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David with the head of Goliath

Caravaggio

Gar Alperovitz’s Green Party Keynote: We Are Laying Groundwork for the "Next Great Revolution"

At the Green Party’s 2012 National Convention in Baltimore over the weekend, Massachusetts physician Jill Stein and anti-poverty campaigner Cheri Honkala were nominated the party’s presidential and vice-presidential contenders. We air the convention’s keynote address delivered by Gar Alperovitz, a professor of political economy at the University of Maryland and co-founder of the Democracy Collaborative. Alperovitz is the author of "America Beyond Capitalism: Reclaiming Our Wealth, Our Liberty, and Our Democracy." In his remarks, Alperovitz stressed the importance of third-party politics to challenge a corporate-run society. "Systems, in history, are defined, above all, by who controls the wealth," Alperovitz says. "The top 400 people — not percent, people, 400 — own more wealth now than the bottom 185 million Americans taken together. That is a medieval structure." [includes rush transcript]

Gar Alperovitz’s Green Party Keynote: We Are Laying Groundwork for the "Next Great Revolution"

atisha

The greatest effort is not concerned with results

The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything

The greatest patience is humility

The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways

The greatest magic is transmuting the passions

The greatest generosity is non-attachment

The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go

The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances

The greatest worth is self-mastery

The greatest precept is continual awareness

The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind

The greatest achievement is selflessness

The greatest quality is seeking to serve others

...Atisha...

The Bomb

The Population Bomb was a best-selling book written by Stanford University Professor Paul R. Ehrlich and his wife, Anne Ehrlich (who was uncredited), in 1968. It warned of the mass starvation of humans in the 1970s and 1980s due to overpopulation, as well as other major societal upheavals, and advocated immediate action to limit population growth. Fears of a "population explosion" were widespread in the 1950s and 60s, but the book and its charismatic author brought the idea to an even wider audience. The book has been criticized in recent decades for its alarmist tone and inaccurate predictions. The Ehrlichs stand by the basic ideas in the book, stating in 2009 that "perhaps the most serious flaw in The Bomb was that it was much too optimistic about the future" and believe that it achieved their goals because "it alerted people to the importance of environmental issues and brought human numbers into the debate on the human future."

In answer to the question, "what needs to be done?" he wrote, "We must rapidly bring the world population under control, reducing the growth rate to zero or making it negative. Conscious regulation of human numbers must be achieved. Simultaneously we must, at least temporarily, greatly increase our food production." Ehrlich described a number of "ideas on how these goals might be reached." He believed that the United States should take a leading role in population control, both because it was already consuming much more than the rest of the world, and therefore had a moral duty to reduce its impact, and because the US would have to lead international efforts due to its prominence in the world. In order to avoid charges of hypocrisy or racism it would have to take the lead in population reduction efforts. Ehrlich floats the idea of adding "temporary sterilants" to the water supply or staple foods. However, he rejects the idea as unpractical due to "criminal inadequacy of biomedical research in this area." He suggests a tax scheme in which additional children would add to a family's tax burden at increasing rates for more children, as well as luxury taxes on childcare goods. He suggests incentives for men who agree to permanent sterilization before they have two children, as well as a variety of other monetary incentives. He proposes a powerful Department of Population and Environment which "should be set up with the power to take whatever steps are necessary to establish a reasonable population size in the United States and to put an end to the steady deterioration of our environment." The department should support research into population control, such as better contraceptives, mass sterilizing agents, and prenatal sex discernment (because families often continue to have children until a male is born. Ehrlich suggested that if they could choose a male child this would reduce the birthrate). Legislation should be enacted guaranteeing the right to an abortion, and sex education should be expanded.

The Population Bomb has been characterized by critics as primarily a repetition of the Malthusian catastrophe argument that population growth will outpace agricultural growth unless controlled. Ehrlich observed that since about 1930 the population of the world had doubled within a single generation, from 2 billion to nearly 4 billion, and was on track to do so again. He assumed that available resources on the other hand, and in particular food, were nearly at their limits. Some critics compare Ehrlich unfavorably to Malthus, saying that although Thomas Malthus did not make a firm prediction of imminent catastrophe, Ehrlich warned of a potential massive disaster within the next decade or two. In addition, critics state that unlike Malthus, Ehrlich did not see any means of avoiding the disaster entirely (although some mitigation was possible), and proposed solutions that were much more radical than those discussed by Malthus, such as starving whole countries that refused to implement population control measures.

Ehrlich was certainly not unique in his neo-Malthusian predictions, and there was a wide spread belief in the 1960s and 70s that increasingly catastrophic famines were on their way. (read more)

encounter

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brotherhood of the snake

Behold A Pale Horse

wip3out

Compensation, Too - NYTimes.com

Compensation, Too - NYTimes.com:

"I see from some of the comments that there’s a widespread belief that the wage stagnation we’ve experienced under “modern capitalism” is some kind of illusion, that it would go away if we took benefits into account."

'via Blog this'

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quantum

Homer 3D

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change

The Unfortunate Dismantling of Our Democratic Political System

Our democratic institutions have been suffering from severe malaise for quite some time.  The disease process has extended over many decades.  Unfortunately, it is now quite moribund and may not be amenable to resuscitation.

There was a time in the nation's history, especially during the era of the so-called "robber barons," when presidents were effectively chosen along with elected officials at both the local and national level by the powerful.  When the fear regarding the burgeoning popular interest in the ideals embodied in socialism became acute due in large measure to the abuses of the industrial capitalist system culminating in the Great Depression of 1929, the Democratic Party instituted a set of reforms collectively referred to as the New Deal under the leadership of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  These reforms helped curtail the ability of the corporate class to suppress the will of the people, and in that sense preserved democratic institutions.

Now, however, we are witnessing first-hand the deliberate and overt use of vast sums of money coming from powerful corporate interests to finally and possibly irrevocably subvert the democratic ideal and, thereby, return the nation to the Gilded Age.  This is due, in no small measure, to the decision by the Supreme Court in the now famous Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case that effectively equates political contributions to free speech – a patently absurd idea.  This decision has successfully and completely unraveled all previous attempts to control and contain the political power of the vested interests in this country.

The level of corruption in government has reached staggering proportions.  If this trend remains  unchecked, it will lead to not only the subversion of the essence of democracy but also to the continued downward spiral of the overall health and well-being of the nation, for the role of good and effective government is to address the real needs and concerns of all the people.  A government whose predominant purpose is to preserve the wealth and status of the affluent class at the expense of the vast majority of its citizens is bound to fail on a grand scale. 

confirm nor deny

We will occupy the 1% | Occupy Bohemian Grove

Occupy groups from Santa Rosa, San Francisco, Portland, Sebastopol, and Petaluma, are joining some twenty other social justice activist organizations to protest the powerful one-percent elites partying at the Bohemian Grove in Monte Rio, California July 14-29.

2,000-3,000 rich and wealthy men have gathered every summer for 133 years in a private 2,800 acre ancient redwood retreat to celebrate themselves with parties, entertainment, and speakers. The men, Bohemian Club members and their guests, will hold a cremation of care ceremony July 14, where they symbolically burn the cares of the world before a giant owl in a bizarre annual ritual.

This year’s protest against the gathering of the world’s political and economic elite is called “Occupy Bohemian Grove, Expose the 1%. Occupy groups across America, and increasingly the world, are working to expose the one percent in control of global resources who are bringing human rights repression, environmental destruction, and war to humankind.

The Fukushima Mothers and Cindy Sheehan are joining the twenty-four co-sponsors for a Creation of Care ceremony, speakers, and music, Saturday, July 14, at the Monte Rio Amphitheater, just outside the gates of the Bohemian Grove. Kris Welsh will MC the day, and Dennis Bernstein, host of Flashpoints on KPFA/Pacifica radio will broadcast live from the event. Russia Today-TV with Abby Martin will film and John Rees with No-Lies Radio will video-cast the day on the Internet...

more: We will occupy the 1% | Occupy Bohemian Grove

how many goats fit in a tree ?

Fukushima A Human Error: A Must-Read Manga in English — DiaNuke.org

Dear everyone all over the world

We are the members of the citizens who want to stop the spread of radiation and toxic substance by “Burning” the contaminated debris(“Gareki”)from Tohoku earthquake.The 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster problems have not been solved yet, but the Japanese government proceeded to enforce the restart of Ooi nuclear power plant, which ignored the nuclear safety.（※１）

A large number of people protest this government’s decision “desperately”, but this voice never fell on deaf ears.On June 29, Friday night, over 10,000 demonstrators gathered outside Noda’s office on Friday night in last-ditch attempt to derail the restart.

Anti-nuclear campaigners accused the prime minister of rushing into a decision and ignoring lingering concerns over safety.

From the day, some of the major media started to concern this trend, but the government has totally ignored us.

The Japan gov’t controls the media. For example, The symbolic thing is the slogan of “Kizuna”(Bonding), but they use this “Kizuna” campaign as the big support for Tohoku area, and recommend the “Burning” of the debris all over Japan.They have even changed the law for this, explaining that burning the debris will be harmless, as the radiation and toxic substance is diluted.And Japanese mass media didn’t report about this.A lot of Japanese people have not realized about this risk.The polluted debris should not be burned anywhere, including Tohoku area.The local governments doesn’t convey the risk of burning the debris to the people precisely.

And they inspect to get the result of “Non-detection”, and keep telling the people that it is safe.Actually, burning the debris is not only harmful that also causes more work for the local gov’t in Tohoku.It doesn’t help Tohoku at all...

more: Fukushima A Human Error: A Must-Read Manga in English — DiaNuke.org

ガレキマンガEnglish

you are me...i am you

naked truth

secret space

secret base on mars

demolisher

house of cards

your hollow foundations

will not stand

2048: all the fish will be gone

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steal this book

Steal This Book is a book written by Abbie Hoffman. Written in 1970 and published in 1971 the book exemplified the counter-culture of the sixties. The book sold more than a quarter of a million copies between April and November 1971. The book, in the style of the counter-culture, mainly focused on ways to fight the government, and against corporations in any way possible. The book is written in the form of a guide to the youth. Hoffman, a political and social activist himself, used many of his own activities as the inspiration for some of his advice in Steal this Book.

The main author of the book, Abbie Hoffman was one of the most influential and recognizable American activists of the twentieth century. Abbie Hoffman was born in 1936 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Hoffman wrote several books and other works such as Steal This Urine Test: Fighting Drug Hysteria in America, Revolution For the Hell of It, and The Autobiography of Abbie Hoffman. Steal this Book was written in the climate of the counter-culture, in which opposition to tradition and government was rampant, and experimentation with new forms of living was encouraged. In short, it was written in the time of “sticking it to the man.” Although the book was published in the seventies, it is truly a relic of the sixties.

Steal this Book is broken up into three sections, “Survive!”, “Fight!”, and “Liberate!”. Each section has several sub-chapters each pertaining to its section. The section “Survive!” is all about getting “free” things and as its title indicates, surviving. It includes chapters on how to acquire food, clothing, furniture, transportation, land, housing, education, medical care, communication, entertainment, money, dope, and other assorted items and services. The section “Fight!” is all about the counter-culture imperative of rebelling against the government and corporations. It includes chapters on starting an underground press, guerrilla radio, guerrilla television, what to bring to a demonstration that’s expected to be violent, how to make an assortment of home-made bombs, first aid for street fighters, legal advice, how to seek political asylum, shoplifting techniques, stealing credit cards, monkey warfare, gun laws, and identification papers. This section also includes advice on such topics as growing cannabis, living in a commune, and obtaining a free buffalo from the Department of the Interior. It discusses various tactics of fighting as well as giving a detailed list of affordable and easy ways to find weapons and armor that can be used in a confrontation with law enforcement. The section advocates rebelling against authority in all forms, governmental and corporate.The third section is “Liberate!” with the chapter headings: Fuck New York, Fuck Chicago, Fuck Los Angeles, and Fuck San Francisco. The book also includes an appendix that lists approved of organizations and other books worth stealing.

As the book ages, the specific details of the various techniques and advice Hoffman gives have become largely obsolete for technological or regulatory reasons, but the book iconically reflects the yippie zeitgeist. (read more)

she's in love with you

Rest in peace Ernest

Ernest Borgnine (born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American film and television actor whose career spanned more than six decades. He was an unconventional lead in many films of the 1950s, winning an Oscar in 1955 for Marty. On television, he played Quinton McHale in the 1962–1966 series McHale's Navy and co-starred in the mid-1980s action series Airwolf, in addition to a wide variety of other roles. Borgnine was also known for his role as Mermaid Man in the animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. Borgnine earned an Emmy Award nomination at age 92 for his work on the series ER. (read more)

65 years ago today

Unsolved Mysteries

today is chemtrails awareness day

enemy

Is this your enemy ?

the day before 9/11