Clipmarks | beanz's clips

Fallacies of the pro-Nuclear energy lobby.

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:29:42 GMT

clipped by: beanz

Get Ready For These Nuclear Fallacies

Tony Abbott wants us to look again at nuclear power, but if we do start talking about that old chestnut we'd better get our facts straight

Fallacy number 7: "You must choose between coal or nuclear.

Refutation: No, the real choice is between dirty and dangerous technologies (coal and nuclear) on one hand and clean technologies (energy efficiency and renewable energy) on the other. It's interesting that the biggest corporations pushing this fallacy — BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto — are mining both coal and uranium. With their false choice, they would win either way.

based on existing technology (that is, no breeder reactors), nuclear power is not a long-term solution to global warming.

In Australia, which doesn't have suitable infrastructure, the first nuclear power station would take about 15 years. Once again, nuclear power is not a short-term solution to global warming.

Tags: nuclear energy

The old-new Liberal leader; same bullshit

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:09:49 GMT

clipped by: beanz

Clip Source: newmatilda.com

Tony Abbott's habit of telling women how to run their lives is only one of the reasons why plenty won't vote for him

among the enormous number of women (and men too, actually) who believe it is women's right to control their own bodies, and who also believe we do not have the right to control the bodies of others, Tony Abbott does have an obvious and rather large problem.

Abbott's extraordinary and unprecedented power of veto over the importation of the abortion drug RU486. Abbott was unashamed about wanting to retain control over the drug's approval because he wanted to restrict women's access to abortion.

we should be concerned that he would behave in a manner that means that the integrity of his role is compromised by his religious position.

Tony Abbott has committed his party to a return of WorkChoices, changes to the ALP's unfair dismissal laws, a non-market emissions reduction scheme of some description that may include nuclear power, and to taking stimulus money from schools.

Tags: tony abbot

Naked, unarmed man Tazed to death.

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 09:53:03 GMT

clipped by: beanz

Clip Source: www.alternet.org

Cops Taze Disturbed, Unarmed Naked Man to Death for "Walking Toward Them'

In June, [Brian Cardall] 32, was returning to Arizona after visiting Utah when he experienced a manic episode brought on by his bipolar disorder. He pulled his car to the side of the road, got out, removed his clothes, and began flagging down vehicles on State Road 59 outside Hurricane.
Cardall's wife gave him medication, called the police, informed the dispatcher of her husband's psychotic condition and the fact that it would take a while for the medicine to take effect. But Cardall ran out of time.

a confused Cardall, who refused to get on the ground as ordered, stepped toward the officers. Thompson fired his Taser, striking a naked and unarmed Cardall in the chest over the heart. When the Flagstaff resident attempted to rise, Thompson gave him a second jolt. Within minutes, Cardall was dead, one of about 350 Americans to die after a Taser deployment since 2001.

Tags: tazer

CIA drone use increasing in Pakistan; locals not pleased

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:17:47 GMT

clipped by: beanz

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

C.I.A. to Expand Use of Drones in Pakistan

By increasing covert pressure on Al Qaeda and its allies in Pakistan, while ground forces push back the Taliban’s advances in Afghanistan, American officials hope to eliminate any haven for militants in the region.

despite close cooperation from Pakistani intelligence, the program has generated public anger in Pakistan, and some counterinsurgency experts wonder whether it does more harm than good.

More C.I.A. drone attacks have been conducted under President Obama than under President George W. Bush.

Forty-four countries have unmanned aircraft for surveillance, Mr. Singer said. So far, only the United States and Israel have used the planes for strikes, but that number will grow.

A poll by Gallup Pakistan last summer found only 9 percent of Pakistanis in favor of the attacks and 67 percent against, with a majority ranking the United States as a greater threat to Pakistan than its archrival, India, or the Pakistani Taliban.

Tags: drones, paaaaakistan

Palestinian lifeline under attack by air and land

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:34:08 GMT

clipped by: beanz
clipper's remarks: Gaza is a giant concentration camp - where is the UN and why does this receive no media coverage here ?

Clip Source: www.nrc.nl

Smuggling becomes risky business in Gaza

They are the lifeline of Gaza's economy: the hundreds of tunnels running under the Philadephi corridor into Egypt. But now Israeli air strikes and a crackdown on the Egyptian side are driving many people out of the smuggling business. 'The risk of dying is higher every day.'

The Philadelphi corridor - the name was computer-generated by the Israeli army - is the heart of the smuggling industry that is the lifeline of the Gaza Strip.

humanitarian organisations agree on one thing: in the past year more than a hundred smugglers have died, most of them in Israeli airstrikes

Israel began an economic blockade of Gaza, after Hamas took power there in 2007, only small amounts of humanitarian aid, such as milk or rice, have been allowed in

Diapers, chips, goats, sheep,"

Abu Hala'a summed up some of the items he smuggles in. "Since the last war there is a lot of demand for cement, wood and glass."

Tags: gaza

Australia - climate change legislation dies in Senate

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:25:41 GMT

clipped by: beanz

Clip Source: www.nrc.nl

Australia finds itself in a fix over climate change

The Copenhagen conference on climate change is causing havoc in Australia, where climate change sceptics are blocking the government's emission reduction plans, making early elections in 2010 a distinct possibility.

The Murray was once an impressive river, but its estuary in South Australia is now little more than a pathetic stream. If there is one continent where the climate change conference, which starts next week in Copenhagen, should matter it is Australia. No place else is so affected by drought, and yet nowhere else are politicians more divided on the issue of climate change.

Minchin claims man-mad climate change is a left-wing conspiracy.

Australia is extremely dependent on highly polluting industries: it is the biggest coal exporter in the world, and 80 percent of its power plants are coal-fired.

The Australian found 67 percent of Australians is in favour of Rudd's plans.

Tags: australia, climate change

High Imprisonment rate=Rich Man`s Folly :)

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:14:44 GMT

clipped by: beanz
clipper's remarks: This is a monumental piece of research, with some quite surprising findings.

Clip Source: www.springerlink.com

Public Attitudes and Sentencing Policies Across the World

Many Western countries have experienced a boom in prisoners rates, characterised as “carceral hyperinflation” or “new punitiveness”. Politicians and opinion makers assume that this reflects the demand of the public for more severe sentencing.

in many countries the public prefers non-custodial sentences

To address a variety of issues related to increasing incarceration rates and prison overcrowding, many countries have successfully embarked on initiatives to create alternatives to imprisonment.

Some countries, e.g. Finland, Canada and Poland, have in recent years successfully embarked on sustained national policies of stabilising or even decreasing the use of incarceration as a response to crime

In the Netherlands the national prisoners’ rate has decreased by 20 percent since 2005

extensive use of imprisonment, such as in the USA, can be seen as a collective “luxury good” or, to put it more sharply, a rich man’s folly.

Tags: imprisonment.

WTF is going on in Canada ? Control documents ?

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:48:15 GMT

clipped by: beanz

Clip Source: www.alternet.org

Amy Goodman Detained at Canadian Border; Guards Demand Notes For Speaking Event

AMY GOODMAN: Well, today we begin with a look at Canada's attempts to stifle dissent, particularly when it comes to the Winter Olympic Games to be held in Vancouver next year.

Last week, I was detained by Canadian authorities while crossing the Canadian border. It was Thanksgiving. I was on my way, along with two of my colleagues, to speak at the Vancouver Public Library at a benefit for community radio stations, when Canadian border guards held us for over an hour and a half at the border. Well, it was the top story of the CBC news in Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

"You're denying you're talking about the Olympics?" I said, "That wasn’t my plan for tonight."

"I wasn't aware we needed a visa." And they said, "These are control documents." And they stapled them into each of our passports.

Tags: canada

Christmas Island getting crowded with detainees

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:32:01 GMT

clipped by: beanz

Clip Source: newmatilda.com

Welcome To Paradox

Not many stories from Christmas Island make their way to the mainland. When Amy Nethery visited, she found locals increasingly concerned about the over-crowded detention centre

You don't need to lock your door on Christmas Island. It's that sort of place.

The locks on my hotel room didn't work either. My key was useful only to activate the air-conditioning.

Compare this sleepy atmosphere to that which prevails at the North West Point Immigration Detention Centre on the other side of the Island.

It looks like a modern, high-tech fortress, with a large satellite dish and security cameras mounted on lampposts.

The fact that over one thousand people are detained within a maximum-security prison at the other end of their peaceful island isn't lost on the locals of Christmas Island. There are rumblings of disquiet within the community about the centre and about recently announced plans for its expansion.

Tags: christmas island

Recovery, what Recovery ?

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:34:21 GMT

clipped by: beanz

Clip Source: www.tomdispatch.com

The Illusion of Recovery

23% of U.S. homeowners owe more on their mortgages than their properties are worth,

5.3 million households have mortgages that are at least 20% higher than their home’s value, 520,000 of whom have already received default notices

one in seven U.S. home loans was past due or in foreclosure,

foreclosures on large rental-unit buildings are also on the rise.

not just homeowners but renters are now being swept up in the housing crisis as landlords of apartment buildings in trouble let upkeep go while maintenance problems soar.

close to 45,000 desperate homeowners showed up during NACA's five-day stand at the Cow Palace for the chance to renegotiate their disastrous subprime mortgages or sky-high interest rates or interest-only payments

That line began in the parking lot and, once inside, filled huge sections of the arena’s seats where thousands of bleary-eyed homeowners, some there for up to 36 hours, waited to see a counselor

average employee wages continue to drop,

Tags: us economy

How Free-Markets killed the world.

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:16:22 GMT

clipped by: beanz

Clip Source: www.alternet.org

How Free-Market Delusions Destroyed the Economy

The worship of free markets set off the economic meltdown.

The 2008 financial collapse came in the same year as crises in food and oil, and yet we seem unable to see or value our world except through the faulty prism of markets.

One thing is clear: The thinking that got us into this mess is unlikely to rescue us.

Greenspan was one of the acknowledged legislators of the world’s economy over the past nineteen years

he used to sit at the feet of Ayn Rand

Regarding altruism as “moral cannibalism," Rand was the cheerleader for an extreme free market libertarian school of thought, which she called “Objectivism."

Waxman: In other words, you found that your view of the world, your ideology, was not right, it was not working.

Greenspan: Precisely. That is precisely the reason I was shocked, because I had been going for 40 years or more with very considerable evidence that it was working exceptionally well.

Tags: us economy

Oh Dear, Dubai !!

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:38:19 GMT

clipped by: beanz

Clip Source: www.nrc.nl

Dubai's debt woes unsettle financial world

Global investors with money in Dubai are suddenly feeling very nervous, now that it has become clear that the emirate's state-run holding company Dubai World is unable to repay billions in debt. There is even talk of a possible national bankruptcy, which could trigger a new financial crisis.

the Bundesbank, financial institutions in Germany have invested a total of 3.7 billion euros in the United Arab Emirates.

At the beginning of the year, Abu Dhabi had already saved Dubai from bankruptcy with a 20 billion dollar bailout package.

Capital is like a shy deer, and suddenly loud gunshots are going off here."

"Dubai World intends to ask all providers of financing to Dubai World and Nakheel to 'standstill' and extend maturities until at least May 30, 2010," the company announced.

The opening ceremony for the 818-meter Burj Dubai, the world's tallest building, was originally scheduled for Wednesday. But now it has been delayed.

Tags: dubai

Only commies and liberals want US defence cuts !

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 08:19:29 GMT

clipped by: beanz

Clip Source: www.salon.com

How dare you criticize wasteful defense spending!

government data showing that our waste-ridden, $600-billion-a-year defense budget will cost about seven times more than the healthcare legislation currently before Congress.

brazenly throwing away billions on outdated weapons systems and obsolete military programs is now a "conservative" value.

The 2010 Pentagon budget means "every man, woman and child in the United States will spend more than $2,700 on (defense) programs and agencies next year," reports the Cato Institute. "By way of comparison, the average Japanese spends less than $330; the average German about $520; China's per capita spending is less than $100."

In 2000, the Pentagon admitted it has lost -- yes, lost -- $2.3 trillion.

$2.3 trillion would cover universal healthcare plus the bank bailout plus the stimulus package.

Really, how could anyone other than traitorous communists see the data and then consider backing the mildest Pentagon spending cuts?

Tags: us military

Match-fixing in European soccer - it`s everywhere !

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 07:40:26 GMT

clipped by: beanz

Clip Source: www.nrc.nl

Dutch football is not immune to Chinese match-fixing

A criminal investigation in Germany has revealed widespread fraud in European football.

The Dutch football association will investigate allegations of corruption in a number of suspicious first division games,

The German authorities last week revealed they had found evidence of fraud and manipulation in 200 European football games. Germany has been conducting a thorough investigation into fraudulent gambling practices in professional football for the past year. Dozens of arrests were made in the past few days in Germany, China, Switzerland, Italy and Britain. According to the German public prosecutor's office at least nine countries are involved; the Netherlands is not among them.

Football magazine Voetbal International investigated suspected fraud at ADO The Hague after several players there began spending suspicious amounts of money. Houses were paid in cash and players were driving around in cars far above their paychecks

Tags: match-fixing

More Canada Mining - 60% world`s mining companies !

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 07:31:05 GMT

clipped by: beanz
clipper's remarks: I couldn`t get the vid to clip, sorry. The true face of Capitalism.
Here are the roots of terrorism - it is the only way that `locals` can fight back.
What do you do when your land and resources are being taken at gunpoint, by a powerful and ruthless invader ?
Spain against Napoleon, Palestine against the West and Israel, Mandela and the ANC in S Africa, current Afghanistan, Colombia etc
17 of 19 9/11 bombers were Saudis - how else can they protest ?

Clip Source: www.thestar.com

Canadian mining firms face abuse allegations

1,373:

Number of mining companies listed on the TSX (2007)

79 billion (valued at $482 billion):

Number of mining shares traded on the TSX (2007)

43%:

Percentage of total world mining exploration attributed to Canadian mining companies

60%:

Percentage of world's mining companies registered in Canada

$21 billion (U.S.):

Total value of Canadian mining companies' assets in Africa

20%:

Percentage of the total Canadian-owned African mining assets located in the war-ravaged Democratic Republic of the Congo.

193:

Number of registered mining lobbyists in Canada as of Nov. 3, 2009

30:

Number of countries where Canadian mining companies have allegedly violated human rights

Number of Canadian laws that regulate mining companies abroad

15 Canadian-employed mine workers were gunned down in a remote Philippine jungle strip, victims of a feud between Canada's TVI Pacific Inc. and the indigenous peoples of Mindanao.

Tags: canada mining.