Jahanzeb Hussain - The Global Worth of Human Life

I wonder how Europe and North America would react if the victims of 9/11, 7/7 and Madrid bombings were universally declared as nothing but “collateral damage”. It is simply unthinkable that victims who happen to be citizens of imperialist countries can be deprived of their humanity, the value of their life negated and their memories brushed under the rug. It would be totally wrong if we dismissed the lost lives as a mean to an end. Human life is an end in itself and its worth can never be diminished.

However, it is culturally accepted that when an innocent Iraqi, Palestinian, Afghan and a Pakistani dies they are not automatically accorded the same human right that Westerners and whites are. They are not viewed as valuable lives, but they are looked down upon as “collateral damage”.

Read More:

http://afghansforpeace.org/archives/2059

Nobel Peace Prize Jury Under Investigation

Today marks the 2012 deadline for nominations for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, but as the prize committee meets this year to discuss what individual or group has "done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace," they will be under heightened scrutiny to be sure their choice fulfills the original intent of its founder, Albert Nobel.

The reason for the heightened pressure rests on an investigation by the Stockholm County Administrative Board of the committee's recent choices prompted by 'persistent complaints' by author and peace researcher, Fredrik Heffermehl, and roundly criticized choices by the committee in recent years -- most notably US President Barack Obama, a war commander governing over numerous military conflicts at the time he was awarded the auspicious "peace" prize in 2009.

Read More:

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/02/02-1

Doug Harvey - Parasites Lost

I once asked a Native American if he thought whether North America was in any way in a post-colonial period. His response was, “Have they left yet?” Of the New World republics that came about as a result of colonization, the United States is going to have the hardest time dealing with its past. Recently, we’ve see a lot of people willing to strut about with their guns and imagine themselves in some pre-pubescent fantasy of John Wayne’s “unbridled individualism.” Some become so deluded as to be willing to use these guns on perceived “enemies.” But this is symptomatic only; it is useful to remember how the actual land of North America came to be claimed by European and Euro-American colonists. More importantly, the causes of these neuroses can be better understood when one realizes what separating people from their resource base means.

Read More:

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/01/29-1

ACTA: “Usurps Congressional Authority”, “Threatens Numerous Public Interests”, “Backroom Special Interest Deal”, a “Masquerade"

We just beat back SOPA and PIPA with the web blackout.

Now everyone is talking about ACTA. But – because ACTA is complicated, and is just starting to receive coverage – most are not sure exactly what ACTA really is, or why we should be concerned about it.

We’ll give you an executive summary of what you need to know.

Instead of giving you the specifics about what’s actually in the bill (we provide links at the end for those who want to know), we’ll explain why the procedure used is a recipe for disaster.

Why are we stressing procedure over substance?

Because, as awful as ACTA is, there are other horrible bills such as the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement waiting in the wings … which may be even worse than ACTA.

Read More:

http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=28958

Paul Imison - Violence Sweeps Central America

While Mexico grabs the headlines of soaring murder rates and rampaging drug gangs, the really heavy bloodshed is taking place to the south. The much smaller nations of Guatemala and El Salvador are seeing their worst violence since the civil wars of the 1980s, while Honduras is currently the murder capital of the world with 86 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants; a murder rate nearly five times higher than Mexico’s.

Even relatively peaceful Costa Rica, which boasts the highest standard of living in Central America, has seen its murder rate double since 2004 in a wave of violence that authorities largely attribute to drug-trafficking. As a result, Washington is encouraging its mostly right-wing allies in the region to pursue the same policies of militarization that have devastated Colombia and Mexico.

Central America was originally included in the Merida Initiative security package signed by the Bush administration in 2008, which pledged $1.6 billion of funds to the region over two years; the vast majority of which went to Mexico. Since 2010, aid to the region has been cranked up under the Central American Regional Security Initiative (CARSI), an offshoot of the System for Central American Integration (SICA).

Read More:

HTTP://WWW.COUNTERPUNCH.ORG/2012/01/27/VIOLENCE-SWEEPS-CENTRAL-AMERICA/

Tom Leonard - That's one way to cut crime! Californian city pipes BIRDSONG on to the streets to calm citizens

A desert city in California claims it has dramatically cut crime by piping birdsong from the English hedgerows onto its streets.

Mayor R Rex Parris, who commissioned the recordings from a Surrey-based sound consultant, claims the birdsong is calming the citizens of Lancaster by altering the chemicals in the brain.

Residents of Lancaster have been treated to the restful twittering of robins, wrens, tits and blackbirds for the past 10 months after Mr Parris installed more than 70 speakers in the town.

The warbles and twitters, mixed with soft synthesiser tones and water sounds, is broadcast five hours a day along a once crime-infested half-mile stretch of Lancaster Boulevard.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2088129/Californian-city-Lancaster-pipes-BIRDSONG-England-streets.html#ixzz1kbyp9eWM

Office Workers Spend Too Much Time at Their Desks, Experts Say

In a typical working week, people spend on average 5 hours and 41 minutes per day sitting at their desk and 7 hours sleeping at night. Prolonged sitting at your desk is not only bad for your physical health, but potentially your mental well-being.

These are some of the key findings of research being presented  the 13th of January, by Dr Myanna Duncan, Mr. Aadil Kazi and Professor Cheryl Haslam from the Work & Health Research Centre, Loughborough University, to delegates at the British Psychological Society's Annual Occupational Conference, at the Crowne Plaza, Chester.

Nearly 70% of employees surveyed did not meet recommended guidelines for physical activity; interestingly 50% of people surveyed aged 50 years and under, failed to meet these guidelines.

Read More:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120113210203.htm

Ethiopia forces thousands off land - Human Rights Watch

Ethiopia's government has been accused of forcing tens of thousands of people off their land so it can be leased to foreign investors.

US-based Human Rights Watch says people are being forcibly relocated to new villages that lack adequate food, farmland and facilities.

Ethiopia has already leased out more than 3.6 million hectares (8.8m acres) of land - an area the size of The Netherlands - HRW says.

Addis Ababa rejects HRW's allegations.

"I can tell you that it is baseless - on both grounds - on both the land grab issue and resettlement of the people," Ethiopian Information Minister Bereket Simon told the BBC World Service.

Read More:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16590416

Rick Nauert - “Herd” Mentality Explained

A new research study sheds light on a behavior that is consistent among many species – that is, making decisions based upon the actions of others.

Scientists at the University of Leeds believe they may have found why humans flock like sheep and birds, subconsciously following a minority of individuals.

Researchers discovered that it takes a minority of just five per cent to influence a crowd’s direction – and that the other 95 per cent follow without realizing it.

The findings could have major implications for directing the flow of large crowds, in particular in disaster scenarios, where verbal communication may be difficult.

“There are many situations where this information could be used to good effect,” says Professor Jens Krause of the University’s Faculty of Biological Sciences.

Read More:

http://psychcentral.com/news/2008/02/15/herd-mentality-explained/1922.html

Bill Quigley - Working and Poor in the USA

“Our nation, so richly endowed with natural resources and with a capable and industrious population, should be able to devise ways and means of insuring to all our able-bodied men and women, a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.” Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1937

Millions of people in the US work and are still poor. Here are eight points that show why the US needs to dedicate itself to making work pay.

One. How many people work and are still poor?

In 2011, the US Department of Labor reported at least 10 million people worked and were still below the unrealistic official US poverty line, an increase of 1.5 million more than the last time they checked. The US poverty line is $18,530 for a mom and two kids. Since 2007 the numbers of working poor have been increasing. About 7 percent of all workers and 4 percent of all full-time workers earn wages that leave them below the poverty line.

Read More:

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/01/19-4

William K. Black - Apple's Anti-Employer Control Fraud

Apple has released a report on working conditions in its suppliers’ factories, highlighting a form of control fraud (fraud in which the head of a company subverts it for personal gain) that criminology has identified but rarely discussed.  I write overwhelmingly about accounting control fraud because it drives our recurrent, intensifying financial crises.  The primary intended victims of accounting control frauds are the shareholders and the creditors.  Other private sector control frauds target customers (e.g., George Akerlof’s 1970 article on “lemons”), and the public (e.g., the unlawful disposal of toxic waste, illegal logging, and tax fraud).

Anti-employee control frauds most commonly fall into four broad, but not mutually exclusive, categories – illegal work conditions due to violation of safety rules, violation of child labor laws, failure to pay employees’ wages and benefits, and frauds based on goods and loans provided by the employer to the employee that lock the employee into quasi-slavery.  Apple has just released a report on its suppliers that shows that anti-employee control fraud is the norm.  Remember, fraud is hidden and is often not discovered and Apple did not have an incentive to make an exhaustive investigation.  Apple calls its inquiries “audits” and it is apparent that most of its information comes from reviewing written and electronic records at its suppliers. 

Read More:

http://neweconomicperspectives.blogspot.com/2012/01/anti-employee-control-fraud.html

Lauren Kelley - The 5 Most Outrageous Examples of Hidden Charges Companies Pass Off on Consumers -- And How to Fight Back

It seems like consumers are being squeezed from every angle these days. Our grocery bills are getting larger and other expenses going through the roof at the same time that many of us are losing jobs and having to downsize.

The Occupy Wall Street movement has helped spur a national dialogue about the financial sector’s role in the erosion of the U.S. middle class. But Wall Street mega banks aren’t the only corporations that have swindled American citizens; many of the companies we rely on for our food, transportation, and communication needs are also treating consumers unfairly by saddling them with a plethora of hidden fees and surcharges.

In 2006, the average U.S. adult paid $942 each year in hidden fees, according to research conducted by the Ponemon Institute. Six years later, it’s unlikely that this number has gone down. If anything, industries that took a financial hit during the recession are passing more fees onto consumers than ever, regardless of whether they’ve recovered.

A comprehensive list of the sneaky fees companies palm off on consumers could go on forever, but here are five particularly egregious examples that every consumer should be aware of – followed by a list of ideas for fighting back.

Read More:

http://www.alternet.org/story/153769/the_5_most_outrageous_examples_of_hidden_charges_companies_pass_off_on_consumers_--_and_how_to_fight_back

Jim Hightower - We’re No. 27!!

"USA: We're No. 1!"

Oh, wait — Iceland is No. 1. But we did beat out Poland and Slovakia, right? Uh...no. But go on down the rankings and there we are! No. 27, fifth from the bottom. So our new national chant is, "USA: At Least We're Not Last!"

A foundation in Germany has analyzed the social justice records of all 31 members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), ranking each nation in such categories as health care, income inequality, pre-school education, and child poverty. The overall performance by the United States — which boasts of being an egalitarian society — outranks only Greece, Chile, Mexico, and Turkey. Actually, three of those countries performed better than ours in the education of pre-schoolers, and Greece did better than the United States on the prevention of poverty.

Read More:

http://www.otherwords.org/articles/were_no_27

Video - A warning to the public about chem-trails, fluoride poisoning, fema camps and false flag alien invansions.

Colleen Thomas gives a warning to the public about chem-trails, fluoride poisoning, fema camps and false flag alien invansions.

Watch Video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Qder2Pf0G7o

Louis CK On 20 Year-Olds And Jobs

Watch Here As Well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzxcjg7YZSs&feature=player_embedded

Paul Craig Roberts - Tyranny in the Forecast -- The Outlook for the New Year

In March 2010 when I resigned from my column with Creator’s Syndicate and put down my pen, I received so many protests from readers that two months later I began writing again.  This renewed activity has resulted in this new year in a website of my own.     My columns will first appear on my site. Sites on which readers are accustomed to find my columns are permitted to continue to post my columns as long as they link to my site and indicate my copyright.  The site will stay up if reader support justifies it.  Otherwise, I will conclude that the cost of the site exceeds the value of what I have to say.     This past year has not been a good one for the 99%, and the new year is likely to be even worse. This column deals with the outlook for liberty.  The next will deal with the economic outlook. Read More: http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=28475

David Rosen - 8 Ways Your Privacy Is Being Eroded Online and Off

By David Rosen, AlterNet

Printed on December 29, 2011

http://www.alternet.org/story/153592/are_you_being_tracked_8_ways_your_privacy_is_being_eroded_online_and_off

In a recent hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Al Franken reminded his fellow Americans, “People have a fundamental right to control their private information.” At the hearing, Franken raised an alarm about Carrier IQ’s software, CIQ.

Few people have ever heard about CIQ. Running under the app functions, CIQ doesn't require the user’s consent (or knowledge) to operate. On Android phones, it can track a user’s keystrokes, record telephone calls, store text messages, track location and more. Most troubling, it is difficult to impossible to disable.

Carrier IQ, located in Mountain View, CA, was founded in 2005 and is backed by a group of venture capitalists. Its software is installed on about 150 million wireless devices offered through AT&T, HTC, Nokia, RIM (BlackBerry), Samsung, Sprint and Verizon Wireless. It runs on a variety of operating systems, including the Apple OS and Google’s Android (but not on Microsoft Windows).

At the hearing, Sen. Franken questioned FBI director Robert Muller about the FBI’s use of CIQ software. Muller assured the senator that FBI agents “neither sought nor obtained any information” from Carrier IQ.

Following Muller’s Senate testimony, Andrew Coward, Carrier IQ’s VP of marketing, told the Associated Press that the FBI is the only law enforcement agency to contact them for data. The FBI has yet to issue a follow-up “clarification.”

Click to read more ...

Stephen Lendman - Growing Hunger and Homelessness in America

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Growing-Hunger-and-Homeles-by-Stephen-Lendman-111220-842.html

December 20, 2011 By Stephen Lendman Millions of Americans now endure protracted Depression conditions at a time half the population is either poor or low income. Long-term unemployment is unprecedented, and federal aid is being cut, not increased. Growing Hunger and Homelessness in America - by Stephen Lendman America's most needy are largely abandoned by Washington. Millions of Americans now endure protracted Depression conditions at a time half the population is either poor or low income. Long-term unemployment is unprecedented, and federal aid is being cut, not increased.  Two new reports highlight enormous depravation levels and human suffering, getting little or no major media attention. Many affected families used to be middle class. They're now low-income or impoverished by unemployment or spotty low-pay part-time work. Most important is that much worse conditions are coming during America's greatest ever Depression to last years and devastate many more households than already. In December, the US Conference on Mayors published its "Hunger and Homelessness Survey: A Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness in America's Cities." It covered 29 cities. The period between September 1, 2010 and August 31, 2011 was examined. Key findings reflected dire nationwide conditions. Only four cities said emergency help wasn't requested in the past year. In two cities, conditions were unchanged. Two others said they improved. Overall, aid requests increased by 15.5%. Among those needing it, 51% were in families, 26% were employed, 19% were elderly, and 11% homeless. Causes cited included unemployment, poverty, low wages, and high housing costs.

Click to read more ...

Robert Lederman - Audio Recording and Report from Washington Square Park Speakout on Artists’ Rights

by Robert Lederman
artistpres@gmail.com

On 12/19/2011 Community Board #2 held a public speakout
about the recent blitz of summonses issued to artists, performers and
musicians in Washington Square Park under the new Park rules for
artists. See the link right below for the full audio (a minute or two
in the beginning is hard to make out, the rest is very clear):
http://youtu.be/dWe623Sax9A

It was standing room only.

The crowd consisted primarily of residents who live right around or
near the park (many of whom have been there for most of their lives)
plus a sizeable number of artists and musicians who regularly work in
the park. Also present were elected officials, representatives of
elected officials and advocates for both parks and for free speech.

Manhattan Park Commissioner William Castro testified in support of the
park rules on behalf of the City.

Everyone was allowed to testify. Without a single exception (other
than Commissioner Castro) everyone present was 100% against the park
rules being applied to artists, musicians and performers. The
testimony was interesting, well-informed, emotionally moving and very
entertaining. It included an opera aria, original poetry and a stand
up comedy routine about the park rules.

Click to read more ...

Bruce Levine - How Ayn Rand Seduced Generations of Young Men and Helped Make the U.S. Into a Selfish, Greedy Nation

By Bruce E. Levine, AlterNet

Posted on December 15, 2011, Printed on December 17, 2011
http://www.alternet.org/story/153454/how_ayn_rand_seduced_generations_of_young_men_and_helped_make_the_u.s._into_a_selfish%2C_greedy_nation

Ayn Rand’s “philosophy” is nearly perfect in its immorality, which makes the size of her audience all the more ominous and symptomatic as we enter a curious new phase in our society....To justify and extol human greed and egotism is to my mind not only immoral, but evil.— Gore Vidal, 1961

Only rarely in U.S. history do writers transform us to become a more caring or less caring nation. In the 1850s, Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) was a strong force in making the United States a more humane nation, one that would abolish slavery of African Americans. A century later, Ayn Rand (1905-1982) helped make the United States into one of the most uncaring nations in the industrialized world, a neo-Dickensian society where healthcare is only for those who can afford it, and where young people are coerced into huge student-loan debt that cannot be discharged in bankruptcy.

Rand’s impact has been widespread and deep. At the iceberg’s visible tip is the influence she’s had over major political figures who have shaped American society. In the 1950s, Ayn Rand read aloud drafts of what was later to become Atlas Shrugged to her “Collective,” Rand’s ironic nickname for her inner circle of young individualists, which included Alan Greenspan, who would serve as chairman of the Federal Reserve Board from 1987 to 2006.

In 1966, Ronald Reagan wrote in a personal letter, “Am an admirer of Ayn Rand.” Today, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) credits Rand for inspiring him to go into politics, and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) calls Atlas Shrugged his “foundation book.” Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) says Ayn Rand had a major influence on him, and his son Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is an even bigger fan. A short list of other Rand fans includes Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas; Christopher Cox, chairman of the Security and Exchange Commission in George W. Bush’s second administration; and former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford.

Click to read more ...