Indian arrests reveal corruption in granting of pilot licenses
NEW DELHI — An Indian pilot made news here in January when she landed an Airbus 320 passenger plane on its nose wheel. Investigators soon discovered several alarming things: Parminder Kaur Gulati had not only made that dangerous mistake before, she also had earned her senior pilot’s license through fake grades.
(The Washington Post)
Humanitarian aid deal reached between UN, Gadhafi
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that the world body has come to an agreement with the government of Moammar Gadhafi, the embattled leader of Libya, to provide humanitarian aid in the capital, Tripoli. A Libyan spokesman added that the deal also provides for a corridor of safe passage to city of Misrata, which is under siege by forces loyal to Gadhafi, to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid. Google/The Associated Press (4/18)
Sugar cane fields give Brazil double benefits
The cultivation of sugar cane in Brazil as a means to provide an alternative fuel source for vehicles is also helping to cool local air temperatures, researchers said in report published in the journal Nature Climate Change. The benefit, researchers said, occurs when sugar cane fields are introduced into existing agricultural efforts to replace crops like soy beans. AlertNet/Reuters (4/17)
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
"Endangered Earth - online" newsletter
Among a number of other social and environmental groups, I receive a weekly email from the Center for Biological Diversity.
Of them all, I find their "Endangered Earth - online" email the most interesting! .......and diverse! They also have a similar homesite (below) and a site on FaceBook, but I find those sites too cluttered and distracting whereas the email is a very well done environmental interactive newsletter! I think you can sign up for the newslatter at: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/
Center Wins Top Props in Green Choice Campaign
"After overwhelmingly positive reviews rolled in from our supporters, this month the Center for Biological Diversity took a top spot among 128 environmental groups competing in this year's Green Choice Campaign, a contest by GreatNonprofits to peg the best-reviewed green groups in the country. According to input from people like you, the Center is "unrivaled in its successful protection of imperiled species" and "gets more bang for the buck than any other environmental organization." Many called us the best eco-group they follow. We're so glad to hear that -- and your praise keeps us going. Thank you."
Of them all, I find their "Endangered Earth - online" email the most interesting! .......and diverse! They also have a similar homesite (below) and a site on FaceBook, but I find those sites too cluttered and distracting whereas the email is a very well done environmental interactive newsletter! I think you can sign up for the newslatter at: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/
Center Wins Top Props in Green Choice Campaign
"After overwhelmingly positive reviews rolled in from our supporters, this month the Center for Biological Diversity took a top spot among 128 environmental groups competing in this year's Green Choice Campaign, a contest by GreatNonprofits to peg the best-reviewed green groups in the country. According to input from people like you, the Center is "unrivaled in its successful protection of imperiled species" and "gets more bang for the buck than any other environmental organization." Many called us the best eco-group they follow. We're so glad to hear that -- and your praise keeps us going. Thank you."
 |
| Kierán Suckling |
Sunday, April 10, 2011
I live in Northern Arizona where a large number of right-wing Republicans and Libertarians rule. However, there are some of us who are not in lockstep with the locals.
A response to a column in today's paper was, I think, so well expressed that I'd like to post it here:
Article comment by: mi[n]dless pap
What? You need to go read the preamble to the US Constitution. Concentrate on where it says, "provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare".
So now for all those ice tea bag partiers out there who think they know all about constitutional law, concentrate on this, Especially in Article 1, Section 8.: "Congress shall......provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States. ....To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts."
OK. So who decides what is a useful art? The ice tea bag party? Boehner? Give me a break.
Germany with one third the population we have and much higher wage and benefit costs is number 1 in per capita export manufacturing in the world. Why? It sounds to me like they read our constitution and applied what it says. Now of course some wise ice tea bag partier in Kingman is going to tell me that if I like Germany so much why don't I get out of Kingman so the ice tea bag party can take over. Sorry, but I'm here to stay. [...and I'm staying also!]
Obviously if we didn't have the convergence of GOD and politics in the republican party that the super-capitalists and their corporatist minions on Wall Street have used to de-industrialize our nation we wouldn't be in the predicament we are in. We would have something that Germany, Japan, and China have, called an industrial policy. We would be negotiating fair trade agreements instead of free trade agreements which don't promote the general welfare of the people. We wouldn't have a military-industrial complex that serves a few insider politicians and corporations and their lobbyists. It sounds to me like these other nations have read our constitution and applied what it says. How come we can't do that? Because the GOD squad says we have to apply Biblical law in the US. Here is what I have to say about that. .....Biblical, shmiblical.
......well said, I think! AG
A response to a column in today's paper was, I think, so well expressed that I'd like to post it here:
Article comment by: mi[n]dless pap
What? You need to go read the preamble to the US Constitution. Concentrate on where it says, "provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare".
So now for all those ice tea bag partiers out there who think they know all about constitutional law, concentrate on this, Especially in Article 1, Section 8.: "Congress shall......provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States. ....To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts."
OK. So who decides what is a useful art? The ice tea bag party? Boehner? Give me a break.
Germany with one third the population we have and much higher wage and benefit costs is number 1 in per capita export manufacturing in the world. Why? It sounds to me like they read our constitution and applied what it says. Now of course some wise ice tea bag partier in Kingman is going to tell me that if I like Germany so much why don't I get out of Kingman so the ice tea bag party can take over. Sorry, but I'm here to stay. [...and I'm staying also!]
Obviously if we didn't have the convergence of GOD and politics in the republican party that the super-capitalists and their corporatist minions on Wall Street have used to de-industrialize our nation we wouldn't be in the predicament we are in. We would have something that Germany, Japan, and China have, called an industrial policy. We would be negotiating fair trade agreements instead of free trade agreements which don't promote the general welfare of the people. We wouldn't have a military-industrial complex that serves a few insider politicians and corporations and their lobbyists. It sounds to me like these other nations have read our constitution and applied what it says. How come we can't do that? Because the GOD squad says we have to apply Biblical law in the US. Here is what I have to say about that. .....Biblical, shmiblical.
......well said, I think! AG
Tuesday, April 05, 2011
The extremes of Christianity and Muslim religion
We have a serious problem in our world of 7+ billion folks who are very different from one another and are generally intollerant of anyone not of their culture nor beliefs.
One of the primary problems, obviously, is religion which controlls the minds of a majority of peoples with supernatural beliefs and expectations. Unfortunately many become zealots for their own beliefs and therefore militant. Below is an example of the clash between extremists on both sides which end in the deaths of innocent people who were actually unaware of their peril until too late.
What I'm referring to is the Mazar-e-Sharif UN attack and massacre by radical Muslims as published in the Wall Street Journal (4/4).
"Thousands of worshippers, flogged into a rage by sermons denouncing a burning of the Quran by a fringe preacher in the United States, spilled out of the Blue Mosque in Mazar-e-Sharif and marched about a mile to the UN compound and attacked UN workers inside, easily overwhelming the 60 or so Afghan police who tried to protect the site. One safe room at the UN compound proved ineffective in sheltering those inside. The attack developed so quickly that U.S. forces were unable to mobilize in time to intervene." http://tinyurl.com/3oyr2y8
So what spark initiated this rampage?
"It was the Quran-burning, held March 20 at the Dove World Outreach Center by church leader Terry Jones in Gainesville, Fla., was "hateful, extremely disrespectful and enormously intolerant," Gen. Petraeus said.
Now Jones is an American and living in an American sub-culture of Free Speech/Religion advocates who wantonly does what he wants in a Constitutional America without regard to the rest of the world. He is certainly not alone, but the rest of us Americans have to live with the shame he has placed upon us.
There were innocent human lives sacrificed because of this jerk who should somehow be forced to face trial and imprisionment - not by an American "Constitutional" court, but by an international court of crimes against humanity.
It is sad that so many of us use the Constitutional Bill of Rights to enable violations against our fellow citizens and others in the world.
For example, the 1st Amendment says: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof......." The problem with this amendment is the phrase, "...or prohibiting the free exercise thereof....." because we see what certain religious zealots can behave over and above the wishes, desires or welfare of the American people or, indeed, the people of the world!
Terry Jones is fully within his American rights, but is in reality an international criminal! Our only hope is that one of our Muslim-Americans might decide to "jehad (right word?)" our despised Reverend Jones. I certainly wouldn't weep a tear over that bastard or the congregation who encourages him!
http://tinyurl.com/3oyr2y8
One of the primary problems, obviously, is religion which controlls the minds of a majority of peoples with supernatural beliefs and expectations. Unfortunately many become zealots for their own beliefs and therefore militant. Below is an example of the clash between extremists on both sides which end in the deaths of innocent people who were actually unaware of their peril until too late.
What I'm referring to is the Mazar-e-Sharif UN attack and massacre by radical Muslims as published in the Wall Street Journal (4/4).
"Thousands of worshippers, flogged into a rage by sermons denouncing a burning of the Quran by a fringe preacher in the United States, spilled out of the Blue Mosque in Mazar-e-Sharif and marched about a mile to the UN compound and attacked UN workers inside, easily overwhelming the 60 or so Afghan police who tried to protect the site. One safe room at the UN compound proved ineffective in sheltering those inside. The attack developed so quickly that U.S. forces were unable to mobilize in time to intervene." http://tinyurl.com/3oyr2y8
So what spark initiated this rampage?
"It was the Quran-burning, held March 20 at the Dove World Outreach Center by church leader Terry Jones in Gainesville, Fla., was "hateful, extremely disrespectful and enormously intolerant," Gen. Petraeus said.
Now Jones is an American and living in an American sub-culture of Free Speech/Religion advocates who wantonly does what he wants in a Constitutional America without regard to the rest of the world. He is certainly not alone, but the rest of us Americans have to live with the shame he has placed upon us.
There were innocent human lives sacrificed because of this jerk who should somehow be forced to face trial and imprisionment - not by an American "Constitutional" court, but by an international court of crimes against humanity.
It is sad that so many of us use the Constitutional Bill of Rights to enable violations against our fellow citizens and others in the world.
For example, the 1st Amendment says: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof......." The problem with this amendment is the phrase, "...or prohibiting the free exercise thereof....." because we see what certain religious zealots can behave over and above the wishes, desires or welfare of the American people or, indeed, the people of the world!
Terry Jones is fully within his American rights, but is in reality an international criminal! Our only hope is that one of our Muslim-Americans might decide to "jehad (right word?)" our despised Reverend Jones. I certainly wouldn't weep a tear over that bastard or the congregation who encourages him!
http://tinyurl.com/3oyr2y8
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