Gaza Toy Blockade Preserved
"A Finnish peace ship carrying such contraband as soccer balls, toys, and children's books was captured in international waters and its passengers caged. Free trade remains a crime." Continue reading →
South Korean Activists Send Leaflets to North Korea
"South Korean activists floated balloons carrying tens of thousands of anti-Pyongyang leaflets into North Korea on Monday, eluding police who had disrupted an earlier launch attempt due to threats from North Korea. North Korea's military warned last week that it would strike if the South Korean activists carried through with their plan to fly balloons carrying the propaganda leaflets across the border. South Korean police, citing security concerns, had sent hundreds of officers Monday to seal off roads and prevent the activists and other people from gathering at an announced launch site near the border." Continue reading →
Second Michigan county says “NO!” to federal NDAA kidnapping
"On Thursday, yet another local government condemned detention provisions written into the National Defense Authorization Act. The Oakland County, Mich. Board of Commissioners unanimously approved its Support for the Preservation of Liberty resolution Thursday evening. Oakland County joins Allegan County in Michigan, and at least 15 local government bodies nationwide, taking a stand against federal kidnapping. Sources close to the Tenth Amendment Center indicate at least another dozen local and county governments are considering similar resolutions." Continue reading →
I’m Astounded by This Terrorism Statute
"What crimes, what infractions, what nuisances, what boycotts, what speech, what assaults, what picketing, what ad campaigns, what harassments, what torts, what public demonstrations, what signs, what shouts, what vandalism, what threats will not be called terrorism? Congress in 2006 passed a law called 'The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act' to 'protect' biomedical researchers and pharmaceutical companies from animal rights activists." Continue reading →
Kuwaitis protest electoral law changes
"Police in Kuwait have used teargas, stun grenades and baton charges to disperse tens of thousands of demonstrators protesting against changes to the electoral law, which the opposition has called a 'constitutional coup' by the government. Protesters gathered in various parts of the capital, Kuwait City, to march towards the government's headquarters, but riot police swiftly surrounded some groups and used teargas and stun grenades to disperse them. The government - which is dominated by the ruling al-Sabah family - announced last week it was calling elections for December 1 and would change the electoral law." Continue reading →
Spain To Ban Photos of Police on Duty
"Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said after months of television and Internet scenes of sometimes violent clashes between police and demonstrators, a balance had to be struck 'between citizens' right to protest' and the need 'to uphold the integrity of state security forces.' The government's plans were unveiled a day after Spain's director general of police, Cosido Ignacio, said efforts are under way to secure such a ban. Television images of clashes near Parliament on Sept. 25 showed several protesters bloodied and in need of medical attention." Continue reading →
Tens of thousands rally in London against austerity
"Government spending cuts brought some tens of thousands of people onto the streets of London and other British cities on Saturday in protest, with union leaders expected to call for a general strike. Marchers carried signs reading 'No cuts' and 'Tax justice not tax havens', condemning the austerity measures introduced by Prime Minister David Cameron’s coalition government in a bid to reduce Britain’s huge deficit." Continue reading →
Disinformation and the CIA
"The ten-page Makhov article is probably the most detailed and comprehensive description of CIA and its works in the open Soviet literature. It includes a biography of the evil genius Dulles himself, stressing his Wall Street background and his status as an agent for the monopolists in all foreign and military affairs from insuring the domination of U.S. capital abroad to establishing naval strength ratios. It affirms, on the basis of captured Nazi Foreign Ministry documents and other evidence, that his chief wartime mission in Switzerland was to see to the preservation of German economic and military might as a bulwark against the USSR." Continue reading →
Study proves pesticide exposure linked to bumblebee colony failures
"In those exposed to gamma-cyhalothrin, there was a higher death rate among worker bees. And colonies that were exposed to both kinds of pesticides were likelier to fail. The experiment was exceptionally long and detailed, the scientists say. It lasted four weeks, whereas current guidelines test pesticides on bees for only up to 96 hours. In addition, it looked at what happened when bees were exposed to two chemicals at the same time and at the changes in a colony’s social structure." Continue reading →
Scientists confirm water extraction helped trigger deadly 2011 quake in Spain
"The investigation adds to anecdotal evidence that human activities, ranging from exploration for shale gas, quarrying and even water reservoirs, can cause quakes. 'Our results imply that anthropogenic [man-made] activites could influence how and when earthquakes occur,' said the study. In a commentary, Jean-Philippe Avouac, a geologist at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) said water extraction at Lorca probably accelerated a natural process of stress accumulation rather than unleashed the earthquake by itself." Continue reading →