“Rachel Carson turns in her grave," an open letter to Patricia M. DeMarco, Director, Rachel Carson Homestead Association
Dear Patricia,
We were shocked to learn that your organization today wants to honor the Chemical and Pharmaceutical company Bayer at the "Rachel Carson Reception" in Pittsburgh. Rachel will turn in her grave.
Bayer is the worldmarket leader for pesticides which account for pollution of the soil, the groundwater and the environment all over the world. Bayer sells a whole range of highly toxic organophosphates classified as „extremely hazardous“. Pesticides like Endosulfan, Parathion or Methamidophos are responsible for a large part of poisonings, of which the World Health Organisation annually counts more than 2 million. And Bayer produces large quantities of dangerous chemicals, for example Bisphenol A, an endocrine disruptor used in baby bottles, food cans, dental sealants, etc.
Bayer has a long tradition in trying to "greenwash" their image. The company started dozens of partnerships and sponsorships with medical, environmental or educational organizations and even the United Nations. In particular Bayer chooses cooperations in fields where the company is criticized - like the production of pesticides.
We were shocked to learn that your organization today wants to honor the Chemical and Pharmaceutical company Bayer at the "Rachel Carson Reception" in Pittsburgh. Rachel will turn in her grave.
Bayer is the worldmarket leader for pesticides which account for pollution of the soil, the groundwater and the environment all over the world. Bayer sells a whole range of highly toxic organophosphates classified as „extremely hazardous“. Pesticides like Endosulfan, Parathion or Methamidophos are responsible for a large part of poisonings, of which the World Health Organisation annually counts more than 2 million. And Bayer produces large quantities of dangerous chemicals, for example Bisphenol A, an endocrine disruptor used in baby bottles, food cans, dental sealants, etc.
Bayer has a long tradition in trying to "greenwash" their image. The company started dozens of partnerships and sponsorships with medical, environmental or educational organizations and even the United Nations. In particular Bayer chooses cooperations in fields where the company is criticized - like the production of pesticides.
Climate: time is short
April 14th was without doubt a turning point in the movement to prevent catastrophic climate change. Many tens of thousands of people in all 50 states took action on Step It Up day. We demanded that Congress move now to cap and begin reducing the carbon emissions that are dangerously heating up the earth, toward the goal of 80% reductions by 2050.
I actively supported these actions. I was a leader of the N.J. Climate March April 13-16 which supported them. Bill McKibben and the young people from Middlebury College who called for and coordinated this campaign deserve tremendous praise.
I actively supported these actions. I was a leader of the N.J. Climate March April 13-16 which supported them. Bill McKibben and the young people from Middlebury College who called for and coordinated this campaign deserve tremendous praise.
Ten simple things that you can do to save the Earth
Well, unless you are someone that totally ignores the impartial findings of science or a true believer in "rape and plunder" who believes that humans have no responsibility to take care of this planet, you might be a little concerned about the state of the Earth. Al Gore has scared people all over the world with his new documentary on the perils of global warming, worldwide, populations of ocean game fish are dropping rapidly (or are full of mercury in their tissues), hundreds of millions of people or more around the world suffer from foul air and water, and that is saying nothing about the frightening number of armed conflicts that seem to be raging around the globe. In short, this planet is a total mess.
Solartopia! An achievable vision of a sustainable future
Harvey Wasserman is an activist sage, a social change visionary and prolific author. A journalist and historian, he has for over three decades fought for a renewable green future and an America that lives up to its professed ideals. His new book SOLARTOPIA! Our Green Powered Earth, A.D. 2030 is a report from the future, from a world that has successfully made the transition from the age of coal, oil, and nuclear energy to a fully sustainable civilization built on renewable energy.
What is most striking about Wasserman's vision, as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. notes in his foreword to SOLARTOPIA! is that all of the technology needed to midwife this transition already exists. All that is needed is the will to make the change.
In 1968, Wasserman helped found the Liberation News Service and Massachusetts' communal/organic Montague Farm, now home to the Zen Peacemaker Community, International. In 1973 he helped pioneer the global grassroots movement against atomic reactors, and coined the phrase "No Nukes" in 1974. He was a media spokesperson for the Clamshell Alliance and helped organize mass demonstrations at Seabrook, New Hampshire against reactors being built there.
What is most striking about Wasserman's vision, as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. notes in his foreword to SOLARTOPIA! is that all of the technology needed to midwife this transition already exists. All that is needed is the will to make the change.
In 1968, Wasserman helped found the Liberation News Service and Massachusetts' communal/organic Montague Farm, now home to the Zen Peacemaker Community, International. In 1973 he helped pioneer the global grassroots movement against atomic reactors, and coined the phrase "No Nukes" in 1974. He was a media spokesperson for the Clamshell Alliance and helped organize mass demonstrations at Seabrook, New Hampshire against reactors being built there.
USDA and agribusiness conspire to mislead consumers
"Raw" Almonds Must Soon be Steam-Heated or Treated with Toxic Chemical
CORNUCOPIA, WI: Small-scale farmers, retailers, and consumers are outraged over a new federal regulation that will require all almonds grown in California to be sterilized with various “pasteurization” techniques. The rule, which the USDA quietly developed in response to outbreaks of Salmonella in 2001 and 2004, traced to raw almonds, mandates that all almonds undergo a sterilization process that includes chemical and/or high-temperature treatments. Although the final rule was just published in the Federal Register, The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based farm policy research group, is asking the USDA to reopen the proceeding for public comment. Cornucopia contends that the rule was never effectively announced to the public, and that the reasoning behind both the necessity and safety of the sterilization processes should be questioned before the rule goes into effect this September.
CORNUCOPIA, WI: Small-scale farmers, retailers, and consumers are outraged over a new federal regulation that will require all almonds grown in California to be sterilized with various “pasteurization” techniques. The rule, which the USDA quietly developed in response to outbreaks of Salmonella in 2001 and 2004, traced to raw almonds, mandates that all almonds undergo a sterilization process that includes chemical and/or high-temperature treatments. Although the final rule was just published in the Federal Register, The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based farm policy research group, is asking the USDA to reopen the proceeding for public comment. Cornucopia contends that the rule was never effectively announced to the public, and that the reasoning behind both the necessity and safety of the sterilization processes should be questioned before the rule goes into effect this September.
Auditing the mid-term election
In the 2006 general election, according to unofficial results posted on the website of Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, there were 4,177,498 ballots cast in the State of Ohio.
Of these, only 3,831,716, or 91.72%, contained a vote for Governor, and only 3,826,829, or 91.61%, contained a vote for United States Senate. These numbers created the appearance of undervote (or overvote) rates of 8.28% and 8.39%, respectively, in the two most hotly contested statewide races on the ballot. When the unofficial election results are examined county by county, there was a strikingly abnormal distribution of undervotes. I chose the United States Senate race to examine in detail because there were only two candidates on the ballot (and one write-in candidate), which makes the mathematical analysis simpler than for the Governor's race, in which there were four candidates on the ballot (and two write-in candidates).
Read the full article as a PDF
Read the full article as a PDF
A way forward
It’s been a big week for the atmosphere. Monday, the Supreme Court ruled five to four (Hang on, Justice Stevens!) that the Clean Air Act does allow the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant. Just because the EPA can regulate CO2 doesn’t mean it will, at least not under the current administration, but we can all hope 2009 is not too late to pull the planet back from the brink of destruction.
In another Monday ruling – this one unanimous – the court ruled that existing power plants that have been rehabbed or expanded must meet the same (stricter) standards as new power plants. Just to clear up any confusion, this case has been kicking around since 1998, when the Clinton administration tried to hold utilities to the higher standard. It’s unlikely the case would have been generated under the current boss.
In another Monday ruling – this one unanimous – the court ruled that existing power plants that have been rehabbed or expanded must meet the same (stricter) standards as new power plants. Just to clear up any confusion, this case has been kicking around since 1998, when the Clinton administration tried to hold utilities to the higher standard. It’s unlikely the case would have been generated under the current boss.
Rover is not on the menu, Wilbur is, and Mahmoud just starved to death: "Another bacon burger, anyone?"
"If my competitor were drowning, I’d stick a hose in his mouth and turn on the water."
--Ray Kroc
"…a funny, jowly, canny, barbarous guy who lives in a multimillion-dollar condo on Park Avenue in Manhattan and conveys himself about the planet in a corporate jet and a private yacht. At sixty-seven, he is unrepentant in the face of criticism. He describes himself as a "tough man in a tough business"….."The animal-rights people," he once said, "want to impose a vegetarian's society on the U.S. Most vegetarians I know are neurotic.""
--Jeff Tietz’s description of meat processing magnate, Joseph Luter III (from his Rolling Stone article, "Boss Hog")
--Ray Kroc
"…a funny, jowly, canny, barbarous guy who lives in a multimillion-dollar condo on Park Avenue in Manhattan and conveys himself about the planet in a corporate jet and a private yacht. At sixty-seven, he is unrepentant in the face of criticism. He describes himself as a "tough man in a tough business"….."The animal-rights people," he once said, "want to impose a vegetarian's society on the U.S. Most vegetarians I know are neurotic.""
--Jeff Tietz’s description of meat processing magnate, Joseph Luter III (from his Rolling Stone article, "Boss Hog")
Hollywood's latest hit: 300, a militarist fantasy
Hollywood has recently released a popular film that, once again, reveals much about the film industry. While Hollywood is not monolithic institution – the same entity is capable of producing some noteworthy works from time to time – it is still composed of conglomerates occupied by a large number of artistically ignorant executives, careerist filmmakers and actors concerned only with profit and careers. Typically, the "blockbuster" film brings out the worst of the film establishment. These movies often operate on a visceral level and whether the creators do so consciously or not, endorse the status quo by upholding the establishment's outlook on society. The film reviewed here is an example of this.
The Lives of Others: Artistic life under Stalinism
The Lives of Others (Der Leben der Anderen) is an account of East Berlin artists under surveillance by the Stasi, the German Democratic Republic's feared secret police, during the GDR's last years. The film brings to light the systematic destruction of cultural creativity under authoritarian communism, in this case, East Germany. After the fall of Nazism in the 1940s, Germany became an occupied country - the capitalist U.S., U.K., and France to the west (including West Berlin) and Stalinist U.S.S.R. to the east (as well as East Berlin). The GDR, modeled after the Soviet Union's totalitarian, bureaucratic regime, proved to be no better than the Nazis. It is the East German setting where the fight for artistic freedom against Stalinism takes place.