What is in the mind of someone who knowingly poisons children and impairs their lives? Why did the politicians, regulators and bureaucrats who knew the water in Flint, Mich.,was toxic lie about the danger for months? What does it say about a society that is ruled by, and refuses to punish, those who willfully destroy the lives of children? The crisis …
Chris McGreal – Financial despair, addiction and the rise of suicide in white America
Kevin Lowney lies awake some nights wondering if he should kill himself. “I am in such pain every night, suicide has on a regular basis crossed my mind just simply to ease the pain. If I did not have responsibilities, especially for my youngest daughter who has problems,” he said. The 56-year-old former salesman’s struggle with chronic pain is bound …
What the Heck is Going on in the Stock Market?
Even Moody’s which is always late to the party with its warnings – but when it does warn, it’s a good idea to pay attention – finally warned: “Don’t fall into the trap of believing all is well outside of oil & gas.” What happened on Friday was the culmination of another dreary week in the stock markets, with the Dow …
John Pilger – Freeing Julian Assange: The Final Chapter
One of the epic miscarriages of justice of our time is unravelling. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention — — the international tribunal that adjudicates and decides whether governments comply with their human rights obligations — has ruled that Julian Assange has been detained unlawfully by Britain and Sweden. After five years of fighting to clear his name …
Sailing ships back in vogue as a green alternative to conventional shipping
One of the world’s oldest methods of transporting goods is making an unlikely comeback. Sailing ships, which kept the British Empire in tea, sugar and tobacco, are back in vogue as a green alternative to conventional shipping. Wine, coffee, cacao beans and rum are among the items filling holds on a growing number of ships that are reviving old trade …
Gun deaths in US remain highest among high-income nations
Gun deaths are a serious public health issue in the United States and the scope of the problem is often difficult to illustrate. A new study published inThe American Journal of Medicine lays out the risk in concrete terms. When compared to 22 other high-income nations, Americans are ten times more likely to be killed by a gun than their counterparts …
SCOTT MCLARTY – Political Revolution and the Third-Party Imperative
“You’ve had your fun with Bernie. Now it’s time to get serious and support Hillary.” That’s the harangue Bernie Sanders’ supporters have been hearing from mainstream Democratic Party leaders and their apologists in the media. It’s bound to intensify in the wake of the virtual tie in the Iowa caucuses on February 1 and his projected win in the New …
Jan Rocha – Global warming linked to spread of zika virus
Climate News Network, 5 February, 2016 – The Zika virus, transmitted by the same mosquito as dengue fever, has spread with alarming speed throughout South and Central America – and scientists in Brazil suspect that global warming is exacerbating the problem. Although the virus, named after the Ugandan forest where it was first identified, usually causes only mild symptoms and …
Barry Grey – Wall Street donors account for 40 percent of super PAC funds in US election
The 2016 US election campaign has exposed deep-seated popular alienation from the entire political establishment and growing anger over the domination of US society and politics by Wall Street. Democratic contender Bernie Sanders, who calls himself a democratic socialist, has capitalized on this sentiment by basing his campaign on denunciations of the “billionaire class” and an electoral process dominated by …
David Cay Johnston – The Trans-Pacific Partnership threatens our liberty
Economic theory holds that removing trade barriers among nations should increase global wealth. But the proposed 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership that Congress must soon give a straight up-or-down vote threatens our liberties as Americans and is likely to add almost nothing to U.S. economic growth. I have been a longtime critic of the agreement, especially since WikiLeaks obtained a draft of its intellectual …










