Nuclear Challenge

From Clearwater.org:

Hudson River Sloop Clearwater's challenges to Indian Point Nuclear Plant's license renewal application on environmental and public health grounds will be heard during the Atomic
Safety and Licensing Board's (ASLB) upcoming relicensing hearings.

Following several months of legal proceedings, the ASLB announced on July 31, 2008 that two of the six contentions filed by Clearwater, covering a range of challenges to Indian Point's application for another 20-year operating permit, have been accepted for further review.

Clearwater's Environmental Director Manna Jo Greene, and Stephen Filler, an attorney who serves on the Clearwater Board of Directors' Executive Committee, submitted Clearwater's petition to intervene, which featured our Environmental Justice concerns, last fall and presented oral argument before the ASLB panel in March.

"Clearwater continues to fight for the environment and for the health and safety of the people in this region, as it has since Indian Point was first commissioned in the 1960's. The panel accepted 15 contentions--the largest number ever considered--a clear indication of the many serious problems at Indian Point," said Stephen Filler.


Looks like signing all those petitions finally paid off!! More news soon.

public service announcement

I got my propaganda

I got revisionism

I got my violence in hi-def ultra-realism.

I'm a part of this great nation... -NIN

Flat-screen television: Another short sighted, detrimental trend.

As prices for such technology drops, the mantra "Spend not Mend" becomes even more apparent. It is easier, faster, even cheaper, to buy a new product than to fix your old one. Furthermore, it is FASHIONABLE to own a new product. This attitude, combined with a tablespoon of advertising and a dash of low self-esteem leaves us with the perfect recipe for the perfect average American customer.

Now onto the life threatening part:

"The rising demand for flat-screen televisions could have a greater impact on global warming than the world's largest coal-fired power stations, a leading environmental scientist warned yesterday.

Manufacturers use a greenhouse gas called nitrogen trifluoride to make the televisions, and as the sets have become more popular, annual production of the gas has risen to about 4,000 tonnes.

As a driver of global warming, nitrogen trifluoride is 17,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide, yet no one knows how much of it is being released into the atmosphere by the industry, said Michael Prather, director of the environment institute at the University of California, Irvine." -[Ian Sample, science correspondent The Guardian, Thursday July 3, 2008]

What lesson can we hope to learn from this information?
-Keep the television you have.

-When it is beyond repair, bring it to a recycling facility (contact your local county offices for more information)

-If you are going to buy another television, opt for a thrift store where you can get an older, safer model.

-Or don't replace your TV.
The news broadcasts are mainly lies, violence and gossip. With the exception of the Daily Show, Colbert Report and Adult Swim, most programming has gone down the tubes whilst advertising and commercial interruptions have been on an all time high rise.

Do yourself a favor: read a book, paint a scene, compose a song, write an essay, plant a garden, take a walk, watch a sunset, adopt a kitten, and/or THINK FOR YOURSELF.
Your brain, and the environment, will thank you.

Environmental Efforts

Times Herald-Record

June 26, 2008

NEW PALTZ — Village parks and green spaces are going organic in hopes that residents will follow suit and stop treating their lawns with inorganic chemicals.

Approval of new legislation that would stop the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides on village property is just a lawyerly tweak away from becoming law, according to Alice Andrews, a member of the village environmental commission and organizer of an organics task force.

Andrews was aghast when she learned about the potential harm that non-agricultural pesticides and herbicides can do to not only plant life but to pets and children as well.

Children spend more time cavorting on lawns and can absorb more pesticides relative to their body weight than adults. They're particularly vulnerable to such risks as cancer and neurological impairment because their organ systems are still developing.

Andrews had hoped to be able to propose legislation that would have banned or limited pesticide use for all village properties, but that plan appears to be dead in the water. Not only would it have been a hard sell for residents, but corporate interests could have taken legal action against the village.

"What we've decided is to try every other angle, especially education," she said.

To that end, the task force has created posters that urge residents to sign a myspace.com petition urging Ulster County to ban pesticides.

Andrews said she hopes the village's Web site will soon have a page devoted to pesticides. With the passage of time, she hopes "social pressure" will do what formal legislation can't.

jhorrigan@th-record.com

If you would like to sign our petition to ban pesticides, visit the site: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/pesticide-freeNP/

If you would like information on how to start a similar organic initiative in your own town, send me a message.

A fallen comrade

Unfortunately, George Carlin passed on Sunday afternoon, June 22nd 2008 of heart failure at the age of 71. He was a very telling and truthful person, using the art of comedy to bring a little bit of reality to our lives:

"I became a sun-worshipper. Several reasons. First of all, I can see the sun, okay? Unlike some other gods I could mention, I can actually see the sun. I'm big on that. If I can see something, I don't know, it kind of helps the credibility along, you know? So everyday I can see the sun, as it gives me everything I need; heat, light, food, flowers in the park, reflections on the lake, an occasional skin cancer, but hey. At least there are no crucifixions, and we're not setting people on fire simply because they don't agree with us. . .

Sun worship is fairly simple. There's no mystery, no miracles, no pageantry, no one asks for money, there are no songs to learn, and we don't have a special building where we all gather once a week to compare clothing. And the best thing about the sun, it never tells me I'm unworthy. Doesn't tell me I'm a bad person who needs to be saved. Hasn't said an unkind word. Treats me fine. So, I worship the sun. But, I don't pray to the sun. Know why? I wouldn't presume on our friendship. It's not polite."


"For centuries now, man has done everything he can to destroy, defile, and interfere with nature: clear-cutting forests, strip-mining mountains, poisoning the atmosphere, over-fishing the oceans, polluting the rivers and lakes, destroying wetlands and aquifers... so when nature strikes back, and smacks him on the head and kicks him in the nuts, I enjoy that. I have absolutely no sympathy for human beings whatsoever. None. And no matter what kind of problem humans are facing, whether it's natural or man-made, I always hope it gets worse."


"I sort of gave up on this whole human adventure a long time ago, divorced myself from it emotionally. I think the human race has squandered its gift, and I think this country has squandered its promise. I think people in America sold out very cheaply, for sneakers and cheeseburgers. And I don't think it's fixable."



We must remember and apply his words to collectively mend our ways and create the world that he never thought possible.

Pretty much that or we perish like he so confidently predicted...




George Carlin, you will be missed.

Impeachment IV

The resolution to impeach Bush was shot down tonight.
world socialist web published the first article on this account.

Why is the legislative branch of government not holding this man responsible for all of the crimes and wrong doings he has committed over the past 8 years? Probably because they are all tied into it and guilty on their own levels. So much for justice. So much our representatives REPRESENTING our desires... Does anyone else see why a democratic republic does not work?

Seeing Sounds

“Seeing Sounds” by N.E.R.D. is another excellent album to add to your collection. Lyrics range from the personal to the political, the music is almost indescribable – unclassifiable, a mish-mash of genres. On one song alone I hear influences from The Clash, the Who, and Michael Jackson. The next, completely different, heavy static beat/bass which doubles up a few measure in to produce an amazing groove.

"What is a N.E.R.D? N.E.R.D stands for No One Ever Really Dies. The Neptunes are who we are and N.E.R.D is what we do. It's our life. N.E.R.D is just a basic belief, man. People's energies are made of their souls. When you die, that energy may disperse but it isn't destroyed. Energy cannot be destroyed. It can manifest in a different way but even then it's like their souls are going somewhere. If it's going to heaven or hell or even if it's going into a fog or somewhere in the atmosphere to lurk unbeknownst to itself, it's going somewhere." - Pharrell Williams

“I'm trying to imply the few,
by removing propaganda but,
They must of fused a dove with superglue,
I’m tryin to take a machine apart,
What I'm simply trying to do
Is have the business take a pause,
I've been down every avenue,
But everybody's good as gone.”*

Very fitting considering all that has gone down this week. I respect every musician who uses their broadcasting power to emit truth, knowledge and inspiration while inciting their audience to question the world around them. At the same time, I also admire music which is purely aesthetic, for the love of the beat and the experience of its creation. Luckily, this album has both. I highly recommend you pick it up.

http://www.myspace.com/nerdofficial

http://nerdofficial.blogspot.com/

*lyrics by ear, may not be 100%

Impeachment part III

No further news on Kucinich's impeachment articles against Bush. Hopefully there will be some progress by the end of the day.

IMPEACHMENT part II

89% of 590,533 Americans believe that Bush's actions justify impeachment.

Keep the numbers rolling...

IMPEACHMENT 08

Kucinich Presents Bush Impeachment Articles (35 to be exact, with supporting evidence)

In particular, on the use of propaganda to manufacture a reason to start the war with Iraq.

Now, this is not being broadcast on the major news sites yet. And here is an opportunity to report some REAL, IMPORTANT, TRUTHFUL and EXCELLENT information. At least someone is finally stepping up to the plate. There is no turning back now. Spread the word! It is time for some justice!

media takeover

(love this image, will use it again and again)

After observing how the media has painted Hillary, Obama and McCain throughout the different phases of this campaign, witnessing how a story on the potential for higher gases prices on 4th of July actually caused gas prices to raise TODAY, and that whole thing about the Pentagon admitting to the use of propaganda to fuel an unjust war, I decided to write a poem (because any other action would land me in jail).

"Time for a revival
Truth revealed as whole
Rather than bits and pieces
of Information
Bias and controlled.

The media should be
A Conduit
Not a filter
Or an assembly machine.

Our data should not be
Contracted
Or warped to fit someone else's dream.

We must push the pundits
To unveil their vial smoke screens,

While persuading the Pentagon
To disassemble their propaganda team,

And then propose our plan
For fair and balanced reports

Straight from the source
free from Corporate force

Information the viewer can trust
Objectively dispensed
By people who are real and just.

Maybe we can sleep at night again..."

Banks are not for the poor.

Bank of America, for example, requires one to have at least $750.00 in a checking account, or $1,500.00 in a savings account in order to avoid fees. If one does not maintain a minimum of 750.00 in their checking account, even if it slips under for one day, they will charge between 10.00 and 12.00 dollars.

Now, in my personal experience, as much as I tried to persuade them to see my side of the story (moving to a new apartment and misplacing my checks for ONE DAY), they refuse to cut me any slack, stating that the "fee was correctly applied." Then they told me if I put $1,500.00 in my savings account, I could avoid the fee. Where the hell do they expect me to find that money if I cannot even afford to keep a checking account open?

I do not care how "correctly" their fee was applied... it is the fact that it exists which is outrageous. Why should there be a penalty for not having a certain amount of money in one's account? Why shall the poor continue to be punished? For me, $10.00 is a bag of potatoes, 5lbs of rice and a gallon of gas. To them, it is nothing. These thieves are making money off other people's hard earned wages because they made up a silly rule.

But does this not sound familiar? Think of income taxes, tariffs, lab fees (for those in college), interest on loans, tolls, stamps, and the list goes on. It is the American Capitalist way: those on top will make money with little to no effort, stealing the wages of the poor (and middle class) through their laws and rules. Not to mention the international atrocities committed by the the World Bank and IMF...

Yet, their rules are only suggestions and they are definitely not carved into stone. We must think of clever ways to defy their system and protect ourselves and our means of survival. I have a long list, but for the sake of my privacy (and possibly freedom) I will not list them here at this time.

Start to think of your own tactics and perhaps one day we can share them.

Missing In Action

Artist M.I.A. is a Sri Lankan refuge, daughter of a freedom-fighter and an outspoken activist for the poor, the indigenous, immigrants and independent women everywhere. She has two albums out, Arular (2005) and Kala (2007). She is the exact kind of role model needed by the young girls/women in American (you know, as opposed to the stick thin, bleach blond, plastic, no talent, unintelligent ideal upheld as of yet).

Here is an interview with M.I.A. worth reading:

Part 1

Part 2

And a few video links:

Bird Flu

Sunshowers

Paper Planes

Well said.

What the authors of (White) American History books so often forget:

Subliminal or "Superliminal" Message?

A quick, almost undetectable flash of John McCain in the opening logo for Fox News
courtesy of youtube


If news reporting was truthful and accurate, tactics like these would not be necessary.

If the government trusted its people to make the right decisions, there would be no need for propaganda.




Considering the two manipulative institutions and methods listed above, the people must push themselves further away from the mainstream and question every bit of information with which they come into contact.

Otherwise, we stand the chance (the very likely chance) of being led astray.

the middle man...

After years of abuse at the hands of record companies and the music industry in general, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails has broken away. With control over a number of songs and albums, Reznor has chosen to make his music free for download, directly from his website, including the recently released album, "The Slip."

There is also a new website which allows users to download separate layers of a song, to remix according to their own desire. This has sparked a wave of creativity and communication, as users share and review each other's remixes. A few of these fan-made remixes were even chosen for the remix album of "Year Zero."

While this may not seem like striking news on the surface, it is actually proof of a dying system. Before the internet, record companies could keep a large percent of record sales and have control over the creative content of a record. If musicians wanted to sell their work, they had no choice but to go through the conduit of a record company. With the internet, users and musicians can share their work, experience and opinions freely. The record companies oppose this only because it signifies their end.

But who needs a middle man when you can go directly to the people? Who needs a middle man tell you how to write your songs or edit your message? Who needs a middle man to take a piece of the profit when they have completed none of the work?

I'll tell you who: No one.

And this is the reason that Nine Inch Nails, Saul Williams and Radiohead have released their albums independently, offering their music on a financial sliding scale to their fans.

Another example of the internet is closing the gap between people.

It's that time of year!

The growing season is beginning (well, for me it is beginning in the North Eastern U.S.), so now is the perfect time to order seeds.

This year, make your money and your plants count! Support the Zapatista Movement while concurrently preserving the virgin corn seeds grown from original Mayan land.

Click here to order your seeds (payment on a sliding scale):

Zapatista Corn


The Zapatista are an autonomous movement, now settled into over 1,000 members and 38 communities throughout Mexico (2006 stats). Their demands were simple: land, equality and non-interference from the government. The Mexican army continues to harass them to this day, burning their villages and killing their people. (Those who live, work and learn independent of the government are perceived as dangerous).

The Zapatista started the corn project to preserve the heritage of their Mayan ancestors. Most of the corn grown in the USA is laced with pesticides, herbicides and genetically altered to increase growth. These chemicals are passed into our bodies; the runoff from the crops is passed into our water. This contamination is unhealthy for every living thing. Become part of the resistance and grow Zapatista corn in your garden, your community or your school today!!!

The Zapatista say they wear their masks, not to hide themselves, but so they can be seen.

Wartime Propaganda, Part II

PBS's finally broke the silence on the issue of Pentagon-sponsored propaganda in the media.


If you recall in 2002, the Pentagon began developing the idea of false portrayal of the "war on terror" domestically and internationally. I believe I had posted this very same article on either this blog, or my old one: Pentagon Plans Propaganda War

So, after 6 years of propaganda and the truth being reveal, my question is: Did anyone even notice the difference?
More importantly, will we start seeing a change in the media?
Or will it still be up to us to distrust the majority of information, and to seek out the truth on our own...

The Thought Police

FBI Director Robert Mueller said his idea of monitoring the internet:

"Balances on one hand, the privacy rights of the individual who are receiving the information, but on the other hand, given the technology, the necessity of having some omnibus search capability utilizing filters that would identify the illegal activity as it comes through and give us the ability to preempt that illegal activity where it comes through a choke point."

preempt illegal activity... They did this in a movie once, right?

This is an impossible task. All Mueller's proposal accomplishes is a demonstration of the government's fear. Not long ago they had total control over the media, and consequently, the people. The internet as become the great equalizer which has spread too far and too wide to be controlled by a single person or agency. The more people who use it constructively, the closer we get to taking back what is rightfully ours.

So FBI... consider yourself on notice.

Following in their Footsteps

Senator Clinton reported that if Iran were to launch a nuclear attack on Israel, as President she would retaliate against Iran with nuclear weapons.



This is the exact reason I do not want her in the oval office. Many women believe it is time for a female president. While I agree with this view, I do not want a female president who is imitating the strong headed men who came before her.

Women imitating men to assert their power is a long running trend in the United States. Throughout American history, men had the most power in politics, the economy, religion and even dominated the canon of American Literature. With few female role models to emulate (many successful women have had their records and achievements erased from history) women were left with little choice but to imitate men.

One would have to be a very strong, bold and courageous woman to face uncharted ground alone. These are the characteristics I would look for in a female president. I would want her to speak her mind and stay true to her ideals, despite what the opposition said about her. I would want a progressive woman who had the history and struggle of women in mind; someone who wanted equality for all people. Most of all, someone who looked at the past mistakes in foreign policy and domestic issues, and came up with a new plan for the future. Hillary Clinton does not live up to this image. She seems to be more of a carbon copy of everyone who came before her.

I would not approve of this trait of imitation in anyone, no less the person who is running for president. I will be effected by the decision of the winning candidate, so I will be voting for someone who represents my view... and not just my vagina.

Another downfall of DOVE

To many women, Dove products may seem like a favorable alternative to other items on the market. Their ad campaign seems to emphasize that beauty is something within and all are capable of possessing it. This image is very different from other beauty products in which companies try to convince you that you are worthless without their makeup, lotion, etc.

One does not have to dig too far below the surface to discover that the parent company (UNILEVER) which owns Dove, also owns Axe, a body spray for men. Those familiar with Axe commercials can recall that these 30 second clips degrade women far worse than any makeup commercial on the market.

The Axe ad campaign completely invalidates the Dove commercials (and products) because it reflects that Unilever does not care about feminism; the CEOs only are interested in selling as many products to as many audiences as possible.

Now a new discovery: Palm Oil
Unilever is purchasing palm oil from companies in Indonesia, which are actively destroying the fragile and disappearing rain forests.

Simply one of these reasons is enough to boycott Dove (and Unilever in general).

You can also sign the petition which is located underneath the film box on the Greenpeace page.

More than Housewives

Three HouseWives

These women planned and executed a 300 hundred mile expedition to climb the Himalayan Mountains. Their achievements, including being the first European women to enter the area, were long forgotten until the recent release of a short documentary.





Just another example of the many women [and their accomplishments] which have been excluded from the records by the makers of history.

Cash for Scores

So as the standards of education fall even lower, people are beginning to realize that the rewards of learning should be intrinsic...

Try not to get sick when you read this article: Monetary Rewards Cheapen the Value of Learning