I did a little light reading over the last weekend. I started with an essay about defeating learned helplessness, then read the latest from Chris Hedges “Rise Up or Die,” and finished with a story with this snappy headline: Human race 'will be extinct within 100 years', claims leading scientist.
Now this last story sounds like one of the screaming headlines from one of the tabloids clogging a supermarket’s checkout counter but no … this wasn’t a variant of “Bat-child Found in Cave!” or “Donnie & Marie are Aliens!” This was a three-year-old article from The Australian, the biggest-selling national newspaper in Australia.
Bob Alexander: I’ve Heard of Denial … But I Don’t Think It Exists
New York AG claims more proof of bank mortgage abuses
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said there is mounting evidence that Bank of America Corp, Wells Fargo and Co and other banks violated the terms of a settlement designed to end mortgage servicing abuses.
Schneiderman - who has said he plans to sue Bank of America and Wells Fargo for failing to live up to their obligations under the deal - said other states had found similar problems.
Illinois judge charged with heroin, gun possession
A southwestern Illinois judge already under scrutiny after a colleague died of a cocaine overdose at his family's hunting lodge was charged Friday with possession of heroin and guns.
Wearing cutoff shorts and a T-shirt with the slogan "Bad is my middle name," St. Clair County Circuit Judge Michael Cook pleaded not guilty to federal counts of possessing heroin and having a firearm while being an illegal user of controlled substances. The criminal complaint alleges those offenses took place Thursday, and that Cook is an addict.
Code Pink co-founder interrupts Obama's counterterrorism speech
"Code Pink" peace activists have heckled George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton, Sen. John McCain and Mitt Romney. Today, its co-founder Medea Benjamin interrupted President Barack Obama's counterterrorism speech several times before she was escorted out of National Defense University.
Obama responded to Benjamin, "Part of free speech is you being able to speak but also you listening and me being able to speak." He also said, "I'm going off script, as you may expect here. The voice of that woman is worth paying attention to. Obviously, I do not agree with much of what she said. And obviously she wasn't listening to me and much of what I said. But these are tough issues and the suggestion that we can gloss over them is wrong."
Banks’ Lobbyists Help in Drafting Financial Bills to Soften Regulations
Bank lobbyists are not leaving it to lawmakers to draft legislation that softens financial regulations. Instead, the lobbyists are helping to write it themselves.
One bill that sailed through the House Financial Services Committee this month — over the objections of the Treasury Department — was essentially Citigroup’s, according to e-mails reviewed by The New York Times. The bill would exempt broad swathes of trades from new regulation.
Bridge over Washington's Skagit River collapses, cars with people in water
The Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River at Mount Vernon collapsed Thursday evening, dumping vehicles and people into the water, the Washington State Patrol said.
The four-lane bridge collapsed about 7 p.m., Trooper Mark Francis said. Francis said he had no immediate estimate of how many people were in the water or whether there were any injuries or deaths.
Prairie2: Any Future History Must First Be Expressed in Words
The President made a history defining speech in front of the National Defense University today, this address was I believe on the same level with Eisenhower's 'Cross of Iron' speech that warned us against pointless military spending. Obama called for the end of the 'endless War on Terror'.
Obama, late in the speech, said, "So America is at a crossroads. We must define the nature and scope of this struggle, or else it will define us. We have to be mindful of James Madison’s warning that no nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare. Neither I nor any president can promise the total defeat of terror. We will never erase the evil that lies in the hearts of some human beings nor stamp out every danger to our open society."
Bev Harris: Election integrity in Niagara -- Falls.
Whoever controls chain of custody for voting computers can control elections. That is, until more transparent election procedures are enacted (see end of this article). Until that time, election integrity in Niagara, falls. (Groan.)
But for bad puns, I'm afraid the company that owns the voting machine warehouse in Niagara County has me beat. That firm is aptly named "Clear Opportunity."
(See more here, including documentation on this: http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/8/82452.html)
Resistance in Ohio, Fracking's Dumping Ground
The Ohio River valley is lush in the spring. The eastern Ohio River, one of America's most economically vital waterways, winds through the rolling green foothills of Appalachia as it ambles past small towns and cities in Ohio and West Virginia.
The valley has been heavily industrialized for decades. Coal-burning power plants, chemical processing facilities and mills dot the riverside. In 2012, the Ohio River was ranked the nation's most polluted waterway, according to government data compiled by Environment America. Elisa Young is determined to keep the river from getting worse.
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