MAY UNITY PREVAIL ON EARTH
July 24, 2005
Veracity Series #22: Telling It As It Is!
Hello everysoul!
It seems to me time is flying so quickly that I cannot accomplish half of what I used to do in any given day. Or perhaps my life is now simply so full that times vanishes in the sinkhole of al the things I wish to do. One way or another, it is becoming more difficult, especially this summer, to try to keep up with the flow of incoming emails and compile as much material for you as I did before. I'm sure you'll all appreciate the "respite" anyway.
On this note, I wish you to continue enjoying life and nature and the blissful joy of simply being alive at such a critical time in Earth's history -- and to always remember that no matter how difficult the going may get before reaching the "promised land" of a new peaceful, Love-filled Earth, there is ALWAYS Light at the end of whatever tunnel we've dug ourselves into.
Cheers and may the Dream of Peace, Love and Harmony fully manifest soon...
Jean Hudon
Earth Rainbow Network Coordinator
http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com
SPECIAL OFFER - I'm renewing the invitation I made last October in case some of you might be interested...
Amazing offer!
http://www.mp3fiesta.com/?user=148241
For every person who registers and fills up his balance through this link above, I'll receive a $50 bonus which I can then apply to download more music there - whenever I can make time for this... Cost per album is on average only $2.00 (or 20¢ per song instead of $1 through the iTunes store) and it is perfectly legal. They have an astounding choice: 28,996 artists, 1,368,294 tracks and 124,073 albums (currently!). Check the Site Tour to understand how this works and read their Help section to find out about all the technical stuff. I've downloaded there lots of wonderful music I could not find elsewhere at such a bargain price - check their vast selection of artists and genres through http://www.mp3fiesta.com/wgenre/ -- If you decide to register and give this a try, please make sure to do so through http://www.mp3fiesta.com/?user=148241
Your feedback is as always welcomed and may be included in a coming compilation - unless you prefer it is not. Circulating this compilation (or any part of it) and personally inviting your correspondents to subscribe to this list would also help enlarge the circle of people who have access to this material. Please include the following note and the URL address for the archived copy below along with your forwards, so others may have the opportunity to explore the original copy, if they so choose.
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STATS for this compilation: Over 28,700 words and 227 links provided.
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THE QUOTES
"Wednesday morning, just two days later, I was in my van headed northwest going to Sewanee from Monteagle. At 10:17 I saw a huge cloud formation with all sorts of funky textures and undulations. It was shaped like and was spread out over a very large area very much like the billowing cloud formation that emerged over Devil's Tower in the movie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, as the Mother Ship approached. Although it was not billowing or moving very much. April and I love clouds and are avid cloud watchers. It was very exciting to me to see this cloud formation. I kept watching it and then, as I came up over a rise, I suddenly saw directly in front of me a pure white disk at what I guesstimated was about 10 miles away. Given my depth perception I figure the disk could have been 1,000 feet across given its size. It was perfectly symmetrical with tapered ends and was about 5-6 times as long as it was high. It was so distinct and pure white that it certainly could not have been part of the cloud formation that was behind it. It was right below the huge cloud formation that I had been watching. The disk was totally stationary and was not moving at all. I continued to watch it with great enthusiasm for about 7-8 seconds and then within about 2 seconds it gradually faded from view. It did not move away. It just simply went through a process of fading out from being opaque to translucent to no image at all in about 2 seconds. I was transfixed and very exuberant. For 2-3 hours my body felt very activated and buzzed. I felt deeply blessed and very encouraged and I could hardly wait to tell April."
- Ray Minkler (styraco@blomand.net) as reported on July 6, 2008
"The first and foremost thing one should keep in mind is that whatever happens in the world and whomever is responsible for what happens, the only person one can influence and whose behavior can be controlled for the benefit of the whole is oneself. Each one of us is the most important actor in the human drama now unfolding on a planetary scale and each one of us can choose to be part of the solution, instead of being part of the problem. In addition to contributing by all our personal choices in life through what we buy, who we decide to vote for and how we respond to the global crisis, we must never underestimate the power of one determined individual guided by a clear vision and motivated by high ideals, an uncompromising ethic and an unconditional compassion for others and all life forms in bringing the whole world a little bit closer to sanity, peace and harmony. This is the only force that has always been the catalyst for any change occurring on Earth. Be it for the protection of human rights, for the prevention of nuclear war or for the achievement of a better world for all, individual will and action shall remain forever the unique rampart against blind violence, sheer destruction and stupidity erected as a system.
Justice for all, respect for all expressions of nature and love for all that lives may sometime appear like a distant dream. Yet this dream is growing in every human being ever since we have started to walk on this gorgeous planet and look up in the sky at night to gaze at the starry vault embracing our awakening consciousness with rays of dim light, echoing unseen marvels and prodigious wisdom. We are the living flesh of this huge body of life whose throbbing heart beats in our chest and whose crystalline and lucid awareness flickers in our brains. Like all other life forms in this mighty, unfathomable universe, we have been given a mission, not to have dominion over other life forms and conquer natural habitats for our sole benefit, but to open new skies of co-creative ingenuity with the other beings and civilizations inhabiting this planet and, undoubtedly, countless other planets, as far as the mind can imagine.
We must close our eyes, from time to time, calm our thoughts and go deep within to feel, sense, touch this growing awareness that expands its gentle arms and fingers to hold the whole of humanity in one single self-conscious being, a being so full of Love, Compassion and Serenity as to be like a divine expression of God, the true Reality now being expressed on this land, as it was in the Beginning that never was, as it will be in the End that will never be... and as it is Now more than ever."
— Jean Hudon - Taken from http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com/WhatFuture.htm
"I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the work you do here Jean... It is one of the few places one can go to hear the TRUTH amidst all the lies that are put before us... You are an angel and a guiding light and I feel your love for humanity shining on us all. Namaste dear friend."
- Moriah (lilicox648@yahoo.com - http://www.myspace.com/chinarain) - Message left in the ERN guestbook
JOR-EL'S PRECEPTS
1. STAY CENTERED NO MATTER WHAT !
2. Love as much as you can from wherever you are.
3. Experience and express an attitude of gratitude at all times under all circumstances.
4. Forgive yourself and ALL others .
5. Ask for HELP
6. T R U S T
7. Maintain Divine Patience.
8. S l o w D o w n Do Less ..................................... BE More
9. NAMASTE PRINCIPLE: In dealing with "others" know that behind our apparent differences, we truly all are one.
10. BE HERE NOW
Written by Ed Jor-El Elkin, Ph.D. (edelkin@aol.com) - Evolutionary Agent - http://www.jor-el.org - one of the key original co-founders of the Earth Rainbow Network.
"Jean Hudon's Earth Rainbow Network is an amazing list! Political realism and spiritual adventure with wonderful members."
- Kathy Roberts (weerkhr@pacbell.net)
The following is a good complement to the current...
Meditation Focus #188: Manifesting a New Earth Through The Power of Love
http://www.EarthRainbowNetwork.com/FocusArchives/MeditationFocus188.htm
A VISION FOR A NEW EARTH
An Earth where chaos matures into growth and
reality is a soul harmony vibrating to Love in synchronicity.
Knowing through radical trust, silence and stillness that the dark is pierced
by the Light, and fear and ignorance transformed into insight, love and wisdom.
New leaders with spiritual vision unashamedly inspired by a loving connection
to all life and a passionate caring for self, humanity and the environment
lead the world to an unanimously agreed upon charter of peace.
Religion is no longer fought over, but honoured as expressions of divinity.
Borders vanish to form one Circle of Light
one earth – one vision - one garden – one economy – one humanity.
Diversity is celebrated within the uniqueness of each individual’s culture, race and heart.
Generosity and gratitude replace greed, and the desire to accumulate
out of fear of scarcity, is replaced by knowing that all is provided for.
Spirit is acknowledged in the radiance of each person’s being beyond all illusions.
The creative potential of each person’s abilities unfold into expressions of joyous creations.
All learning celebrates soul development, character, creativity and imagination.
Sound, thought, light, feeling and colour are understood as
palettes of creation to manifest reality.
Love is fostered as the elixir of life and Joy the blueprint for achievement.
Beauty, compassion and forgiveness weave perception and create connection.
Infinity is grasped as an awakening into the ever evolving mystery of the Now moment.
Time is seen as a fractal of Infinity where the Now locates,
attention focuses and intention directs.
Nature is Light.
Light is the interplay of the dance of particles in the known cosmos of Love.
Light is the breath of The Divine.
In Light, are the codes of all life playing a symphony of Love.
Love is all there is.
As you are in your heart. In Peace. In Love.
Know that you are loved beyond measure.
Know that we are in a New Earth where we all celebrate our magnificence.
Dream it and it will Be.
- Written by Anna Pye and taken from http://www.celticgardens.com.au/visions_menu.html
Check also some AMAZING pictures of orbs in ...
The Invisible World Made Visible
http://www.celticgardens.com.au/index.htm
Since the Wesak full moon in May, Spirits have been showing up in new forms as my photographs below reveal.
CONTENTS
1. GLOBAL Insights
2. Gaiafield Times: July Edition
3. Solar Eclipse Meditation - 1st August 2008 - World Meditation for Peace, Co-Existence and Harmony
4. Ecuador Constitutional Assembly Votes to Approve Rights of Nature In New Constitution
5. A Liberal Paradise
6. Pickens' Plan
7. The Peak Oil Crisis: The Blackouts Spread
8. Even oilmen believe our planet is burning up, says Full Monty writer behind terrifying TV drama
9. The Water Car
10. Iran test-fires upgraded Shahab-3
11. U.S. Perpetuates Mass Killings In Iraq
12. Darfur's rape camps
13. Death of Free Internet is Imminent - Canada Will Become Test Case
14. Keep the Faith
WORTHY OF YOUR ATTENTION
Mayan Day Out of Time ~ World Day of Love & Thanks to Water - THIS 25 July 2008
http://earthheal.blogspot.com/2008/07/mayan-day-out-of-time-and-day-for.html
July 25 is the 365th day of the year of the Thirteen Moon Calendar, an harmonic timing standard that measures the year in thirteen even months of 28 days each, a perpetual calendar of 52 perfect weeks, making a total of 364 days. The 365th day, the "Day Out of Time", is no day of the week or month at all, but truly a Day Out of Time.For this reason, this special day is observed as the day to cancel debts, to pardon and forgive, and to celebrate life, community, love, universal forgiveness, atonement and purification, through art and culture. The day has been celebrated since 1992, and was proposed by Jose Arguelles, author of The Mayan Factor, and originator of the 1987 Harmonic Convergence World Peace Meditation, with his partner, Lloydine. (...) July 25, 2008 is also the day designated by Dr. Masaru Emoto as the global Day of Love and Thanks to Water. This is a day to say "I love you" and "Thank you" to all the waters of the planet and fill them with the highest possible vibration (HADO) of Love and Thanks. CLIP
Detailed report on the Solstice distant healing event on 20 June
http://earthheal.wordpress.com/
If you've participated in this unique event, you will love reading all that Edna Spennato has compiled there. Make sure to check June Solstice group distant healing event
ACT NOW! Only 1 day remain to send your message to Congress
Click here for a special video message from Dennis. In hearings to be held by the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee this Friday July 25th, Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich will present a petition bearing the names of thousands of citizens who believe, as he does, that the Bush Administration has committed high crimes and misdemeanors in total disregard for their Constitutional obligations. This is your opportunity to make history! Let Congress know that you are watching and believe that they are duty-bound to pursue impeachment by signing the petition now. SIGN - Empower your friends and family: Email the petition by circulating this link: http://kucinich.us - Print and circulate the petition by downloading this PDF - Make July 25th, 2008, the day when "We the People" take our country back!
Grace Light ~ Global Phenomena -- July 17 – September 13
http://www.thegracelight.com/
First Global Grace Light Meditation Thursday, July 17, 2008 8:00pm PDT; 03:00 UT 7/18
Be part of an extraordinary global awakening. Receive empowerment blessings of Grace Light transmitted through Siva Baba. This is not the light of any one religion, but the universal light that runs through us all. It is a compassionate energy that ignites the human heart,healing the body, mind and soul. Local and global participation is encouraged, either on your own,in a group you form or at one of the gatherings already set up. Public Blessings, many held in multi-faith venues, will be held in the U.S., Asia and Australia. Preparation and Guided Meditation videos are provided. Public Blessings / Calendar of Events - Recommended by Susan Sun (bewise@souledout.org) who wrote: "It ties in puuurrrrfectly with your latest meditation focus. I just added it to our global meditation page."
Solar system depicted in celestial glyph - showing December 23, 2012 THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!
http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/2008/aveburymanor/aveburymanor2008a.html
Astronomical Data in July 2008 U. K. Crop Formations?
http://www.earthfiles.com/news.php?ID=1445&category=Environment
“At Avebury Manor on July 15, 2008, all nine planets appear there precisely as they will be located in space four and one-half years from now on December 23, 2012, with one exception.” - Red Collie, Australian Scientist
Mount Adams Statement: 2012 & A Golden Age
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvI-3K4Odz8
Alfred Lambremont Webre talks about our new time line heading to 2012, no longer due for cataclysmic earth changes, but moving with grace, wisdom and compassion into a Golden Age of Peace & Harmony. Much more through http://exopolitics.blogs.com/exopolitics/2008/07/mt-adams-statem.html
This one highlights the coming August 16 partial lunar eclipse
http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/2008/eastkennett/eastkennett2008a.html
Strange formations!
http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/2008/Charlbury/Charlbury2008.html
MOST interesting July 17 celestial glyph!
http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/2008/westwoods/westwoods2008.html
(...) Mexican journalist Jaime Maussan has proposed that the repeated appearance of "ancient Mayan calendars" in modern crop pictures might herald the long promised "return of Quetzalcoatl" in late 2012 or early 2013, when those calendars end (see HERE or HERE or HERE). That now appears to be a plausible hypothesis: who else could be making them?
2008 German crop formations
http://www.x-cosmos.it/cropcircles/index.php?filterdrzava=Germany&filtergodina=2008&filtermjesec=&Submit=Show+records
World Wide Formations 2008
http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/inter2008/inter2008.html
Strange rock raises questions (7/8/2008)
http://www.roswell-record.com/main.asp?SectionID=49&SubSectionID=112&ArticleID=29836
This strange rock found near Roswell by a local businessman — inscribed with what appears to be “crop circles” or some intergalactic message — has stimulated a huge amount interest, as experts probe its origins and any message it may bear. -- A strange rock with unusual magnetic properties - deeply scored, with what appears to be moon phases, a solar eclipse and the depiction of a supernova -- has been unearthed on the outskirts of Roswell. Its discovery has startled researchers, scientists and all who have examined it.If proven to be of extraterrestrial origin, it will mark the second time in less than a century that the Roswell area has received communications from outer space.Roswell Mayor Sam D. LaGrone, who actually saw and touched the rock over the weekend, said, "It is a very strange looking rock.... I touched it, I felt it, and I just don't see how it could have been produced."The rock, he said, adds another element to "the strangeness of Roswell," 61 years after the purported 1947 UFO crash and alleged cover-up by military authorities. CLIP More pictures through http://www.ufonut.com/frame4.htm
UFO Its unbelievable!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7bKBTk-Yw8&NR=1
Video: Ex-Military Officers Tell Larry King About UFOs Added on July 20, 2008 - MOST interesting! (10m 48s)
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2008/07/20/lkl.ufo.long.cnn
Black Project Air Craft Caught on Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF9Ft7j1eqw
THE STORY OF A SIGN - Winner Cannes 2008 Short Film / Mexico - Must Watch!
http://en.zappinternet.com/video/nilSqaMboM/HISTORIA-DE-UN-LETRERO-THE-STORY-OF-A-SIGN
What an attack on Iran will look like (2:36 video) MUST WATCH!
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/365.html
Consequences: Bush continues to push for an attack on Iran. He is goaded by the Israeli War Lobby, the "religious" right, and other assorted domestic fascists and lunatics. Iran is not Iraq. Iran is a bigger country, a better armed country and a much more socially cohesive country than Iraq ever was - or could be.Iran is PERSIA, a society with thousands of years behind it. Iraq was a glued together set of random kingdoms. Iran is a country that has the ability to fight back and fight back massively. As in Iraq, the weapons of mass destruction claim is a total fraud - and yet to war we go. McCain is all for it. He can't wait. Obama is being artfully vague about his intentions. And then there's Bush and Cheney. They still have nearly six months left to put the final bullet in the back of America's head before they go.Eight years ago, who could have ever imagined this insanity? -- When he pointed out the lies of the Clinton administration, Scott Ritter was a media darling. But when he stood up to the lies about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, he was slandered andcensored. You won't see Scott Ritter on US news television any more, but you will see him on Brasscheck TV. Here's his informed message about war with Iran that's being censored. Remember, Ritter was 100% correct about his assessment of Iraq when everyone said he was wrong. Hear what he has to say about war with Iran...
Iran Given Two-Week Deadline to End the Nuclear Impasse
http://www.truthout.org/article/iran-given-two-week-deadline-end-nuclear-impass
Julian Borger, of The Observer: "Iran was given a fortnight to agree to freeze its uranium enrichment program yesterday or face further international isolation. After a day of inconclusive talks in Geneva, a six-nation negotiating team warned the Iranian delegation that it had run out of patience and demanded a 'yes or no' answer to a proposal it put forward five weeks ago."
MIDSUMMER ALERT! Noble Resolve and Diablo Bravo (July 21, 2008)
http://www.thepriceofliberty.org/08/07/21/may.htm
Neo-cons and their allies are pounding the drums of war against Iran. Just after his White House meeting on June 4, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced that war with Iran was a done deal:"George Bush understands the severity of the Iranian threat and the need to vanquish it, and intends to act on that matter before the end of his term in the White House." In his July 14 article "Amber Alert! Get Ready for War" Justin Raimondo states, "The Israelis have already been using U.S. bases in Iraq to train for the coming attack. [Bush] is more determined than ever to leave his lasting mark on the Middle East and the world."In his July 15 article "A Phony Crisis - And A Real One" Pat Buchanan writes: "Israel and its Fifth Column .seek to stampede us into war with Iran."In his article, "9/11 and the Neo-Con Agenda" Dr. James H. Fetzer explained why the Bush Administration needs another (self-inflicted) "false flag" attack to expand the failing war in the Middle East.In "False Flag Prospects, 2008" Captain Eric H. May proved the connection between official terror drills and the U.S. 9/11/2001 and UK 7/7/2005 terror attacks.As experienced military professionals, it is our mission of conscience to publish alerts to the American people whenever the danger of a false flag attack is high. We face that danger now with several suspicious military exercises just ahead of us. CLIP
AWAKENING FROM THE TYRANNY OF IGNORANCE & RECLAIMING PERSONAL SOVEREIGNTY
http://www.metagroups.info/Ron%27sArticles.htm#AWAKENING
NOTE from Jean: Our friend and long-time ERN subscriber and supporter Ron Van Dyke (paradoxman@cfl.rr.com) is embroiled into a frivolous lawsuit - it is a rather complex case - and risks being deprived of his house as a result of the greed and corruption pervading the US banking system. His situation represents a good example of many of the reasons why the whole financial system is about to crash worldwide. Here is a relevant quote from his article "As you can see, we all, including lawyers and others in our country and around the world, have been duped by this massive fraud perpetrated on the human family by the International Banking Cartel that has created the best governments money can buy - to serve themselves! This is the Illuminati we hear so much about; and they are actively attempting to conclude their plan for world domination under a fascist state. They know people are waking up to their Ponzi schemes, and, as I said before, their house-of-cards is coming down - fast! Of course, our self-serving government continues to prop up the failing structures with tax-payer bailouts as revealed in the article shown above and many, many others in both mainstream and alternative news media. Yes, this is a current event, the comprehensive meaning of which is not yet widely covered in the mainstream media, which is the best media money can buy! Certainly, the institutions that have propped up our governments are facing collapse, and the whole structure will prove inadequate to accommodate the incoming Cosmic and global changes taking place."
Tell the Bush administration to stop the slaughter of gray wolves!
http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/save_yellowstone_wolves?qp_source=button%5faction
Since the Bush administration stripped gray wolves of their endangered species protection in March, more than 100 have been gunned down outside Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, and hundreds more are being targeted for slaughter. Please tell the Interior Department to do its job of protecting wolves, instead of allowing them to be killed.
Fast Ship from China-The Emma Maersk
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/emmamaerskship23may08.shtml
Christian the Lion - the full story
http://youtube.com/watch?v=adYbFQFXG0U
The Future Of Air Travel (7-13-8) FASCINATING AIRCRAFT!
http://www.rense.com/general82/aero.htm
Even though the Aeroscraft dwarfs the largest commercial airliners, it requires less net space on the ground than any plane because it doesn't need a runway The airship takes off and lands like a helicopter straight up and down This is not a Blimp It's a sort of flying Queen Mary 2 that could change the way you think about air travel. It's the Aeroscraft, and when it's completed, it will ferry pampered passengers across continents and oceans as they stroll leisurely about the one-acre cabin or relax in their staterooms. Unlike its dirigible ancestors, the Aeroscraft is not lighter than air. It's 14 million cubic feet of helium hoist only two-thirds of the craft's weight. The rigid and surprisingly aerodynamic body, driven by huge rear-ward propellers, generates enough additional lift to keep the behemoth and its 400-ton payload aloft while cruising During takeoff and landing, six turbo-fan jet engines push the ship up or ease its descent. This two-football-fields-long airship is the brainchild of Igor Pasternak, whose privately-funded California firm, Worldwide Aeros Corporation, is in the early stages of developing a prototype and expects to have one completed by 2010. Pasternak says several cruise ship companies have expressed interest in the project,and for good reason - the craft would have a range of several thousand miles, and, with an estimated top speed of 174 mph, could traverse the continental United States in about 18 hours. During the flight, passengers would view national landmarks just 8,000 feet below,or, if they weren't captivated by the view, the cavernous interior would easily accommodate such amenities as luxury staterooms, restaurants - - even a casino. To minimize noise, the aft-mounted propellers will be electric, powered by a renewable source such as hydrogen fuel cells. CLIP
Permatopia - MOST INTERESTING!!
http://www.permatopia.com/jpg/permatopia-issues.jpg
MUCH MORE through the various links at http://www.permatopia.com such as... Growth versus steady state
Adam Grosser: A new vision for refrigeration (video - 3min 5sec TED talk)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSdXqmnNCp0
Recommended by Carol Lynn Smith (carol88@shaw.ca) who wrote: "A wonderful idea refrigeration for third world countries and camping which requires no electricity."
Jib Jab's Latest satirical funny video
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/16/new-jibjab-video-of-obama_n_113016.html
Weaponized Avian Flu? What a Response!
http://www.chemtrailcentral.com/forum/thread13411.html
(...) Clearly, international pressure for a miracle "fix" -- a vaccine, is mounting. How very convenient! The information in this Health Freedom eAlert blast is so important that we are sending it out again to give more people a chance to open it and pass it on. CLIP
Would the U.S. Terrorize Its Own People? (NOVEMBER 18, 2005)
http://www.prisonplanet.com/half-a-million-plastic-coffins.html
Yep, these are cheap plastic coffins. Hundreds of thousands of them. Don’t believe it?Why coffins? Why in the middle of Georgia? Well, apparently the Government is expecting a half million people to die relatively soon, and the Atlanta Airport is a major airline traffic hub, probably the biggest in the country, which means Georgia is a prime base to conduct military operations and coordination. It is also the home of the CDC, the Center for Disease Control. I don’t want to alarm anyone, but usually you don’t buy 500,000 plastic coffins “just in case something happens,” you buy them because you know something is going to happen. These air tight seal containers would be perfect to bury victims of plague or biological warfare in, wouldn’t they? More info on the coffins: http://www.polyguardvaults.com/index.cfm?ID=9
Bear Warning - Serious Bear Problems in BC
http://www.canadaka.net/pic-11925.html
CLIMATE ALERT: Biofuels to Turn Kenya's Rich Tana Delta Wetlands into Ecological Wasteland
http://www.climateark.org/shared/alerts/send.aspx?id=kenya_tana_biofuel
Kenya has recently approved plans to destroy some 20,000 acres of the globally important and ecologically sensitive Tana Delta for sugar and biofuel production. Covering 130,000 hectares, these wetlands' diverse riverine vegetation -- forests, swamps, dunes, beaches and ocean -- will be forever altered by widespread vast fields of toxic, monoculture sugar cane and biofuel mill. The project threatens 350 species including birds, lions, hippos, nesting turtles, elephants, sharks, reptiles and the Tana red colobus, one of 25 primates facing extinction globally. Biofuel production worldwide continues to destroy crucial natural ecosystems required for local and global sustainability. While hailed as a climate change remedy, this destruction of natural habitats for biofuel production almost always releases more carbon than saved. Using food such as sugar for fuel has raised food prices, leading to riots globally, including in Kenya. Please respectfully request the project be permanently cancelled.
ALSO RECOMMENDED
43 nations creating Mediterranean union (July 13, 2008) IT SEEMS LIKE A VERY POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT!
http://www.examiner.com/a-1485579~43_nations_creating_Mediterranean_union.html
PARIS (Map, News) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged the disparate and conflicted countries around the Mediterranean Sea on Sunday to make peace as European rivals did in the 20th century, as he launched an unprecedented Union for the Mediterranean.Yet the summit did not mask all the divisions that crisscross the region: Syria's President Bashar Assad left the enormous table before Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gave his speech to the more than 40 leaders seated around it, Israeli government officials said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.It was the first time the two men had sat at the same table. "The European and the Mediterranean dreams are inseparable," Sarkozy told leaders from more than 40 nations in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. "We will succeed together; we will fail together." The union Sarkozy championed as a pillar of his presidency brought together around one table for the first time dignitaries such rival nations as Israel and Syria, Algeria and Morocco, Turkey and Greece. Coping with age-old enmities involving their peoples and others along the Mediterranean shores will be a central challenge to the new union encompassing some 800 million people. "We will build peace in the Mediterranean together, like yesterday we built peace in Europe," Sarkozy said. He insisted the new body would not be "north against south, not Europe against the rest ... but united." CLIP
Irish 'No' vote architect plans Europe-wide 'referendum' on Lisbon Treaty (20/07/2008)
http://tinyurl.com/5gvj9q
The man who delivered an historic "No" vote in Ireland against the EU's Lisbon Treaty has revealed far-reaching plans to give voters throughout Europe a peoples' referendum on the handover of power to Brussels.
Key developing nations reject G-8 climate plan (July 9, 2008)
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iDhfdxlthyulzNbmR8KGjPKvNzaAD91QKRNO0
TOYAKO, Japan (AP) — China, India and other energy-guzzling developing nations on Wednesday rejected key elements of a global warming strategy embraced by President Bush and leaders of wealthy nations. And the U.N's top climate official dismissed the G-8 goals as insignificant.The sharp criticism emerged at the close of a summit here of the Group of Eight industrial powers that was dominated by the issue of how to address the warming Earth. The G-8 leaders invited their counterparts from fast-growing, pollution-emitting nations to sideline talks on the topic, but the session merely showcased a widening rift over the best approach.It was the final G-8 summit of Bush's presidency and he said "significant progress" had been made on fighting global warming when the leaders agreed to slash greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2050 and to insist that developing nations be part of any new international agreement. (...) The "major economies" are the world's 16 largest-emitting nations, accounting for 80 percent of the world's air pollution. The expanded meeting that included all of them was the first time their leaders had sat down together for climate discussions. But it ended with only a vague reference in their final declaration to a long-term goal for reducing global emissions and a pledge for rich and poor countries to work together. Only a few of the emerging powers — Indonesia, Australia and South Korea — agreed to back the 50 percent by 2050 reduction target.The five main developing nations — China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa, who together represent 42 percent of the world's population — issued a statement explaining their split with the G-8 over its emissions-reduction goals. They said they rejected the notion that all should share in the 50-percent target, since it is wealthier countries that have created most of the environmental damage up to now."It is essential that developed countries take the lead in achieving ambitious and absolute greenhouse gas emissions reductions," said the statement.Chinese President Hu Jintao went a step further in separate remarks. While acknowledging that developing nations must act, he said "developed countries should make explicit commitments to continue to take the lead in emissions reduction." CLIP
After Applause Dies Down, Global Warming Talks Leave Few Concrete Goals (July 10, 2008)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/10/science/earth/10assess.html?ref=europe
Nearly everyone had something to cheer about on Wednesday after the major industrial powers and a big group of emerging nations pledged to pursue “deep cuts” in emissions of heat-trapping gases in coming decades. (...) But behind the congratulatory speeches on Wednesday, some experts said, was a more sobering reality. The documents issued by the participating countries had very few of the concrete goals needed to keep greenhouse gases from growing at their torrid pace, they said. (...) “I would characterize this outcome as ‘talking the talk’ rather then ‘walking the walk’ on climate change policy,” said Michael E. Schlesinger, a climatologist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who has co-written many papers on climate policy. Dr. Schlesinger and others said that neither this week’s statements nor the two previous climate treaties seemed likely to significantly slow the rise over decades of heat-trapping gases, most notably carbon dioxide — an unavoidable byproduct of burning fossil fuels and forests.Beyond any vagueness in this week’s statements is the challenge that climate policy must compete with other pressing global problems, particularly rising prices for energy. (...) Cutting emissions in half is just the first step in curtailing warming, climate experts have long said, because the main greenhouse gas generated by human activities, carbon dioxide, can persist for a century or more in the atmosphere, once it is released. That means that later in the century, emissions must drop nearly to zero, or large-scale techniques must be developed to pull carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere.Making a bit of lemonade from lemons, Dr. Victor saw a bright spot in the disagreements at the meetings. “Inability to agree is a sign that governments are actually getting serious,” he said.He concluded: “People are working hard and pursuing many avenues; in time, they will find routes that work. This is quite unlike the Kyoto process, which was marked by very rapid negotiations that produced agreements that looked good on paper, but didn’t really reflect what important governments, such as the U.S., could actually deliver.”
The Anti-Climate Summit
http://www.truthout.org/article/the-anti-climate-summit
Foreign Policy in Focus columnist Walden Bello writes: "The G8 position is a giant step backward. It may have effectively undermined the prospects for an effective global climate strategy for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol that is expected to be finalized at the crucial UN meeting in Copenhagen in December 2009."
Financial collapse edges closer (July 16, 2008)
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/JG16Dj03.html
The financial crisis in the United States and worldwide entered a new phase this week, as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two huge US home-loan institutions, began what appears to be a "death spiral" similar to that which claimed Bear Stearns four months ago. Fannie and Freddie are unique institutions and will almost certainly be bailed out by the long-suffering taxpayer. However, for the first time, the specter has been raised of a general financial meltdown, such as the US managed to avoid in 1933 but Sweden succumbed to in 1991. Sweden's financial meltdown of 1991 involved the government guaranteeing the obligations of the entire Swedish banking system, and recapitalizing the major banks, with the sole major exception of Svenska Handelsbanken. The total cost of the rescue to Swedish taxpayers was around US$10 billion, equivalent to about $1 trillion in the context of today's US economy. The causes of the crisis would be familiar to most Americans today: misuse of off-balance sheet securitization vehicles to invest excessively in real estate and mortgage lending. It is thus not impossible for the entire US banking system to implode. (...) There can be no economic justification for the government guaranteeing the great majority of the nation's home mortgages, and the spurious "government-sponsored enterprise" structure of Fannie and Freddie merely hid the likely consequences of their default. Their senior employees have been paid as if they were counterparts of Wall Street high-flyers for performing a function that was economically entirely unnecessary, and they have survived for more than 50 years simply through their ability to offer lucrative consulting contracts to ex-congressmen and other politically well-connected people. It is thus necessary that any "rescue" for Fannie and Freddie be a euthanasia not a lifeline. They have extracted their rents from the market for too long and have encouraged the growth of a securitized mortgage market that has proved entirely unsound because of its perverse incentives. Simply providing them with $100 billion or so of extra capital at taxpayer expense, probably structured as some economically unjustified form of subordinated debt so that the shareholders are left undiluted and allowing them to continue operating, doesn't solve the problem; it exacerbates it. (...) Fannie and Freddie do not represent the entire US finance sector, far from it. Nevertheless their insolvency would further erode confidence in the rest of the sector, very likely leading to a cascade of death spirals among other institutions. (...) Citigroup is in deep trouble in a number of areas, particularly relating to its over-enthusiasm for the discredited technique of securitization, while JP Morgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon wrecked his credibility in May by announcing that the financial crisis was "mostly over" - presumably wishful thinking in the light of his huge holdings of dodgy Bear Stearns paper. CLIP
Fannie and Freddie
http://www.truthout.org/article/fannie-and-freddie
Le Devoir's Serge Truffaut denounces the shenanigans that led to the Fannie and Freddie bailouts - and the regulatory regime that makes them possible.
The Week that America Woke Up to the Economic Crisis (JULY 21, 2008)
http://georgewashington2.blogspot.com/2008/07/week-that-america-woke-up-to-economic.html
Last week, for the first time, the average American woke up to the fact that our economy is in trouble. Despite Bernanke and Paulson's pep talks, despite the happy talk by the talking heads, despite the cooked earnings reports desperately being put out by the banks and others, last week people still got - on a gut level - that the economy is in mortal danger. The failure of IndyMac and the fact that Freddie and Fannie are on the ropes are what finally woke people up. The cracks in our financial system have become so big that the crew trying to maintain the facade simply can't paint over them any more.Everyone I talk with - from the construction manager, to the baker, to the lawyer, to the doctor - are now all are in a holding pattern . . . They're all just waiting to see what happens with the economy.None of them are making big purchases, or starting new ventures, or jumping into new investments. All of them know that there are big problems with the U.S. economy, but are hoping that it turns around. So what? Who cares what the people I'm talking to are doing? Because the same thing is happening all over the U.S. That means that the economy is quickly freezing up. And that means a depress . . . er, a very severe recession. And everyone you're talking with is saying the same thing, right? (That's probably why you're reading this . . . you already know its true from your own experience). As Reuters puts it:"The nightmare scenario for U.S. economic authorities is here: confidence in their ability to rescue the country from a housing-led financial panic is now at its lowest level since the crisis began. This means losses for investors, already totaling nearly half a trillion dollars, could mount even further over the next few months, with implications for business investment and the overall health of the economy.*** Saturated with bad news, investors appear to have thrown in the towel. As they do this, the risks that both consumers and businesses will face further retrenchment at the same time is growing."Last week was a huge turning point, when the average American could no longer be tricked by the fast-talking ponzi scheme salesmen. Last week was the week that America woke up to the economic crisis we've been facing for a long time. On a positive note, everyone I speak with now finally understands that the war in Iraq is a large part of why our economy is sinking like a stone. And see this. Once they get that, the pressure to get us out of Iraq will become very strong. Hopefully, the economic crash will help wake people up in other areas as well.
George Green's report on just how bad things are
http://www.consciousmedianetwork.com/news.htm
Bank of International Settlements wants the Federal Reserve audited
Bank of China may hold huge US debt
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2008-07/17/content_6854442.htm
Bank of China Ltd may own about $20 billion of debt issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, representing two-thirds of total holdings among the six largest Chinese banks, according to CLSA Ltd.
US general warns Russia on nuclear bombers in Cuba (July 22, 2008)
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5g06R9TaaWdS1HHzHe1Jg53mfnpwg
WASHINGTON (AFP) — Russia would cross "a red line for the United States of America" if it were to base nuclear capable bombers in Cuba, a top US air force officer warned on Tuesday."If they did I think we should stand strong and indicate that is something that crosses a threshold, crosses a red line for the United States of America," said General Norton Schwartz, nominated to be the air force's chief of staff.He was referring to a report in the newspaper Izvestia that said the Russian military is thinking of flying long-range bombers to Cuba on a regular basis in response to US plans to install missile defenses in eastern Europe. (...) Conducting long-range bomber patrols to Cuba would signal a reawakening of military cooperation by former Cold War allies Moscow and Havana, and resurrects issues that first arose with the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.The crisis, which brought Washington and Moscow to the brink of nuclear war, ended with an understanding that Moscow would remove its intermediate range missiles from Cuba and not introduce strategic systems in the island. CLIP
Senate Passes Unconstitutional Spying Bill And Grants Sweeping Immunity to Phone Companies
http://www.aclu.org/safefree/spying/fisa.html
--ACLU Announces Legal Challenge to Follow President's Signature 09 Jul 2008 Today, in a blatant assault upon civil liberties and the right to privacy, the Senate passed an unconstitutional domestic spying bill that violates the Fourth Amendment and eliminates any meaningful role for judicial oversight of government surveillance. The FISA Amendments Act of 2008 was approved by a vote of 69 to 28 and is expected to be signed into law by President [sic] Bush shortly. This bill essentially legalizes the president‚s unlawful warrantless wiretapping program revealed in December 2005 by the New York Times.
Senate Approves Telecom Amnesty, Expands Domestic Spying Powers (9 Jul 2008)
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/07/senate-approv-1.html
The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly voted Wednesday to grant retroactive amnesty to the telecoms that aided the President [sic] Bush's five-year secret, warrantless wiretapping of Americans, and to expand the government's authority to sift through U.S. communications, handing a key victory to the Bush administration. The DemocRATs' presumptive presidential nominee Barack Obama (D-Illinois) voted for the final bill, despite intense lobbying by supporters who used Obama's own online organizing technology to try to hold him to his promise to fight any bill that included amnesty. New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, Obama's former rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, voted against the bill.
More Air Power for Afghanistan (July 08, 2008)
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/07/more-air-power.html
America may not have any extra ground forces to send to Afghanistan. But it can still call in more air power. Unnamed "defense officials" tell CNN that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln "has moved from the Persian Gulf into the Gulf of Oman so its warplanes can fly missions over Afghanistan."The nuclear-powered, 97,500-ton ship carries more than 90 aircraft, including the latest models of the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet. It's the ship where President Bush made his now-infamous "Mission Accomplished" landing in 2003. CLIP More wanton deaths and cruel agony for innocent civilian bystanders in Afghanistan!... Does anyone care in the US empire about what horrors their military brass is ordering with impunity?...
US Prepares to Boost Its Afghan Forces
http://www.truthout.org/article/us-prepares-boost-its-afghan-forces
In the Los Angeles Times, Peter Spiegel and M. Karim Faiez report: "Senior US military officials are developing plans to speed the deployment of thousands of additional troops to Afghanistan, including possibly pulling the next brigade scheduled to go to Iraq this fall and sending it to Afghanistan instead. President Bush has already committed to beefing up the US presence in Afghanistan next year. But Defense Department officials said the recent efforts of military planners would accelerate the process and could allow the new brigade of 3,500 soldiers to deploy there before the end of this year."
Pentagon: Cluster Bombs 'Save Lives' (July 10, 2008 )
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/07/pentagon-cluste.html
The Pentagon not only told the world yesterday that it would keep on using cluster bombs -- it called the controversial weapons life-savers, too. The Defense Department unveiled its new policy on cluster munitions. In it, the weapons, which scatter tiny bomblets over huge swaths of territory, are described as "legitimate weapons with clear military utility." Not only do "they provide distinct advantages against a range of targets," a Defense Department press release notes, but "their use reduces risks to U.S. forces and can save U.S. lives." The Pentagon says the munitions will continue to be used, "in a manner consistent with the law of armed conflict."But the law is changing. In May, just about every country on the planet signed a treaty banning cluster bombs. The U.S. was one of four holdouts.The problem with the weapons, critics tell the Los Angeles Times, is that they "have a high failure rate. Many bomblets may not explode on contact, and later can be accidentally triggered by civilians."The new policy is designed to reduce the danger of unexploded bomblets by mandating that bombs with a "dud rate" higher than 1% will not be used after 2018. Until then, the use of a cluster bomb with a higher failure rate must be approved by regional commanders."For the U.S. to take another 10 years to eliminate the worst of the cluster munitions is completely inadequate from a humanitarian point of view," said Bonnie Docherty, an arms researcher with Human Rights Watch.There are about 720 million of the bomblets, the Times observes. "The Pentagon adopted a policy in 2005 banning acquisition of cluster bombs with a dud rate higher than 1%, but the inventory contains many munitions purchased before then." CLIP
No Blockade of Iran
http://www.TrueMajority.org/NoBlockade
What would a blockade of Iran look like? The Bush administration sending American warships and military equipment into the most combustible region in the world. Their mission? Board and inspect cargo entering and leaving Iran by any means necessary. This would be a clear provocation and the first step on the path to all out war. Unfortunately, that's exactly what Democrats who want to look tough on national security are demanding. Right now there is a resolution working its way through the House of Representatives which would require a naval blockade of Iran and bring us closer to war. This resolution already has 247 co-sponsors and it must be stopped. Tell your Representative to oppose the Ackerman Iran resolution: CLIP
State of the World - as described by Curtis Lang (cj@satyacenter.com)
http://www.satyacenter.com/state-of-the-world-7-2008
(...) I don’t know about that, but I feel this week is the time to try to communicate to our readers the gravity of the present world situation in some detail, since the big picture and the telling detail are both missing in action on television news talk shows, on editorial pages of major newspapers, and in the now shrunken news wells of upscale slick national magazines now more devoted to fashion, Hollywood and popular culture than to deep investigative reports probing the hidden causes behind today’s headlines, the unsavory activities of the upper classes, or the everyday venality at work in the nation’s capital. This newsletter is devoted to news of recent world developments that are of great concern to us all. Be sure to read through the entire article if you can, because there is a message of hope at the end! There is a global financial and environmental crisis as we approach the end of the Era of Cheap Oil and thus, the end of modern industrial civilization. The nations of the world are engaged in a dangerous game of brinksmanship and a quiet but deadly military arms race as the world realizes that under the current system, there will not be enough food, oil, water, or electricity to go around. (...) We need a million visions for a totally different future. We need visions for paths that will get us there without suffering on a scale that may dwarf the horrors of the Twentieth Century.We are in a global emergency. We in America are in a peculiarly American emergency as well. It seems as though the karma from America’s casual, brutal dominance by European settlers and America’s Imperial foreign policy may have brought about a perfect storm due to hit the ship of state about when the new President takes office. And we are all in this together. It’s time to realize that the next President won’t save us. Neither party has a clue. But the world is ready for the greening of high tech design, energy medicine, organic agriculture, flower essences, political art, dance music, edible gardens, direct personal experience of mystical states of oneness, green architecture, personal responsibility, body work, new forms of community building & collective action and for the healing of ancient wounds that separate people into warring factions, nations, religions, and classes. The sense of stomach-churning anxiety we feel is the taste in our mouths of the Earth repositioning itself on its own axis.
Earthquake Destroyed China's Largest Military Armory, Says Source (July 09, 2008)
http://en.epochtimes.com/news/8-7-9/73205.html
A high-level Chinese military source secretly disclosed last week that the recent earthquake in Sichuan Province caused a chain-reaction of explosions in the Sichuan mountain areas. The explosions destroyed Chinese army's largest armory, new weapon test bases and part of nuclear facilities including several nuclear warheads. This information is considered China's top military secret. After the earthquake, Chinese authorities had ignored the disaster victim's initial calls for help. Only after the first critical 72 hours had passed did the authorities allow international aid to be delivered to the disaster region. Military analysts believe that this delay occurred because Mianyang City of Sichuan Province is one of important areas for the Chinese military nuclear industries and also its largest armory. The Chinese regime did not want potential spies from the outside world in this very sensitive military area during a time when there may have been a nuclear accident. CLIP
Zimbabwe: Mugabe Succumbs to Pressure and Starts Secret Talks With Opposition
http://www.truthout.org/article/zimbabwe-mugabe-succumbs-pressure-and-starts-secret-talks-with-opposition
Chris McGreal, of The Guardian UK: "The rival claimants to victory in Zimbabwe's widely criticised presidential elections - Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai - have agreed to immediately begin intensive talks aimed at establishing a 'new government.' At their first meeting in more than a decade, Zimbabwe's president and the leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change yesterday signed a five-page 'memorandum of understanding' that envisages a fortnight of secret talks by representatives dealing with an array of issues from political violence against the opposition to constitutional reform."
Wall-E for President
http://www.truthout.org/article/wall-e-president
Frank Rich, writing for The New York Times, says: "One of the great things about art, including popular art, is that it can hit audiences at a profound level beyond words. That includes children. The kids at 'Wall-E' were never restless, despite the movie's often melancholy mood and few belly laughs. They seemed to instinctually understand what 'Wall-E' was saying; they didn't pepper their chaperones with questions along the way. At the end they clapped their small hands. What they applauded was not some banal cartoonish triumph of good over evil but a gentle, if unmistakable, summons to remake the world before time runs out."
Bleeding Land, Heating Earth for a Fill-Up (July 9, 2008)
http://www.landinstitute.org/vnews/display.v/SEC/Publications%3E%3EPrairie%20Writers
(...) It seems obvious, the kind of thing you don’t need a study to prove. But we are a little too good at ignoring the obvious. Now, with 97 percent of scientists surveyed by Harris Interactive agreeing that global warming is a reality, we fail to recognize the benefits of grasslands at our peril. The soil beneath a square meter of shortgrass prairie contains up to five miles of roots. All that biomass stores carbon. Soil converted from grass to crops loses 20 to 50 percent of its organic carbon. Where does it go? Primarily into the atmosphere, as carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. Despite this, the government is subsidizing corn ethanol and mandating increases in biofuel use. In the Feb. 29 edition of Science, researchers estimate that corn-based ethanol production will nearly double greenhouse emissions over 30 years, because it will mean the conversion of grasslands and forests into cropland. (...) The world’s poor suffer most. Headlines announce food riots and starvation, while we Americans pump ethanol down the gullets of our infamous SUVs. The corn in one fill-up, says Lester Brown, president of the Earth Policy Institute, could feed a human for a year. But even if we fed the grain to people instead of cars, CRP land and most remaining virgin prairie are not good candidates for crops. In the mostly flat farm country I come from, land escaped the plow or went into CRP usually because it was too hilly. Highly erodible and unproductive, those acres are best suited for grazing. In the words of the U.N. Environment Program, we need to “feed the world without starving the planet.” If we choose instead to continue planting crops on poor rangeland, the plow-up will not only diminish what’s left of the land’s magnificence. More soil will erode, more water will be wasted or ruined, more wildlife habitat will be destroyed, and our climate will worsen. The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that higher temperatures resulting from atmospheric carbon dioxide will cause “increasing drought in midlatitudes and semiarid low latitudes.” The world’s grasslands, that is. Today’s croplands. The Great Plains. Rain doesn’t follow the plow, as Plains settlement boosters once promised. But drought might.
Cheney Reportedly Wanted Cuts In Climate Testimony (July 8, 2008)
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/07/08/10209/
WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney’s office pushed for major deletions in congressional testimony on the public health consequences of climate change, fearing the presentation by a leading health official might make it harder to avoid regulating greenhouse gases, a former EPA officials maintains. When six pages were cut from testimony on climate change and public health by the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last October, the White House insisted the changes were made because of reservations raised by White House advisers about the accuracy of the science. But Jason K. Burnett, until last month the senior adviser on climate change to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson, says that Cheney’s office was deeply involved in getting nearly half of the CDC’s original draft testimony removed.“The Council on Environmental Quality and the office of the vice president were seeking deletions to the CDC testimony (concerning) … any discussions of the human health consequences of climate change,” Burnett has told the Senate Environment and Public Works . CLIP
Cheney and ExxonMobil Linked to Global Warming Policy Shift
http://www.truthout.org/article/cheney-and-exxonmobil-linked-global-warming-policy-shift
James Gerstenzang, of The Los Angeles Times: "A congressional investigation has produced new details on the degree to which senior Bush administration officials favored using the Clean Air Act to limit greenhouse gas emissions - until pressure from Vice President Dick Cheney's office, ExxonMobil and others in the oil industry led the Bush administration to change course."
GM to build world's biggest rooftop solar station in Spain (July 8, 2008)
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/GM_to_build_world_s_biggest_rooftop_07082008.html
US automaker General Motors said Tuesday it will equip the roof of its factory in Zaragoza in northeastern Spain with solar panels to create the world's largest rooftop source of power from the sun. The electricity produced by the 10 megawatt installation will be used by the plant, GM's biggest in Europe, and also be sold to the local power grid, a company spokesman said." GM's Zaragoza plant will become home to the biggest roof-top solar power station worldwide. This has significant potential to reduce costs at the plant," GM Europe President Carl-Peter Forster said in a statement. The company may install similar projects at GM Europe's 11 other assembly and eight component plants depending on the results in Zaragoza, he added.The installation will generate enough power annually to supply 4,600 households when it is completed at the end of September, the statement said.It will comprise about 85,000 solar panels and cover about 2,000,000 square feet (183,000 square metres) of roof at the plant which assembles more than 480,000 vehicles a year for the European market. GM currently has two of the largest solar power installations in the United States on the roofs of its Rancho Cucamonga and Fontana, California parts warehouses. The company is due to install solar panels on its factory in Saint Petersburg, Russia next.
Women Hardest Hit by Food Crisis
http://www.truthout.org/article/women-hardest-hit-food-crisis
Kevin Sullivan, of The Washington Post: "Rubbing her red-rimmed eyes, chewing lightly on a twig she picked off the ground, Lingani gave the last of her food to the children. 'I'm not hungry,' she said. In poor nations, such as Burkina Faso in the heart of West Africa, mealtime conspires against women. They grow the food, fetch the water, shop at the market and cook the meals. But when it comes time to eat, men and children eat first, and women eat last and least."
Ocean quest: The race to save the world's coral reefs (17 July 2008)
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/ocean-quest-the-race-to-save-the-worlds-coral-reefs-869589.html
Last week, scientists issued their latest, grim assessment of the world's coral reefs. But as Steve Connor reports from Florida, extraordinary new ocean 'reseeding' techniques mean there may still be time to halt – or even reverse – the destruction of mother nature's marine marvels -- Coral reefs are often described as the tropical rainforests of the oceans. But marine biologists sometimes use another analogy: that of the canary in the coalmine. These birds were used by miners as an early warning for lethal gas; corals, too, are extraordinarily sensitive to environmental change. For Nancy Knowlton, a scientist at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, it's an apt description: "If that's the analogy, then the canary has passed out on the floor of the cage. Coral reefs are potentially immortal. They only have to die if we make them."And that's just what we seem to be doing. In the 25 years that Knowlton has been studying the reefs, she has witnessed all the signs of their terminal decline. They are being degraded at a rate of 2 per cent a year. About a fifth of the world's stock has already gone, and nearly half of the remainder is in danger of disappearing within the next 20 years. And like so many other experts in her field, Knowlton is worried: a lethal combination of pollution, predators, disease, rising sea temperatures, over-fishing and the acidification of the sea have put our coral reefs on the critical list. CLIP
Israel-Hamas Standoff Deepens Water Woes
http://www.truthout.org/article/israel-hamas-standoff-deepens-water-woes
The Christian Science Monitor's Rafael D. Frankel reports: "Five hundred yards south from where hundreds of children play in the water next to this refugee camp, a pipe spills 20 million liters of raw sewage into the Mediterranean Sea each day. Between 105 and 120 million liters of sewage are generated daily in Gaza. Of that, only 20 million liters are fully treated, while another 40 million liters are partially treated. The rest flows raw into the sea, storm drains, and a massive landfill north of Gaza City, which spans 4.3 million square feet. The resulting pollution has sullied not only the seawater, but also the aquifer below Gaza, causing a severe shortage of potable water and putting the population at risk for a range of illnesses."
Wetlands Could Unleash "Carbon Bomb"
http://www.truthout.org/article/wetlands-could-unleash-carbon-bomb
Deborah Zabarenko, Reuters, reports: "The world's wetlands, threatened by development, dehydration and climate change, could release a planet-warming 'carbon bomb' if they are destroyed, ecological scientists said on Sunday."
Does your sunscreen work?
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/special/sunscreens2008/index.php
An investigation of nearly 1,000 brand-name sunscreen products finds that 4 out of 5 contain chemicals that may pose health hazards or don't adequately protect skin from the sun's damaging rays. Some of the worst offenders are leading brands like Coppertone, Banana Boat, and Neutrogena. More than a million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. every year, but FDA still hasn't finalized sunscreen standards first announced 30 years ago. Click here to tell FDA you're tired of waiting. Meanwhile, companies are free to claim but not provide broad spectrum protection. Until FDA requires that all sunscreens be safe and effective, Environmental Working Group's comprehensive sunscreen guide—including a list of 143 products that offer very good sun protection—fills in the gaps. MUCH more on this issue through http://www.ewg.org/ - The same info is available in French HERE. Check also from the Washington Post: The Dark Side of Sunscreens
Gates Foundation Live Animal Aid to Africa Is Cruel and Stupid (July 15, 2008)
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/07/15/10368/
It almost sounds like a joke. Set up dairy enterprises in rural African villages with no refrigeration, electricity, veterinary care or passable roads for a population that can’t drink milk because it’s 90% lactose intolerant.But the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation didn’t think it was a joke when it announced the gift of $42 million to Heifer International at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January — the biggest gift the Little Rock, AR-based Christian charity which sends live animals to poor countries has ever received. Using cherubic, 4-H/Unicef style advertising — kids hugging the animal “gifts” they will also dispatch — Heifer pledges to stamp out world hunger in poor countries using the grain, water and grazing land they don’t have to raise animals. To get around the lack of rural electricity for the proposed dairy operations in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, Heifer will create “chilling plants” with their own backup power generators according to a press release where the milk will be stored for pickup by “refrigerated commercial dairy delivery trucks”– both of them. Farmers will artificially inseminate cows, perhaps by candlelight, with “high-production dairy animal semen” — more backup generators required to keep it frozen? — and increase milk quality through providing “improved animal nutrition” to the cows with the food they don’t have. Got that? Because of children’s natural love of animals, Heifer International is a popular charity project in elementary schools — though it stresses it cannot reveal the fate of individual animals it sends overseas so don’t ask. But teachers who go on Heifer sponsored junkets to recipient nations can come back with disturbing stories. CLIP
Schwarzenegger's Office ask to discuss "Jet Trails" (July 19, 2008) GOOD NEWS!
http://www.dontchemtrailmebro.com/docs_dctmb/swartztrails.html
Wanted to give you some very hopeful news. Deborah Whitman with "Environmental Voices," sent me this on Friday, July 18th (please see her message below). She had just attended an EPA panel discussion on "Climate Change" at the Capitol in Sacramento. She has been a tireless, fearless voice for our skies and concerns around these unregulated experimental weather modification programs. She received a phone call from Governor Schwarzenegger's staff requesting a meeting to discuss concerns around "jet trails". I have also heard from another very reliable source that Schwarzenegger's office had asked the California Air Resources Board to "check into the chemtrail issue and whether or not they are toxic." Mrs. Whitman believes that it is vital that we contact the Governor's office in the next week and let him know just how concerned we are about these unregulated aerosol spraying programs and how it is effecting our health and our environment (please see at the end of this email for contact numbers). CLIP
Fresh scent may hide toxic secret (July 23, 2008)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/371779_toxicfragrance23.html
Innocuous-sounding 'perfume' in detergents, air fresheners made with dangerous chemicals - The scented fabric sheet makes your shirts and socks smell flowery fresh and clean. That plug-in air freshener fills your home with inviting fragrances of apple and cinnamon or a country garden. But those common household items are potentially exposing your family and friends to dangerous chemicals, a University of Washington study has found. Trouble is, you have no way of knowing it. Manufacturers of detergents, laundry sheets and air fresheners aren't required to list all of their ingredients on their labels -- or anywhere else. Laws protecting people from indoor air pollution from consumer products are limited. When UW engineering professor Anne Steinemann analyzed of some of these popular items, she found 100 different volatile organic compounds measuring 300 parts per billion or more -- some of which can be cancerous or cause harm to respiratory, reproductive, neurological and other organ systems. Some of the chemicals are categorized as hazardous or toxic by federal regulatory agencies. But the labels tell a different story, naming only innocuous-sounding "perfume" or "biodegradable" contents."Consumers are breathing these chemicals," she said. "No one is doing anything about it." CLIP
ASPARTAME MOVIE
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/361.html
In the 1970s G.D. Searle created"aspartame" was considered so toxic that even the notoriously corrupt FDA would not permit it in the food supply. Then Donald Rumsfeld came along... New "evidence" was presented, a new FDA commissioner was appointed by Ronald Reagan, and former poison suddenly became common in food.
International Happiness Day -- I received this only on July 10 - Great Idea! Every day should be a Happy Day!
http://www.internationalhappinessday.com/
What would happen if one million people experienced and expressed happiness on the same day? You'll have a really good chance of finding out on July 10, which has been designated International Happiness Day. Initiated by Barcelona's Liberto Pereda Romera, International Happiness Day is a day in which people from all over the world are asked to intentionally choose to be happy while inspiring the happiness of others through simple acts of kindness, expressions of joy, gratitude, optimism, and forgiveness. "We know that intention creates outcome," says Eva Gregory, who is one of the two US Ambassadors for International Happiness Day, with Jeanna Gabellini. So, if a million people from all over the planet celebrated happiness on the same day, we’re convinced that it would have a powerful, positive impact on the world." To participate July 10 in International Happiness Day, says Gregory, all you need to do is set the intention to choose happiness on that day. For more information, visit the International Happiness Day web site, watch the International Happiness Day video or join the International Happiness Day Group on Facebook.
My God! What Have We Done? GMO – Genetically Modified Organisms - and Morgellon's Disease
http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/index.php?p=688
Think a moment about what we are doing to ourselves and this planet. Have you heard of the nightmare condition called Morgellon's Disease (http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/index.php?p=599)? Victims experience unbearable sensations – all the time, day and night – of insects crawling under their skin, burning and itching so terrible that people have committed suicide to end the torture. To make matters worse, much, much worse, these unfortunate people, who range in age from babies to the elderly, have open lesions on their skin that produces sharp, thin red, black, blue and white fibers and black sand-like grains. The fibers appear to move as if alive and, incredibly, when placed in a Petri dish after removal, continue to move and grow!The origin of this horror has been unclear since it was first named in 2001 by the mother of a 3 year old baby whose symptoms she described and documented on a website. Since that time, thousands of people have been identified with this condition for which the only successful cure has been that most potent (and safe) of all antibiotics, nano silver. But the nature of the condition, and its cause, have remained a mystery until now. Shocking news: BioTech's New Plague -- When fibers from Morgellon's Disease lesions from numerous patients were analyzed by competent scientists, they were found to contain DNA from BOTH a fungus and a bacterium used in the production of commercial Genetically Modified plants and animals – including GM cotton!Merging organisms that have totally separate DNA and characteristics for the sake of profit, regardless of the health or other consequences, the line between animate and inanimate has been crossed. And we are all paying the price. Like the fictional Dr. Frankenstein, who transformed the non-living into a living creature which escaped his control, the biotech industry has, we fear, created a real Frankenstein's Monster: Franken Foods which are bringing new plagues on us and on the earth. The future of our planet is literally and truly at stake. That is why the Natural Solutions Foundation has taken on the task of educating decision makers about GM threats. CLIP
This Is Your Brain on Cell Phones http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/columns/2008/07/practical-values-this-is-your-brain-on-cell-phones.html
Is it just the crazies who think cell phone radiation causes cancer? (...) Of course, if you're really worried, you could ditch your cell phone for a quaint landline. Just don't expect the rest of the world to follow suit. Firstenberg has found that it's almost impossible to avoid the mobile-wielding masses. He used to ask strangers—politely—to stop talking on their phones in his presence until he got reprimanded in a grocery store for harassing a customer. "People get offended," he says. "They just don't know about microwave radiation."For the time being, the FCC is not considering any changes to its standards for cell phone radiation. Yet some cell phone companies have started including a pamphlet about potential health risks with their packaging, perhaps to guard against future litigation. And Schüz hasn't ruled out the possibility that as more data roll in, the scientific consensus could shift dramatically. "If you ask me a year from now," he says, "I might have changed my mind."
Frequent Mobile Phone Use Boosts Tumor Risk by 50 Percent (July 13 2008)
http://www.naturalnews.com/z023621.html
Frequent users of cellular phones develop tumors of the parotid gland 50 percent more often than less frequent users, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.Researchers at the Chaim Sheba Medical Center in Israel examined data that included 402 cases of benign and 58 cases of malignant tumors of the parotid gland, the largest of the salivary glands. They found that people who used mobile phones for more than 22 hours each month had a 50 percent higher risk of developing parotid gland tumors. This risk increased among users who always held the phone to the same ear, who did not use handheld devices and who lived in rural areas. "Analysis restricted to regular users or to conditions that may yield higher levels of exposure (e.g., heavy use in rural areas) showed consistently elevated risks," the researchers wrote.Tumors formed more frequently on the side of the head that patients most frequently held their phones to.The study adds to emerging evidence that long-term cellular phone use increases the risk of cancers and tumors. Because many cancers do not appear for 10 years after initial exposure to a carcinogen, many of the early industry-sponsored studies finding mobile phones to be safe have been criticized for their lack of scope and failure to examine long-term use.Two studies have found increased risk of a highly dangerous type of brain cancer known as glioma from long-term cell phone use. In an English study, people who used cell phones for more than 10 years were found to have a 20 percent higher risk of glioma, while a similar German study found the risk to be elevated by 100 percent.A 2004 Swedish study found that frequent users of mobile phones had a higher risk of developing noncancerous brain tumors known as acoustic neuroma.
I-Team: Injection Used To Subdue Prisoners (July. 11, 2008)
Forget Tasers, Forced Injection Of Amnesia Drug By Police...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25631432/from/ET/
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - While the Metro police had banned the use of Tasers for a time, they still used a controversial method to subdue unruly people, according to an I-Team report.Related Links: Contact the I-Team | Watch Story | Scroll Below To CommentThe city's policy to use the method, which calls for the injection of a drug into a person, came as a "total surprise" to people most would expect to know all about it.For almost two years, Metro police have had the option of calling for a needle loaded with a strong sedative to control the most unruly people they encounter on the street.(...) Very few people seem to know about the almost 2-year-old policy, Kalodimos said. The state's largest mental health advocacy group, Nashville's mental health judge, the Nashville Rescue Mission, the American Civil Liberties Union all said they had no knowledge of the use of the drug by police. "I've talked to my colleagues around the country, and none of the people from the south to the north to the east to the west have ever heard about this kind of program, this kind of use where they basically force an injection upon an individual knowing nothing about his or her medical condition," said ACLU Director Hedy Weinberg. CLIP
Omega-News Collection 19. July 2008
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5068905/
EMF-Omega-News 19. July 2008
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5068895/
1.
From: Jeremy Burnham (jeremy@pes.org.za)
Subject: GLOBAL Insights
Date: 6 July 2008
Dear Brother Jean,
My annual contribution . . . from GLOBAL Insights at http://www.nomorehoaxes.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22&Itemid=60 : George Green channels a source that outlines the cosmic conspiracy to turn our wondrous existence into chaos, orchestrated by a line of command that devolves to our familiar corrupt political machine. The part I like is this:
What now do you do at this pivotal point in your time? In the knowledge of this picture, which you are hardly able to acknowledge may even be a possibility, what can you do?
o First you must contemplate upon this understanding and come to face it within your own conscious thinking process. You must consider it as possibly being true.
o Then you must admit to your unknowing complicity in the treatment of your fellow human beings on this planet.
o You must move through your regrets for having been unaware through a process of denial, for the existence of these situations was plainly presented to you by the magician. This use of your consent was by real conspirators with very large agendas to put into place. You cannot linger in the destructive guilt process.
o You must resolve to come into your personal responsibility to cause this situation to change from its intended path. You are expected to stop being a victim and certainly not to become a martyr for there is no place to begin to resist this onslaught.
o You must vow and commit to become part of the solution.
o Then, despite the continued push of deceptive encroachment into your awareness, you must begin to discern what is truth. You must hold to your resolve to move through this to a new and greater understanding.
o When this becomes your greatest personal Truth, then you will find opportunities to become part of a different movement employing methods that will not constitute physical resistance, but will use an entirely new approach.
There is no other way open for resistance on a physical level would be immediately snuffed out. Your constitution is no longer an effective shield and will be dissolved. But, that matters not. It is in assuming personal responsibility that when one accepts the challenge and does not fade in fear, others also shall come forth in like awareness and consciousness. Together this spreading group awareness shall provide the pivotal point that will bring an end to this situation. The resolve to be part of the solution from the depths of personal consciousness is the key that will open the lock, end the imprisonment of humanity and bring true freedom to the inhabitants of this planet. Many are called, but few choose to respond. Where do you stand at this pivotal point? You must ask yourself and you must answer yourself!
Much love to you and yours
- Jeremy xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Jeremy Burnham
The Natural Step
30 Gill St, Observatory, Jo'burg
+2711 274 6807 / 072 424 0147
http://www.naturalstep.org
2.
A MOST IMPORTANT INITIATIVE (WiseUSA 2008) I ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO NETWORK WIDELY! TAKE A COUPLE MINUTES TO EXPLORE THEIR WEBSITE TOO!
Date: 8 July 2008
From: The Gaiafield Project (dnicol@ciis.edu)
Subject: Gaiafield Times: July Edition
Gaiafield Times July 2008
We're excited to announce the launch of our upgraded www.gaiafield.net website!
We have a new community section that allows you to easily chat on discussion forums, post events, share photos and videos, and form your own groups. This community center has a different account format than our old website, so we ask that both our old & new community members take just a few seconds to sign up. Thank you so much!
We have also added a library that will enable us to collaboratively build knowledge about subtle activism, spiritual peacemaking, the Gaiafield, and other topics of interest to our community.
WiseUSA 2008: Honoring the Heart and the Soul of America
à We're also very excited to announce the official launch of WiseUSA 2008: Honoring the Heart and the Soul of America. WiseUSA 2008 is a global transpartisan event to unite the world in meditation, prayer, and celebration before, during, and after the critical US elections in November.
"We the people, the ancestors of our great, great grandchildren, call forth the Heart and the Soul of America to awaken to its highest purpose and deepest compassion, for the benefit of the entire Earth community and the next seven generations. May Wisdom Prevail in the USA. May Peace Prevail on Earth."
From Saturday Oct 25 to Thursday Nov 6, hundreds of thousands of people from diverse cultures and faith traditions around the world will focus on the above transpartisan "We the People" core intention in their private practice, local gatherings, and teleconferences. On Sunday November 2, join us for a powerful ceremony of music, meditation, prayers, and celebration involving multiple live venues linked by videoconference. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of people around the world will join in online through listening to a live audio broadcast of the ceremony, and/or meditating with the aid of contemplative media resources (like a short video).
Can you help us make this event momentous? Please forward this email to your friends and loved ones (this is a network of love, after all). Then, visit Gaiafield to see how you could participate:
1. Register you or your group to join in the event
2. Join a discussion at the Gaiafield community forum about WiseUSA 2008 - what does the heart and the soul of America mean to you?
3. Upload your photos to show everyone the many different faces of the emerging Gaiafield...
Gaiafield Planet
Global Meditation Focus Group The Focus Group was created in April 2000 to issue twice a month a global Meditation Focus designed to focalize the attention and healing energies of a growing number of meditators around the world onto situations and crises in need of peaceful resolution and spiritual succour. See http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com/FocusArchives/home.htm for more info.
Global Prayer Project - Join Sally and James Redfield for twice-monthly Teleconferences and webcasts of guided global meditations. See www.celestinevision.com for more info.
You can also visit www.gaiafield.net for monthly updates about upcoming global meditation and prayer events.
May Peace Prevail on Earth
David Nicol, Leslie Meehan and the Gaiafield Project Team
Contact Information
email: mailto:dnicol@ciis.edu">dnicol@ciis.edu
web: http://www.gaiafield.net
3.
From: Louise Sullivan (angelgate@euroweb.net.mt)
Subject: Solar Eclipse Meditation
Date: 10 July 2008
Dear Jean
I laud you and your work. Such dedication is rare and it must take you ages to sift through all the information that is sent to you.
Please find attached an invitation extended to all, wherever they may be, to join in a meditation being held in Malta on the Ist of August.
It would be of immense help if you could include the information in your next compilation.
Malta is a small island in the middle of the Mediterranean on which stand the oldest temples on earth thus making it a significant energy point.
This meditation is going to be led by Janet Trevisan who has been teaching and working in the field of esoteric psychology, theosophy and meditation, and more for over 30 years.
Moreover she channels teachings and information by the Devatas (higher beings). These are always on a positive note which is so sorely needed at this moment in time. She has only very recently come out publicly and her work is posted on the website http://www.theenvoy.org
Thank you so much. You have been a precious source of information for me and hope that you will keep it up.
With love and light
Louise Sullivan
---
From: http://www.theenvoy.org/teachings/view.php?teachingId=109
Solar Eclipse Meditation - 1st August 2008 - World Meditation for Peace, Co-Existence and Harmony
Led by Janet Trevisan
Time: CET 20.00 Hrs
Place: Malta - Europe
Let us unite in global meditation, to help stabilize the immense power which is synonymous with the Solar Eclipse thus Awakening peaceful co-existence and Spiritual Conscious Awareness.
The world is at the point of Transformation. Consciousness now is Opening to its greater potential. Mother Earth calls you to help balance the energetics of the planet at this time. Through the light of the Solar Eclipse, our aspiration resonates now with our Higher Being.
Although the eclipse will be visible over China, Mongolia and Russia, its effects will be manifested worldwide over a period of three days, bringing about great positive change and innovation, as its energies interface with all the sacred sites and ley-lines around the planet..
“You are created through consciousness, and you are a projection of thought. Therefore what you term your reality is a thinking process to a degree. All that you wish to become, or to attain, or to do, is brought about through thinking processes. But, you do not realize that the thinking process is a vibrational frequency, one which can be very negative or very positive.
It is important, globally speaking now, that people lift their awareness, lift their minds and hearts, and go into a higher frequency, leaving behind that past that was.
If you can hold a positive and not a negative vibrational frequency, then it will be a balancing - and a balancing within a higher level.
Now as this occurs, so the thought changes - as this changes your reality changes, and the reality for humanity, as we have said many times before, is a great future indeed.
And it is a future whereby humanity comes into its true spirituality and adulthood as such - moving outward consciously speaking into union with many, many other deeper levels of spirituality.
You are spirit and as you 'co-combine' with other spirits, so you will start to see the expansion of your awareness occurring. And it is of great importance that the uniting attitude and the positive attitude is given out."
Devata Dictation (June 30, 2008) Channeled by Janet Trevisan
More such channeled messages through http://www.theenvoy.org
---
NOTE from Jean: There has been a related crop formation (celestial glyph) that has been shown to highlight the importance of this coming Solar eclipse. For all the details, go at http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/2008/westkennettlongbarrow/westkennett2008b.html
Scroll down and read what begins with West Kennett Longbarrow of June 9: 50 days until a total solar eclipse on August 1, 2008
4.
THIS IS A MOST EXCITING AND IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT. THIS BREAKTHROUGH PRINCIPLE NOW ENSHRINED IN ECUADOR'S CONSTITUTION MUST BECOME THE TEMPLATE FOR SIMILAR INITIATIVES AROUND THE WORLD.!
Forwarded by Edna Spennato (ednaspennato@gmail.com) who wrote: "Yippedoodah! This is a very important milestone in the Great Turning!"
From: http://www.newscloud.com/read/Ecuador_Constitutional_Assembly_Votes_to_Approve_Rights_of_Nature_In_New_Constitution
Ecuador Constitutional Assembly Votes to Approve Rights of Nature In New Constitution
July 7, 2008
Today, the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) announced that Ecuador became the first nation in the world to shift to rights-based environmental protection. There was a time when people were considered property (slaves) and this idea is no longer generally accepted in the developed world. Yet, Ecuador is the first country to begin to codify in its Constitution the concept that nature is not just property, but has an inherent right to exist.
On July 7, 2008, the Ecuador Constitutional Assembly - composed of one hundred and thirty (130) delegates elected countrywide to rewrite the country's Constitution - voted to approve articles for the new constitution recognizing rights for nature and ecosystems. "If adopted in the final constitution by the people, Ecuador would become the first country in the world to codify a new system of environmental protection based on rights," stated Thomas Linzey, Executive Director of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund. ... Over the past year, the Legal Defense Fund has been invited to assist Delegates to the Ecuador Constitutional Assembly to re-write that country's constitution. Delegates requested that the Legal Defense Fund draft proposed Rights of Nature language for the constitution based on ordinances developed and adopted by municipalities in the United States.
The Legal Defense Fund has now assisted communities in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and Virginia to draft and adopt new laws that change the status of natural communities and ecosystems from being regarded as property under the law to being recognized as rights-bearing entities.
Those local laws recognize that natural communities and ecosystems possess an inalienable and fundamental right to exist and flourish, and that residents of those communities possess the legal authority to enforce those rights on behalf of those ecosystems. In addition, these laws require the local governments to remedy violations of those ecosystem rights. In essence, these laws represent changes to the status of property law, eliminating the authority of a property owner to interfere with the functioning of ecosystems and natural communities that exist and depend upon that property for their existence and flourishing. The local laws allow certain types of development that do not interfere with the rights of ecosystems to exist and flourish.
In the past, I've been involved in CELDF's Democracy School programs in Seattle and written about this kind of rights-based organizing for ONE/Northwest's newsletter. It makes good background reading on the Democracy School movement. You can also watch a lecture by CELDF's Thomas Linzey given in Seattle in 2005 on YouTube.
Ecuador's efforts stand in stark contrast to what happened in South Africa's Constitution where transnational corporations were able to push through clauses giving corporation the same rights as people.
5.
From: http://www.michaelmoore.com/books-films/dudewheresmycountry/freechapter/index.php
A Liberal Paradise
THERE IS A COUNTRY I would like to tell you about. It is a country like no other on the planet. Many of you, I am certain, would love to live there.
It is a very, very liberal, liberated, and free-thinking country. Its people hate the thought of going to war. The vast majority of its men have never served in any kind of military and they aren't rushing to sign up now. They abhor guns and support any and all efforts to restrict the usage of personal firearms. Its citizens are strong supporters of labor unions and workers' rights. They believe that corporations are up to no good and should not be trusted.
The majority of its residents
strongly believe in equal rights for women and oppose any attempt by the government or religious groups who would seek to control their reproductive organs. In overwhelming numbers, the people of this country I speak of believe that gay and lesbian people should have the same opportunities as straight people and they should not be discriminated against in any way.
In this country nearly everyone wants to have the strongest protections necessary to ensure a clean environment. And they take personal responsibility by doing a number of things every single day to cut down on pollution and waste.
This country is so far to the left that 80 percent of its people believe in universal health care and racial diversity on college campuses.
This country I know of is so hippy-dippy-free-love and all that jazz that only a quarter of its people believe that drug users should go straight to jail-perhaps because, as their president has, 41 percent of the citizens have admitted to using illegal drugs themselves! And when it comes to holy matrimony, the number of people who live together and don't get married is up 72 percent in the past decade, and 43 percent of them have children.
I'm telling you, this country is so commie-pinko-weirdo, its conservative party can never get more than 25 percent of its recurring voters to join it, while the vast majority of its citizens define themselves as either members of the liberal party, or worse-independent or anarchist (the latter just simply refusing ever to vote!).
So, where is this utopia I write about, this land of liberal-lefty, peacenik tree-huggers (and how soon can you and I move there)?
Is it Sweden?
Tibet?
The Moon?
No! You don't have to go to the moon because . . . you're already there! This Land O' Left paradise I speak of is none other than . . . the United States of America!
CLIP - Excerpted from Michael Moore's latest book: Dude, Where is My Country. More details through http://www.michaelmoore.com/books-films/dudewheresmycountry/
6.
Forwarded by Mark Graffis (mgraffis@gmail.com)
From: http://www.usnews.com/blogs/the-ticker/2008/7/8/pickens-plan.html
Pickens' Plan
July 08, 2008
Billionaire oilman and corporate raider T. Boone Pickens is taking his fight for American energy independence public today, outlining his plan to wean America off its $700 billion-a-year foreign crude habit.
"Our dependence on imported oil is killing our economy. It is the single biggest problem facing America today," Pickens said. "As we import more and more of our energy, we are participating in the greatest transfer of wealth in the history of mankind, sending billions of our dollars overseas to buy oil for a commodity that lasts 90 days until burned in our gas tanks."
Here's his list of fixes, from a characteristically bombastic press release:
Step #1: Using the United States' wind corridor, private industry will fund the installation of thousands of wind turbines in the wind belt, generating enough power to provide 20 percent or more of our electricity supply
Step #2: Again funded by the private sector, electric power transmission lines will be built, connecting these wind power generating sites with power plants providing energy to the population centers in the Midwest, South, and Western regions of the country.
Step #3: With the energy from wind now available to operate power plants serving the large population centers in key areas of the country, the natural gas that was historically utilized to fuel these power plants can be redirected and used to replace imported gasoline and diesel as a fuel for thousands of vehicles in our transportation system.
Pickens, a vocal promoter of "peak oil" theory, has already signed on to build a $2 billion wind farm in the Texas Panhandle and reportedly could spend $10 billion on the project.
He's also funding an advertising campaign to garner support in pushing the incoming administration to act on his plan. His website is live today, and Pickens told USA Today that he wants to "elevate that question to the presidential debate, to make it the No. 1 issue of the campaign this year."
For those of you who enjoy watching rich Texans draw on whiteboards, here's the Pickens' Plan pitch: http://www.pickensplan.com/
7.
PICKEN'S PLAN ABOVE ISN'T CRAZY AT ALL WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE ALTERNATIVE. AND THEN THERE ARE X NUMBER OF NEW ENERGY SOURCES (like the zero point energy) AND PROVEN CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES (see "The Water Car" further below) THAT ARE LANGUISHING IN LIMBO FOR A NUMBER OF OBSCURE REASONS... TIME TO TO GET THINGS MOVING!...
Forwarded by Mark Graffis (mgraffis@gmail.com)
From: http://tinyurl.com/5nf2ra
The Peak Oil Crisis: The Blackouts Spread
Written by Tom Whipple
16 July 2008
Of the 266 distinct nations or entities on the world today, nearly 100 are now reporting continuing energy shortages, mostly in the form of inadequate electricity supply, but in a growing number of cases, shortages of liquid fuels and natural gas. The actual number of countries affected is probably well over 100 but there are dozens of isolated island-states scattered around the world that are rarely heard from and are almost certainly suffering in silence while waiting for the next oil tanker to come in.
The majority of these energy-short states are small, poor and play only a minor role in world trade. While we should feel sorry for the plight of their inhabitants who are, or shortly will be, enduring severe hardships from greatly reduced supplies of electricity, water, food and use of motor transport, the impact of their problems on the better-off OECD world is likely to be minimal for a while.
Shortages, however, are not confined to small, poor states, but, in an increasing number of cases, are appearing in large, relatively well-off and active states on which the OECD world of North America, Europe and parts of Asia are very dependent. Several of the countries having energy problems are actually oil exporting states that, for one reason or another, are not able to turn their increasing oil wealth into smoothly functioning shortage-free economies. Unfortunately, several major countries appear to be on the path to an energy shortage-induced economic and perhaps political collapse within the foreseeable future which obviously will have serious consequences for us all.
Currently, the most serious situations appear to be in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Both are nations with populations in excess of 150 million people that are ensnared in devastating power shortages that have destroyed their export industries. Both are facing water and agricultural problems that threaten their food supplies. Liquid fuels are running short and reductions in exports threaten their ability to import oil and natural gas. It was recently revealed that the Saudis already are forgiving $6 billion of Pakistan's $12 billion annual oil import bill.
On top of this, Pakistan has nuclear weapons and its strategic location is vital to the course of the insurgency in Afghanistan. Worsening blackouts, the liquid fuels shortage and probably the food situation are likely to lead to serious political instability before the year is out.
The next important pair of countries in terms of their impact on western economies is China and India, and although their situations are nowhere near as serious as the problems in Pakistan and Bangladesh, both are beginning to suffer from electricity shortages which will impact economic growth. China, which now has a shortfall of around four percent of its normal electricity production, is compensating by cutting back on production of aluminum and zinc which consume prodigious quantities of electric power. The recent earthquake has given Beijing pause in its ambitious plans to expand hydro and nuclear power production. If China cannot increase coal production rapidly enough to keep up electricity generation for its rapidly expanding economy, it is likely to increase imports of coal and oil keeping pressure on world prices.
So far there is no indication of an unusually large increase in Chinese oil imports as there was during the power shortage four years ago. The world price of diesel is simply too expensive to be used to generate electricity for industrial production these days.
India's energy shortages are more serious than China's.
Its nuclear power plants are failing, hydro-power from the Himalayas is drying up due to global warming, and the costs of imported fuels are soaring. Over 85 percent of India's oil must be imported and coupled with the subsidies of oil prices the increasing costs are taking a heavy toll on the state budget. Although the situation in India is not yet as bad as in Pakistan, blackouts and liquid fuel shortages are being reported almost every day somewhere in the country. There is no end in sight to this situation and likelihood of an economic slowdown, coupled with water and food shortages, is increasing.
Several members of OPEC are having electricity and/or liquid shortages. In Nigeria, and Iraq where there are active insurgencies that have damaged the infrastructure, the shortages are endemic. Indonesia, which is just about out of OPEC due to lack of exportable oil, is beginning to face frequent power blackouts and fuel shortages. Even Venezuela and Iran have occasional electricity and fuel supply problems as they are trying to do without substantial foreign technical assistance. In Mexico, demand for gasoline has outrun refining capacity and the country is forced to rely on imports. There are now daily diesel shortages along the border as Americans cross over to fill-up on subsidized half-priced Mexican fuel.
Aside from the major oil-producing states, most countries in Africa, Latin America and Central Asia are enduring some form of energy shortages. In a number of important mineral producing countries such as South Africa, Chile and Zambia, they have already reduced production due to shortages of electricity and diesel fuel.
The global wave of blackouts and shortages is almost certain to get worse. Although most governments have announced optimistic plans to increase electricity production and bring oil to market within the next few months or years, these are almost certain to fail. The cost of building electrical generation capacity is soaring and finding affordable fuel unlikely.
In the OECD world, the effects of these shortages is likely to be felt in the form of much higher prices for declining exports from the energy-poor. For the citizens of the energy-poor world, life is going to become much harder very soon as electric lights, computers, motor transport, refrigeration, fresh water and imported anything become scarcer and scarcer.
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Related articles and video:
Gore Says US Must Abandon Fossil Fuels by 2018
http://www.truthout.org/article/gore-says-us-must-abandon-fossil-fuels-2018
David Stout reports for The New York Times, "Former Vice President Al Gore said on Thursday that Americans must abandon fossil fuels within a decade and rely on the sun, the winds and other environmentally friendly sources of electric power, or risk losing their national security as well as their creature comforts."
Al Gore Lays Down Green Challenge to America
http://www.truthout.org/article/al-gore-lays-down-green-challenge-america
Zachary Coile for The San Francisco Chronicle: "Former Vice President Al Gore, seeking to shake up an energy debate that is focused mostly on drilling, challenged the United States to shift its entire electricity sector to carbon-free wind, solar and geothermal power within 10 years, and use that power to fuel a new fleet of electric vehicles."
Yes We Can
http://www.truthout.org/article/yes-we-can
Bob Herbert of The New York Times: "The moment is ripe for exactly the kind of challenge issued by Mr. Gore on Thursday. It doesn't matter if his proposal is less than perfect, or can't be realized within 10 years, or even it if is found to be deeply flawed. The goal is the thing. The fetish for drilling for ever more oil is the perfect metaphor these days. The first thing you do when you find yourself in a hole is stop digging." THERE IS A related petition at http://pol.moveon.org/gorechallenge/
First US Town Powered Solely by Wind (2008-07-16)
http://tinyurl.com/6j6jyv
The four turbines that supply electricity to the small town of 1,300 residents make it the first community in the United States to operate solely on wind power.
Why the oil crunch may grow worse (July 22, 2008)
http://www.newsday.com/business/la-fi-peakoil22-2008jul22,0,1111928,full.story
The fear is that all the easy-to-reach crude has been found. These may be 'the good old days,' one expert says. - With gasoline and oil costing once-unthinkable barrels of cash, the notion that things in our petroleum-addicted world soon will get worse -- maybe much, much worse -- is spreading fast. (...) In five years, demand for oil may exceed 94 million barrels a day and continue rising, spurred by growth in China and India, the International Energy Agency estimates. Experts put daily global production at between 82 million and 86 million barrels, and even the most optimistic oil authorities can't see production keeping up with demand without a big boost from unconventional sources such as Canada's vast oil sands or U.S. oil shale. Getting crude from such sources is more difficult, expensive and environmentally harmful. CLIP
Peak Oil - How Will You Ride the Slide?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ulxe1ie-vEY
We've already burned through almost half the world's supply of oil. How will we ride out the slide down the other side of Hubbert's Curve? For more information, go to: http://www.energychallenge.tv/
Big Oil Choosing Stock Over Exploration (July 21)
http://usnews.feedroom.com/?fr_story=9edb68ac95618b4d6c15efc28cfb02ae3e5f35bc&rf=rss
Easy oil is gone, gasoline and oil prices have hit unimaginable heights and energy prices are a leading contributor to slowing global growth, so Big Oil must be devoting more and more money to exploration, right? Not so.
8.
MUST READ AND WATCH!
Forwarded by Mark Graffis (mgraffis@gmail.com)
From: http://tinyurl.com/6r9sgk
Even oilmen believe our planet is burning up, says Full Monty writer behind terrifying TV drama
By Simon Beaufoy -- 19th July 2008
I am sitting in the office of a man who was, until recently, chief executive of one of the biggest oil companies in the world: a man who made his company billions of dollars. I listen, make the odd nervous note and reflect that it's been a long road since I wrote one of Britain's best-loved films, The Full Monty.
As a scriptwriter, I have met lots of powerful people, but my reaction is always the same. When I went to the Oscars, I sat next to a pleasant, elegant woman and chatted happily to her until somebody pointed out it was Claudia Schiffer. After that, I could not utter another word.
But today it isn't because I am star-struck that I am terrified; it is because the oil man is telling me the opposite of everything he should say. Over the tinkle of teacups, he is predicting the end of civilisation.
Rupert Penry-Jones and Neve Campbell in Simon Beaufoy's new two-part drama, Burn Up
My friends give me uncomfortable looks about my new film, Burn Up, because I have a Cassandra-like reputation for writing fiction about things that later become fact.
Many years ago, I made a film called The Darkest Light about a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. Two years later, it happened for real.
I wrote the script for another film called Yasmin that suggested disaffected British Muslim youths could turn to terrorism. A year later came the London suicide bombings.
I'm not boasting: I just listen to experts who prove frighteningly accurate.
Burn Up - starring Rupert Penry-Jones, who played Adam Carter in the hit BBC series Spooks - is about the moment runaway climate change collides with an unprecedented oil crisis.
So given my track record, my friends are keen to know what happens at the end.
Once I had decided to write a drama about climate change I spoke to everybody who was prepared to talk.
Surprisingly, this turned out not just to be the usual environmental suspects such as Greenpeace, Friends Of The Earth or WWF, but people in the oil industry.
And these weren't disaffected whistle-blowers, but some senior figures who were prepared to step out of the shadows and tell me just how scared they were.
The oil man predicting an apocalypse was one of them. I had gone to his office expecting him to tell me global warming was at best an uncertain science based on dodgy data, at worst a Left-wing conspiracy designed to tax us all to death.
'Fiddling while Rome burns': Even oil industry chiefs now privately admit global warming will worsen disastrously without urgent action
Oil companies pumped out the oil that was producing the carbon dioxide, so why would he tell me any different?
Sure enough, that's how the interview started. The world was 'going through a 40-year transition period from a carbon economy to a hydrogen economy' where oil would smoothly be replaced by other sources of renewable energy.
He talked on convincingly. The tea-lady brought round the trolley. I felt reassurance waft over me: the environmental scaremongers were wrong.
Then I looked up. A '40-year transition period'? I cleared my throat, and nervously suggested that Sir John Houghton, the scientist who led the first Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change, had told me we had at best ten years to stop the increase in global temperatures, otherwise we were in danger of runaway climate change. Ten years tops. Not 40.
The CEO stopped in his tracks. 'Oh, you've talked to him, have you?' His tone changed.
He sat down heavily and said: 'Well, I know John and he's right, and if you want to know what I really think, I think we're fiddling while Rome burns.' He was the first of many to come to the confessional. People who for the sake of their careers shouldn't even have returned my phone calls were opening their hearts to me. Why such dangerous honesty towards a writer?
I found the answer at a conference of the Tipping Point organisation which puts artists and scientists together to learn about climate change.
We met at Oxford's Sheldonian Theatre, in which were placed signs reading 'politics', 'business', 'the media' and 'science'. We were asked to stand under the sign we thought offered the most hope of progress on the issue.
With some giggling and shoving, 200 people crowded underneath the various signs. When this musical chairs for adults finally stopped, there were just two people under the 'science' sign. Only one of them was a scientist.
We were aghast. The room was full of eminent scientists from across the world, yet none of them had the confidence to stand under their own sign.
Why? ' Because nobody is listening, ' they answered. 'For 15 years we've been warning about rising sea levels, melting icecaps, changes in sea currents, weakening monsoons, the acidification of the ocean. Yet nobody is listening to us.'
It is extraordinary. There are thousands of scientific studies by climatologists, oceanologists, biologists - every ologist imaginable - charting the current and future effects of climate change. Yet half the population of this country still doesn't believe it.
Today, there's a lot of talk about renewable energy and the G8's latest pledge of cutting carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2050. But we've got