Clipmarks | klippety's clips

IS IT SAFE??? YOUR WATER???

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:49:33 GMT

clipped by: klippety
clipper's remarks: Contamination, poison, bacteria and corrupt politicians are slowly killing you

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Millions in U.S. Drink Dirty Water, Records Show

More than 20 percent of the nation’s water treatment systems have violated key provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act over the last five years

That law requires communities to deliver safe tap water to local residents. But since 2004, the water provided to more than 49 million people has contained illegal concentrations of chemicals like arsenic or radioactive substances like uranium, as well as dangerous bacteria often found in sewage

Regulators were informed of each of those violations as they occurred. But regulatory records show that fewer than 6 percent of the water systems that broke the law were ever fined or punished by state or federal officials

Studies indicate that drinking water contaminants are linked to millions of instances of illness within the United States each year.

“The previous eight years provide a perfect example of what happens when political leadership fails to act to protect our health and the environment,”

MONOPOLY AT WORK- DOES ANYBODY CARE

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:27:35 GMT

clipped by: klippety
clipper's remarks: More of the Manufactured Consent coming your way. Less Choice, Higher Prices, Let the Private Sector Reign Supreme. No Restrictions EVER. The Dumb Sheep will pay, because there is no other Way left. Watch it Happen Here, America, setting the Example for Mass Media Control. MMC. Control the Media, Control the Masses. Spending an average of 12 years in front of a Television should be tightly controlled for a PREDICTABLE OUTCOME. Congratulations CONCAST.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Concerns About Comcast-NBC

The pairing of the nation’s largest cable company with one of the leading television broadcasters, which also owns several popular cable networks, could limit choices and raise prices for viewers and advertisers. As they evaluate the proposed merger, antitrust and communications watchdog agencies should also consider the risks to the emerging business of delivering video entertainment over the Internet — the main competitive threat to cable TV.

In 2007 the F.C.C. accused Comcast of violating net-neutrality principles by trying to block the content from BitTorrent services that allow users to share files online, and then ordered it to stop. Comcast is appealing the order in court.

one of the largest broadband Internet service providers in the country, Comcast

Comcast could take its bundling business model to the Internet by forcing customers to buy cable packages in order to see content from NBC’s network online.

CAN SCIENCE FIGHT PROPAGANDA???

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:24:04 GMT

clipped by: klippety
clipper's remarks: Propaganda, propaganda, propaganda. Only analytical thinking can prepare a people for a critical view and discern propaganda from information and opinion

Clip Source: www.scientificamerican.com

War Is Peace: Can Science Fight Media Disinformation?

When I saw the statement repeated online that theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking of the University of Cambridge would be dead by now if he lived in the U.K. and had to depend on the National Health Service (he, of course, is alive and working in the U.K., where he always has)

The increasingly blatant nature of the nonsense uttered with impunity in public discourse is chilling. Our democratic society is imperiled as much by this as any other single threat, regardless of whether the origins of the nonsense are religious fanaticism, simple ignorance or personal gain.

As I listen to the manifest nonsense that has been promulgated by the likes of right-wing fanatic radio hosts and moronic ex-governors in response to the effort to bring the U.S. into alignment with other industrial countries in providing reasonable and affordable health care for all its citizens, it seems that things have only gotten worse in the years

WHY? TELL ME WHY!!!

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 16:43:40 GMT

clipped by: klippety
clipper's remarks: Feeling exceptionally vulnerable? This may seem nuts to some......

Clip Source: www.scientificamerican.com

Why do human testicles hang like that?

big question is why so many mammalian species evolved hanging scrotal testicles to begin with

scrotal testicles evolved in the same spirit as peacock feathers.

I’m not aware of any studies on intra-species individual variation in scrotal design, but I’m nonetheless willing to speculate that most human males have rather bland, run-of-the-mill scrota

Anything deviating from this--particularly a set of unusually pendulous testicles suspended in knee-length scrota--is probably more likely to have a woman dry-heaving, screaming, or staring in confusion than serving as an aphrodisiac.

human scrota don’t just hang there holding our testicles and brewing our sperm

in contrast to the slackened scrotal skin accompanying flaccid, non-aroused states, penile erections are usually accompanied by a telltale retraction of the testicles closer to the body.

Is the whole thing nuts? Don't leave me hanging, folks. Ball’s in your court. ba dum ching!

TURBO CAPITALISM: THE FUTURE IN A RIGGED GAME

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:55:43 GMT

clipped by: klippety
clipper's remarks: The cards are stacked against children, parents of all working people. Levels of poverty in America rising continually. WHERE DOES THE FUTURE LEAD YOU AND YOURS???

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Stacking the Deck Against Kids

The American economy is broken, ruined by the greed and irresponsibility of fabulously wealthy corporate chieftains and their shabby acolytes and enablers in government. While Wall Street is handing out billions in bonuses, American families are struggling with joblessness, home foreclosures and rampant debt. The economic woes are exacting a fierce toll on family life, and children are taking a big hit — emotionally, psychologically and otherwise.

One effect of the Great Recession, according to a recent series in The Times, has been a big jump in the number of runaway children, many of them living in dangerous conditions on the street.

The system remains grotesquely unfair, with the deck stacked against working people

Keep in mind that at the start of the recession the collective wealth of the richest 1 percent of Americans was greater than that of the bottom 90 percent combined.

NATIONAL SOCIALISM- CORPORATIONS WRITING SPEECHES

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:43:47 GMT

clipped by: klippety
clipper's remarks: The very definition of National Socialism is the link between Corporations and Government

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

In House, Many Spoke With One Voice: Lobbyists’

“One of the reasons I have long supported the U.S. biotechnology industry is that it is a homegrown success story that has been an engine of job creation in this country.” This written statement by Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina on the health care bill was identical to one by Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer and used language suggested by lobbyists.

WASHINGTON — In the official record of the historic House debate on overhauling health care, the speeches of many lawmakers echo with similarities. Often, that was no accident.

Statements by more than a dozen lawmakers were ghostwritten, in whole or in part, by Washington lobbyists working for Genentech, one of the world’s largest biotechnology companies.

E-mail messages obtained by The New York Times show that the lobbyists drafted one statement for Democrats and another for Republicans.

NAZI PHILOSOPHER DESERVED OF PLACE AMONG EQUALS?

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:53:39 GMT

clipped by: klippety
clipper's remarks: Many of Heideggers writings are of essential substance. Can One separate the man from the contribution he undoubtedly make?

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

An Ethical Question: Does a Nazi Deserve a Place Among Philosophers?

For decades the German philosopher Martin Heidegger has been the subject of passionate debate. His critique of Western thought and technology has penetrated deeply into architecture, psychology and literary theory and inspired some of the most influential intellectual movements of the 20th century. Yet he was also a fervent Nazi.

The book is the most radical attack yet on Heidegger (1889-1976) and would upend the philosophical field’s treatment of his work in the United States, and even more so in France, where Heidegger has frequently been required reading for an advanced degree. Mr. Faye, an associate professor at the University of Paris, Nanterre, not only wants to drum Heidegger from the ranks of philosophers, he wants to challenge his colleagues to rethink the very purpose of philosophy and its relationship to ethics.

ALTERNATIVE LIVING- REAL LIFE IS POSSIBLE

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:47:08 GMT

clipped by: klippety
clipper's remarks: Where to begin.....with oneself for one!!!! Drop out

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

I live without cash – and I manage just fine

Armed with a caravan, solar laptop and toothpaste made from washed-up cuttlefish bones, Mark Boyle gave up using cash

Mark Boyle outside his off-grid caravan. Photograph: Mark Boyle

In six years of studying economics, not once did I hear the word "ecology". So if it hadn't have been for the chance purchase of a video called Gandhi in the final term of my degree, I'd probably have ended up earning a fine living in a very respectable job persuading Indian farmers to go GM, or something useful like that. The little chap in the loincloth taught me one huge lesson – to be the change I wanted to see in the world. Trouble was, I had no idea back then what that change was.

If we grew our own food, we wouldn't waste a third of it as we do today. If we made our own tables and chairs, we wouldn't throw them out the moment we changed the interior decor. If we had to clean our own drinking water, we probably wouldn't contaminate it.

SURVEILLANCE- YOUR LIFE UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:19:23 GMT

clipped by: klippety
clipper's remarks: England, Singapore, US to name a few. Do you clean up after your dog? Big Brother is Watching You. For Sure and ATT, Verizon and others are assisting. Find your place and support freedom

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Britons Weary of Surveillance in Minor Cases

POOLE, England — It has become commonplace to call Britain a “surveillance society,” a place where security cameras lurk at every corner, giant databases keep track of intimate personal details and the government has extraordinary powers to intrude into citizens’ lives.

A report in 2007 by the lobbying group Privacy International placed Britain in the bottom five countries for its record on privacy and surveillance, on a par with Singapore.

But they also use them to investigate reports of noise pollution and people who do not clean up their dogs’ waste. Local governments use them to catch people who fail to recycle, people who put their trash out too early, people who sell fireworks without licenses, people whose dogs bark too loudly and people who illegally operate taxicabs.

CAN'T AFFORD TO DIE????

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 15:31:50 GMT

clipped by: klippety
clipper's remarks: Funerals are among the things the poor cannot afford anymore

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Indigent Burials Are on the Rise

Coroners and medical examiners across the country are reporting spikes in the number of unclaimed bodies and indigent burials, with states, counties and private funeral homes having to foot the bill when families cannot.

The increase comes as governments short on cash are cutting other social service programs, with some municipalities dipping into emergency and reserve funds to help cover the costs of burials or cremations.

Oregon, for example, has seen a 50 percent increase in the number of unclaimed bodies over the past few years, the majority left by families who say they cannot afford services. “There are more people in our cooler for a longer period of time,” said Dr. Karen Gunson, the state’s medical examiner. “It’s not that we’re not finding families, but that the families are having a harder time coming up with funds to cover burial or cremation costs.”

HOW CLEAN ARE WE????REALLY CLEAN

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:37:26 GMT

clipped by: klippety
clipper's remarks: Some, in detail, ideas regarding cleaning ones nether region......really, really clean

Clip Source: www.alternet.org

The Green, Clean Art of Keeping Our "Rear Ends" Hygienic: What Are We Afraid Of?

We use enough deodorizers to ensure that we don't smell remotely organic, and yet we can't even keep our own heinies clean? What's a first-world country to do?

So, do you ever feel ... not so fresh?

Whether it's from being hermetically sealed in pantyhose all day, from sweating inside wooly winter wear or dripping with summer heat, feeling no-so-fresh is easier than the acres of body care products in the store would suggest.

And the fact is that most Americans aren't as clean as they imagine themselves to be. We pay catlike attention to grooming, and yet all that Purell-ing sort of fades at the thought that we're walking around with our nether regions shmeared with -- there's no nice way to say it -- poop.

"... a classic survey showed that half of TP users spend their days with 'fecal contamination'

anything from 'wasp-colored' stains to 'frank massive feces' -- in their underpants

INSTITUTIONALIZED HORROR SHOW- EXECUTION GONE WRONG

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:58:29 GMT

clipped by: klippety
clipper's remarks: The horrors perpetrated by a society, promulgating violence of the worst kind.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Ohio Plans to Try Again as Execution Goes Wrong

CINCINNATI — The State of Ohio plans to try again next week to execute a convicted rapist-murderer, after a team of technicians spent two hours on Tuesday in an unsuccessful effort to inject him with lethal drugs.

This is the first time an execution by lethal injection in the United States has failed and then been rescheduled, according to Richard C. Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, in Washington.

Romell Broom

The only similar case in modern times, Mr. Dieter said, occurred in Louisiana in 1946, when electric shock failed to kill a convicted murderer, Willie Francis. He was electrocuted the next year, after the United States Supreme Court ruled that executing a prisoner in the wake of a failed first attempt was constitutional.

ISRAEL DENIES ALL RESPONSEBILITIES IN WAR ON GAZA

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:31:46 GMT

clipped by: klippety
clipper's remarks: As expected, Israel continues the denial of any wrongdoing in the War against the Palestinian People.

Clip Source: features.csmonitor.com

Israel rejects UN criticism of Gaza war conduct

The UN report, which accuses Israel of committing war crimes, "makes a mockery of history," said Israeli President Shimon Peres.

Justice Richard Goldstone, Head of the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, addressed the media Tuesday at the UN Headquarters.

(Mark Gratin/AP/The United Nations)

Israel has adamantly rejected the recommendation of a United Nations report to carry out an independent inquiry into its conduct during the 22-day Gaza war in January. Although the 575-page report released Tuesday condemned Palestinian groups for rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, it came down hardest on Israel for its treatment of Palestinian civilians during and after the war.

srael refused to cooperate with investigators during their fact-finding mission and now accuse the UN of appointing a team that had a “clear anti-Israeli bias,”

Government spokesman Mark Regev said his government would conduct no independent investigation.

MODERN SLAVERY- CHILDREN AND FORCED LABOR

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 06:06:24 GMT

clipped by: klippety
clipper's remarks: Do we really need those cheap things or could we live without? Protect the children and all those forced into slave labor

Clip Source: humantrafficking.change.org

Department of Labor Releases List of Slave-Made Goods

After receiving over 6,200 letters from Change.org community members, the Department of Labor released their long-awaited report on goods produced by child labor and forced labor today. Thank you all for urging DOL to release this important tool for consumers!

The report tops out at a daunting 194 pages, and can be read in it's entirety here. But let's face it -- no one wants to read 194 page government report, no matter how useful it may be. So here are some of the highlights I've found in my initial read-through:

Bolivia: nuts, cattle, corn, and sugar

Burma: bamboo, beans, bricks, jade, nuts, rice rubber, rubies, sesame, shrimp, sugarcane, sunflowers, and teak

China: artificial flowers, bricks, Christmas decorations, coal, cotton, electronics, garments, footwear, fireworks, nails, and toys

India: bricks, carpets, cottonseed, textiles, and garments

Nepal: bricks, carpets, textiles, and stones

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CLEAN WATER ?????

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 15:02:09 GMT

clipped by: klippety
clipper's remarks: And you thought it was alright to drink the water? Think again. Lower the taxes and find more ways to lower the standards. Who is polluting your drinking water? And getting away with it!!!!!

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Clean Water Laws Are Neglected, at a Cost in Human Suffering

Ryan Massey, 7, shows his caps. Dentists near Charleston, W.Va., say pollutants in drinking water have damaged residents’ teeth. Nationwide, polluters have violated the Clean Water Act more than 500,000 times.

Jennifer Hall-Massey knows not to drink the tap water in her home near Charleston, W.Va.

In fact, her entire family tries to avoid any contact with the water. Her youngest son has scabs on his arms, legs and chest where the bathwater — polluted with lead, nickel and other heavy metals — caused painful rashes. Many of his brother’s teeth were capped to replace enamel that was eaten away.

“How can we get digital cable and Internet in our homes, but not clean water?” said Mrs. Hall-Massey, a senior accountant at one of the state’s largest banks.