Tuesday, August 15, 2017

THE U.S. INTERVENES SOUTH OF
THE BORDER TO SERVE MONIED
INTERESTS, NEVER TO SERVE THE
PEOPLE THERE, OR HERE.

"As President Trump claims he won't rule out military force in Venezuela, Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, says "we need to keep our dirty hands off Latin America."
(The Real News.com)
FAKE WARS

(Consortium News.com)

(by Eduardo Galeano, translated by Cedric Belfrage)

"Since its U.S. debut a quarter-century ago, this brilliant text has set a new standard for historical scholarship of Latin America. It is also an outstanding political economy, a social and cultural narrative of the highest quality, and perhaps the finest description of primitive capital accumulation since Marx.

Rather than chronology, geography, or political successions, Eduardo Galeano has organized the various facets of Latin American history according to the patterns of five centuries of exploitation. Thus he is concerned with gold and silver, cacao and cotton, rubber and coffee, fruit, hides and wool, petroleum, iron, nickel, manganese, copper, aluminum ore, nitrates, and tin. These are the veins which he traces through the body of the entire continent, up to the Rio Grande and throughout the Caribbean, and all the way to their open ends where they empty into the coffers of wealth in the United States and Europe.

Weaving fact and imagery into a rich tapestry, Galeano fuses scientific analysis with the passions of a plundered and suffering people. An immense gathering of materials is framed with a vigorous style that never falters in its command of themes. All readers interested in great historical, economic, political, and social writing will find a singular analytical achievement, and an overwhelming narrative that makes history speak, unforgettably.

This classic is now further honored by Isabel Allende’s inspiring introduction. Universally recognized as one of the most important writers of our time, Allende once again contributes her talents to literature, to political principles, and to enlightenment."

Friday, August 11, 2017

THERE ARE TRUMP FANS
(NOT JUST CYNICAL CRONIES)

"All of these social-psychological factors are phenomena of later middle age and older people, and we're dying off," Tom Pettigrew, 86,  says with a wink. "The new generation that's coming on, even in the South, really is different."
(University of Santa Cruz.edu)

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

GLOBAL WARMING

Here's a wonderful little discussion with Katherine Hayho, concerning the recently "leaked" government report on climate change. I was very impressed with Ms. Hayho's concise and articulate comments concerning the report specifically and climate change in general.

Katharine Hayho is director of the Climate Science Center
at Texas Tech University.
(The Real News Network video)

"A new US Government report on climate change directly undermines the Trump administration's climate denial. Scientists from 13 Federal agencies say global warming has increased temperatures in the US and around the world. The report has not been published and there are fears the White House will censor it, and there's a new reason to be worried about climate censorship. The Guardian reports this week that the Department of Agriculture has banned several phrases including climate change and climate change adaptation. Instead, the agency has told employees to use terms like, weather extremes and resilience to weather extremes."

ALSO

Meet the Senior Federal Official Blowing the Whistle on Trump's Suppression of Climate Science
(DemocracyNow.org)

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

SINGLE PAYER
IMPROVED MEDICARE FOR ALL

"On August 2, 2017, The Nation published an article by Joshua Holland, “Medicare for All isn’t the Solution for Universal Health Care,” chastising Improved Medicare for All supporters because, in his view, the single payer movement has “failed to grapple with the difficulties of transitioning to a single-payer system.” The article, which doesn’t quote anyone involved in the movement for Improved Medicare for All, begs a response because it shows what liberals opposed to single payer believe."
(Margaret Flowers, MD at Truthdig.com)

BANKSTERS REDUX


"Max and Stacy discuss the coming sequel to the global financial crisis and the bond bubble warnings from Alan Greenspan. Max interviews Dr. Michael Hudson about Trumponomics, anti-trust, repeat banking offenders, and his father’s proverbs."
(RT.com)
RALPH NADER

"Mind you, the Trump wrecking crew is not going after gigantic corporate welfare programs, giveaways, bailouts and subsidies to big business. Nor are the Trumpsters going after wasteful, inflated government corporate contracts or massive billing frauds on Medicare, Medicaid or other government programs. These egregious examples of crony capitalism, so disliked by conservatives and progressives alike, seem untouchable. While disgraceful, this is not surprising; many of Trump’s nominees benefitted mightily from this cronyism before coming to Washington and Trump still benefits due to his refusal to divest."
(Nader.org)
(Goodreads.com)

Conspicuous consumption and conflict will end civilization sooner than you might think. No matter how bad you think things are, they are without doubt much worse.

(Counter Punch.org)

Biological Annihilation: Earth's Sixth Mass Extinction Event is Under Way
(The Real News Network video)

A movie about our climate crisis. 2014 News and Documentary Emmy award winner for Outstanding Nature Programming.

An award winning documentary about the plight of coral, that illustrates the dire impact of changing ocean conditions on life below and above the water.

P.S. The ongoing manmade extinction event currently underway may eventually include us.
BOOK EXCERPT

The Cronies Behind the Energy Industry's Deliberate Misinformation Campaigns
"Authors Dick Russell and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. expose the energy moguls covering up catastrophic climate change for their own gain."
(Alternet.org)

Recent conversations hosted by Thom Hartmann:

"Thom discusses tensions between the US and North Korea with Codepink co-founder Medea Benjamin, with whom he’ll also unpack the deafening silence from Trump’s White House in the face of human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia. Then, he talks to Scott Greer of the Daily Caller and Amber J. Phillips of the Movement for Black Lives about Trump’s dishonesty and the danger it poses to our democracy."

"Thom talks with Richard Wolff about the ongoing demise of US democracy under Trump, Brian Darling and Sam Sacks about Trump’s possible coming impeachment, and the latest attempt from the Koch brothers to distort democracy. Plus, the dangerously low chance our planet has of reaching the Paris Climate accords."

Monday, August 7, 2017

THE WORLD OF TOMORROW?

"Republicans and Democrats – along with a complicit mainstream media – are plunging ahead toward war with Russia, a mad groupthink that could end life on the planet, observes John Pilger."
(Consortiumnews.com)

Sunday, August 6, 2017

RICHARD DAWKINS

An otherwise intelligent discussion is derailed when the topic switches to Donald Trump.

Arrogance of ignorance?
Ft. Richard Dawkins, Evolutionary biologist
Worlds Apart interview by Oksana Boyko,
with Richard Dawkins.
(RT.com)
TELEBOMBS:
TELECOM BILL BS

Here's another reason why telecom companies
need to be regulated.

(StreamingObserver.com)

This story was also covered at BoingBoing.
(BoingBoing.net)

Instead of watching more TV, we should be watching out for how telecoms are screwing us, and how they plan to screw us in the future. See my Net Neutrality Post from July 2017:
Battle for the Net

A funny ISP FU video, `cause why not?
BANKSTER FINES
SHOULD BE JAIL TIME,
BUT THERE'S NO JUSTICE

(SlashDot.org)

UPDATE:

THERE’S A NEW WELLS FARGO SCANDAL: THIS TIME IT’S THE TRUCOAT
(The Intercept.com)