With Yemen on the verge of famine, and civilians paying a devastating toll in the relentless Saudi-led bombing campaign, one key question emerges: Will the U.S. government ever be held to account for its role in the crisis? The United Nations warned Wednesday that the country of 26 million faces the highest-level humanitarian emergency—on par with Iraq, Syria, and South Sudan. The …
California’s drought: the canary in the coalmine? – Maude Barlow
On April 1, 2015, California Governor Jerry Brown ordered officials to impose mandatory water restrictions in his drought stricken state for the first time in history. The news was carried around the world. “Climate change” was named as the culprit — and it is. Glaciers are melting in the arctic and drastically-reduced snowfall in the Sierra Nevada Mountains has lowered the amount of run-off that …
Impact of Rapid Urbanization on Health by CESAR CHELALA
Rapid urbanization has significant repercussions on migrants’ health. The increasing movement of people from rural to urban areas often alters the characteristic epidemiological disease profile of the country, and at the same time new diseases appear or old ones reemerge. Such is the case of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Urbanization is also associated with changes in diet and exercise that …
Democracy on the Retreat in Over 96 of the 193 U.N. Member States, Says New Study By Thalif Deen
Democracy is on the retreat and authoritarianism is on the rise in more than 96 of the U.N.’s 193 member states, according to a new report released here. The two regions of “highest concern” for defenders of civic space are Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and North Africa, which between them account for over half of the countries counted. …
100,000 German beekeepers call for GMO cultivation ban
German beekeepers have called for a nationwide ban on cultivating GM plants, reports the German NGO keine-gentechnik.de. The call by the German Beekeepers Association (DIB), which represents almost 100,000 beekeepers, comes after Europe adopted controversial legislation enabling member states to opt-out of the cultivation of GMOs that have been approved at the EU level. Under the law, a member state can ban a GMO …
TISA Leaks Part Deux: More Evidence of Concerted Attack on Democracy – Deirdre Fulton
The Trade in Services Agreement “responds to major corporate lobbies’ desire to deregulate services,” says global trade expert. (Photo: GGAADD/flickr/cc) One day after it leaked a trove of documents related to the massive, pro-corporate Trade in Services Agreement (TISA), WikiLeaks on Thursday published another four chapters of the proposed 52-nation trade deal, covering key areas ahead of the next negotiating round on Monday. …
KEEPING DARK MONEY IN THE SHADOWS – Jon Hecht
With the Supreme Court knocking down regulations with a wrecking ball, the FEC out of commission, and an election heating up that will likely redefine the term “big money,”there are few avenues left for regulation of American elections. And now, Congress is set to close one off. On June 17, the House Appropriations Committee passed 2016 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations …
Behind the Greek Crisis By William R. Polk
Focusing exclusively on the monetary aspects of the Greek crisis the media misses much of what disturbs the Greeks and also what might make a solution possible. For over half a century, Greeks have lived in perilous times. In the 1930s, they lived under a brutal dictatorship that modeled itself on Nazi Germany, employing Gestapo-like secret police and sending critics …
The Birthplace (Greece) vs. the Farce (the United States) of Democracy by PAUL STREET
Democracy is among other things the rule of majority public opinion. Plutocracy is the rule of the wealthy few over and against the popular majority. To understand the different meanings of these two terms, you can consult a dictionary. You can also look at the very different decision-making processes on display regarding major political-economic policies in Greece (the ancient homeland …
The Rabin assassination and government corruption in Israel By Joseph Zernik
Over the past year the State of Israel has been rocked by never-ending corruption scandals, involving the highest levels of the justice and law enforcement systems. Key figures in the most recent scandals were also key figures in perverting the Rabin assassination investigation for the benefit of the powers that be. :::::::: Over the past year the State of Israel …