Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Worst Food Additive Ever? It's in Half of All Foods We Eat and Its Production Destroys Rainforests and Enslaves Children

From the AlterNet by Jill Richardson

The production of this ingredient causes jaw-dropping amounts of deforestation (and with it, carbon emissions) and human rights abuses.



 On August 10, police and security for the massive palm oil corporation Wilmar International (of which Archer Daniels Midland is the second largest shareholder) stormed a small, indigenous village on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. They came with bulldozers and guns, destroying up to 70 homes, evicting 82 families, and arresting 18 people. Then they blockaded the village, keeping the villagers in -- and journalists out. (Wilmar claims it has done no wrong.)
The village, Suku Anak Dalam, was home to an indigenous group that observes their own traditional system of land rights on their ancestral land and, thus, lacks official legal titles to the land. This is common among indigenous peoples around the world -- so common, in fact, that it is protected by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous PeoplesREAD MORE.

Occupy Wall Street: What has this bolt of political lightning done?

From the AlterNet by Matt Stoller

The growing movement will force political leaders to chose between Big Money and popular legitimacy.



It's been a little over a month since this bolt of political lightning known as Occupy Wall Street jolted through the political establishment. It's time to assess just what Occupy Wall Street has gotten done. That it has accomplished a great deal is beyond dispute. Franklin Foer in the New Republic and John Nichols in the Nation have both noted that Occupy Wall Street profoundly challenged President Obama and the Republicans. But what an odd challenge. A few thousand people camped out in parks around the country? Really?  READ MORE.

For on-going analysis of Occupy Wall Street and its effect around the world, check out:
www.democracynow.org     Democracy Now also has a daily TV/radio news program, hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez which gives in-depth reports and interviews on a variety of major issues.
www.thomhartmann.com  Excellent analysis which includes a viewer call-in section is provided in "The Big Picture with Thom Hartmann" on FSTV (Free Speech TV).

Monday, October 24, 2011

La casa de las Hermanas de San José en St. Louis permanece VERDE por estas 15 prácticas

De "Conexiones", publicado por Amigos de las Hermanas de San José de Carondelet, Otoño / Invierno 2011, usado con permiso.

La casa de las Hermanas de San José en St. Louis permanece Verde por estas 15 prácticas: 

1. RECICLADO de envases, papel, cartón, baterías domésticas
2. Uso de envases desechables basados en PAPEL O MAIZ (si es necesario)
3. El uso de PRODUCTOS DE LIMPIEZA y jabones  para lavandería ECOLOGICOS, reutilizando las botellas del producto
4. Uso de BAJO FLUJO para la  ducha y baños con ahorro de agua  LEER MAS

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Top 15 Ways the CSJ Motherhouse in St. Louis stays GREEN

From “Connections,” published for the Friends of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, Fall/Winter 2011, used with permission.

Top 15 Ways the CSJ Motherhouse in St. Louis stays GREEN:

     1.     RECYCLING of containers, paper, cardboard, household batteries

2.     Use of PAPER OR CORN-BASED disposable containers (if needed)

3.     Use of ECO-FRIENDLY CLEANING PRODUCTS and laundry soap and reuse the product bottles

4.    Use of LOW-FLOW shower heads and water-saving toilets  READ MORE

Friday, October 21, 2011

Relación con la problemática de pobreza y desigualdad

La pobreza es básicamente ausencia o carencia de ingresos, aunque en los últimos años se ha trabajado mucho la multidimensionalidad de la misma ya que se reconoce que la pobreza tiene una dimensión de género, otra social, otra psicológica, y también política. Sin embargo, lo primero sigue siendo predominante en la mayoría de los análisis.


La desigualdad, como bien señala O. Plaza,  “expresa el acceso diferenciado que tienen los individuos y las clases a los recursos tangibles y no tangibles de su sociedad, acceso regulado y legitimado por la forma de organización política, económica, cultural y social de su país (…)"  LEER MÁS

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Articles on Fracking

Thanks to Elizabeth Riebschlaeger for suggesting the following articles on fracking.  These articles appeared in the Scientific American.

Safety First, Fracking Second

Drilling for natural gas has gotten ahead of the science needed to prove it safe
By The Editors | October 19, 2011

The Evolving Truth about Fracking for Natural Gas

Scientists are speaking out about the risks that fracking may or may not pose to drinking water

The Truth about Fracking

Fracturing a deep shale layer one time to release natural gas might pose little risk to drinking-water supplies, but doing so repeatedly could be problematic

Mujeres reciben Premio Nobel de la Paz

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf presidenta de Liberia, la activista del mismo país Leymah Roberta Gbowee y la periodista yemení Tawakul Karman. Luchadoras por los derechos de la mujer y defensoras de los Derechos Humanos, recibieron la noticia de ser  nombradas con el Premio Nobel de la Paz no tanto porque las ensalzaba a ellas y a su labor sino sobre todo porque suponía un reconocimiento y respaldo a los movimientos democráticos y feministas de África. LEER MÁS

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Occupy St. Louis

Friday, October 14:  St. Louis is in its 14th day of "Occupy St. Louis" in solidarity with "Occupy Wall Street" in New York City.

Some photos from the rally and march on Friday, October 14, 2011 in St. Louis are shown below.  CLICK HERE to read the report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:  "Occupy St. Louis Marches through Downtown."  CLICK HERE to read the Post-Dispatch editorial:  "What do you call Occupy Wall Street?  A start."

Even though there have been reports of police brutality in several cities, at least some participants of the "Occupy St. Louis" group say that the police in St. Louis have been more respectful.  Yet tension still remains.  Peace-keepers with Occupy St. Louis helped to insure that the march and rally remained peaceful.

'
The quote from Ghandi (above), seems to be quite applicable to Occupy Wall Street. First, they were ignored by the media. 
Then they were ridiculed by right-wing media. 
Then they were brutally harrassed and maced by the police. 
And now ....we wait to see if they will indeed win. 

Update on 10-16-11: Read Eliot Spitzer's article, "Why Occupy Wall Street Has Already Won."

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

17 de octubre: Día Internacional para la Erradicación de la Pobreza

«Ayudar a las personas a superar la pobreza asegura nuestro futuro común».
Secretario General Ban Ki-moon
Unos niños en el barrio marginal de viviendas de Nobouday cerca de Old Dhaka.
Unos niños en el barrio marginal de viviendas de Nobouday cerca de Old Dhaka. Foto de la ONU/Kibae Park.

El tema del Día para el 2011 es: «De la pobreza a la sostenibilidad: las personas en el centro del desarrollo inclusivo».

El Día Internacional para la Erradicación de la Pobreza ha sido observado cada año, a partir de 1993, desde su declaración por la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas (resolución 47/196 Documento PDF), con el propósito de promover mayor conciencia sobre las necesidades para erradicar la pobreza y la indigencia en todos los países, en particular en los países en desarrollo - necesidad que se ha convertido en una de las prioridades del desarrollo.

Con la atención del mundo centrada en la próxima Conferencia sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible (Río +20), es fundamental destacar la importancia de la erradicación de la pobreza para construir un futuro sostenible para todos. Las personas que viven en la pobreza se enfrentan a desafíos cada vez más difíciles como el cambio climático, la degradación del medio ambiente y el aumento de los precios de los alimentos amenaza sus fuentes de sustento y la supervivencia. El camino hacia el desarrollo sostenible debe garantizar que se incluya a las personas que viven en la pobreza los procesos de adopción de decisiones y que se adopten medidas concretas para responder a sus necesidades y demandas.  PARA LEER MAS.

HAGA CLIC AQUI para ver un video desde Peru: 17 de octubre:  Día Internacional para la Erradicación de la Pobreza 

HAGA CLIC AQUÍ para ver un video:  Pobreza Extrema

HAGA CLIC AQUI para ver un video sobre las mil millones de personas que viven en pobreza extrema

Monday, October 17: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

Thanks to Yolanda Tarango for the following resources from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange.


 “There aren’t two categories of people. There aren’t some that were born to have everything, leaving the rest with nothing,
and a majority that has nothing and cannot taste the happiness
that God has created for all. The Christian society
that God wants is one in which we share the goodness
that God has given for everyone.”
-Archbishop Oscar Romero

We stand in solidarity with our Sisters and Brothers who live in poverty here in the U.S. and throughout the world by participating in prayer, fasting and action. We welcome everyone to join us in commemorating this day by participating in any or all of the following:

WATCH A DOCUMENTARY and find out how climate change, poverty and immigration are linked!
CLICK HERE to view "Challenging Hunger" - 26 min. 

CLICK HERE to view "End Poverty by 2015" – Short documentaries 


PRAY FOR THE ERADICATION OF GLOBAL POVERTY.

* CLICK HERE for a prayer service to end global poverty. 
* CLICK HERE for a universal prayer. 

Take actionCLICK HERE to urge Congress to support poverty-based foreign assistance. 

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Reconsider Columbus Day: another perspective

Acción por la Biodiversidad: Campañas y Acciones

Gracias a Victor Mendoza por esta información.


Campañas y Acciones

Octubre, mes de movilizaciones
Por Minga Informativa de Movimientos Sociales
Para octubre están programados diversas movilizaciones en el continente y en el mundo, uno de cuyos ejes centrales serán los temas ambientales y climáticos y los derechos de la naturaleza, con miras a las negociaciones internacionales en Durban (diciembre, sobre clima) y Rio+20 (Rio de Janeiro, junio 2012, sobre desarrollo sustentable). 3-10-11

Bolivia: Inicia la campaña “Octubre Azul”, un mes de movilización en defensa del agua
Por Fundación Solón
Este año, el lema de la campaña es “Octubre Azul: Una movilización en defensa del agua como un bien común para la vida”, en el entendido de que el agua es un elemento indispensable para la vida de todos los seres del planeta y el mantenimiento de los sistemas ecológicos que habitan en él. 3-10-11.  READ MORE.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Sr. Elizabeth Reibschlaeger testifies at EPA hearing in Dallas

Thanks to Elizabeth Riebschlaeger for such an articulate and powerful testimony to the Environmental Protection Agency.

My name is Sister Elizabeth Riebschlaeger.  I am a Sister of Charity of the Incarnate Word from San Antonio, Texas.    The statement that I am making here today represents the commitment of our congregation of religious women.  As co-signers with millions around the world of the Earth Charter, we have committed ourselves to work for a more life-sustaining environment for all the human family.   This commitment relates to the geophysical environment, the social environment, the civic environment as well as the spiritual environment.  Out of that commitment, and in the face of the frantic pace of new gas and oil fracking activities in Texas today, we join our voices with those here today, who come to ask the Environmental Protection Agency for immediate action toward regulating these activities.  READ MORE 

Thursday, October 6, 2011

"We are the 99% ...."

The following article by Zaid Jilani appeared in the AlterNet on October 4, 2011.

5 Facts You Should Know About the Wealthiest One Percent of Americans

As the ongoing occupation of Wall Street by hundreds of protesters enters its third week — and as protests spread to other cities such as Boston and Los Angeles — demonstrators have endorsed a new slogan: “We are the 99 percent.” This slogan refers to an economic struggle between 99 percent of Americans and the richest 1 percent of Americans, who are increasingly accumulating a greater share of the national wealth to the detriment of the middle class.
 
It may shock you to learn exactly how wealthy this top 1 percent of Americans is.
ThinkProgress has assembled five facts about this class of super-rich Americans.  READ MORE

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

What's happening at Occupy Wall Street

"We Are All Human Microphones Now"  by  Richard Kim in The Nation
(Be sure to watch the video at the end of the article:  Michael Moore talking to the protesters at Occupy Wall Street.  JD)

Anyone who’s been down to Occupy Wall Street and stayed for a General Assembly will instantly recognize the call and response that begins, and frequently interrupts, each meeting.

“Mic check?” someone implores.

“MIC CHECK!” the crowd shouts back, more or less in unison.

The thing is—there's no microphone. New York City requires a permit for “amplified sound” in public, something that the pointedly unpermitted Occupy Wall Street lacks. This means that microphones and speakers are banned from Liberty Plaza, and the NYPD has also been interpreting the law to include battery-powered bullhorns. Violators can be sentenced for up to thirty days in prison.

But the protesters aren’t deterred one bit; they’ve adopted an ingeniously simple, people-powered method of sound amplification. After the mic check, the meeting proceeds:
with every few words / WITH EVERY FEW WORDS!
repeated and amplified out loud / REPEATED AND AMPLIFIED OUT LOUD!
by what has been dubbed / BY WHAT HAS BEEN DUBBED!
the human microphone / THE HUMAN MICROPHONE!!! (jazz hands here).

The overall effect can be hypnotic, comic or exhilarating—often all at once.  READ MORE and WATCH VIDEO

Conocer mejor el problema de las drogas

Gracias a Victor Mendoza por estos artículos de la revista Caretas 2198.

*  Raúl Wiener: Prohibido pensar 1
*  Augusto Álvarez Rodrich: Post cargamontón a Ricardo Soberón. 2
*  Pedro Francke: Economía 101 en el combate al narcotráfico. 2
*  Caretas Nº 2198, el jueves 15 de setiembre de 2011 Gustavo Gorriti: Falacias de la erradicación  3
*  Guillermo Giacosa: Droga: entre el miedo y la ignorancia. 6
*  Gustavo Gorriti: "Concentrarse en la erradicación es una estupidez"

La Primera, el  miércoles 14 de setiembre de 2011

Raúl Wiener: Prohibido pensar


A Soberón lo quieren crucificar por lo que piensa.

Y es que nadie puede haber dicho alguna vez que la erradicación es ilegal e injusta, y luego aparecer al frente de DEVIDA. ¿Cómo va a ser? Si esa institución se armó con o por los Estados Unidos que es el que le ponía los fondos y lo supervisaba, y ahora se quiere que ni más ni menos que su jefe esté en desacuerdo con lo que se ha hecho.


Si Soberón cuestiona las erradicaciones como se han venido haciendo, como una operación de guerra contra pequeños productores, porque agudizan el problema social y no detienen el negocio ilícito, debe ser porque este abogado e investigador social quiere que crezca el narcotráfico.  LEER MAS.