31 October , 2012
Koodankulam Could Be Another Bhopal Disaster In Waiting: Noam Chomsky
Press Release By Koodankulam Solidarity Group
Internationally acclaimed academician Noam Chomsky of Massachussets Institute of Technology of the United States has said that Koodankulam could be another Bhopal disaster in waiting. He expressed this grave warning as part of the poster campaign being organized in Countercurrents.org as a solidarity gesture to the struggling people of Koodankulam, against the nuclear power plant
Koodankulam People Seek Support Of Global Community
By PMANE
Scores of countries around the world have chosen not to hoard fissile material, develop or test nuclear weapons, or build nuclear power plants. In fact, many countries that have relied heavily on nuclear power so far have decided to phase out. So let us make a solemn resolve here and now to build a new world that has no Uranium mines, no nuclear reactors, no waste dumps and no nuclear weapons
Hurricane Sandy Leaves 8 Million Without Power In US
By Kate Randall
Hurricane Sandy came ashore in New Jersey Monday evening and steamed inland on Tuesday, delivering punishing winds, rain and snow. The US death toll rose to 40, with many of the victims killed by falling trees. More than 8 million people were left without power
Hurricane Sandy Reiterates Scientists’ Observation And Questions Conservatives
By Countercurrents.org
Hurricane Sandy has reiterated observation scientists made while has challenged “assertion” of a section of conservative politicians
Hurricane Sandy: A Moment For Eco-Socialism
By Billy Wharton
Changes will not happen overnight. They will require a political revolution , a rising up by regular people who demand a more rational approach to life in the era of climate change. They will require a new impetus to tax wealth in order to transform the society. Our demand should be for safety in the present and equilibrium with nature in the future. The alternative is many more Frankenstorms as both the environment and mainstream politics continue to deteriorate. Eco-socialism offers a road away from this
The Tribes of New York: Back To The future?
By Mickey Z.
As the effects of Hurricane Sandy left much of lower Manhattan (and elsewhere) in the dark, I couldn’t help but recall the events -- and lessons -- of Aug. 14, 2003: the day/night of the Eastern seaboard’s most recent major blackout
A Sobering Report From The Eco-Summit
By Elliot Campbell
I think that we are and as such, given a non-zero potential for catastrophe, it is immoral for society to continue on the path of ecological ignorance, over-consumption, and exponential growth. It is up to those who realize this, my peers in the scientific community and aware citizens like those who are reading this blog, to give this message and hopefully, eventually, affect positive change that will ripple out to the local, national and global scale creating a better future with less
The Commons As A Transformative Vision
By David Bollier
We are hard-wired to cooperate and participate in commons. One might even say that it is our destiny. While the commons may seem odd within the context of 21st Century market culture, it is precisely why the language of the commons is experiencing such a strong resurgence these days: It speaks to something buried deep within us. It prods us to deconstruct the oppressive political culture and consciousness that the market/state duopoly demands, and whispers of new possibilities that only we can actualize
Ocean Mining: An Impending Doom In The Deep Depth
By Omar Rashid Chowdhury
The world has reached an epoch of endless extremities — extremes of scarcity, extremes of want, extremes of resource depletion and extremes of exploitation. As earth is constantly robbed of its now scant resources, the prevailing system searches new ways to spoil. Enterprises to mine deep ocean floors are now at work as known sources of minerals are getting depleted
Equality Denied To The Energy Poor
By Farooque Chowdhury
The global energy reality exposes an aspect of the energy crisis: equality denied. Billions in this planet is the embodiment of this denial, one of the manifestations of the energy crisis along class line
Detroit: Turnaround vs. Transformation
By Tom Stephens
The neoliberal corporate austerity regimes that are aggressively taking over the world, from Greece and Italy to Wisconsin and California, have not left Detroit unmolested. Although it’s far too often viewed in corporate media thru the frame of “ruins porn,” as a hopeless post-industrial wasteland and human slag heap, in fact well over half a million souls still call the former Motor City home. You’d never know it from the vapid local media or political leadership, but there are exciting, transformative things happening in the streets and at the grassroots
Eid “Sensations”
By Buddy Bell
It would be bad enough if the only effect of the US troop presence in Afghanistan were the increase in militant recruitment and the follow-through of increased attacks against civilian and military targets. Unfortunately, the US military is also an active participant in homicidal negligence, as the killing of 3 Ghazni farmers (a man, woman and child) in a night raid on October 29 recently showed
The Film "The Flat" Falls Flat: A Highly Praised Israeli "Documentary"
Manipulates Its Audiences
By Dan Lieberman
Rather than have a documentary investigate the discourse between Zionists and Nazis to transport Jews from Germany to Palestine , a film diverts to an attempt to prove there is no such person as a rehabilitated SS officer
Unmatched Saga of Relentless Struggle - Irom Sharmila Chanu
By Mandavi
Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign is observing 12 Article series to reflect 12 years of suppression of Irom Sharmila's fast. Irom Sharmila is completing her 12 years of fast on 5th November. This is the seventh in the series
Revival Of Communal Agenda In Uttar-Pradesh
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
Faizabad burnt horribly on the Dusshera day when crowd attacked many places of Muslims including some of the mosques too because of a rumor of the theft of idols from Devkali temple by the Muslim miscreants
30 October , 2012
Massive Hurricane Hits Northeastern US
By Fred Mazelis
A deadly hurricane hit the densely populated northeastern United States on October 29, affecting tens of millions of people and posing a grave threat to the region’s transit and power infrastructure
Frankenstorm: Meteorologist Warns Hurricane Sandy
An Outgrowth of Global Warming’s Extreme Weather
By Amy Goodman
Forecasters say Hurricane Sandy is a rare hybrid superstorm created by an Arctic jet stream from the north wrapping itself around a tropical storm from the south. Jeff Masters, director of meteorology at the Weather Underground, warns that such a "Frankenstorm," as it is called, is an outgrowth of the extreme weather changes caused by global warming
Hurricane Sandy Has Drowned The New York I Love
By Bill McKibben
New York is the city I love best, and I'm trying to imagine it from a distance tonight. The lurid, flash-lit instagram images of floating cars in Alphabet City or water pouring out of the East River into Dumbo, the reports of bridges to the Howard Beach submerging and facades falling off apartment houses – it all stings. It's as horrible in its very different way as watching 9/11
Frankenstorm Sandy Shuts Down Parts Of Two Nuclear Power Plants
And Puts Another On Alert In The US
By Countercurrents.org
One of the units at Indian Point, a plant about 45 miles north of New York City, was shut down Monday because of external electrical grid issues. One unit at the Salem plant in Hancocks Bridge, N.J., near the Delaware River, was shut down Tuesday because four of its six circulating water pumps were no longer available. At Pennsylvania's Susquehanna plant in Salem Township, officials were ready to activate their emergency plan, a precursor to taking the plant offline, if sustained winds hit 80 mph
German Journalist Weiland Wagner Detained At Koodankulam Released
By Countercurrents.org
In another instance of police high handedness German journalist Weiland Wagner was detained at koodankulam and later released after five and hours of police interrogation. This evening, Wieland Wagner, a reporter with German magazine Der Spiegel was picked up after he reportedly entered the Koodankulam nuclear power plant seeking an interview with officials. He was stopped after he went past the security at the first gate. Mr. Wieland Wagner was released from the Pazhavur police station at around 10 p.m. after having been detained and detained for nearly 5.30 hours
Climate Crisis Is Increasing Malaria, Meningitis, Dengue, UN Agencies Find
By Countercurrents.org
There are spikes in meningitis when dust storms hit and outbreaks of dengue fever when hard rains come. This is shown in "Atlas of Health and Climate" by the World Health Organization and World Meteorological Organization. The atlas has mapped the intersection of health and climate in an age of global warming
Transition Town Fujino Goes For Local Energy Independence
By Carol Smith
In the wake of the Fukushima disaster, the working group Fujino Denryoku (“ denryoku” meaning “electric power”) was established to help people break away from their dependence on electricity provided by the traditional power utilities and transition towards self-sufficient, locally-distributed energy created with the participation of local people. Although the system does not suffice for all the electricity needed, it can reduce dependency on power utilities. To enhance energy independence means to have a “lifeline backup”, boosting resilience
Economic Growth: The Missing Link In Environmental Journalism
By Brian Czech
Environmental journalists don’t have an obligation to environmental protection. But they do have a unique opportunity. They have the opportunity to raise awareness of the whole truth, however inconvenient, that environmental protection doesn’t square with economic growth
Globalization Is The Number One Health Risk Facing Humanity
By Thom Hartmann
In the past - diseases like tuberculosis and malaria have been number one health concerns around the world. But not anymore. In today's world - globalization is the number one health risk facing humanity. A new study released this week by the Blacksmith Institute reveals, for the first time ever, the impact of industrial pollutants on communities across the planet. It found that industrial waste dump sites containing lead, mercury, chromium, pesticides, and other toxic horrors, poison more than 125 million people in 49 different low and middle income nations around the planet
Listening To Our Own Voices
By Anitha S
Ignesh, a boy from Idinthakarai, the nerve centre of Koodankulam struggle, recounts his experiences of the struggle
Survival And Dignity In An Afghan Winter
By Kathy Kelly
The United Nations notes that, in camps around Kabul, as many as 35,000 refugees from the fighting had only tents and mud huts to protect them from the cold. In those camps alone, 26 Afghan children froze to death this past winter, with nationwide casualties in triple digits. Among Afghanistan's ongoing burdens of destitution and war, of course temperatures are now dropping again
Five Easy Post-Election Predictions (No Matter Who Wins)
By Shamus Cooke
It's true that Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have many political differences. But they also agree on many essential policies; enough to make the next four years easily predictable, no matter who wins. Here are five predictions based on the most important shared beliefs of the two candidates
Energy Inequality And Energy Poor Are Political Questions
By Farooque Chowdhury
The energy crisis in its entirety is fundamentally political in character as the dominating classes in the centre of the world system and their compradors in the periphery (and now the nouveau rich in a few countries that are moving away from the periphery towards the centre) are involved with the crisis, and as these classes and their interests could not have appropriated and squandered the global energy resources without the political mechanism they control, and without the political “game” they play with
In The World's Largest Democracy, A Democratic Voice Silenced For 12 Years
By Pallavi Ghosh
Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign is observing 12 Article series to reflect 12 years of suppression of Irom Sharmila's fast. Irom Sharmila is completing her 12 years of fast on 5th November. This is the sixth in the series
Corrupt Capitalism -- The Denial Of Equality Of Opportunity
By Adnan Al-Daini
A child does not choose his/her parents; a fair society is one that gives him/her the opportunity to have a life economically more rewarding than the parents; it is also a waste of the latent talent in society
29 October , 2012
Nuke Power: Most Are Giving Up While A Few Embrace
By Countercurrents.org
A number of countries are going to discard nuclear power while China and India are looking to it as a solution to their power problem. Even as the west retreats, the nuclear industry may be about to rise again – in the developing world. In the last few days, China announced plans to restart its massive £170bn reactor building program, intended to create generating capacity so large that it could power the whole of Spain
Global Warming Will Send Phytoplankton Near The Poles
By Countercurrents.org
In the future, warmer waters could significantly change ocean distribution of populations of phytoplankton, tiny organisms that could have a major effect on climate change
Oil Companies Go Unpunished For Spills And Billions Of Dollars Of Gas Is Wasted
By Countercurrents.org
In the North Sea , oil companies go unpunished despite thousands of oil spills while because of flaring $50bn worth of gas is wasted annually
Our Words Are Our Weapons
By Rebecca Solnit
Names matter; language matters; truth matters. In this era when the mainstream media serve obfuscation and evasion more than anything else (except distraction), alternative media, social media, demonstrations in the streets, and conversations between friends are the refuges of truth, the places where we can begin to rectify the names. So start talking
Energy Inequality And Energy Poor, Ignored Aspects Of Energy Crisis
By Farooque Chowdhury
The crisis in energy has cropped up on the soil of class interest as energy consumption moves along class line. In the present day world, the more a class possesses the more energy it consumes, and as a consequence, wars the class wages for accumulation and for maintaining its high-energy consuming life style aggravate the energy situation pushing it to the level of crisis
The Quest For Truth And Peace
By Gary Steven Corseri
A Conversation with Gareth Porter, noted journalist and social historian, recently honored with UK's distinguished Gellhorn Prize
Venezuela: The Future Of ‘21st Century Socialism' After The Poll
By Federico Fuentes
His re-election to the presidency in the face of a reinvigorated opposition, demonstrated once again that most Venezuelans believe he is the sole figure capable of leading the country forward. The future of the process will depend on increasing the self-organisation of the masses and the development of a collective leadership that can support, and be capable of substituting for Chavez's singular role
Euphemisms Away!
By Gaither Stewart
A world in which truth is a dying species
Censorship By Australian Taxpayer-Funded The Conversation And The ABC ( Australia 's BBC)
By Dr Gideon Polya
Peace is the only way but silence kills and silence is complicity. We are obliged by love of country and of humanity in general to oppose censorship by omission and commission, the more so when these perversions threaten mass destruction of human life through perversion of rational risk management
Troubled Children Adopted By Homo/Heterosexual Parents Flourish Equally Well
By Thomas Riggins
New scientific study reveals that troubled children adopted ay Homo/Heterosexual parents flourish equally well
Richard Falk Does His Duty
By Chandra Muzaffar
Once again, the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur for the Palestinian Territories, Professor Richard Falk, has shown tremendous courage and integrity in calling for the boycott of major Multi-National Corporations (MNCs) that have dealings with Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem “until they adhere to international rights, standards and practices.”
Symbol Of Communal Harmony In Faizabad Attacked
By Sandeep Pandey
The office of Manzar Mehdi, who edits 'Aap ki Taqat' a daily which he has been bringing out for the last six years as publisher too, in which the left page is in Hindi and the right one in Urdu with the slogan 'Hindu Muslim are two brothers and Hindi Urdu are two sisters,' was ransacked the other day
The Oblivious Truth of Irom Sharmila And Her Hunger Strike of 12 years
By Abhijit Bhomia
Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign is observing 12 Article series to reflect 12 years of suppression of Irom Sharmila's fast. Irom Sharmila is completing her 12 years of fast on 5th November. This is the fifth in the series
Four Days Of News Paper Blackout In West Bengal
By Ranjit Sur
An unthinkable and unprecedented thing happened in West Bengal. That too without much noise. Four days of news paper blackout. Not a single newspaper was published from 22nd October to 25th October throughout West Bengal- during Durga Puja days
The Greatest Internal Security Threat
By Shweta Radhakrishnan
In the world's largest democracy, it seems that being poor is the worst crime one can commit. If the Maoists' guns are cause for worry, it is also worrisome that in several parts, the government is acquiring land through a mixture of force and coercion. In such a climate, our greatest internal threat is 'civil society's' complete lack of political engagement, our inability to think outside our own interests and our disinterest in challenging the government in its slow murder of democracy
28 October , 2012
Fukushima May Still Be Leaking Radiation Into Sea
By Common Dreams
The Fukushima nuclear plant may still be leaking radiation into the sea, according to an article published Friday in the journal Science. According to the analysis from Ken Buesseler, senior scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution of the United States, 40% of bottom feeding fish near the site of the nuclear disaster still show elevated levels of radiation
Sweden Imports Waste From European Neighbors To Fuel Waste-To-Energy Program
Living on Earth
Sweden's successful waste-to-energy program converts household waste into energy for heating and electricity. But they've run into an unusual problem: they simply aren't generating enough trash to power the incinerators, so they've begun importing waste from European neighbors
Koodankulam: 71 Activists Arrested on Way to Protests in Chennai Planned on 29th October
By Dianuke.org
About 29 activists from different organizations lending support to the people of Koodankulam against the KKNPP have been taken under preventive detention by Tamilnad police. This comes at a time when PMANE along with solidarity movements from across the state, had decided to hold peaceful & democratic protest demonstration in front of the Tamilnadu State Legislature on the 29th of October
Amid Spending Cuts And Rising Unemployment,
Thousands Protest In Spain, Police Also Joins
By Countercurrents.org
Thousands of people have joined protests in Madrid, the Spanish capital city on October 27, 2012. The people are angered by budget cuts and calling on the government to quit. Austerity protests also took place in Barcelona, Valencia and other cities . An estimated 3,000 police from the National Force have also protested the cuts. They played their whistles, set off firecrackers, and played music
RINO versus DINO
By Francis A. Boyle
Obmas versus Romoney is RINO versus DINO. Tweedledum versus Tweedledee
Know Your History: Beware Democrat Heroes
By Mickey Z
With less than two weeks to go before a presidential election, it is beyond irresponsible for someone speaking at an OWS event to present the illusion—the blatant lie—that the Democratic Party is anything but an equal partner in the ever-growing catalogue of U.S. war crimes and the covering up of such abhorrent behavior
Diary Entry Of Irom Sharmila On The Eve Of 5th November
By Shekhar Jain
If I were Irom Sharmila, my diary entry on the eve of 5th November would have been
When India Visits Kashmir
By Sheikh Saaliq
Kashmiri’s are even asked to open their lunch boxes also and when asked why? They say it’s just a routine security check. Jammed mobile networks and Internet, frisking at every possible corner, traffic jams, sudden cordons and a common Kashmiri caged in his own home. Yes, this is what happens, When India visits Kashmir!
A Sting On Media
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
The Jindal expose of the Zee TV has actually brought into limelight the delicate media industry relationship. It has also highlighted that how media has been selective and using the news to make and unmake people, tarnish reputation and develop perception without doing its home work. Sting operations are not acceptable legally but then media never cared for that and finally became its own victim
Making Education Relevant To Village Children
By Yoginder Sikand
There are several reasons why I chose to travel all the way to a remote village in eastern Arunachal Pradesh to volunteer as a teacher in a private school, but a positive appreciation of the value of formal schooling is certainly not one of them. The more time I spend with my students, the more confirmed I seem to be growing in my conviction that the formal schooling system is seriously flawed
The Batang Kali Tragedy
By Dr. Chandra Muzaffar
It is commendable that the Malaysian Government is getting members of Parliament regardless of their political affiliation to sign a petition seeking an official apology from the British Government for the Batang Kali massacre of 12 December 1948
27 October , 2012
Fukushima Operators Struggle To Contain 'Outrageous Amount' Of Radioactive Water
By Common Dreams
Operators of Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi plant are having trouble storing a perpetual accumulation of radioactive cooling water from the plant's broken reactors. The plant currently holds 200,000 tonnes of highly contaminated waste water, used to cool the broken reactors, but operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, continues to struggle to find ways to store the toxic substance. TEPCO has said they are running out of room to build more storage tanks and the volume of water will more than triple within three years
Peak Oil vs. Global Warming
By Peter Goodchild
Between one monster and another there may be not much too choose. We can, however, at least hope that the two beasts manage to kill each other off
Increased Ozone Harms Forests And Rivers
By Countercurrents.org
Rising levels of ozone, a GHG, may amplify the impacts of higher temperatures and reduce streamflow from forests to rivers, streams, and other water bodies. Such effects could potentially reduce water supplies available to support forest ecosystems and people in the southeastern United States. This has been found by the US Forest Service and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) scientists
Boycott Companies Violating Human Rights Of The Palestinians, Says UN Expert
By Countercurrents.org
Call to boycott Caterpillar, Hewlett Packard, Motorola, Veolia Environment, G4S, Dexia, Volvo Group, Assa Abloy, Ahava, Elbit Systems, Mehadrin, Riwal Holding Group and Cemex has been made by the UN special investigator on human rights in the Palestinian territories. These companies are violating international human rights and humanitarian laws by exploiting Palestinian resources and helping Israel construct illegal settlements and provide security for them
Leadership And Reported Wealth In China
By Countercurrents.org
Huge wealth in China is now not a new issue. But connection between the Chinese leadership and Chinese new elites are creating controversies in different spheres. The following reports from the New York Times and the Guardian provide a few facts, which will be substantiated or nullified by time and future politics in China
Michigan's Proposal 2: Labor's Big Test
By Mark Vorpahl
Proposal 2, "Protect Our Jobs," in Michigan could give more bargaining power to unions
Long Live The Iron Lady Of Manipur- Irom Sharmila
By Asis Mishra
Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign is observing 12 Article series to reflect 12 years of suppression of Irom Sharmila's fast. Irom Sharmila is completing her 12 years of fast on 5th November. This is the third in the series
Rape: Patriarchy And Selective Historiography
By Ram Puniyani
While multiple theories and opinions on why rape as a phenomenon prevails, the major cause of this phenomenon, the patriarchy and the uneven gender relations need to be highlighted to be able to go to the root of the issue. Doing away with Khap and promoting the grass root democracy through Panchayat system will be the way towards a more just, gender just, sans the chains of the likes of Khap or their equivalents in some form or the other
26 October , 2012
UN Official: Aspects Of US Drone Program Clearly 'War Crimes'
By Common Dreams
The UN's special rapporteur on counterterrorism and human rights announced Thursday that the Human Rights Council at the UN will likely initiate an investigation into civilian deaths caused by the CIA and US military's use of drones and other targeted killing programs, and said that if certain allegations against the US prove true, he considers them serious enough to call "war crimes"
Food Game: Cake For Speculators And No Bread For People
By Countercurrents.org
Speculation with food is an area of huge profit by financial institutions. “More than 40 percent of grain futures can now be traced to financial institutions, which nearly doubled their commodity bets over the last five years — from $65 billion to $126 billion”
Police Brutalizes Demonstrators In Europe: Amnesty International
By Countercurrents.org
Anti-austerity demonstrators in Europe have suffered excessive police violence, Amnesty International said on October 25, 2012 in a report urging the EU governments to protect the right to peaceful protest
Remembering Russell Means
By Tom Hayden
Russell was a reminder that the wars against indigenous people, and the conquest of their resources, are far from over, and that we cannot be fully human until remorse with our eyes wide open allows the possibility of reconciliation
CBD Has Lost Its Track: Diego Pacheco
By M Suchitra
Bolivia is one of the few countries that has consistently been opposing treating biodiversity as a commodity at the ongoing Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biodiversity at Hyderabad. It has raised its voice against pro-market approaches in implementing the Strategic Plan and Aichi Targets of CBD. Even during the high-level ministerial segment of CoP 11, Bolivia did not leave any room for guessing while expressing its views. Diego Pacheco, head of the Bolivian delegation, explained his country's stand to M Suchitra. Some excerpts
In Praise Of A Midwife
By Billy Wharton
How a midwife helped the arrival of the author's second child
Innocence Crumpled: A Tale From The Dark Side Of Kashmir
By Haziq Qadri
She was tortured and humiliated at the age of fifteen inside a police station. Her respect compromised and her coming life shattered, Haseena, 23, reveals her struggle with the life after she was arrested and then tortured in custody
Stop Criminalising The Activists Fighting For People’s Rights
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
The imprisonment of Dr Sunilam and Damayani Barla reveals that Indian democracy is at serious risk
The State In Which They Lie
By Mansi Rastogi
Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign is observing 12 Article series to reflect 12 years of suppression of Irom Sharmila's fast. Irom Sharmila is completing her 12 years of fast on 5th November. This is the second in the series
The Armed Forces Special Powers Act : The Lawlessness Of A Law
By Anshul Kumar Pandey
The Armed Forces Special Powers Act is nothing but an arm twisting piece of legislation for state repression which needs to be repealed immediately
Lethal Hypocrisies—of Haunting Lily Pads
Book Review by Branford Perry
Review of "Lily Pad Roll: Journey to the Outposts of the Empire" the new novel by Gaither Stewart
25 October , 2012
Our Choice: A Shut Down, Either Temporary or Permanent
By Tom Whipple
It is becoming clearer all the time that mankind is approaching a major turning point in its tenure on this planet. Recent reports on the speed with which our climate is deteriorating suggest that much of our earth will become uninhabitable sometime within the next 100 to 200 years. Small pockets of humanoid DNA may make it through the climatic catastrophe ahead to establish new civilizations in coming millennia; however, very few of the some 7 billion of us running around on earth today are going to have living descendants a few hundred years from now
Proposing A Vision Of A New Earth
By Rajesh Makwana
The earth’s ecological problems stem largely from our collective failure to share. That might seem like an overly simplistic statement, but it is now increasingly evident that only by sharing the world’s resources more equitably and sustainably will we be able to address both the ecological and social crisis we face as a global community
The Populations Problem
By Herman Daly
The population problem should be considered from the point of view of all populations — populations of both humans and their artifacts (cars, houses, livestock, cell phones, etc.) — in short, populations of all “dissipative structures” engendered, bred, or built by humans. In other words, the populations of human bodies and of their extensions. Or in yet other words, the populations of all organs that support human life and the enjoyment thereof, both endosomatic (within the skin) and exosomatic (outside the skin) organs
Still Time Left To Talk About ‘Climate Change’ In US Elections
By Rolly Montpellier
In spite of an obvious reluctance for President Obama to discuss Climate Change, I hold the strong belief that he must, at the very least, mention the issue during the remaining weeks of his campaign. Not doing so is morally irresponsible and disappointing
Dominance Of Plastic: Arctic Deep Sea Bed Is Not Spared
By Countercurrents.org
The sea bed in the Arctic deep sea is increasingly strewn with litter and plastic waste, according to researchers
A Failed Formula For Worldwide War
By Nick Turse
Coming off the latest series of failures, the U.S. military has leapt headlong into yet another transitional period -- call it the changing face of empire -- but don’t expect a change in weapons, tactics, strategy, or even doctrine to yield a change in results. As the adage goes: the more things change, the more they stay the same
Revolution: Just Do It
By Mickey Z.
Revolution: You don’t need a $150 pair of sneakers to just do it...
Lala-Land: Minimizing Genocidal "Israel" As Mere Apartheid And The Myth Of "One State"
By Nahida the exiled Palestinian
This poll which clearly concludes that "Most of the Jewish public in Israel supports the establishment of an apartheid regime in Israel if it formally annexes the West Bank" comes as a slap in the face of those so called "supporters" who want to trick Palestinians into accepting the so called "One State" solution as an alternative to liberating Palestine, thus inviting "Israeli" Jews to EXPAND and ANNEX the entire land of Palestine, while knowing that such fabricated "society" is rampant with supremacy and racism
CIA Is The Foremost Criminal Organization In The World: Sherwood Ross
By Kourosh Ziabari
Interview with American journalist and political commentator Sherwood Ross
South Korean President Championing US Wars Saw Own Siblings Killed By US Bombs
By Jay Janson
In his autobiography, The Uncharted Path, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, writing of his youth during the American invasion of Korea, describes his tiny brother and sister being caught outdoors and wounded during a US bombing and despite all efforts slowly dying some days later. Lee Myung-bak's continuing loyalty to America's mass-homicidal foreign policy serving the Wall Street led international community of private investors is somewhat striking
Demystifying Medicine
By Satya Sivaraman
Book Review: The Art and Science of Healing Since Antiquity. By Daya Ram Varma
Questioning The World's Largest Democracy, A Fair Judiciary And Star-Obsessed Media
By Swathi Gadepalli
Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign is observing 12 Article series to reflect 12 years of suppression of Irom Sharmila's fast. Irom Sharmila is completing her 12 years of fast on 5th November. This is the first in the series
24 October , 2012
Maliki's Mass Graves
By Dirk Adriaensens
Biggest Iraqi mass-kidnapping mystery solved. Disappeared Ministry of Higher Education officials, arrested by the Iraqi National Police in November 2006, end up in mass grave
Greenpeace: Japanese Govt. 'Downplays' Radiation Threat
By Common Dreams
Environmental activist group Greenpeace reported Tuesday that government monitoring of radiation near the disabled Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan is unreliable, and that some heavily populated areas are exposed to 13 times the legal limit of radiation
Climate Crisis: Palm Trees In The Antarctic, 540% Increase
In Heat Related Deaths And Smaller Fishes
By Countercurrents.org
Climate crisis is going to bring in anomalies that at first glance appear “amazing”. But there is apprehension of increase in the number of heat related deaths and reduced size of fishes, possibilities of growth of palm trees in the Antarctic. The poor people are suffering
UK’s Drone Operation In Afghanistan Is Expanding
By Countercurrents.org
With tax payers money the UK is going to expand its drone operations in Afghanistan while its citizens’ wellbeing is below financial crisis level
World Revolution 2
By Alexander Tarasov
The Return to a Global Revolutionary Strategy Based on the Experience of the 20th Century
India Based Neutrino Observatory: Reply ToThe INO Responses
By VT Padmanabhan
A summary of the potential radiological, geological and ecological hazards from the laboratory was published in Countercurrents on 26 Sep 2012. INO has responded to this article on the website hosted by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research [TIFR] My replies to INO responses are given in the following paragraphs
Israel‘s Formula For A Starvation Diet: How 400 Trucks To Feed Gaza Became Just 67
By Jonathan Cook
Six and a half years go, shortly after Hamas won the Palestinian national elections and took charge of Gaza, a senior Israeli official described Israel’s planned response. “The idea,” he said, “is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger.”
Dispelling The Myth: Taxes And Job Creation
By Robert Emerick & David Rommereim
From 1946 to 1971, when the rich paid more tax, we had lower unemployment, much lower deficits, and higher real private sector growth. And we had all this prosperity and economic strength with higher tax rates on the wealthy
Lessons From 1962: Is 50 Years Not Enough?
By S.G.Vombatkere
Institutions and nations rarely if ever learn from successes, but it is possible and necessary to learn from institutional or national failure. This is particularly true of military operations. Today, 50 years since India and China went to war, there is vigorous public debate regarding India's humiliating defeat. It is vital that the “how” and “why” of the failure are brought to light so that India, as a mature democracy, can learn from them
Kashmir Question Remains Unanswered
By Aijaz Nazir
Recently separatist leaders warned the Government of serious consequences and threatened to launch a massive public campaign after Eid ul zuha, if the former did not stop the construction work on the road to Amarnath cave in the environmentally fragile area. This clearly indicates to revive the 2008 type protests. Will peace then continue or will Kashmir witness another agitation? “Question is still unanswered.”
23 October , 2012
Obama And Romney Concur On War,
Assassination And Reaction
By Bill Van Auken
In their debate on foreign policy Monday night, President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney voiced nearly identical positions in support of war, illegal killings and imperialist intervention across the globe
How Big Can One Election Get?
By Tom Engelhardt
Obesity is an American plague -- and no, I’m not talking about overweight Americans. I’m talking about our overweight, supersized presidential campaign. I’m talking about Big Election, the thing that’s moved into our homes and, especially if you live in a “swing state,” is now hogging your television almost 24/7
US: Why Did They Debate?
By Nilantha Ilangamuwa
Do they really understand the shape of the earth? Do they think the earth has a pyramidal shape where the big man is sitting on the top while all the other countries are lying on the floor to lick the big man’s feet? After watching the three debates it is unclear as to what is really going to change domestically or internationally
Unprecedented Protests By 100,000 Against Constitutional Coup In Kuwait , 100 Injured
By Countercurrents.org
Oil rich and geotactically important Kuwait experienced unprecedented political movement with the participation of more than 100,000 people in protests. Authorities used excessive forces to silence the protesters in the largest gathering in the history of Kuwait . The protesting forces have vowed more protests. Around 70 protesters including two former parliament members and a reporter were detained. Minister of Commerce and Industry Anas Al-Saleh reportedly submitted his resignation in objection to the emergency decree that amends the electoral system
Why There Won't Be A Ceasefire This Eid al Adha In Syria
By Franklin Lamb
I am not finding here the fear of criticizing the government that I found in Libya under Gadhafi and which persists there, if to a lesser extent, today
How To Start A Community Currency
By Mira Luna
Communities can regain control of the flow of money and credit by issuing their own currency as a complement to conventional money, as electronic barter networks, debit cards, mobile phone payments, Timebanks, LETS, or old-fashioned cash
A Case Study In Capitalist Democracy: We've Been Donald Trumped?
By Colin Todhunter
If you have not yet watched the documentary ‘You’ve been Trumped’ (2012) by Anthony Baxter, you should try to. It’s a film about how money and power, with the collusion of politicians, the media and the instruments of state, have complete contempt for and ride roughshod over ordinary people. It’s a lesson in how capitalist ‘democracy’ functions
Space Weather Anomalies, Power Grid Collapse And Nuclear Safety
By VT Padmanabhan, R Ramesh and V Pugazhendi
Severe space weather that involves transfer of massive amount of energy and matter from the Sun to the Earth is a one in hundred years event, that can cause collapse of power grid on a global scale. Recovery may take months and years. As the last event happened in 1921, there is high probability of a recurrance during the next few decades. Prolonged non-availability of electricity will cause meltdowns and explosions in nuclear reactors and spent fuel pools. Regulators in USA are considering to harden their nuclear assets against this. India and other nuclear nations have yet to spell out their action plan to prevent a radiological catastrophe
Do We Exist?
Fifth Letter From The Women Of Idinthakarai, Koodankulam
We want them to assure us that the KKNPP will not be allowed to attain criticality at the cost of our lives and dreams. We want our sisters and brothers languishing in the jails to be released. We want our peaceful resistance to be dealt with decently and humanely. This is all we have to tell you. Please share this with the world
Science Is Not A Sports Race With Winners And Losers: Heinrich Rohrer
By Kourosh Ziabari
Interview with Prof. Heinrich Rohrer who won the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physics
Malala And The Other World
By Ravi Nitesh
We talk about Taliban, which is undoubtedly an extremist group and must be opposed, but what about legalized terror? Are these legalized and government sponsored agencies not responsible for these situations? Why don’t we oppose and highlight the attacks on thousands of innocent children who lost their lives in Drone attacks in the similar way? What about the young students who have been killed in Kashmir and other conflict zones?
Faith versus Sanitation: Jairam Ramesh’s Remarks On Temple, Toilets
By Ram Puniyani
The Union Rural development Minister’s remark that “toilets are more important than temples” (October 2012) was met with diverse responses. Ramesh was speaking at a launch of campaign to sensitize people about the ill effects of open defecation, a practice very common in rural areas and city slums, where sanitation facilities are poor or non-existent. Ramesh said that open defecation was the main reason for the hygiene related problems and that there are more temples than toilets in the country
Amnesty International: Imperialist Tool
By Prof. Francis A. Boyle
Francis A. Boyle, Professor of International Law and former Board of Directors, Amnesty International USA, indicts AI as an imperialist tool
22 October , 2012
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Demands War In The Name Of “Human Rights”
By Niall Green
The Turkish government has again called on the United States and the European powers to take direct military action against Syria. Speaking to Britain’s Guardian newspaper on Friday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu claimed that such an intervention was required to “stop the bloodshed” and resolve the refugee crisis in Syria
Jim Manly Must Be Released Immediately!
By Paul Manly
Peace activists on board of Estelle, the Gaza bound ship captured by Isarael forces yesterday, are still in Israel custody. Jim Manly's son demands their release
Stop The Madness!
By Ron Forthofer
It's disappointing that recent U.S. wars of choice and the possible attack on Iran were not a focus during the recent debates for the major party candidates for president. Even though these debates were to focus on domestic issues, war costs certainly impact our budget deficits and long-term debt in a big way as well as affecting the family life of those who serve. More importantly, have we reached the point that widespread killing is so acceptable that it does not even merit any discussion?
Portland, Oregon Prepares For Pre-Election Anti-Austerity Protest
By Shamus Cooke
On November 3rd Portland community and labor groups will declare "enough is enough" by organizing a first for the U.S. — a large demonstration against government austerity cuts
Western Media Dictatorship
By Dr. Elias Akleh
On Monday, October 15th, a total of 19 Iranian satellite TV channels and radio stations broadcasting to Europe were cut off of its Hot Bird Frequencies. This is a clear case aggression against Iran
I Want To Make The World A Better Place: Frank Wilczek
By Kourosh Ziabari
Interview with Frank Anthony Wilczek 2004 Nobel Prize winner in Physics
Bijbehara Massacre: Bleeding Might Have Stopped, Pain Remains
By Abdul Majid Zargar
The year 1993 remains the ultimate annus horribilis for the Residents of Bijbehara, littered with a monumental event that left deep scars on their psyche. It was on 22nd day of October in that year when the Indian security forces mowed down at least fifty people and injured scores of that little village, in a killing spree that lasted for twenty minutes and the only fault of those killed was to dare protest the siege of their revered Shrine-Hazratbal
A Rejoinder To Dr. Iniyan Elango’s Article "Pot Calling The Kettle Black"
By S. Anand
S Anand responds to Dr Iniyan Elango's allegation, on the basis of a gross misrepresentation of Anand's work, that he is a “brahmin supremacist”
Not Projects But People Matter, Mr.Kalam!
By Sethu Nezeer
‘Kalamian dream syndrome’ that gauges the development merely on the number of scientific projects initiated and not on the welfare and rights of the people shall give rise to more incidents of public uproar and mass protests. They might be’ poor and illiterate’, but they are people Mr.Kalam, the same people, your esoteric development has failed, whom your military and rocketing projects have failed, the same people who doesn’t picture in your visions Mr.Kalam
Films Showing Mahatma Gandhi And The Wicked Rich at MAMI Festival
By Vidyadhar Date
In India if Gandhi were to come alive our rulers may not be so callous as kill the Mahatma. But in actual practice, they are already certainly slowly killing his legacy even while paying lip service to him
Journalists Report The Police Version Of Crime: Seema Azad
Interview by Shobha S.V
Do journalists question enough, asks Seema Azad, ‘Dastak’ editor who was charged under the UAPA in this interview with SHOBHA S V
Sri Lanka: Protracted State Terrorism And Resistance
By Athithan Jayapalan
The imprisoned existence of Eezham Tamils and the genocidal occupation of their homeland
Citizen Groups Express Deep Concern Against The Conviction
And Arrest Of Dr. Sunilam & Dayamani Barla
Press Release
Imprisonment of Dr Sunilam, a socialist politician from Madhya Pradesh has been received with a sense of deep concern and dismay as part of a trend to silence voices of public interest by misleading the judiciary to save vested interests. Dr Sunilam has been part of Indian People's Movement against WTO and anti-corruption movement in the country
21 October , 2012
Gaza-Bound Ship Captured By Israel Forces, Passengers Report Extreme Violence,
Two Greek Parliamentarians Severely Attacked
By Countercurrents.org
Six Israeli naval vessels stopped the Estelle when it was about 30 nautical miles from Gaza, and masked soldiers boarder the ship and ordered it to sail to Israel’s Ashdod port, said Victoria Strand, a spokeswoman for the activists. European lawmakers and other pro-Palestinian activists aboard did not resist, and the Finnish-flagged vessel was diverted to an Israeli port
Why Is Jim Manly Sailing To Challenge Gaza Blockade?
By Eva Manly
He is there out of a commitment to human rights and social justice. He hopes to bring awareness to Canadians about what is being done to the Palestinians in the name of Israeli security
India: Crisis In Rural Education
By Yoginder Sikand
Yoginder Sikand who is volunteering as English teacher in a private school in a remote village in Arunachal Pradesh, which is considered to be one of the most ‘backward’ parts of India shares his experience of rural education
20 October , 2012
South African Miners Defy Repression
By Chris Marsden
Tens of thousands of South African workers remain in struggle and a new strike in Marikana has delivered a blow to efforts to stem the working class upsurge
Damascus Street Notes
By Franklin Lamb
Last night a businessman close to the leadership assured me that “We can fight ten years to retain control of Damascus from Al Qaeda and the fanatics. Do not worry my friend.” Worried? I was speechless. Because on exactly August 12, 2011, these were the exact words spoken to me by a friend, Mr Khaled Kane, a good man and at the time Deputy Foreign Minister of Libya. Ten days later, not ten years, Tripoli fell to the rebels and following arrest, torture, and now ill health, Khaled languishes in a Misrata jail
Chomsky In Gaza: Academic Boycott “Will Strengthen Support For Israel”
By Rami Almeghari
Chomsky's comments on BDS are bound to stir controversy. An exclusive interview with Electronic Intifada's Rami Almeghari
Jewish Domination? Occupation More Likely
By Gilad Atzmon
The recent attack on Free Gaza’s Greta Berlin and Colonel Ann Wright suggests that we have crossed a red line -- Jewish domination within the Palestinian solidarity movement belongs to the past. We are now, it seems, under Zionist occupation, and we are subject to all the symptoms of Israeli abuse and Zionist brutality
Igniting A Learning Revolution
By Isak Stoddard, Eva Friman, Ingrid Rieser, and Sara Andersson
At Uppsala University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Science, the Centre for Environment and Development Studies (CEMUS) strives to change the way we teach, meet, and learn. For 20 years, this student-initiated and largely student-run program has, in an otherwise rigid university structure, built and developed a space for interdisciplinary and experimental education focused on sustainable development
Pulling Back The Curtain On Economic Growth’s Magic Act
By Rob Dietz
Lisi Krall writes, “Perhaps the real question of progress is not how to forge a new energy frontier, but how to forge a different model of economic organization and purpose, a model that isn’t predicated on never-ending growth and a belief that there are no real biophysical limits.”
Interview With Klaus von Klitzing, 1985 Nobel Prize Laureate In Physics
By Kourosh Ziabari
The Persian transcript of this interview was first published in Iran 's scientific publication "Daneshmand" magazine and its English version is appearing on CounterCurrents for the first time
Can You Gauge Fear?
By Anitha.S
Just tell us that this ill-fated KKNPP will be converted into a full fledged park for Alternate Energy and that we will be able to continue our simple, straightforward hard-working lives. Then our fears will vanish and we will all smile and laugh, play and fight, cry and be naughty, study and sleep like children
Solidarity For Koodankulam Struggle From UK
Doctors, academics, legal workers and activists at a packed meeting in the House of Commons in London on18 October declared their solidarity with the protesters against the nuclear power plants at Koodankulam, India and Hinkley Point, Somerset, UK and their opposition to nuclear power as a source of energy. The meeting was hosted by MP Caroline Lucas and organized jointly by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and South Asia Solidarity Group
“Portrait” That Failed!
By Anil Pundlik Gokhale
Review and Critique of “The Indians: Portrait of A People” by Dr. Sudhir &Katharina Kakkar
Pot Calling The Kettle Black - A Rebuttal To S. Anand’s Criticism Of
Aamir Khan's “Satyamev Jayate”
By Dr. Iniyan Elango
S.Anand's criticism of Aamir Khan's "Satyamev Jayate" is a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black!
19 October , 2012
UID - Aadhaar Number Linked Cash Transfer A Surreptitious Plan To Buy Votes
By Gopal Krishna
A revealing Policy Research Working Paper titled ‘Conditional Cash Transfers, Political Participation, and Voting Behavior’ brought out by World Bank in October 2012 “provides empirical evidence to support the notion that political participation and political views are responsive to targeted transfers.” It notes that in Colombia, “During the 2010 presidential election voters covered by FA (large scale conditional cash transfer) not only voted more often, but also expressed a stronger preference (around 2 percentage points) for the official party that implemented and expanded the program… Another possible explanation is that FA (large scale conditional ash transfer) was strategically targeted and motivated by clientelism and vote buying.”
Supreme Court Grants Bail To Journalist Kazmi
By Abu Zafar
The Supreme Court Friday granted bail to journalist Syed Mohammad Ahamad Kazmi, who was arrested by the Delhi Police for alleged involvement in the Israeli diplomat assassination attempt. The Delhi Police had arrested Kazmi on 6 March in connection with a plot to kill an Israeli diplomat’s wife in Delhi on 13 February
Some Thoughts On The Syed Kazmi Case
By Mukul Dube
Any Indian can be a victim of the high-handedness of the "forces of law and order": but it has become clear, from the fact that people from minority groups such as Muslims and tribals are singled out and form the overwhelming bulk of those detained under the anti-terror laws, that a systemic bias exists. There are those who see this as a form of active racism
Dayamani Barla Granted Bail By Court, But The Police Won't Let Her Go
By Mahtab Alam
The journalist turned anti-displacement, tribal, woman activist from Jharkhand Dayamani Barla, better known as the Iron lady of Jharkhand amongst people’s movements and activists, or simply as Dayamani Di was granted bail by a local court in Ranchi on Thursday afternoon. But today when friends and colleagues of Dayamani reached Jail to receive her, they were told that she is been arrested in a new case and can’t be let off
Settlers Destroy More Than 7,500 Olive Trees
UN Report
UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has revealed that the Jewish settlers continued their attacks against the Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank since the beginning of the year where they destroyed more than 7500 olive trees
Carnage or Sanctions? Six Million Iranian Lives at Stake
By Ismail Salami
The US-led sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran which directly and painfully target the population have created an inconceivable situation for those whose very lives depend on the medicine adversely affected by these barbaric sanctions
Going Batty About Bats In 2011-2012, The Year Of The Bat
By Marianne de Nazareth
Stories on disappearing bees have been doing the rounds, and every publication worth its salt, has carried doomsday stories on it. So it might surprise you that another, equally useful though ugly animal, the bat, has been battling to keep alive as well. But as mentioned earlier, we humans find them ugly and believe all sorts of urban legends about them, so nothing much has been written about this winsome mammal
Define “Lesser”
By Mickey Z.
The lesser evil crowd is still impervious to facts, immune to evidence, and unmoved by reality; the lesser evil crowd still worships JFK and makes excuses for Carter and Clinton; the lesser evil crowd still indulges in what Glen Ford calls the “psycho-babble” of intentions ; and the lesser evil crowd still embraces reform ( sic ) because after all, change can't happen overnight
Rhetorically Speaking: US Elections And The Middle East
By Ramzy Baroud
There is little that Middle Eastern countries can expect from the outcome of the upcoming elections. The region seems propelled by its own dynamics, despite insistent US attempts at intervening or meddling to ‘shape outcomes’ of ongoing conflicts. Equally important, regardless of who will reside in the White House, the sluggish economy and the fear of getting entangled in new military adventures, will likely redefine future US relations to the region
Interview With Sir Anthony Leggett, 2003 Nobel Prize Laureate In Physics
By Kourosh Ziabari
This is the full text of the interview with Prof. Leggett. The Persian transcript of this interview was published on Daneshmand magazine and the English version is appearing on CounterCurrents for the first time
Lenin On Anarchism And Opportunism: Chapter Four Of
'Left' Wing Communism An Infantile Disorder
By Thomas Riggins
In chapter four of his book "'Left Wing' Communism An Infantile Disorder" Lenin describes the struggle of the Bolsheviks to combat those enemies of the working class movement who were themselves acting within that movement ostensibly in the interests of establishing socialism. Perhaps the term "enemies" is too harsh, but the factions Lenin writes about included within their ranks both opponents of the Bolshevik line (as being not historically appropriate) and hostile elements who actively collaborated with reactionary sections of the bourgeoisie
Netanyahu's Speech At The U.N--Looney Tunes Yes, But Definitely Not Funny
By Mark Glenn
There is a time to laugh and a time to worry, and when a mad dog war-criminal such as Netanyahu comes before the civilized world brandishing a picture of a bomb about to go off, growling and snarling about ‘red lines' and ‘wiping countries off the map', a sane world should understand that this is not Seinfeld, Comedy Central or Pee Wee's Playhouse, but rather Cujo, Fatal Attraction and Scarface all rolled into one ticking time bomb about to go off in our faces
Amnesty International Denounces Torture in California Prisons
By Angola 3 News
An interview with Tessa Murphy
The Imperative Need Of Caste Based Reservation For Ensuring Social Equity
By Dr. Iniyan Elango
This essay analyses why caste based representation (reservation) for backward castes and scheduled castes in education and employment is imperative for establishing social equity in a society ridden with the vertically graded bigotry of the caste system and why affluence cannot be a criterion to deny caste based reservation
18 October , 2012
Turkey Leads US-Sponsored Military Encirclement Of Syria
By Chris Marsden
Despite widely reported concerns of blowback in Syria due to the arming of jihadist groups, a military build-up on Syria’s borders is proceeding apace. Racep Tayyip Erdogan’s Islamist government in Turkey is leading the way, using the pretext of stray mortar fire from Syria that killed five civilians to legitimise the deployment of 250 tanks, jets, helicopter gunships, troops, artillery emplacements and antiaircraft batteries on the border
The Training Of Soldiers
By John Scales Avery
The training of soldiers must overwrite fundamental ethical principles. This training must make a soldier abandon his or her individual conscience and sense of responsibility. It must turn the soldier from a compassionate human being into an automaton, a killing machine. How is this accomplished? Through erosion of of the soldier's self-respect
Kashmir: Building Bridges in Open-air
By Ikram Ullah
Rahul Gandhi tried to sideline the political grievances of Kashmir. He tried to "Build Bridges" in the open air without support underneath. The consequences were going to be obvious, The bridge failed miserably
Approximately 50 % Of World’s Wetlands Lost During The 20th Century
By Marianne de Nazareth
Between 1900 and 2003, the world lost an estimated 50 per cent of its wetlands, while recent coastal wetland loss in some places, notably East Asia, has been up to 1.6 per cent a year. This has led to situations such as the 20 per cent loss of mangrove forest coverage since 1980
In Praise Of Anarchy, Part III
By Dmitry Orlov
Utopian societies inevitably fail, while those that are cognizant of human weakness and are able to compensate for it can go on for ages. The greatest weakness we have in our nature is our propensity for forming hierarchies, for following formal systems of rules and laws that attempt to defy natural laws, and for listening to utopians
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate EU Making A Mockery Of Free Speech
By Kourosh Ziabari
Only three days after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its alleged role in promoting peace and reconciliation across the European continent, the European Union made the most undemocratic and non-peaceful decision one might think of by ordering the French-based satellite provider Eutelsat SA to take 19 Iranian TV channels, including the 24-hour English-language Press TV off air
Muslim Brotherhood And Monarchies In The Middle East
By Countercurrents.org
After the Muslim Brotherhood legally took power in Egypt’s elections, with Brotherhood member Mohamed Morsi becoming President, several Arab Gulf states expressed concern. Monarchies that narrowly escaped the Arab Spring were taken aback when a popular Islamist party suddenly became a key player in the region
Biodiversity Is Key In The Road Map To Food Security With No Role For GM Crops
By Neha Saigal
On one hand there is an understanding that agro-biodiversity systems are essential to food security especially in the face of climate change. In India farmers for many years have developed locally diverse crop systems with traditional seeds which have been sustainable and this has also played an important role in fulfilling their nutritional requirements. On the other hand the government is advocating for GM crops which is in conflict to encouraging biodiversity in fields
Condemn The Crackdown On Political Activists In Tamil Nadu
By Concerned Citizens
On 6 October 2012, as 13 senior members of the Peoples Democratic Republic Party met at a school in Kundrathur near Chennai city they were all arrested by the ‘Q Branch’, as the local intelligence bureau is called in Tamil Nadu. The arrested members and supporters of the party have been since remanded to judicial custody in Vellore central prison and a case under section Cr. L.A 17 (1) registered against them
Sri Lanka: The death of a newspaper – The Sunday Leader
The entrenchment of a Fascist State (PDF)
By Brian Senewiratne
On Friday 21 September 2012 (another ‘black Friday’ ), The Sunday Leader, the only newspaper critical of the Rajapaksa junta, was ‘killed’ (silenced), the ‘body’ quickly ‘cremated’ (handed over to one of Rajapaksa’s stooges), and the ‘ashes’ scattered in the President’s House (Palace) and ‘Temple Trees’ (so that the President and his brother can keep an eye on them to make sure they do not rise again (get back into circulation and be a thorn in the flesh)
Haryana’s Khap Panchayats Are Unconstitutional
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
It is no secret that Khaps are undemocratic and are a parallel system within a system. If each caste and community will have their ‘judicial’ Panchayats then there is nobody who can save India. The political parties do not have the courage to speak against this organsied gangsters of caste. The tragedy with India is that Indian state and its secular constitution have virtually become prisoners of these Khapists everywhere
Market Day In Diyun
By Yoginder Sikand
A day in a village market in Diyun, located in the remote Changlang district in eastern Arunachal Pradesh
17 October , 2012
US Prepares Military Strikes As Libya Crisis Deepens
By Bill Van Auken
The White House is considering launching drone strikes and Special Forces raids in retaliation for the fatal September 11 attacks on the US consulate and a CIA facility in Libya’s eastern city of Benghazi, the Associated Press reported Monday
The Debate; What They Didn't Say
By Timothy V. Gatto
These debates are dog and pony shows. Sure it was interesting and they fought like cats and dogs and both made good points and Obama came back and triumphed. Still, in real issues that affect real Americans, nothing was said that we could sink our teeth into. Not really. They both promised to drill more oil in Federal lands and open more “clean coal plants” (if there ever was such a thing). They both will work to get the Canadian-US Keystone XL Pipeline finished. Oh Boy!
Bank Profits Increase
By Countercurrents.org
US bank Goldman Sachs’ net profits rose sharply in the three months to the end of September. Profits for the third quarter were $1.5bn (£930m), higher than expected, compared with a loss of £393m for the same period a year ago
Degrowth Offers Alternative To Global Consumer Culture
By Worldwatch Institute
If everyone lived like the average American, according to the Global Footprint Network, the Earth could sustain only 1.7 billion people----a quarter of today's population----without undermining the planet's physical and biological systems
It’s Time To Prioritise The Global Sharing Economy
By Adam Parsons
There is much talk about the need for greater sharing in our societies today, in everything from household goods and peer-to-peer services to cooperative enterprises and the ‘commons’. But we often fail to acknowledge one of the most important examples of sharing in the modern world: systems of universal welfare provision
A World Parliament On Its Way To Gaza
Press Release
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition tall ship, The Estelle is on its way to Gaza carrying Parliamentarians from Greece (Vangelis Diamandopoulos), Norway (Aksel Hagen), Spain (Ricardo Sixto Iglesias) and Sweden (Sven Britton); and a retired Canadian Parliamentarian (Jim Manly - see his personal message below*). On the Estelle now are citizens of Canada, Finland, Greece, Israel, Italy, Norway, Spain and Sweden
Israel vs. No. 2 Pencils
By Lena K. Awwad & Shatha I. Hussein
As countless students around the world took the SAT a week ago, Palestinians from the West Bank could not join their ranks. The October SAT exam was cancelled for students in the West Bank: The Israeli authorities held the exams sent by the College Board for weeks, not releasing the tests to AMIDEAST’s office in Ramallah
TSA And Gender Profiling
By Erin McElroy
Up until this moment of secondary screening in the San Francisco airport, it hadn't quite occurred to me that perhaps gender deviancy had also become a qualifier in entry to the Western category of enemy. What does gender have to do with the detection of metallic and non-metallic weapons and explosives that might be hidden beneath layers of clothing? Why do the newest scanners require screeners to select male or female for the person being screened?
Press TV Ban Tantamount To Human Rights Violation
By Ismail Salami
The recent EU move to take Press TV off the air is to be seen as part of a continued process of media violation against this alternative channel
Most Of Madagascar’s Palms Near Extinction
By Marianne de Nazareth
On the little island of Madagascar which is 1/10th the size of India, there are 192 species of palms of which 83% are threatened and on the IUCN red list
Poverty Impairs Working Memory
By Countercurrents.org
Poverty can impair working memory while physical abuse can raise risk of cardiovascular disease, scientists claim. Growing up in worse socioeconomic circumstances can impair working memory as an adult and affect the size of different parts of the brain, while abuse can lead to a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease in later life, they report
Interview With Antony Hewish, 1974 Nobel Prize Laureate In physics
By Kourosh Ziabari
As we look to the future it is clear that our world is facing grave problems arising from climate change and a growing population. Our survival will depend on breakthroughs in science and technology which are most likely to come from basic research. If you get the chance to participate, go for it
60% Of The Population In Developing Countries Lack Safety Nets
By Countercurrents.org
Sixty percent of people in developing countries lack safety nets. It’s 80 percent in the poorest countries[1]. Moreover, one in eight, suffered from chronic undernourishment. And, climate change and volatile food prices make the world’s poorest ever more vulnerable to hunger while hunger and conflict are more closely related than ever before
For South Asians On The “We Are All Malala” Bandwagon
By N. Jayaram
Given such levels of violence against girls and women, it is a wonder that so many Indians can feel superior while talking about the Taliban assault in neighbouring Pakistan. It will take more to defeat the Taliban, be they of the Islamic, Hindu or any other variety
A Method In The Madness?
By Maryam Sakeenah
That attacking a child who expressed her will to educate herself and others like her is a crime most heinous is something every right-minded human being would assent to. There is, quite unsurprisingly therefore, an absolute consensus among Pakistanis and the rest of the world about the reprehensibility of the act and that certainly tells us our hearts are still in the right place. It is also a given that whoever is behind this attack is evil
Ashok Khemka And The Good And The Bad In The IAS
By Vidyadhar Date
There are a few whistle blowers among IAS officers like Mr Ashok Khemka who is in the limelight currently for his exposure of the land scandal in Haryana involving Robert Vadra
Selling Coke, And Catastrophe: Activism Of The Concerned Celebrities'
By Samar
He used to sell Coke and charge a hefty sum for that. Now he is selling concerns and is charging an equally hefty sum for that as well. When he used to sell Coke, he did not bother much with what it was doing to the lives of people of Plachimada. Now, when he is peddling the stories of pain, he seems to be least bothered with finer nuances that shape and sustain these miseries. Welcome Amir Khan. India has found a new crusader in him
16 October , 2012
US Intelligence Admits Syria Arms Aid Goes To Al Qaeda
By Bill Van Auken
American Intelligence officials are acknowledging that the bulk of the weapons flowing into Syria for the US-backed war to topple the regime of Bashar al-Assad are going into the hands of Al Qaeda and like-minded Islamist militias
Another 1 Billion Can Be Fed By Halving Food Loss
By Countercurrents.org
An additional one billion can be fed from our current resources, if the food losses could be halved. This can be achieved if the lowest loss percentage achieved in any region could be reached globally
Tax Hike And Budget Cuts: Protesters Start Fire In Front Of Portuguese Parliament
By Countercurrents.org
Demonstrators started a fire outside the Portuguese parliament at night of October 15, 2012 as anti-austerity protests continued in Lisbon. They raised slogan: "The people united will never be defeated". About 2,000 protesters in front of parliament called for the resignation of the government. Protests are now frequent in the country
The Week The World Stood Still
By Noam Chomsky
The world stood still 50 years ago during the last week of October, from the moment when it learned that the Soviet Union had placed nuclear-armed missiles in Cuba until the crisis was officially ended -- though unknown to the public, only officially
Let’s Talk About The Taliban…
By Pam Bailey
The condemnation of Malala’s shooting was universal, but the discussion – often very heated – around it soon took on a false dichotomy: Drones. vs. the Taliban, as if it’s an either-or choice. But the two (drones and the Taliban) cannot be considered separately. The former “feeds” the latter
Who Attacked Malala Yousufzai?
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Many people are wondering why media is so selective and gave so much coverage to Malala while 100s of innocent Malalas and women have been killed by drone attacks but we don’t even find their names
Koodankulam Women From Prison: Tell Everyone We Are Still Here !
By Anitha. S
Let us not forget that they are still in the Women’s Prison of Trichy, so far away from their homes and loved ones holding on to their vision of a world that is free from one of the most toxic of human inventions
CNDP Appeals To The Australian PM Against Uranium Export to India
Appeal to Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard by Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace
The Nobel Nonsense
By Rahmatillo Ahmedov
British MP George Galloway who is one of the most outspoken political figures in the UK wrote in his twitter message that one should not be surprised if the next year’s Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee itself. This may sound funny but at these days it is quite possible given the fact that those great minds who decide who or what organization deserves it have in recent years demonstrated several jokes with their selection of laureates
Why Does The Left Swoon Over Soldiers?
By Mickey Z.
The Occupy movement must eschew hero worship and remain guided by a deep-seated antiwar sentiment in order to avoid playing into the hands of the 2012 election game... a game with no long-term winners. In this way, we can cure both the two-party tango and soldier swoon in one shot
Mr. President: Earth Does Not Have Forever
By Dr. Glen Barry
Listening to the US Presidential election, you wouldn't know Earth faces ecological emergencies including abrupt climate change and ecosystem collapse in water, forests, and food. The United States and world are less free, green and peaceful places – largely because human growth has met ecological limits
World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates Revealed At UNEP COP11
By Marianne de Nazareth
Twenty five of mankind’s closest living relatives – the world’s apes, monkeys, lemurs and other primates – are on the brink of extinction and in need of urgent conservation measures
The Former Nation of America Is Gone, Welcome To Police State Amerika
By Timothy V. Gatto
The Government needs to back off. The nation is simmering. Every day more and more people see through all the smoke and mirrors and see exactly what path we are heading for and most Americans don’t want it. According to a Fox News Poll, 78% of Americans are against the war in Afghanistan, but our government persists against the will of its own people!
Race, Class, And The Immigration Issue In The U.S.
By Dave Fryett
Most of these economic refugees will only come to misery in the end. It is our responsibility as revolutionaries to expose it, and to impress upon the global working class the necessity of rising up and vanquishing capital. This we cannot do when we misidentify the problem
The Ugly Canadian
By Jim Miles
Boo Review: The Ugly Canadian - Stephen Harper’s Foreign Policy by Yves Engler
Playing The ID Card
By Jeremiah Goulka
Democrats are frustrated: Why can’t Republican voters see that Republicans pass voter ID laws to suppress voting, not fraud?
Lebanese Scholar Urges Muslims to Raise World Public Awareness of Islam
Interview by Kourosh Ziabari
What Westerners don't know, is that many of the figures of the Enlightenment had a very favorable view of the Prophet Muhammad, such as Goethe who considered the Quran to be a true revelation from God and Leibniz, but also the Founding Fathers of the United States, including Jefferson, Adams and Madison, whose non-Trinitarian view of God was closer to Islam than to any other religion
Cooperatives In Bangladesh: Is The French Economist Rene Dumont Still Relevant?
By Farooque Chowdhury
This year has been designated by the UN as the International Year of Cooperatives, and October is the month of cooperative. This provides an opportunity to look back at Rene’s opinions on cooperative in Bangladesh
Martha Raddatz Repeats The “Big Lie” About Social Security And Medicare
By Katherine M Acosta
We let them hoodwink us into handing our retirement savings over to the Wall Street casino (where the house always wins) through 401(k)s, we didn't pay attention when they found myriad ways to chip away at defined benefit plans, and now they're telling us Social Security is broke. This is our last scrap of retirement funds, and we need to wake up, educate ourselves and others, and refuse to let them steal this, too
Dronacharyas All : Caste Discrimination In Higher Education
By Subhash Gatade
If a premier institution like AIIMS can junk a report prepared by the National Supreme Court Commission asking it to punish the perpetrators of caste discrimination; if Chikitsa Mahavidyalay can similarly challenge the Supreme Court commission, what will stop the authorities at Vardhman Medical College from challenging a report that has the potential to cleanse the academic fraternity of its caste egos?
15 October , 2012
Speculators Are Aggravating The Global Food Crisis
By Countercurrents.org
Speculators are “playing” their profit-game in the world food market as a global food crisis looms. They have pumped billions of dollars in their speculation “venture”. The speculation aggravates the world food crisis and threatens billions of people around the world
World Food Day And We The People Resolve
By Soheb Lokhandwala
A resolution on the world food day
14 October , 2012
Global Food Supply System Could Collapse, 2013 Could Experience A Major Hunger Crisis
By Countercurrents.org
World grain reserves are so dangerously low that severe weather in the US or other food-exporting countries could trigger a major hunger crisis next year. Failing harvests in the US, Ukraine and other countries this year have eroded reserves to their lowest level since 1974. The US now holds in reserve a historically low 6.5% of the maize that it expects to consume in the next year
Women Demand Civil Rights In Lebanon
By Franklin Lamb
Tehran and Washington are employing competing strategies via their political allies in Lebanon to win 70 seats in next year’s June 2013 parliamentary election, should they actually be held which is looking doubtful to this observer. Against this backdrop of Parliamentary paralysis, more Lebanese women than ever before are getting organized to participate in next year’s Parliamentary elections and vowing that current representatives in parliament will not be given another chance if they did not support or pledge to guarantee women’s rights
Sunrise And Sunset
By David Smith-Ferri
Afghan youth, like their Iraqi refugee counterparts, look and hope for opportunity. “I don't know what will happen, in the future,” a young Afghan said, “but I know our people need to stand together, insist on our rights, and to say we are humans, like others. Hopefully, like the people in Egypt insisted…I hope the people of the world will change their mind about Afghans. And people will insist that Afghanistan change its practices.”
Horrendous Cost For Australia Of US War On Terror
By Dr Gideon Polya
Conservative Australian economics writer Ross Gittins estimated the domestic cost of the War on Terror "since 2001 to well over $US1 trillion [for the US ]. Those figures don't include the cost to US taxpayers of the terrorism-related wars in Iraq and Afghanistan . The equivalent figure for Australia (which does include the cost of the wars) is about $30 billion"
Australia Must Not Sell Uranium To India
By Sunny Amanda
Dear journalist and media colleagues, I am writing to you from Australia where we are concerned that our Prime Minister Julia Gillard is breaking with a 40 year precedent and selling uranium to India, a nuclear weapon state who has neither signed the Nuclear Non Proliferation treaty or the Comprehensive Test Ban treaty
Obama's War Record
By Jack A. Smith
Center rightist that he is, Obama's foreign/military policy amounted to a virtual continuation of George W. Bush's Global War on Terrorism under a different name. He extended Bush's wars to Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Libya and elsewhere while greatly expanding the war in Afghanistan, hiking the military budget, encouraging the growth of militarism in U.S. society by repeatedly heaping excessive praise on the armed forces, and tightening the military encirclement of China
13 October , 2012
Nobel Peace Prize To European Union Is A Political Award
By Mairead Corrigan Maguire
I cannot support this decision to give the peace prize to EU and appeal to the Swedish Foundation Authority to hold the Nobel Committee accountable for giving, yet again, a political award instead of supporting People taking courageous, and often dangerous stands to help move the human family away from military international Relations to one based on peaceful resolution of conflict
Nobel Peace Prize: A Sick Joke And A Demented Fraud
By Professor Francis A. Boyle
The awarding of Noble peace prize to European Union is a sick joke and a demented fraud. Norway is a member state of NATO. Most consequential EU Member States are also Member States of NATO, which functions as the de facto military arm of the EU. So the NATO Norwegian Nobel “Peace” Committee has awarded their “prize” to the NATO EU Member States for just recently waging a war of aggression against Libya in order to steal its oil and gas while exterminating about 50,000 Africans in the process
Peace Prize For Those Who Declared War On My Country
By Kourosh Ziabari
Was destroying the economy of Iran and ruining the lives of thousands of innocent civilians the magnum opus for which the European Union was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize?
Turkey’s Policies At A Crossroads: From Zero-Problems To A Heap of Trouble
By Ramzy Baroud
Ankara must reconsider its role in the deepening calamity, and devise more sensible policies. War should not be on the agenda. Too many people have died that way
At Last, The True Ministers Of God Have Spoken-Hallelujah!
By William A. Cook
At last, the true ministers of God have spoken and all the world should rejoice for they have spoken to “our leaders” in Congress, and they have demanded an investigation into the illegal and inhumane actions of the Israeli government against the Palestinians, actions that are done with impunity regardless of International Law, the laws of the United States, and certainly the teachings of the very Christ they worship. Let us all rejoice!
Flaws In The Concept Of Nuclear Deterrence
By John Scales Avery
Before discussing other defects in the concept of deterrence, it must be said very clearly that the idea of “massive nuclear retaliation” is completely unacceptable from an ethical point of view. The doctrine of retaliation, performed on a massive scale, violates not only the principles of common human decency and common sense, but also the ethical principles of every major religion
Let's Drink Less And Protect The Species
By Countercurrents.org
Investment to protect threatened species is much less than bankers’ bonus, costs for soft drinks, arms and wars, experts say
The Shooting Of Malala Yousafzai
By Shaik Zakeer Hussain
The question we should all be asking is, does the blood of children become worthless, when the super-power of the world does it, and is sacred when its adversaries allegedly do it? I don’t think so
The Secondary Citizens
By Anshul Kumar Pandey
When a government fails to protect the honor and dignity of its women, it not only degrades them to the status of second class citizens, but in this process, it also reduces the constitutional provisions guaranteeing various rights and freedoms to all its citizens, to sorry figments of imagination
Sri Lanka : Pandora's Box
By Nilantha Ilangamuwa
The recent political evolution in Sri Lanka can be understood as one in which one monster defeats another monster to get rid of his personal difficulties. Once he accomplishes his game against his counterpart, eventually, the monster enters other part of society to eliminate the other layers, to establish “absolutism” and total elimination of dissent
12 October , 2012
Why Europe Did Not Deserve A Nobel Peace Prize
By David Swanson
Europe is not a person. It has not during the past year -- which is the requirement -- or even during the past several decades done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations. Ask Libya. Ask Syria. Check with Afghanistan. See what Iraq thinks. Far from doing the best work to abolish or reduce standing armies, Europe has joined with the United States in developing an armed global force aggressively imposing its will on the world
The Power Of Malala
By Anshul Kumar Pandey
The attack on Malala Yousufzai shows the cowardice of the self appointed guardians of Islam and the power of the pen in an increasingly connected world
Cycles And Change Mean Hard Times in America
By Timothy V. Gatto
The future is going to be hard to live through. Still, change will come. How it comes is up to us. This is the challenge of the twenty-first century
Shell Sued By Nigerian Farmers And Fishermen
By Countercurrents.org
Shell, one of the oil giants, has been sued by Nigerian fishermen and farmers. It’s a historic move by ordinary citizens against polluters
Is Anarchism A Political Philosophy Whose Time Has Come?
By Katherine M Acosta
It seems that everywhere, these days, people are talking about anarchism. Now Dmitry Orlov joins the discussion with a 3-part series, “In Praise of Anarchy.”
Peace Between Manila And The Muslims Of Mindanao
By Chandra Muzaffar
The Peace Accord to be signed in Manila on the 15th of October 2012 between the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is of tremendous significance to the Philippine nation. If it succeeds, it will not only bring to an end a decades-old conflict which has claimed at least 150,000 lives but also resolve the larger question of the rights and dignity of the Muslim populace in a land that they once ruled ---- a question which is deeply rooted in the tragic history of Spanish colonialism and American occupation
Water Wars: The Kaveri Battle
By S.G.Vombatkere
Even in times of normal monsoon, the sum of water demands of the four riparian states (30.13 BCM) placed before the water tribunal exceeds the water available in the Kaveri river basin (21.4 BCM) by a large factor. Clearly the problem, especially in times of scarcity as at present, lies in unrealistic water demand, which in turn is caused by inappropriate agriculture and water use policy and planning on both sides
Secularism And BJP’s Dilemmas
By Ram Puniyani
Putting on masks with changing times are the compulsions of electoral politics for many parties, more so with a party like Bhartiya Janta Party. BJP so far has been doing this with great amount of ease, but lately its dilemmas are increasing in intensity due to its track record in the political arena during last two decades. One such attempt to change gears or put on a new mask was attempted by L.K. Advani in the recently held BJP executive in Delhi (Sept 2012)
11 October , 2012
In Preparation For A Direct Intervention In Syria Pentagon Deploys Task Force In Jordan
By Countercurrents.org
The US has confirmed reports it has a military task force in Jordan while Turkey warns Syria of stronger response over shelling. Along with the warning, Turkey has forced a Syrian passenger plane to land at Ankara airport. The presence of US military specialists in Jordan and the action and warning by Turkey are clear signs that the Syria-intervention scenario is escalating
US Biofuel Is Consuming Corn While The World Is Facing Food Crisis
By Countercurrents.org
The global food crisis is looming while the US ethanol program is pushing up corn prices by up to 21 percent as it is expanded to consume 40 percent of the harvest. The poor countries and the poor are paying the price. Biofuel is increasing hunger. Now is the time to call: “put food before fuel and people before cars.”
Mischievous Global Warming Is Increasing Ice In The Antarctica
By Countercurrents.org
Global warming is creating many anomalies. Usual patterns are vanishing away. Ice is expanding its domain in the Antarctica, opposite to the Arctic. The ice sheet in the Antarctica has hit a record last month. A strange process! And, a crisis indeed! However, climate change deniers are misinterpreting the incident. Actually they are manipulating the scientific fact
Washington , London And Tel Aviv Don't Tolerate True Democracy : Adrian Salbuchi
Interview by Kourosh Ziabari
When people grasp this simple concept – US/UK/Allies run the world, but Israel/Zion run the US/UK/Allies - then the daily news reports become that much easier to understand
Don’t Ask And Don’t Tell
By Peter Van Buren
Six Critical Foreign Policy Questions That Won’t Be Raised in the Presidential Debates
Natural Resources: Heading To The Bottom
By Peter Goodchild
In terms of actual practice, the world will never experience severe depletion of most metals. The reason is that we will face a serious and permanent loss of oil and other fossil fuels before we have much chance to finish exploiting those other resources. With insufficient fuels in the next few decades, the mines will have to close, and they will stay closed forever
From Boardroom To Table: Food Soaked In Toxicity
By Colin Todhunter
The result in India has been deals between the Indian government and the US tied to opening up the agriculture sector to western agribusiness. As a result, 250,000 heavily indebted farmers have committed suicide, mainly in the cotton belt, where farmers planted GM cotton and could not afford the input overheads for this water-intensive, chemical-intensive crop, which has to be bought annually thanks to the ‘wonders’ of profiteering terminator seed technology
What Do Poor Village Children Read?
By Yoginder Sikand
And so, as I’ve discovered, children in this part of the country, like in much of the rest of rural India, don’t have quite the same opportunities as I had when I was a child to experience the many joys of reading. Beyond their boring textbooks, they hardly get to read anything at all
If The Mermaids Stop Singing
By Jawed Naqvi
When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he would prefer to go down fighting it wasn’t a fight on behalf of the mourners of Gujarat. It was to fight for the entry of Wal-Mart in retail trade. Perhaps Abdul Rashid Khan’s secular songs will find a place on its shelves. And the applause can continue well after he leaves the stage for good
An Evening in Liberty : Lahore Memoirs
By Ravi Nitesh
‘So you are from Karachi?’ the shopkeeper asked while I with other friends was roaming in Lahore and my friends Owais & Abbas told him that I came from outside Lahore. This one statement itself reveals the fact that yes we are alike
India: In The Hills, More Trees Equals Less Work For Women
Photos and Text By Prem Chadha & Taarika Chugh
Collecting fodder and firewood to keep the household running would once take four hours of Sunita Arya’s time every day. Today, she spend just half-an-hour on the same chores. What brought about this almost magical turnaround? The systematic protection of the village forest, thanks to an effective van panchayat (forest governance unit)
10 October , 2012
US, Israel Plan Joint Strikes On Iran
By Jean Shaoul
The US and Israel are considering a joint “surgical strike” against Iran’s nuclear facilities, according to an article by David Rothkopf in Foreign Policy magazine cited in the Israeli media. It is yet another indication that detailed planning for another criminal war of aggression is underway. Rothkopf, who served under the Democratic administration of President Bill Clinton in the 1990s, cited sources “close to the discussions” now taking place between Washington and Tel Aviv
Western Countries Discussing Arming Lebanese Army
By Countercurrents.org
Syria-intervention is spreading around the region. There are meddling by external forces. Now, the spill over news comes once again from Lebanon . Citing a "well-informed” source Al-Hayat newspaper reported that western countries are discussing the possibility of providing the Lebanese army with equipment that could help it better control its border with Syria
Massacre of Colombia Villagers By Right Wing Militia Exposed
By Countercurrents.org
A paramilitary leader, known by the alias Martin Llanos, confessed he took part in massacre by the far right-wing United Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) in Mapiripan village in 1997 in Colombia. The number of those murdered remains unclear as many of the bodies were cut up and thrown into a nearby river
Barry Commoner: The Greatest Environmentalist Of The 20th Century
By Ralph Nader
Dr. Barry Commoner, equipped with a Harvard PhD in cellular biology, used his knowledge of biology, ecosystems, nuclear radiation, public communication, networking scientists, political campaigning, and community organizing to become the greatest environmentalist in the 20th century. He died on September 30 at the age of 95
A Practical Proposal To Erase Externalities
By Randy Hayes & Brent Blackwelder
As the global economy grows, it expands into pristine habitats, interferes with critical ecosystems, consumes more resources, and emits more pollutants. Many activities that fall under the banner of economic growth are undercutting the planet’s ecological systems. At the heart of this tragedy are pollution damages that are imposed on society but not factored into company costs. These damages are called externalities because they are externalized by the businesses generating them
Land Use, Climate Change Adaptation And Indigenous Peoples
By Kirsty Galloway McLean
For indigenous peoples, resilience is rooted in traditional knowledge, as their capacity to adapt to environmental change is based first and foremost on in-depth understanding of the land. As climate change increasingly impacts indigenous landscapes, communities are responding and adapting in unique ways
Beyond Occupy: Progressive Activists In Europe
By Geoffrey Pleyers
Occupy is part of a wide range of subterranean movements that explore ways to complement representative democracy and empower citizenship. Some citizens want to build stronger democratic institutions: others don’t trust elected representatives any more and promote a change that starts at a local level and in daily life
In Praise of Anarchy, Part II
By Dmitry Orlov
When confronted with an increasingly despotic régime, the good people of almost any nation will cower in their homes and, once they are flushed out, will allow themselves to be herded like domesticated animals. They will gladly take orders from whoever gives them, because their worst fear is not despotism—it is anarchy. Anarchy! Are you afraid of anarchy? Or are you more afraid of hierarchy? Color me strange, but I am much more afraid of being subjected to a chain of command than of anarchy (which is a lack of hierarchy)
Ajmal Kasb And Abolition Of The Death Penalty In India: Some Comments And Resources
By N. Jayaram
Now is not the time, people say, when asked why more is not being said and written against the death penalty pronounced on Ajmal Kasab , the young man from Pakistan convicted of the 2008 terror attacks in Bombay. If not now when?
Kabir Kala Manch : The Sound of Silence
By Neerja Dasani
In the past few months there has been extensive media coverage of the Pussy Riot story in which three members of a feminist rock group were handed a two-year jail term for performing an anti-Putin song inside a Russian Orthodox Cathedral. The case has become a global talking point, including in India where many people have spoken out in support of the group and their message of freedom from a ‘repressive corporate political system'. But how many of us have heard of Kabir Kala Manch (KKM) whose member are rotting in jail for over a year?
While You Were Talking About Big Bird...
By Mickey Z.
I really thought 2012 could be different. With the advent of Occupy Wall Street (OWS) and a palpable climate of rising radicalism, I allowed myself to believe that this election year, I wouldn’t have to witness so many comrades wilt under the pressure of conforming to the two-party deception. I was wrong
Pakistan-Russia Relations Warm Up
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
In an unprecedented exchange between Russia and Pakistan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Islamabad last week while Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kiani flew to Russia for consolidating progress in defense cooperation. Lavrov’s unscheduled visit was to reassure Pakistani leadership that President Putin remained committed to resetting ties despite cancellation of his visit
Motor Cars are Pampered While Rickshaws Are Criminalised
By Vidyadhar Date
One can park a private motor car on the road in New Delhi without paying any charge but an auto rickshaw driver or a cycle rickshaw puller dare not do that. The authorities immediately take action against him. This is quite discriminatory, points out Mr S Sundar, a member of the national transport development policy committee
Guar Farmers Caught In A Futures Market Gambit
By Kavaljit Singh
Thousands of guar farmers in India are today caught in a vicious cycle fuelled by the spectacular rise in the prices of guar seed and guar gum products during the six months period between October 2011 and March 2012
Warning: This Article Contains Graphic Human Rights Abuse In Canada
By Ismail Salami
Canada is a land of broken promises; a country where the first dwellers are so agonizingly deprived of their basic rights; a country where the dignity of man/woman is brazenly cast to dust
New Border Regime Is Taking The U.S.-Canada Partnership To The Next Level
By Dana Gabriel
The Beyond the Border deal announced in December 2011 represents the most significant step forward in U.S.-Canada cooperation since NAFTA. Dual action plans are further transforming trade, regulatory and security relations between both countries. Over the next few years, various cross-border initiatives will be rolled out, with some beginning as pilot programs
Importance Of Kanshiram And His Politics
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
Hundreds of Thousands people assembled today in Lucknow to remember Kanshiram and pay their tribute to the great leader. It is shocking to see how every decision of the BSP government has been rescinded by the current dispensation of Uttar-Pradesh. Kanshiram’s legacy remain everlasting, stronger and powerful today
Sri Lanka: New Wave Of Brainwashing
By Nilantha Ilangamuwa
This curious militarization of state schools, which involves selecting school principals after 10 days of armed training and appointing them as “brevet colonels”, may well have another agenda beyond the obvious
09 October , 2012
In Bellicose Speech, Romney Outlines Bipartisan Drive To War
By Joseph Kishore
In a bellicose foreign policy speech Monday, Republican Party presidential candidate Mitt Romney threatened war with Iran, expanded military intervention in Syria, an unending occupation of Afghanistan, and the reintroduction of US troops into Iraq
The Maimed: On Eleven Years of War in Afghanistan
By Chris Hedges
Chris Hedges gave this talk Sunday night in New York City at a protest denouncing the 11th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan. The event, at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, was led by Veterans for Peace
Overwrought Empire
By Tom Engelhardt
What remains is, of course, a self-evident formula for disaster on autopilot. But don’t tell Washington. It won’t matter. Its denizens can’t take it in
The Persecution of WikiLeaks
By James Rothenberg
The just finished Banned Books Week serves as a vivid reminder that we must be vigilant about freedom of expression and freedom from censorship. Absent this vigilance, we could wake up in a society that not only bans books, but takes the next step and burns them as well. The German writer, Heinrich Heine, extended this with grim historical accuracy: “Where books are burned, it ends in burning people.”
Chávez Wins, Chávez es el pueblo , Chávez Is The People
By Farooque Chowdhury
Frustrating status quo-aspiration and falsifying most of the mainstream expectation coated with predictions, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has won a fourth term in office. It's a victory of the under-classes. His new six-year term will begin next year, on the 10 th of January, and the common people expect: the Bolivarian revolution, as Chávez identifies, will continue
Occupy Members Defend People From Home Eviction
By Countercurrents.org
Occupy Movement is defending people from eviction from homes. This happened in many places. In Atlanta, they have defended retired police officers from eviction
Mocking The Mahatma
By Anshul Kumar Pandey
The most appalling degradation has been of the Gandhian principle of Non Violence. If one was to start enumerating examples, the list could go on and on. The Indian state, which was born out of the womb of a non violent movement, has rapidly transformed into the most mercenary like violent nation
Would Ekalavya Have Benefited From Reservation?
By Dr. Sylvia Karpagam
Ekalavya came up to the level of Arjun (and more) not because a system supported him. He came up entirely on merit (NO RESERVATION) but the system still broke him. It broke him by taking away the only thing he had (AND LOVED). This has happened for generations and it has broken people’s will and people’s self esteem
In My Thaiveedu*
By Anitha S
When we realize that the KKNPP will release water at temperatures that will harm life in the ocean , we feel that our mother is being desecrated. We cannot tolerate this. Because the sea is our mother, the sea is like our mother's home. And we will not let it be killed . That is why I went on the boat yesterday to tell my mother that we will take care of her. We will not rest till the KKNPP is closed
Koodankulam Solidarity Protest In New Delhi
Join Protest in Solidarity With People’s Struggle Against Koodankulam Nuclear Plant 10 October 2012 (12 noon onwards) Jantar Mantar , New Delhi
08 October , 2012
Anti-Nuclear Protestors Lay Siege To Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant
By Countercurrents.org
Launching another phase of their agitation anti-nuclear protestors today laid 'siege' to the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNP) by placing fibre boats and floating buoys in the sea. More than 1200 country crafts from thirunelveli, thoothukuid and kanyakumari seiged the Koodankulam Nuclear power plant.from morning till evening
Turkish, Syrian Armies Clash Along Border
By David Brown
Yesterday marked the fifth day of artillery clashes along the Syrian-Turkish border, amid rising fears that the fighting could trigger a war that would spread across the Middle East
A Socialist Victory In The Venezuelan Elections
By Billy Wharton
The electoral victory of Chavez should send the signal to socialist organizations internationally that mass electoral socialist campaigning can yield concrete results. Millions of formerly unemployed Venezuelan workers, millions who once lived in extreme poverty, millions of children who survived childbirth and now millions of Venezuelan voters provide testimony to the transformative potential of socialism in the 21st century
Why Chavez Won BIG! A Comparison Between
The Presidential Elections In The U.S. And Venezuela
By Mark Vorpahl
For all of its imperfections, and there are many, the revolutionary process in Venezuela is a beacon for workers' struggles internationally. When Europe and the U.S. are cutting away at social programs that benefit workers in the name of austerity, and good jobs remain hard to come by, if not impossible to get, the revolutionary process in Venezuela shows that there is an alternative to this road to ruin
Imran Khan Leads Anti-Drones Rally: ’Drone Attacks Only Augment Hate For US’
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, who led an anti-drone attacks rally in northern Pakistan, Sunday reiterated that the higher the number of drone strikes in Waziristan, the more hate they will create for the US
Capitalism's Two Step Survival Plan - Austerity And Structural Reform
By Shamus Cooke
The U.S. post-election austerity surprises will give new opportunities for millions of people to get into the streets. They will no longer be able or willing to remain ignorant about the nation's new normal
21 Major Reasons Why Romney Is Unfit To Be President
By Dr Gideon Polya
Romney is unfit to be president because of his policies that will kill large numbers of Americans and others, that will damage the American and global environment, and which violate America 's noblest value that “all men are created equal”
The Destiny Of Christchurch - A Neoliberal Or Ethical Human Rights Culture For The Rebuild
By Anthony Ravlich
I find New Zealand as being a very largely ideologically captured, increasingly ‘effete society’ being ‘far more about image than any substance’, including with respect to human rights – but simply ‘looking tough’ or having ‘charm and grace’ is extremely unlikely to be of much use in the rebuilding of Christchurch or real life for that matter
Poverty Stress Disorder, Crime And Pri$ons
An Interview of Dr. Asar Amen, PhD, by Mary Hamer, M.D.
An interview with an inmate in an American prison
What All Third Parties Can Agree On
By Roger Copple
There are more than 50 national political parties in existence. Each one could be a point on a continuum from the far Right to the far Left. If all third parties and the Occupy movement can agree and widely publicize how the current constitution can be amended and abolished more easily as outlined in the 23-month process above, the passed amendment would put new life into the political process
Sri Lanka : Not Free FromFault, But Too Vain To Mend
By Nilantha Ilangamuwa
There is nothing to hide, the militarisation of the country is too wide-spread for anyone not to know and the ruling party's sponsored groups breed violations of citizen's personal liberty and spread the same like a virus, in a way so that people cannot raise their voice against unjust actions and criminals
A Song For The Anti-Nuclear Movement
By Anitha.S
The famed Indian Ocean band dedicate a song for the anti-nuclear struggle in Koodankulam during their performance in Thiruvananthapuram, in the 5th Kovalam Literary Festival
07 October , 2012
World Bank Rejects Oxfam Call For Moratorium On Land Grab
By Countercurrents.org
The World Bank has rejected a call by Oxfam International to freeze the lender’s investment in land-intensive agricultural projects, saying such a move would not help prevent abusive practices in the purchase of acreage. In a time of increasing food prices, speculation with food, land grabbing poses immediate problem in societies overwhelmed with poverty and food security
Issues That Obama And Romney Avoid
By Noam Chomsky
With the quadrennial presidential election extravaganza reaching its peak, it’s useful to ask how the political campaigns are dealing with the most crucial issues we face. The simple answer is: badly, or not at all. If so, some important questions arise: why, and what can we do about it? There are two issues of overwhelming significance, because the fate of the species is at stake: environmental disaster, and nuclear war
“Soft Repression"
By Cynthia McKinney
I am currently conducting research in order to write a paper on the violent repression carried out by individuals acting on behalf of the United States government against certain political actors of the 1960s and early 1970s. It was during this research that I came across the notion of “soft repression” and immediately recognized myself in what I was reading. I said to myself as I read, “Hey, that’s me.” So, I decided to write this Open Letter in order to blow the cover off a secret that I have walked with for years
Marching To Waziristan
By Judy Bello
We are going to Waziristan, to stand under a pristine sky that has been darkened by drones, with a people whose lives have been dismissed in the name of our freedom. Pakistanis are saying, if we will go, then they have to go. We all have to go to Waziristan or none of us can be free
Occupy Compassion (In memory of my Dad)
By Mickey Z.
Amidst my mourning, I can't help but visualize the feelings of grief, sorrow, and loss being experienced in places directly and indirectly impacted by U.S. foreign and economic policies. Imagine if you will, a mother in Pakistan . She walks to the market as an American predator drone levels her home. Her parents, her husband, her children: all killed. What of her grief, sorrow, and loss?
Fall Semester Brings New Hope For Lebanon’s Palestinians
By Franklin Lamb
As fall semester begins this week for colleges and universities, Lebanon’s 12 Palestinian camps and 12 campuses, continue to swelter under unseasonably high temperatures and heavy humidity with no early relief in sight
Fatima Hajj: Every Palestinian Woman
By Louisa Lamb
Fatima was the quintessential Palestinian woman, and her story—which parallels so many others—makes the quest for Palestinians to return to their ethnically cleansed homes in Palestine much greater
U.S. Now Overtly Supports MKO's Terrorist Operations: Tony Cartalucci
By Kourosh Ziabari
An interview with Tony Cartalucci on U.S. government decision to delist MKO from the list of terrorist organizations
The Mad Flower-Man
By Dhiresh Moyong
If you visit his village you can still see him—‘Mad Flower-Man’ he is now called—sitting all day outside his house, waiting for Licha with the remains of the flower she had asked him for in his hands, hoping that one day she might come back so that her last wish can be fulfilled
Is ‘Hindu’ Our Identity And Nationalism?
By Ram Puniyani
Hindu is not the identity of all Indians, its religious identity only of Hindus. And of course ‘Hindu’ is not nationalism in any sense of the word as our nationalism is Indian
ViBGYOR Film Festival-2013: Call for Entries
By ViBGYOR Team
A call to submit films for the 8th Edition of ViBGYOR International Film Festival for Short & Documentary films, to be held in Thrissur, Kerala, India from February 7-12, 2013
October 8, Day Of Action In Koodankulam
By S. P. Udayakumar
We are holding a siege protest around the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) on the sea on October 8. We would very much like to request you and other authorities to treat our people as responsible and mature Indian citizens with Constitutionally-guaranteed rights and entitlements. Such a positive approach and attitude on both sides will help us manage the siege protest peacefully without any untoward incidents
05 October , 2012
Dear Sister! Fourth Letter From The Women of Idinthakarai
By Sisters from Idinthakarai
On 8 th October, we will all go to the seashore and be in the sun and waves. Our men will go to the ocean in boats near the KKNPP which has brought so much disaster to us. While we do all this, the tears in the eyes of the 4 children of Sahayam who died on Sept 13 still flows. Please be alert on Oct 8 th 2012.Do write to our Chief Minister and all concerned people not to deploy such huge police force to scare us
Koodankulam Children Go Back To School
By Anitha.S
Do tell all friends that we have gone back to school. We will overcome this phase of the struggle and emerge soon
Land Grab By The Rich Pushing Out People, Create Hunger In Poor Countries
By Countercurrents.org
“In the past decade an area of land eight times the size of the UK has been sold off globally as land sales rapidly accelerate. This land could feed a billion people, equivalent to the number of people who go to bed hungry each night”, said Our Land Our Lives, Time out on the global and rush , an Oxfam briefing note issued recently. “In poor countries,” said the note, “foreign investors have been buying an area of land the size of London every six days.” The trend was found in the period 2006-2010
September Saw World Food Prices Rising
By Countercurrents.org
World food prices rose in September. The prices are close to levels reached during the 2008 food crisis. FAO has cut its forecast for global cereal output
Sea Level Rise: Within A Decade Vulnerable Islands Have To Evacuate Their Populations
By Countercurrents.org
Vulnerable island states may need to consider evacuating their populations within a decade due to a much faster than anticipated melting of the world's ice sheets. The warning comes from Michael Mann, one of the world's foremost climate scientists
European Fleets Flouting Deep Sea Fishing Quota
By Countercurrents.org
A study, report of which has been published in the journal Ocean & Coastal Management , found: European fishing fleets are flouting quotas for vulnerable deep sea fish and are landing up to 28 times more than allowed
All Nuclear Reactors In The EU Need Safety Improvements
By Countercurrents.org
“Practically all” of the more than 130 active nuclear reactors in the European Union need safety improvements, repairs or upgrades, at a cost up to 25 billion euros ($30 billion), according to a draft copy of a European Commission report released October 4, 2012
Solar Power Popular Among American Voters, 92% Prefer It
By Countercurrents.org
Solar power is turning popular. A recent poll showed preference of solar power among the Americans. The American citizens are getting more aware of climate crisis also
October 4, 1957 , It Was Sputnik Day, Today It Is Space For Humanity And Peace
By Countercurrents.org
Today, with militarization of the space, with increased pollution of the space, with other hazards being built up and spread around the space, claiming the space as a commons has become an immediate task. Humanity needs a clean, clear space for all, for peace. Our space is not for reaping profit by capital
Manifesto For A Post-Growth Economy
By James Gustave Speth
Gus Speth has been a co-founder of the Natural Resources Defense Council, an advisor to presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, the head of the United Nations’ largest international assistance program, and Dean at Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. In this excerpt adapted from America the Possible, Speth takes on the tricky issue of post-growth prosperity
Sustainable Retreat : A Guided Shift Into Green Gestalten
Review by David Sparenberg
This slim book of twenty-eight short essays (or perhaps shared meditations) is yet another sounding of the alarm bell that tolls for each and all, and calls out for awakening and movement in unison; for a coming together, to face reality and to face one another physically as well as spiritually, creatively, imaginatively, maturely, responsibly, as and throughout a network of response
Obama And Romney: Similar Views On Foreign/Military Policy
By Jack A. Smith
Despite the sharp charges and counter-charges about foreign/military and national security policy there are no important differences on such matters between President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney. The back and forth between the candidates on international issues is largely about appearance not substance
Protest To Your Own War Criminals? Call For Their Arrest Prosecution Punishment!
By Jay Janson
Those intending to stop fellow Americans from continuing to mass murder in defenseless nations must no longer be silent about fellow peace advocates protesting ad infinitum to divert the rest of us from calling for the immediate prosecution of those responsible for the millions slaughtered. Perpetrators of homicidal crimes are not normally protested to. Activists calling for their prosecution should make joint cause
Social Profiling: The Root Causes Of Racial Discrimination Against North East Indians
By Madhu Chandra
A Paper Presented to Two-Day UGC Sponsored National Seminar on Gender and Racial Discrimination
International Conference for Justice And Peace in Palestine
Mumbai-India, November 17 th 2012
This conference is part of the larger struggle against Zionism & Imperialism that are now an increasing threat to our national sovereignty & world peace. This conference holds the promise & potential of building a nation-wide network. Delegates & friends from many Asian & Western nations have confirmed their presence
04 October , 2012
Turkey Attacks Syria After Stray Shelling
By Bill Van Auken
Turkey’s military attacked Syria Wednesday after a stray shell from Syria killed five people in a Turkish border town. With Ankara invoking NATO’s collective defense agreement, the danger is rising of a direct Western intervention into the 18-month-old civil war in Syria
Pro-Fossil Fuel Romney Backs Keystone XL Canada-US Oil Pipeline: “Game Over” For Climate
By Dr Gideon Polya
One hopes Americans will listen to their scientists. While non-scientist political commentators declare that Romney won the first Obama-Romney presidential debate, science-informed people who care for Humanity and the Biosphere can only hope that pro-fossil fuel Mitt Romney does not become US president because in committing to the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to Texas he has committed to “game over” for the Planet
The New “Golden Age Of Oil” That Wasn’t
By Michael T. Klare
Last winter, fossil-fuel enthusiasts began trumpeting the dawn of a new “golden age of oil” that would kick-start the American economy, generate millions of new jobs, and free this country from its dependence on imported petroleum. It turns out, however, that the future may prove far more recalcitrant than these prophets of an American energy cornucopia imagine. To reach their ambitious targets, energy firms will have to overcome severe geological and environmental barriers -- and recent developments suggest that they are going to have a tough time doing so
Boycott And Chaos In Geneva : The Iraqi Government's Failure
To Fool The World Community
By Iraqi Sources of the BRussell s Tribunal – edited by Dirk Adriaensens
A Conference in Geneva about the “crimes of the former Iraqi regime”, organised by the Iraqi government, has turned into a condemnation against the occupation and the current authorities
Arctic Drilling Shall Continue, Shell Is There
By Countercurrents.org
AP reported from Anchorage , Alaska : The stars lined up — almost — for Shell Oil to drill exploratory wells this year in waters off Alaska 's north coast
Climate Crisis: Treacherous Role The Salt Marshes Play
By Countercurrents.org
Salt marshes, it seems, are playing a treacherous role in the area of climate crisis. Now they are helping slow the crisis. But, later, they will deliver the opposite
Global Warming Could Affect New York 's Drinking Water
By Countercurrents.org
A recent study from Yale University , published in Geophysical Research Letters, indicates that the water quality of lakes and coastal systems "would be altered if hurricanes intensify in a warming world."
Revolution Becomes A Tourist Destination In Nepal
By Countercurrents.org
In Nepal , The Guerrilla Trek, a trekking trail has been opened. It has been inaugurated by Pushpa Kamal Dahal, better known as Prachanda. The trail moves through one time strongholds of guerrillas following Mao Tse Tung thought, popularly known as Maoists
‘Alternatives To Development’
By Rob Hopkins
An Interview With Arturo Escobar author of Encountering Development and Territories of Difference
The Commons As A Transformative Vision
By David Bollier & Silke Helfrich
Below is the Introduction to new anthology of essays, The Wealth of the Commons: A World Beyond Market and State, just published by Levellers Press. The Introduction is by David Bollier and Silke Helfrich, of the Commons Strategies Group
Radical Simplicity And The Middle Class
By Samuel Alexander
How would the ordinary middle-class consumer – I should say middle-class citizen – deal with a lifestyle of radical simplicity? By radical simplicity I essentially mean a very low but biophysically sufficient material standard of living, a form of life that will be described in more detail below. In this essay I want to suggest that radical simplicity would not be as bad as it might first seem, provided we were ready for it and wisely negotiated its arrival, both as individuals and as communities
In Praise Of Anarchy, Part I
By Dmitry Orlov
Peter Alexeyevich Kropotkin is our prince's name, and he eventually became a renowned scientist who advanced the understanding of the history of glaciers, an historian of revolutionary movements, foremost theoretician of anarchism, and, because of his lifelong burning desire to do something to help the plight of the common man, something of a revolutionary himself
Refusing The Military: Healing The Virus Of Violence
By William T. Hathaway
From the Book RADICAL PEACE: People Refusing War. A young Buddhist novice contributed this account. To protect the people who have protected him, he wishes to be nameless
Shoes That Tell A Despot’s Days
By Farooque Chowdhury
“Termites, storms and neglect have damaged part of former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos’ legendary collection of shoes and other possessions left behind after she and her dictator husband were driven into U.S. exile by a 1986 popular revolt”, said the intro of “Neglect ruins Marcos prized shoes”, an AP exclusive by Jim Gomez from Manila
03 October , 2012
Sea Levels To Rise For Thousands Of Years
By Countercurrents.org
Greenhouse gas emissions up to now have triggered an irreversible warming of the Earth that will cause sea levels to rise for thousands of years to come, finds a new research
Warmer Norwegian Archipelago Summers
By Countercurrents.org
Summers on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard are now warmer than at any other time in the last 1,800 years, including during medieval times when parts of the northern hemisphere were as hot as, or hotter, than today, according to a new study findings published in the journal Geology
Syria, The Story Thus Far
By William Blum
When the Syrian government is overthrown — and in all likelihood the Western forces will not relent until that happens — the al Qaeda types will be dominant in the Syrian version of Benghazi. The American ambassador would be well advised to not visit
The Empire Trapped: The US’ Unpromising Role In The New Middle East
By Ramzy Baroud
Listening to US President Barack Obama’s lecture to the UN’s General Assembly on September 25, as he spoke of democracy, values and the predictable and self-negating language, it seems that there is no intention in changing course or maneuvering or retreating or simply going away altogether. The empire is entangled in its own self-defeating legacy. This is to the satisfaction of its many contenders, China notwithstanding
Carter Slams U.S. Supreme Court For Its Endorsement Of Corruption
By Alan Hart
Carter said, We have one of the worst election processes in the world right here in the United States of America, and it’s almost entirely because of the excessive influx of money
Gandhi Thatha's* Smile
By Anitha.S
Vignesh a 13 years old child from Idinthakarai who is engaged in the struggle against Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant speaks about the nonviolent struggle for just peace his hopes and fears
The Importance Of Trivialisation In Cementing Social Control
By Colin Todhunter
What better way to control a population than through inducing apathy and banality and encouraging the trivialization of causes, ideas or the plights of certain folk? What better way to control dissent by ridicule of the dissenters, or, if that doesn’t work, in the case of the Indian government, filing sedition charges against 7,000 legitimate anti-nuclear protestors at Kudankulam - simple villagers and fisher-folk
Romney Abolition Of ObamaCare Would Kill 80,000 Americans Over 8 Years
By Dr Gideon Polya
A major difference between the US presidential candidates is that Obama values American lives vastly more than Christian Zionist and Apartheid Israel lackey Mitt Romney. Thus, as outlined below, Mitt Romney's policy of removing 30 million Americans from ObamaCare will kill over 10,000 Americans each year, kill more than 40,000 Americans over 4 years, and kill more than 80,000 Americans over an 8-year 2-term presidency
Australia’s Maltreatment Of Asylum Seekers And Refugees – Part I -PDF
By George Venturini
Australia has ratified every possible, imaginable treaty and/or convention that any civilised country would want to be known to honour - and respected none of them in its maltreatment of asylum seekers and refugees.
View it as html file
Australia’s Maltreatment Of Asylum Seekers And Refugees – Part II - PDF
By George Venturini
Make no bones about it. Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers is born out of ignorance, bigotry, xenophobia and racism View it as html file
Oil And Population: A New Estimate
By Peter Goodchild
One might argue that about 2 billion people will die of famine by the year 2030 as a result of the depletion of petroleum, with about an equal number of lost or averted births. The reasoning is that the energy for modern civilization is largely derived from fossil fuels, and as one declines so must the other. Yet if we argue on the basis of the amount of arable land, we arrive at a much larger potential figure for population
Status-Quo Of Afghan Instability
By Rahmatillo Ahmedov
If U.S. which is currently occupied with the presidential election at home is not going to pay a serious attention to this tendency and renew its negotiation both with Pakistan and Taliban, the number of attacks is likely to increase resulting in the killing of more soldiers in the coming years. But, for the time being, their fate as well as the future of Afghanistan remain indefinite
A Black Stone Among White Marbles
By Kancha Ilaiah
A note from Prof. Kancha Ilaiah, thinker, writer and activist for India’s marginalised people. He gets retired from his teaching job in Osmania University after 38 of study, research and teaching. He says he does not remember his birth day because of the background he came from . He is the author of “Why I am not a Hindu,” “Buffalo Nationism” and “Post Hindu India."
Manmohan *Mir Jafar* Singh!
By Partha Banerjee
Is it right to call Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Mir Jafar, a synonym for a traitor?
02 October , 2012
Wind Energy Can Meet Global Demands Without Damaging The Climate
By Countercurrents.org
Though there is enough power in the earth's winds to be a primary source of near-zero emission electric power for the world, large-scale high altitude wind power generation is unlikely to substantially affect climate. Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory made the claim. The scientists studied the geophysical limits to global wind power
Solar Energy Market Turning Attractive
By Countercurrents.org
Solar energy market is turning attractive. Reports from the US and Europe reveal the fact. For the fourth consecutive quarter, the US residential solar energy market grew incrementally, installing 98.2 megawatts. And, over the past ten years, the PV industry grew in Europe by an average of over 40% per year
Nuclear Power Plants In South Asia Face Tsunami Risk, Say Scientists
By Countercurrents.org
In total, 23 nuclear power plants are in dangerous areas, including Fukushima I, with 74 reactors located in the east and southeast of Asia . As tsunamis are still difficult to predict, a team of scientists have assessed "potentially dangerous" areas that are home to completed nuclear plants or those under construction
All Biofuels Are Not Green
By Countercurrents.org
A recent study shows biofuels from deforested areas usually emit more greenhouse gases than fossil fuels. This also applies to indirect land usage changes if existing agricultural land is used for the first time for biofuel production and, as a consequence, forested areas have to be cleared in order to maintain the existing foodstuff or animal feed production
Oil: Power Struggle In The Iraq-Kurdistan Region
By Countercurrents.org
Oil is pulling many prominent players in the Iraq-Kurdistan region, and a power struggle is on. Top international oil companies operating in Iraq 's semiautonomous Kurdish enclave are heading for a showdown with Baghdad , which brands their deals with the independence-minded Kurds as hugely detrimental to Iraq 's drive to become a major oil power
From Start To Finish: Why We Won And How We Are Losing
By Robert Jensen
A review essay on human origins and contemporary crises
Palestinian Soccer Player Mahmoud Sarsak Won't Play FC Barcelona's Game
By Dave Zirin
Mahmoud Sarsak is in the news again after refusing an invitation sent by the legendary team FC Barcelona to attend its October Clasico match next week against Real Madrid. Sarsak will not make the trip because FC Barcelona wants him there to mute planned protests against the presence of another person invited to attend the match, former Israeli Defense Forces soldier Sergeant Major Gilad Shalit
Arab Jews vs Palestinians: Israel’s Refugee Pawns
By Jonathan Cook
For the first time in its history, Israel is seeking to equate millions of Palestinians in refugee camps across the Middle East with millions of Israeli citizens descended from Jews who, before Israel's establishment in 1948, lived in Arab countries
Remember Sirte!; Heroism And Apocalypse In The Libyan Desert
By Thomas C. Mountain
Today, as the Libyan Democratic Party calls for international peacekeepers to invade and occupy Libya to protect its people from the former rebel militias turned warlords and bandits, Sirte remains a monument to NATO, an apocalyptic vision of shell, shot and bomb blasted ruins. Where thousands of Sirteans remain buried under the remains of their homes and apartments, hospitals and schools, where ever they futilely sought shelter from the vengeance of NATO hurling fire and brimstone down upon them from the heavens. Remember Sirte! every October from now and forever, a tale of heroism and apocalypse in the Libyan desert
Iranian Real Threat
By Dr. Elias Akleh
The big question that poses itself is whether Iran would become the nucleus of a global spring that would create a real democratic new world order, or would it be the target of a comprehensive Middle Eastern war, possibly nuclear, whose devastating effects would hit all countries without exception
Beyond Religion, For A Nuclear Free World
By Anitha S
In an unique attempt at reviving the Santhi Samiti that was formed a decade ago in Kerala against Criminalisation of Politics, the movement spearheaded by environmentalist and poetess Smt.B.Sugathakumari rallied support for the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy and the peaceful satyagraha at Idinthakarai against Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant
Principal Stages In The History Of Bolshevism 1905-1917 And Their Relevance Today
By Thomas Riggins
Where are the Soviets today? If Lenin is right there will be no getting rid of capitalism without them-- or at least of getting rid of it by a working class revolution. Are there any viable alternatives to "petty-bourgeois democracy" on the horizon? If not, then, considering the fate of the Soviet Union, were the "opportunists" after all just "realists"? These are the questions to be answered as the struggle against the current capitalist crisis deepens and advances
The Kinship Of Impunity
By Mukul Dube
Do our country's police forces function in circumstances of impunity? Are there means and mechanisms by which it can be ensured that the “upholders of the law” do not themselves go against the law in their actions? Or are the law-men to be always a law unto themselves?
01 October , 2012
US Increases Support For Syrian Opposition As Aleppo Burns
By Niall Green
The intensified fighting in Syria coincided with Washington’s announcement Friday that it would send additional aid to the opposition militias. The Obama administration declared that it would provide an extra $45 million of “non-lethal” aid to anti-Assad groups, bringing total direct US financial support for the Syrian opposition to $170 million
Western Powers Double Down on Syria's Destruction
By Shamus Cooke
The world watches as a nation is torn, slow motion, at the seams. Money and geopolitics has caused a feeding frenzy of western nations biting and tearing at Syria, all hoping to profit from the regime's destruction. Toward this effort, England, France, and the United States announced increased support to the "rebels" of Syria
The Children Of Iraq , Killed And Maimed Twice
By Dirk Adriaensens
Once by the forces that invaded and occupied Iraq and once by the International Human Rights Bodies
PTSD, The Grand Scapegoat
By Joseph Tarantolo, M.D.
My thesis is that the function of the PTSD pseudo-diagnosis is that it gives voice as scapegoat to disowned parts of our national laments. We might think of PTSD as scapegoat – those with the diagnosis hold the revulsion that we can’t express more directly because of political and cultural constraint
Tough Talk For America: A Guide To The Presidential Debates You Won’t Hear
By Mattea Kramer
A Recipe for American Decline That No One Will Be Debating
The Think Tank Clown: Patrick Clawson
By William A. Cook
Clawson acts like the trickster of Native myths, the buffoon brought forth to unveil the truth behind the intellectual drivel that poured from the scholars as they pontificated on the existential threat to Israel of the impending existence of an Iranian atomic bomb, of the unfortunate limits to an Israeli unilateral response and the consequent need for the United States to step into the breach, an act, indeed, of moral significance
Occupy Trinity Wall Street: NYC’s Longest Occupation
By Mickey Z.
While I’m not a direct member of the Occupy Trinity Wall Street (OTWS) group, I consider myself a fellow traveler of sorts -- often documenting via photography -- and have thus taken on the task of giving voice to New York City’s longest running occupation: 114 days and counting
Biodiversity Summit: Need For A Rethinking On Treaty Enforcement
By S.Faizi
As the eleventh meeting of the Conference of Parties (CoP) to the two decades old Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is set to take place in Hyderabad,India next week , immediately following a session the Meeting of Parties to its Biosafety Protocol, the state of CBD begs several key issues to be addressed- issues that are not on the agenda of the meeting
Generation Food
By Robert Jensen
For his new project though, Raj Patel is moving away from books, bumping up his production values and shifting from analyzing what’s wrong with our global food system to celebrating how it can be done right. He’s focusing on the many ways people around the world are changing how their communities eat today so that everyone can eat tomorrow. And to tell these stories, he’s teamed up with prizewinning director Steve James, best known for Hoop Dreams and The Interrupters, to document the new film Generation Food
The World Women Face Today
By Countercurrents.org
Women around the world are facing a market-reality that makes them commodity. The marketized women-world is everywhere: in the South and in the North, in the advanced capitalist economies, in backward economies and emerging economies, all under the sway of neoliberalism
Wind Power Drives Initiatives And Investments
By Countercurrents.org
Wind power is attracting investments in countries. Plans for tapping wind energy are being formulated and implemented. The following reports show the prospects of wind energy, an emerging market
Fire Congress, Vote Out Incumbents
By Joel S. Hirschhorn
For politicians to do what is right, first citizens must do what is right
Uranium Contaminated Water For Drinking in Punjab
By Maj Gen S.G.Vombatkere (Retd)
Hindustan Times news item datelined Sangrur, Punjab, September 29, 2012, titled “Uranium in water: situation grim in Sangrur, Barnala”. The horrific figures of uranium contamination in human body tissue was detected by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) under the Department of Atomic Energy
CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya Arrested While Entering Koodankulam
By Prabhat Kumar
CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya along with other CPI(ML) leaders was arrested today at Radhapuram, a few kilometers away from Idinthakarai, the site of the protest against the Koodankulam Nuclear Plant
An Indian Would-Be Vegan's Defence Of Beef-Eating
By N. Jayaram
The fanatical opposition shown by a section of society towards beef eating in India is inspired not by compassion for the cow but hatred for those who consume beef
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