President’s Response To Typhoon Disaster
By Mike Head
Amid reports of hunger and destitution across the central islands of the Philippines, there is growing popular anger over President Benigno Aquino’s response to the devastation caused by Super Typhoon Yolanda (known internationally as Haiyan). The inadequacy and slowness of the official international response has also become obvious
Typhoon Haiyan: 'Early Warning System'
By Gwynne Dyer
“We’ve been telling the rest of the world we don’t want what’s happening to us to happen to everyone else,” said Lucille L. Sering, the vice chair of the Philippines’ Climate Commission,, as the country struggled to cope with the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan. “This is your early warning system...we will all eventually be victims of this phenomenon.”
US Fights G77 On Most counts At Climate Crisis Talks, Shows Leaked Document
By Claudia Ciobanu
The US delegation negotiating at the UN international climate change conference in Poland is pushing an agenda of minimizing the role of “Loss and Damage” in the UNFCCC framework, prioritizing private finance in the Green Climate Fund, and delaying the deadline for post-2020 emission reduction commitments, according to a State Department negotiating strategy
Concerns Over Role Of Corporations At Climate Crisis Talks
By Mantoe Phakathi
Climate negotiations have now dragged on for almost 20 years. Talk of “fair, ambitious and binding” agreements to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases that cause global warming appears to be fading, to be replaced by proposals to turn to the private sector for loans and investment to support adaptation to climate change at what has been dubbed the “Corporate COP (Conference of Parties)”
Thousands Protest In Warsaw At Sluggish Climate Crisis Talks
By Countercurrents.org
Thousands of people are protesting against climate crisis reality while the Warsaw climate crisis talks are faltering. The protests were held in Poland and Canada
Consumers Drive Climate Crisis
By Countercurrents.org
Consumers, rather than people per se, drive climate change, finds a study. Models of future climate scenarios have taken insufficient account of population patterns and trends, according to a UCL review to be published in the print edition of The Lancet in November 2013
Jeremy Hammond's Court Statement Upon Being Sentenced To 10 Years In Jail
By Jeremy Hammond
Jeremy Hammond was sentenced to ten years in prison for hacking Stratfor communications, then releasing information to Wikileaks. This is his statement
Why Ain al Hilweh?
By Franklin Lamb
A modest tempest is brewing in Lebanon among some supporters of Palestine and the US State Department over the decision by the Sabra-Shatila Scholarship Program (SSSP), the newly founded, and American donor-funded, higher education initiative, which intends to grant an additional 150-200 tuition scholarships to Palestinian students for spring semester enrolled in Lebanon’s dozen colleges and universities
Translating The Palestinian Declaration Of Independence
By Professor Francis A. Boyle
The United Nations bureaucracy deliberately sabotaged the English-language translation of the Declaration of Independence of Palestine in order to grossly misrepresent and distort its true meaning and ultimate significance. The Palestinians must never rely upon the United Nations Organization to do the right thing on their behalf!
The Academy: Militarization Of Education In The US
By JP MIller
Military Academies are as old as organized war. Nearly all countries I investigated have at least one Academy for developing professional soldiers. The ancient world of Egypt, Greece, and Rome, all had and has service Academies today. The need for soldiers has grown exponentially so the proliferation of militarized schools and the number of Cadets in these institutions is certainly growing. Many institutions today offer students a college education if they simply join the ROTC program and then serve at least 4 years in the military
How To Protect Humanity From Perpetual Animosity And Wars?
By Dr. Mahboob A. Khawaja
Can we THINK to be human in all of our moral, political and intellectual endeavors? Can we critically look at ourselves - why have come to be on a cliff to destroy the cause of freedom, equality and justice for all? Can we see the Mirror with a collective conscience - why have we been pushed to resort to animalistic characteristics and behaviors that those who seem to be most educated and morally and intellectually intact but act like agents of the Draconian age as if there were no people of REASON and accountability populating the Planet Earth?
Ship-Breaking Industry Back In Business In Bangladesh
By Srestha Banerjee
Ship-breaking industry, once banned in Bangladesh for violating environment and safety norms, is back in business
David In The Lion’s Den
By Chandi Sinnathurai
The English Tory Prime Minister David Cameron now publicly traps the pride and prejudice of the Sinhala Lion in its bloodstained den. To the Rajapaksha brothers this is much more than an embarrassment. The Guardian in London reported, “Cameron said on Saturday: "Let me be very clear. If an investigation is not completed by March, then I will use our position on the United Nations human rights council to work with the UN human rights commission and call for a full credible and independent international inquiry."
When The Jews Supported Hitler
By Jawed Naqvi
Why do Indian muslims support Narendra Modi?
The First Terrorist Of Independent India
By Subhash Gatade
Time to remember that Godse might be dead but the danger of Godse’s worldview gaining further legitimacy exists
15 November, 2013
Germany Says No To Weaponized Drones
By David Swanson
What happened was public pressure within a nation dedicated to peace and -- at the moment -- more resistant than Japan to being turned back toward war. Germany has now said nein, nein, and hell nein to killer flying robots. And not just to the use of weaponized drones within what Americans might call Der Homeland, but to Germany's use of remote control murder planes against human beings anywhere on earth
Climate Scientists Warn Of More Super-Typhoons
By Peter Symonds
The appeal by Philippine delegate Saño to the Warsaw summit will fall on deaf ears. As at previous international gatherings, the need to reduce carbon emissions is completely subordinate to nationalist rivalries and economic interests, especially of the major powers. No agreement has been reached to replace the very modest proposals contained in the so-called Kyoto Protocol, let alone the measures required to achieve the reductions generally agreed by climate scientists to be needed to prevent global warming
South Koreans On Jeju Island And The Afghan Peace Volunteers
Say “No!” T o U.S. Military Bases
By Hakim And The Afghan Peace Volunteers
On the 22 nd of October, 2013, the Afghan Peace Volunteers ( APVs ) in Kabul, Afghanistan, had a Skype conversation with peace activists at Gangjeong Village on Jeju Island, South Korea, during which they shared solidarity in saying ‘No!' to the U.S. war apparatus in Afghanistan and South Korea
Few American Progressives Joining Ramsey Clark's Call For Prosecution Of US Genocide!
By Jay Janson
What has been clear to survivors of America's heartless bombings, invasions, occupations, and covert violence for a long time is that American intellectuals, university professors, widely read authors and journalists, who speak against this carnage, never seem to say or write that Americans should be brought to justice for it
Old-Fashioned Political Activism Doesn't Work
By John Spritzler
For political activism to succeed, it needs to start by asking the right question-- How can we stop the wrong-doings for good?--and have a correct theory on which to base its answer. I propose the following theory
14 November, 2013
Millions Face Desperate Plight In Philippines
By Mike Head
Nearly a week after Super Typhoon Haiyan—known locally as Typhoon Yolanda—smashed into the Philippines’ central islands last Friday, millions of predominantly poor people are still confronting devastation and destitution. Even as the Philippine government declared that it had responded to the disaster “quite well,” shocking scenes were emerging of bodies left strewn across towns, desperate people killed while trying to grab bags of rice from a government warehouse, children begging on streets for food and water, and families living in makeshift huts
Let's Take Advantage Of Suffering Filipinos!
By David Swanson
The same week in which a Washington Post columnist claimed that interracial marriage makes people gag, a USA Today columnist has proposed using the U.S. military to aid those suffering in the Philippines -- as a backdoor means of getting the U.S. military back into a larger occupation of the Philippines
Committees Of Correspondence: To Defend Freedom And Secure Good Government
By William John Cox
The unifying battle cry for the colonists was "no taxation without representation." American voters must come to a similar agreement about what is most important to us, if we are to successfully take control of our own government
A Vast Wasteland Of Effort Spent: America's Rampage Through The Middle East
By John Chuckman
I read that six thousand people have been killed by sectarian violence so far this year in Iraq, surely a good rough measure of what America’s invasion achieved there. In Afghanistan, America’s chosen man publically disagrees with America’s ideas of what withdrawal means, how many occupying American forces should remain, and the role the Taleban should play
The People Can Defeat the Trans-Pacific Partnership
By Kevin Zeese & Margaret Flowers
Momentum is growing in the campaign to stop the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Yesterday, the TPP was dealt two blows. Each could be lethal but the TPP, and its Atlantic counterpart, called TAFTA, are not dead yet. It is time for the movement of movements that formed to oppose the TPP to stand in solidarity, defeat these agreements and end the era of rigged corporate trade
How Veterans Return From America’s Wars
By Ann Jones
The text of this piece is an excerpt, slightly adapted, from Ann Jones's new book They Were Soldiers: How the Wounded Return from America's Wars -- The Untold Story
When The Lawless Superpower Irks Its Allies
By Kourosh Ziabari
When it comes to the U.S. discriminatory treatment of independent nations like Iran and Syria and its silence on the felonies being committed by the Israeli regime or the Bahraini government’s bloody crackdown on the peaceful protesters, nobody is there to raise a voice in condemnation or criticism. However, now that they are the U.S. allies who have fallen victim to the American lawlessness, everybody is ardently calling on Washington to be held accountable. This is how the obduracy of a bullying superpower irks even its closest allies
Pakistan Shelves Talks With Taliban Amid Controversy Over Martyrdom?
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Pakistan government has virtually abandoned the projected peace talks with the Pakistani Talibans after the killing of the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) leader Hakeemullah Mehsud in a US drone attack on November 1, 2013
Glorifying Communalists, Insulting Freedom Fighters: Nation Demands An Apology Mr Modi
By Subhash Gatade
Thanks to a pliant media, the manner in which the issue of Modi's bad mouthing a great freedom fighter like Shyamaji Krishna Verma - by replacing him with a communalist namely Shyama Prasad Mukherjee in his speech - has got reduced to the 'slip of tongue' realm and nobody has tried either to scrutinise this mixing or ask Modi to tender an unconditional apology
A Study On MPLADS- Member of Parliament
Local Area Development Scheme (PDF)
By Ajay Kumar
Member of Parliaments are accountable for the development of his/her constituency. Through MPLADS they initiate the developmental work at their constituencies. After 20 years of its implementation this scheme has been challenged in many fronts regarding its validity and its misuse of funds from the representative bodies. Despite its odds this scheme has sustained a long way and making positive contribution towards aiming a difference in the society. For the smooth functioning of the scheme proper monitoring of the works be done and in all the developmental work at grass root level people’s participation must be ensured
13 November, 2013
15,000 Extreme Weather Events Between 1993-2012:
530,000 People Dead And Losses Of More Than $2.5 Trillion
By Countercurrents.org
More than 530,000 persons died as a direct result of approximately 15,000 extreme weather incidents, and losses between 1993 and 2012 amounted to more than US$2.5 trillion, says Global Climate Risk Index 2014 released by Germanwatch on November 12, 2013 at the Warsaw climate crisis talks
A pittance In international Aid For Philippine Typhoon Victims
By Peter Symonds
In the wake of super-typhoon Haiyan, which tore a path of destruction through the central Philippines last Friday, the UN has launched an appeal for $301 million to provide relief and assistance for those whose lives have been devastated. The fund, which is currently nowhere near its target, is woefully inadequate for the pressing needs at hand
Why Israel Wanted Arafat Dead
By Jonathan Cook
It is time to state the obvious: Arafat was killed. And suspicion falls squarely on Israel. Israel alone had the means, track record, stated intention and motive. Without Israel’s fingerprints on the murder weapon, it may not be quite enough to secure a conviction in a court of law, but it should be evidence enough to convict Israel in the court of world opinion
Palestinian College Students In Lebanon : Vowing To Aid Their Countrymen Fleeing Syria
By Franklin Lamb
The Syrian conflict continues pushing Palestinian refugees from that beleaguered country’s ten official and three unofficial Palestinian camps forcing the majority to flee to Lebanon despite the latter outlawing for Palestinians, illegally expelled from their homes during the 1948 Nakba, of even the most elementary civil right to work or to own a home
Noam Chomsky Vs William F. Buckley, Jr.
By Jeffrey Rudolph
Given that, in my reframing, there can only be one “most important American public intellectual in recent history” , let's judge which of the two thinkers deserves the honorific by comparing their views on three critical issues: 1. The American War in Vietnam; 2. The American civil rights movement; and 3. Israel's occupation of Palestinian land
Drone Attacks: USA's Silent War Crimes
By Nazia Nazar
The killing of innocent civilians by the US-operated drone attacks in Pakistan is now appearing as a serious issue of human rights violation. Amnesty International is no more reluctant to dub it as war crimes. . United Nations Secretary General’s, during his recent visit to Pakistan, also stated that the use of armed drones, like any other weapon, should be subject to long-standing rules of international law, including international humanitarian law. His statement is reflective of UN’s stance over the issue, and seems to be a reflection of its upcoming investigation report on use of drones against civilians including the issue of their legitimacy
When Falsehoods Triumph: Why A Winning Palestinian Narrative Is Hard To Find
By Ramzy Baroud
The work of Israel’s New Historians has been immensely valuable, although one cannot compare the compassion of such historians as Pappe, with the harshness of Morris. The hundreds of other accounts offered by outsiders are also important, for they help in creating frames of references to which their specific audiences around the world can relate. But without a unified Palestinian narrative, massive in its magnitude, striking in its consistency, and all-inclusive in its presentation, the Israeli story, as fallacious as it is, will continue to define the mainstream understanding of history for years to come
Libya Almost Imploding, Status Quo Unsustainable
By Nicola Nasser
More than two years on since the “revolution” of Feb. 2011, the security crisis is exacerbating by the day threatening Libya with an implosion charged with potential realistic risks to the geopolitical unity of the Arab north African country, turning this crisis into a national existential one. Obviously the status quo is unsustainable
SOMEDAY (Song for Palestine)
By Finian Cunningham
A song by Finian Cunningham, political analyst, singer-songwriter, featuring Tubby Corrway on lead guitar and Colin Merrill on drum
Michelle Bachelet Favored To Win In Chilean Presidential Election
By Brian McAfee
Polling shows Bachelet with a significant lead over her closest competitor, Evelyn Matthei. The two women share a history in Chile's tragic past when the democratically elected Salvador Allende was overthrown in a bloody coup that the U.S. supported and helped to plan
Sardaar Patel: A Monster Or A Messiah
By Abdul Majid Zargar
The ruling political party at centre, Congress is in a mad race with BJP to own & appropriate the legacy of Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Independent India’s first Home Minster also referred to as Iron Man of India. What was the real Patel?
India’s 2014 General Election And APCO’s Trojan Horse
By Colin Todhunter
And who are among Modi’s backers? Look no further than the US-based PR/lobby giant APCO Worldwide, which, as outlined by researcher Shelly Kasli (see the article at the end of this piece) has strong links with bodies such as the Trilateral Commission and the Bilderberg Group. Pro-Wall Street and very well-connected to key US/Israeli political, financial and security-intelligence institutions, this firm has been instrumental in helping to give Modi a much needed makeover, remarketing him as prime ministerial material and promoting Brand Modi and Brand Gujarat
The Blockade Against Cuba: An Assault Upon Humanity's Conscience
By Chandra Muzaffar
There are few other issues in international politics on which the nations of the world have been so totally united over so many years. On 29 October 2013, for the 22nd consecutive year, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) called for an end to the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba. 188 states supported the Resolution, 2 voted against it, namely the US and Israel, while 3 (Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau) abstained
12 November, 2013
Typhoon Haiyan Roars Through Warsaw Climate Crisis Summit
By Countercurrents.org
Typhoon Haiyan’s trail of devastation in the Philippines prompts three groups of developing countries to call for climate compensation scheme to be rolled out. The call came at the 12-day UN Climate Change Convention’s 19th Conference of the Parties (CoP) that began on November 11, 2013 in Poland's capital Warsaw. The typhoon devastated Philippines dominated the first day of the Warsaw climate crisis meeting as the country started to count the human cost of one of the most destructive typhoons on record
Philippine Representative Makes Plea For 'Global Solidarity' To Fight 'Climate Madness'
By Lauren McCauley
The climate crisis is "madness" and environmentally vulnerable nations such as the Philippines do not have time for failed climate negotiations, Philippines climate negotiator Naderev "Yeb" Saño told the delegation at the 19th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP19) Monday as he vowed to go on hunger strike until "clear progress is made."
Military Curfew Imposed As Humanitarian Crisis Engulfs Philippines
By Joseph Santolan
A humanitarian crisis of catastrophic proportions is taking shape in the Philippines in the wake of super-typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines by its local name Yolanda. Though the current official count of confirmed dead issued by the Philippine government is only 1,774, it is expected that the death toll will be far larger. The estimated figure of at least 10,000 dead in the city of Tacloban alone has not been revised. One million Filipinos are in makeshift evacuation centers
Somalia Is Absent In Warsaw, As Climate Change Wrecks The Country
By SOMESHA
Somalian representatives are absent in Warsaw where a 12-day UN Climate Change Convention’s 19th Conference of the Parties (CoP) is taking place
Economic Growth: A Social Pathology
By Roger Boyd
The pathological pursuit of economic growth is central to the way in which our societies are run, and forms a major barrier to reaching a sustainable state for humanity. That such growth endangers our very survival by degrading and exhausting the environment upon which we are dependent upon, and per capita wealth above a given amount has been shown to not improve general well-being, is irrelevant to the dominant worldview
Top 10 Policies For A Steady-State Economy
By Herman Daly
Here are ten policies for ending uneconomic growth and moving to a steady-state economy. A steady-state economy is one that develops qualitatively (by improvement in science, technology, and ethics) without growing quantitatively in physical dimensions; it lives on a diet — a constant metabolic flow of resources from depletion to pollution (the entropic throughput) maintained at a level that is both sufficient for a good life and within the assimilative and regenerative capacities of the containing ecosystem
The Five Dumbest Things You’ll Hear About Sustainability
By Brian Czech
This one’s about dumb, dumber, and dumbest, plus two intermediate levels for good measure. Ready for the inglorious countdown?
Dmitry Orlov Reviews “Collapsing Consciously”
By Dmitry Orlov
Carolyn Baker’s CollapsingConsciously: Transformative Truths for Turbulent Times is perhaps the most approachable book on collapse you are likely to find. Compared to Jarred Diamond’s Collapse, which weighs in at just over 600 pages, Baker’s is well under 200. And yet in these few pages Baker manages to tackle a topic which Diamond studiously avoids: Whatever shall we do about the fact that collapse is happening all around us right now?
Snowden Is Neither Strange Nor Sudden
By Farooque Chowdhury
Snowden is neither a strange nor a sudden “syndrome”. The incident is not also “mysterious” or mischievous, which may appear to a section. Rather, Edward Snowden is a product of a time, product of a phenomenon in a society
In A World Without Privacy, There Are No Exemptions For Our Spies
By Tom Engelhardt
If the drip-drip-drip of Snowden’s mother of all leaks -- which began in May and clearly won’t stop for months to come -- has taught us anything, however, it should be this: omniscience is not omnipotence. At least on the global political scene today, they may bear remarkably little relation to each other. In fact, at the moment Washington seems to be operating in a world in which the more you know about the secret lives of others, the less powerful you turn out to be
Drone Wars, P I : A Victory For The Home Team?
By Judy Bello
On Ash Wednesday, February 13, 2013, 9 protesters were arrested at the front gate of Hancock Air Base, a control center for MQ-9 Reaper drone attacks in Afghanistan, a country enduring the largest number U.S. drone strikes in the world. Starting with the arrest of 39 people at Hancock in April of 2011, there have been 7 or 8 Civil Resistance actions at Hancock Base that have resulted in arrests. Most arrests targeted people standing in the driveway/access road leading to the Main Gate to the Base, although in April of 2012, 50 people, walking quietly in single file along the side of the road, were stopped by police about 2 blocks from the base, and 33 arrested for refusing to turn back. Most recently, 31 people were arrested at the base following peaceful permitted demonstration on April 28 of this year, for crossing the curb into the driveway of the base
The Charlatanism Of Palestine-Denial
By Vacy Vlazna
Israel has compelled the criminalisation of Holocaust denial in Europe and elsewhere even though it has enacted domestic laws criminalising Nakba commemoration. The flaccid reaction of world governments to Israel’s galling double standards is as ethically contemptible as Israel’s effrontery to expunge an oppressed people and their lineal land
Democracy Syrian-Style
By Ken Meyercord
The new constitution of Syria stipulates that at least half of the members of the assembly must be workers or farmers. In other words, the Syrian parliament encompasses a diversity of opinion we can only dream of seeing in our own Congress - quite a coup for the nonviolent opposition. An election for President is scheduled for next May, quite a concession for a man our media labels a "thug", "dictator", "tyrant"
Social Activists In Delhi Demand Release Of Abdul Nasar Maudany
By Elizabeth Philip
Several social activist groups and intellectuals in Delhi have demanded an immediate release of Abdul Nasar Maudany, the Muslim spiritual leader who has been in jail for more than 3 years in Parppana Agrahara Jail in Bangalore as an under trial. Earlier Maudany spent nine and a half years in Coimbatore jail and was declared innocent
Adverse Events Following Pentavalent Vaccination In Kashmir
By D. Manjit and Asish Gupta
The pentavalent vaccine for protection against five childhood diseases was introduced in Jammu & Kashmir in February 2013, as part the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP). Three doses of this vaccine replace the conventional DPT vaccine which protects against three diseases, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough) and tetanus. The newer pentavalent vaccine includes the DPT as well as vaccines against pneumonia-meningitis(Hib) and hepatitis B. In Srinagar eight infant deaths were reported between September and October this year in the press following immunization with this vaccine
11 November, 2013
Typhoon Haiyan: Philippines Destruction 'Absolute Bedlam'
By BBC
The head of the Red Cross in the Philippines has described the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan as "absolute bedlam". A picture is slowly emerging of the full damage wrought by the storm: More than nine million people have been affected in the Philippines. Many are now struggling to survive without food, shelter or clean drinking water. Rescue efforts are being hindered by damage to roads and airports
"If Not Us, Then Who? If Not Now, Then When?" - Philippines' Plea In Doha Went Unheard
By Naderev Saño
This tear-choked call to action from Naderev Saño, lead negotiator for the Philippines at the Climate Conference in Doha 2012, is made absolutely heartbreaking by the events of the weekend
Climate Crisis: Preparing For Hell
By Countercurrents.org
Burning of fossil fuels, deforestation and large-scale agriculture are changing the Earth's climate. People everywhere will have to adjust to the changes as these are turning stronger
Climate Crisis Finance: Poor Countries Are Left In The dark
By Countercurrents.org
The climate crisis talks could collapse because of a lack of financial support from rich nations. Murky accounting and a lack of transparency by rich countries has left the poor countries with little idea about what money is available to help them cope with climate change, says Oxfam. The NGO claims developed nations spend up to US$90 billion on fossil fuel subsides, but have slashed climate crisis finance support
Finance, Emissions Budget And Loss And Damage Key Demands Of African Civil Society
By Pan African Climate Justice Alliance
Civil society groups across Africa demanded that developed countries fulfil and implement their commitments under the UN climate convention, in order to fairly share a necessary 'emissions budget', and avoid catastrophic climate change
International Talks Stall On Iran’s Nuclear Program
By Peter Symonds
Talks in Geneva between Iran and the P5+1 group (the US, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany) broke up in the early hours of Sunday morning without reaching an interim agreement to end the protracted confrontation over Tehran’s nuclear programs. The scheduled two-day talks had been extended to Saturday and the P5+1 foreign ministers flew into Geneva in anticipation that a deal would be reached, but France effectively blocked an agreement
Jeremy Leggett: "Make No Mistake, This Is An Energy Civil War"
By Rob Hopkins
Jeremy Leggett's new book 'The Energy of Nations: risk blindness and the road to renaissance' is an inspirational, page-turning telling of the evolving tale of peak oil, climate change, and economic crisis, and how the three issues intertwine and interweave. Here is an interview with him
Israeli Bombers over Syria: Al Qaeda’s Air Force
By James Petras
The current series of Israeli bombing raids and missile strikes against Syria are designed to strengthen the armed Syrian opposition and Islamist mercenaries seeking to destroy the government in Damascus . Israel intends to sabotage the upcoming round of peace negotiations. The Zionist state does not want a peaceful resolution to the current regional conflict. Its foreign policy depends on perpetual regional wars and political instability. Toward this end, Tel Aviv has the unconditional support of the 52 Presidents of the Major American Jewish Organization and all other Zionist organizations in the US
The Dynastic Hillary Bandwagon – Bad For America
By Ralph Nader
Given this early bird launch the Hillary Clinton for President in 2016 , it is important to raise the pressing question: Does the future of our country benefit from Hillary, another Clinton, another politician almost indistinguishable from Barack Obama’s militaristic, corporatist policies garnished by big money donors from Wall Street and other plutocratic canyons? There is no doubt the Clintons are syrupy political charmers, beguiling many naïve Democrats who have long been vulnerable to a practiced set of comforting words or phrases camouflaging contrary deeds
The Revolutionaries In Our Midst
By Chris Hedges
Freedom of the press and legal protection for those who expose government abuses and lies have been obliterated by the corporate state. The resulting self-exile of investigative journalists such as Glenn Greenwald, Jacob Appelbaum and Laura Poitras, along with the indictment of Barret Brown, illustrate this. All acts of resistance—including nonviolent protest—have been conflated by the corporate state with terrorism
Zionist Crimes Against The Jews
By Dr. Elias Akleh
In mid last October, the Israeli main paper Yedioth Ahranoth (Ynetnews) published a historical study by Yigal Bin-Nun; an Israeli historian and professor in Bar Ilan University, confirming and documenting Zionists crimes against Moroccan Jews in North Africa in order to convince them to immigrate to Israel. In his study Bin-Nun has confirmed what I wrote back in 2007
The Greatest Generation?
A Poem By Professor Francis A. Boyle
58,000 young men
Of my generation
Were murdered
By The Greatest Generation
Hundreds of Thousands
Of our Lives were destroyed
Plus 3 million genocided Vietnamese
Not that “gooks” mattered to
The Greatest Generation
Then neither did we their Sons
10 November, 2013
Over 10,000 Dead In Philippines As Typhoon Haiyan Devastates The Country
By Countercurrents.org
More than 10,000 people are believed to have died in Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, one of the deadliest storms ever to hit the country. Up to 10,000 are said to have died in Tacloban city and hundreds elsewhere. Hundreds of thousands are displaced. Philippines is struggling to bring relief to some of the areas worst affected
Iran's Nuclear Talks: Theater Of The Absurd
By Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich
These negotiations are not about Iran, but they are centered on Iran. The outcome of these talks is equally important to all countries, specifically to Russia and China --and to a lesser degree, Europe. For the first time since the end of the Cold War, there is a perception of a shift away from the unipolar world. At this fateful juncture, should America prevail in hijacking international law to suit its polices of the day (dictated by Israel), then all nations will be subjugated – including Russia and China
The Time Has Come For $15 Minimum Wage
By Mark Vorpahl
The struggles of fast food workers and others demanding a $15 minimum wage demonstrate that we are in the beginning stages of this promising possibility. Now, building that strength means mass mobilizations, workplace actions -- and sticking to core labor demands instead of ceding to a corporate political agenda whose legitimacy is plainly gone
Trading Women For Profit : The Commodification Of Everything And Everyone
By Graham Peebles
Millions of victims, innocent and vulnerable, are trafficked into a life of extreme exploitation, violent abuse and slavery. At the heart of this 21st century epidemic are women, mainly young: most are under 24, some are as young as six, always poor, desperate, and frightened. They make up 80% of an unknown total number of people trafficked every year
Vibrant Gujarat: The True Story About The Condition Of Women
By Sonika Dhingra
Kachcha Chittha Video Story 1 is about the condition of women, violence against women in Gujarat. It juxtaposes facts with tall claims made by the Gujarat Chief Minister Narandra Modi
World Bank Chief Condemned For Backing 4000MW India Coal Plant
By Nilima Choudhury
World Bank President Dr Jim Yong Kim’s commitment to addressing climate change has been questioned in a letter from 68 groups in 28 countries, angry at his support for a 4000MW coal power plant in the Indian state of Gujarat. A diverse array of organizations including Greenpeace, the Centre for Human Rights and Development in Mongolia and the National Fisheries Solidarity Movement accuse Kim of ignoring internal advice to reject funding for the plant, which will meet 2% of India’s power needs
Manmohan To Go To CHOGM In Disguise! - A Satire
By Satya Sagar
Countercurrents has in its possession a letter from Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse explaining why he is not going to attend the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)
Denial Of Visa To British Director Callum Macrae Is An Appeasement Of The Sri Lankan regime
Statement By Film Makers
We, the undersigned, strongly condemn the Indian government for refusing a visa to award winning British filmaker Callum Macrae, thereby preventing him from attending the premiere of his documentary ‘No Fire Zone’ in New Delhi and Mumbai. The denial of visa is clearly part of the Indian government’s appeasement of the Sri Lankan regime of Mahinda Rajapakse, which has been accused of war crimes during the last phases of the civil war in 2009, which resulted in the deaths of over 70,000 civilians
A ‘Gandhicare’ For India
By Arindam Majumder
Ensuring healthcare to every single citizen of the country is a cornerstone of being called a ‘developed’ nation. Providing a universal health insurance coverage will be an important step towards that direction
08 November, 2013
Typhoon Haiyan 'One Of The Strongest Storms Ever' Strikes The Philippines
By Countercurrents.org
Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest storms ever recorded, strikes the Philippines with gusts of up to 200mph (320km/h). Meteorologists say that if initial estimates based on satellite images are borne out, it could be the most powerful storm ever to make landfall
The Deep-Time Blueprints And Consequences Of The Anthropocene
By Andrew Glikson
The phenomenon of a biological species perpetrating a mass extinction of species through the fastest-rate climate change known, at least during the last 65 million years, cannot be reconciled with established principles Darwinian evolution. While the great late dinosaurs, having survived for nearly 200 million years, vanished unaware through an asteroid strike that raised global temperature by 7.5 degrees C, Homo sapiens over only a couple of centuries raised mean global temperature by near to 2 degrees C and is proceeding toward 4 degrees C, despite warnings by its own scientists
The Future Must Be Green, Red, Black, And Female
By Robert Jensen
The future of the human species—if there is to be a future—must be radically green, red, black and female
National Security Agency – The Only Part Of The Government
That Really Listens To What You Have To Say
By William Blum
I have on occasion asked people who reject or rationalize any and all criticism of US foreign policy: “What would the United States have to do in its foreign policy to lose your support? What, for you, would be too much?” I’ve yet to get a suitable answer to that question. I suspect it’s because the person is afraid that whatever they say I’ll point out that the United States has already done it
120 Reasons Why Australians Must Vote 1 Green & Put The Coalition Last
By Dr Gideon Polya
Detailed here are 120 reasons why Australians should reject the disgraceful Coalition. Mainstream media lying in Murdochracy, Lobbyocracy and Corporatocracy Australia ensures that most of these reasons are kept well away from the Australian public. Apprised of these matters, decent Australians will vote 1 Green and put the Coalition last. As outlined above, the Labor Opposition is just as bad as the Coalition but Australian voters faced with the problem of who to put last will take the core advice to punish the incompetent incumbent and toss out the climate criminal, war criminal Coalition Government at the next election. Please tell everyone you can
Postcard From The End Of America : Kensington
By Linh Dinh
The elevated train rumbles above Kensington Avenue , so riding on it, you can see all of these desolate windows on the upper floors, many of which are boarded up, bricked over or hollow. Ruins of factories loom nearby. Until recently, there was an open coffin in the yard of The Last Stop recovery center
Quebec Should Protect Religious Minorities
By Ashu Solo
Wake up, Canada. The Quebec charter of values is thinly veiled religious bigotry. Let us protect the rights of the minority from the discriminatory will of the majority
Fukushima: Arranging The Deck Chairs While Death Comes From Japan
By Timothy V. Gatto
Fukushima continues to leak, and leak at ever increasing rates and the latest prediction is that this contamination will continue until 2015, at the earliest. Until then, will the Pacific Ocean be poisoned beyond repair (if this has not happened already)?
Teenager Andy Lopez Killing By Sheriff - Update
By Shepherd Bliss
The October 22 killing here of 13-year-old Andy Lopez by a hail of bullets from sheriff’s deputy Erick Gelhaus has resulted in daily peaceful marches, prayer vigils and speaking events honoring Lopez and calling for justice, as thousands in the northern California community continue to mourn and express outrage
Public Action And A Lifeline For Rural Workers: An Interview With Jean Dreze
By Justin Podur
Jean Dreze is an economist and activist who teaches at Allahabad University's Department of Economics. He has written on famines with Amartya Sen, who won the Nobel Prize for Economics for work on the issue. Justin Podur met him in India earlier this year and interviewed him over email
07 November, 2013
CO2 Levels Hit Record High Again, “Time Is Not On Our Side”
By Countercurrents.org
The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen to a record high – again, says the World Metereological Organisation. The report says, limiting climate change will require large and sustained reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. We need to act now, otherwise we will jeopardize the future of our children, grandchildren and many future generations. “Time is not on our side.”
Fukushima And Catastrophic Climate Change: The Earth Community In Hospice
By Carolyn Baker
As I write these words in early November, 2013, humanity is confronting an unprecedented and horrific challenge which it may or may not survive. I’m referring to two uncanny realities about which we are not being told the unmitigated truth
Ten Years After "The Party’s Over: Oil, War And the Fate of Industrial Societies"
By Richard Heinberg
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the publication of Richard Heinberg's book The Party’s Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies, which has seen two editions and many printings, translations into eight languages, and sales of roughly 50,000 copies in North America. The end of The Party’s Over’s first decade coincides with a widespread re-evaluation of what has come to be known as peak oil theory (which the book helped popularize). So it’s a good time to take stock of both
10 Years After 'The Party's Over': An interview With Richard Heinberg
By Rob Hopkins
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the publication of The Party's Over. Richard and I pulled up a chair under a tree in his garden and chatted more about the book, its impact, and other related issues
The Jewish Paradox Arising From The Curse of Zionism
By Alan Hart
I was inspired (perhaps I should say provoked) to write this piece by something U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden said in his speech to the recent J Street National Conference in Washington DC. He recalled visiting Golda Meir when she was Israel’s prime minister and he was a junior senator. Her parting words to him were, he said, these: “We Jews have a secret weapon in our conflict with the Arabs: We have no place else to go.” So what, really, was Golda’s message to Biden by implication?
Asking The Wrong Questions: Did Arab Revolutions Fail?
By Ramzy Baroud
Arab revolutions have not failed, but they have not succeeded either. They have simply challenged the status quo like never before. The outcome of the new conflicts will define the politics of the region, its future, and the relationships between governments and the upcoming generations of Arabs
Swiss Banks, Harvard And Mars: In India Everything Is Okay!
By Colin Todhunter
Fly me to the Moon… or Mars. It doesn't really matter as long as the Indian political and economic elites and sections of the cheer-leading middle classes quench their insatiable patriotic thirst for delusional superpower status. Noises coming from those involved in ‘Mission Mars' state that sending a probe to Mars (ahead of China) will only boost national morale
Irom Sharmila’s ‘Attempted Suicide’ Enters 14th Year, Democracy's Murder 56 th
By Samar
Irom Sharmila Chanu’s story is a bizarre, almost schizophrenic, tale of absurdities. It has a woman who has not eaten a morsel for a full 13 years. It has a state that has kept her incarcerated for most part of all these years and is force feeding her through a tube in her nose. The fast has wasted her body from within. It has caused her to stop menstruating. Medical reports indicate severe damage to many of her internal organs
06 November, 2013
UNEP Report Warns Global Efforts To Combat Climate Change Could Fail
By Countercurrents.org
Global efforts to prevent dangerous levels of climate change are on course to fail, says a UN report released November 5, 2013 . The UN Environment Programme says current pledges to reduce emissions are inadequate, and likely to see options to limit warming to 2C above pre-industrial levels fade by 2020
#MillionMaskMarch, Global Civil Disobedience And A Crowd-Source Democracy
By Nozomi Hayase
Remember, remember the 5th of November! On Tuesday, November 5th, protesters wearing Guy Fawkes masks gathered all around the world to rally in over 400 cities. Twitter hashtag #MillionMaskMarch became the banner that united people across borders. From saying no! to Monsanto's GM foods to calling for an end to the global mass surveillance by the National Security Agency, this legion goes beyond political and ideological allegiance to call out government and corporate corruption
Obama Administration Pledges To Continue Illegal Spying Programs
By Joseph Kishore
The Obama administration is responding to the latest series of exposures of the massive National Security Agency spying operations by insisting that all the programs will continue, while intensifying its campaign against NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden
An Attack On Iran Could Escalate Into Global Nuclear War
By John Scales Avery
Despite the willingness of Iran's new President, Hassan Rouhani to make all reasonable concessions to US demands, Israeli pressure groups in Washington continue to demand an attack on Iran. But such an attack might escalate into a global nuclear war, with catastrophic consequences
American Death Spiral In The Middle East
By Bob Dreyfuss
Put in context, the simultaneous raids in Libya and Somalia last month, targeting an alleged al-Qaeda fugitive and an alleged kingpin of the al-Shabab Islamist movement, were less a sign of America’s awesome might than two minor exceptions that proved an emerging rule: namely, that the power, prestige, and influence of the United States in the broader Middle East and its ability to shape events there is in a death spiral
The Illegality, Illegitimacy And Immorality Of U.S. Drone Strikes
By Larry Everest
Why should anyone accept U.S. drone strikes, Obama's lies, and most fundamentally, this kind of world?
The Numbers Game: New Research Shows That US Has Saved Millions Of Iraqi Lives
By Kieran Kelly
A political satire
My Promise To Children
By Robert J. Burrowes
From today, I promise that I will try to no longer inflict this violence on you, including that which I call 'punishment' so that I can pretend that I am not using violence, and I will do all that I can to stop other adults inflicting violence on you as well
Saudis Fight A Lost Battle Against Change
By Nicola Nasser
The ongoing aggressive Saudi policy for a militarized “regime change” in Syria is more an expression of internal vulnerability, trying hopelessly to avert change outside their borders lest change sweeps inside, than being a positive show of leadership and power, but Syrian developments are proving by the day that the Saudis are fighting a lost battle against change
Human Rights Advocate: Censor Them!
By Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich
On November 4th, Iranian lawyer and the 2003 Nobel Laureate announced that the United States and Europe should ban Iran from using broadcast satellites. Censor them, is what this ‘human rights’ advocate is suggesting. Shocking as this is, given Ebadi’s track record, the call for censorship comes as no surprise
A Secular Offensive?
By Mukul Dube
One reality that is clear to all is that the secular forces in India do not act: we only react. The other side lights fires and we rush to douse the flames. We leave the embers glowing, which makes it easy for the next fire to be lit. Having done what we can to repair the damage caused by the fire, we retreat to our seminar rooms and our writing desks: and there we stay until the next fire forces us off our backsides. We let loose torrents of words but accomplish little or nothing. Is it not time to mount a secular offensive?
Denial Of Visa To Callum Macrae A Repressive Act
By Khurshid Anwar, Dr Apoorvanand & Satya Sivaraman
Statement on denial of Indian visa to ‘No Fire Zone’ director Callum Macrae
‘Statue Of Unity’ On One Side: Asthi Kalsh Yatra On The Other
By Ram Puniyani
In the last week of October-first week of November, we saw two contradictory processes. On one side the foundation stone was laid for the statue of first Deputy Prime Minister of India, Saradar Vallabhbhai Patel, being called as Statue of Unity. On the other side the BJP in Bihar was taking out ‘Asthi Kalash’ (Pitcher of Ashes), of the blast victims in Patna. These victims died while the blasts took place in Modi’s Hunkar rally. While Patel completed the last lag of India’s unity as a nation, BJP combine’s Asthi Yatra Kalsh Yatra has meanwhile taken further the techniques which are divisive, and are an attack on the values of Fraternity ingrained in Indian Constitution. How do we understand the unity of India to begin with?
05 November, 2013
Ethics Abandoned: Medical Professionalism
And Detainee Abuse In The “War On Terror”
By James Brewer
A report released on Monday by a 20-member task force of physicians, lawyers and human rights experts charges that US military and intelligence forces “improperly demanded that U.S. military and intelligence agency health professionals collaborate in intelligence gathering and security practices in a way that inflicted severe harm on detainees in U.S. custody.”
Oceans Heating Up Faster Now Than In The Past 10,000 Years, Find Scientists
By Countercurrents.org
A new study suggests the oceans are warming more rapidly than any time during the past 10,000 years. This is one of the conclusions that have been drawn from a recently conducted study, report of which has been published in the reputed journal Science
World’s Carbon Budget Could Be Blown By 2034, Says PwC
By Sophie Yeo
The planet could face irreversible and potentially catastrophic levels of global warming in just over 20 years unless the world commits to a much higher rate of decarbonisation. A new report from leading consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) says that the amount of greenhouse gas emissions countries can release is likely to be blown by 2034
Geoengineering: A Pick- Your- Poison Solution
By Countercurrents.org
Although a significant build-up in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere would alter worldwide precipitation patterns, a widely discussed technological approach to reduce future global warming would also interfere with rainfall and snowfall, finds a new research. Geoengineering doesn't cure the problem, tells lead author of the study report
Why Bullshit Matters!
By Satya Sagar
As the future of the Earth may depend on our willingness to go back to the sources of life and living processes and reject the very masculine ‘worship of death’ that modern industrial civilization has become today
Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire's Open Letter to America
By Mairead Maguire
Mother Agnes Mariam, one of the leaders of the Mussalaha (reconciliation) Movement in Syria, is on a speaking tour of America this November. Mother Agnes Mariam has sat at a table with the prime minister of Syria has and has eaten olives with a rebel leader. And recently she risked her life to negotiate the safe passage of thousands of civilians and of many fighters from a conflict zone. Mother Agnes is bringing to America a universal message your country knows well. She presents it through the story of Syria. I encourage you to hear the story of Syria
Jackie Robinson: I Never Had it Made
By Marc Norton
Review of the movie "42", on Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era
American Hunger And The Christian right
By Mary Shaw
I have seen hunger, up close and personal, right here in the richest nation on the planet. And, despite what the so-called "Christian" right keeps telling us, I know that laziness does not explain why poor people are poor
Six Million Children Under The Age Of Five Died Last Year Mostly From Easily Treatable Diseases
By Brian McAfee
Six million children under the age of five died last year mostly from easily treatable diseases. Most of the deaths have been from pneumonia, malaria, or diarrhea. Over 70% of these deaths have occurred in Africa and South-East Asia. Nearly half of all under five deaths occur in five countries, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, China, India, Nigeria and Pakistan
Israel And The Dangers Of Ethnic Nationalism: An Interview With Jonathan Cook
By Joseph Cotto
Jonathan Cook has covered the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for the past 12 years. Extracts from this interview with Joseph Cotto were published in several articles by the Washington Times Communities website
13 Years Of Fast: A Consistent ‘Satyagrah’ Of A Woman
By Ravi Nitesh
With the 5th November this year, a lady named Irom Sharmila is completing her 13 year of fast. She is imprisoned to security ward of JLN Hospital of Imphal on the charges of 'commit to suicide attempt' since last many years. With the general procedure of law, she appears in court on the date of hearing and judge ask her if she will continue her fast, and she replies in positive. People are emotional for her, she has moral support from all over world
Vigilance And Corruption: Where Is Governance Headed?
By S.G.Vombatkere
The Supreme Court has directed union and state governments to constitute a Civil Services Board (CSB) to manage transfers, postings, promotions, etc., of civil servants, to insulate bureaucracy from interference by politicians. This welcome direction is based upon a PIL, which seeks to minimize if not eliminate one aspect of political corruption in governance that impinges upon effective delivery of services to the people. In view of the judiciary having to step in to issue a directive that implicitly speaks of failure of the political executive and legislators, it is well to take a close look at governance and its bases. Further, since governance is by people and is supposed to be for people, the individual and instutional aspects of corruption and vigilance that affect governance need to be examined
Combatting Societal Challenges Through Peace Education In Schools
By Swaleha Sindhi
No education system is complete without peace education. It may take such forms as moral, value or citizenship, democratic or global education, peace education can be defined as an educational response to the problem of human violence. Schools can directly benefit by adopting peace education. There is ample evidence to show that it improves the quality of teaching and learning, discipline, and helps emotional development in children
Defying Dominance In Life And Letters: Rajendra Yadav (1929–2013)
By Braj Ranjan Mani
Would his legacy of giving voice to the voiceless in the literary–cultural domain outlive Rajendra Yadav's contribution as a creative writer? The answer, going by a large number of his admirers who are mourning his death all over the Hindi-speaking states, seems to be an unambiguous yes
01 November, 2013
US, Australia Face Backlash Over Spy Operations In Asia
By Peter Symonds
Already mired in a diplomatic crisis in Europe over National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance operations, Washington—as well as Canberra—is facing a backlash in Asia over the latest revelations that the NSA, working in tandem with Australian agencies, intercepted phone calls and data from embassies throughout the region
How Economic Growth Has Become Anti-Life
By Vandana Shiva
An obsession with growth has eclipsed our concern for sustainability, justice and human dignity. But people are not disposable – the value of life lies outside economic development
“ Collateral Murder”: Evidence of Genocide
By Kieran Kelly
The video known as “Collateral Murder” is strong evidence of genocide being carried out by the US against the people of Iraq. Hidden in the horrors of its brutality is a rich historical record revealing an armed force which systematically targets and kills non-combatants. The events shown are war crimes violating the principle of non-combatant immunity in numerous clearly illegal ways including attacking those rendering aid to the wounded. They are also evidence of genocide because there are clear indications that these war crimes are representative of enshrined procedures
White House Expected To Ease Sanctions Targeting Syria
By Franklin Lamb
Additional easing of Syrian sanctions is expected by mid-November according to staff at the US Treasury Department’s Office of Financial Asset Control
A New Phase Of Neoliberalism In Iran: The Untold Story Of Iran's "Moderate" Government
By Soheil Asefi
The privatization trend in the Islamic Republic of Iran is entering a new phase, which is an important story. Unfortunately, it has been drowned out by a heated "debate of the month" in the mainstream Persian media within Iran and in the Iranian diaspora. This debate is all about the Rouhani-Obama story, plotted around the new round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the "international community." But what about the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA)? It is in this organization and in these sectors that what really matters to workers has been happening
Refusing To Understand Iran
By Dan Lieberman
Debates do not provide a clear definition of Iran's position in the international battlefields or allow a satisfactory appraisal of its role in Middle East civil disturbances and instabilities
Killing Of Teenager Andy Lopez Ignites Latino Community
By Shepherd Bliss
On the eighth day of mourning and mass protests, hundreds of youths, families and residents marched Wednesday evening to Santa Rosa's central square to demand justice for the killing last week of 13-year-old Andy Lopez — shot seven times on the street by a sheriff's deputy who mistook the boy's airgun for an assault rifle
Prosecutors, Panhandlers, And Politicians
By Rosemarie Jackowski
Unrest and dissention in a beautiful small New England town...and at the height of tourist season. Actually, it is the tourist season that has led to this. The economy is bad. Stores and motels are not making the level of profit they want. When the bottom line suffers there is usually a search for someone to blame. History shows that often those who are most vulnerable take the blame when anything goes wrong. Panhandlers are an easy target group
V Prabaharan: A Forgotten Enigma?
By Chandi Sinnathurai
The Tamils overall are going through a cathartic ‘withdrawal symptoms’. They have indeed learnt the lesson the hard way that counter terror or retaliatory violence has a way of slowly eroding the common humanity from within. The might of the gun is not always right! All humans are equal. The struggle of the Tamils was about equal human rights in the land of their ancestors. However, when the non-violent struggle transformed into an armed warfare, both sides, in the scourge of war and terror, lost sight of the first principle: All humans are humans
Modi Is Abusing History For Political Mileage
By Ram Puniyani
At this point of time to compare RSS-BJP-Modi with any other electoral formation is dangerous as BJP is a different cup of tea, it is molded for Hindu nationalism, and Modi with his fascist tendencies is unable to conceal his fangs. Those equating BJP-Modi with any other party are doing a fatal mistake, which the country may have to regret later at the cost of losing democracy
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