Monthly Archives: May 2015

Switching to Grassoline: Alternative Fuel Sources Need Reconsideration

Editorial Note: We first ran this story in February of last year. With as much importance today as then, we republish it for your advantage.

Across America are tracts of land which lend themselves very well to the growth of native perennial grasses, the most stable and widespread of these being switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). Switchgrass grows to an average height of 4 to 6 feet, is reliant only on weather once established, and will produce for 15 to 20 years in an established stand which is naturally resistant to weeds and helps prevent erosion while maintaining moisture of the ground soil. The root structure of these native plants extends to 5 feet below the surface, helping soil improve where it is grown.

Other than grazing and wild life habitat, what can we use switchgrass for?

If we are serious about alternative energy sources, a sustainable future and biofuels, switchgrass offers a much more viable option than corn ethanol. Here are some basics: Continue reading →

Erdoğan, Syria and the Kurds: be careful what you wish for

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A complex political triangulation links the Turkish president with the Syrian imbroglio and the Kurdish question, but his political target is receding.

By Sinan Ekim. Published May 9, 2015 at openDemocracy

Photo By James Gordon [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Until a year ago, it seemed as if some sort of reconciliation between the Turkish state and its Kurds would be feasible. With the launch of the ‘Kurdish opening’ in 2009, the leadership in Ankara was re-engaging the Kurdish population after decades of estrangement. The announcement of the ‘peace dialogue’ between the government and Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan People’s Party (PKK), as well as the ‘reform package’ introduced by the then prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, confirmed in the eyes of many the executive’s genuine interest in reconnecting with its Kurdish community.

Since the rise of Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq in the summer of 2014, however, optimism has been in shorter supply. To be sure, the peace process is still moving along, albeit at a much slower pace than desired. Yet Erdoğan’s reluctance to come on board the military coalition against IS at Kobane, Operation Suleiman Shah (see below) and a series of domestic incidents since January 2015 have raised suspicions over whether Ankara is still intent on pushing the negotiations forward. Continue reading →

Refugee Numbers Break New Record With ‘Millions Trapped in Conflict Zones’

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New figures from Norwegian Refugee Council reveal 38 million people internally displaced in 2014 alone

Written by Sarah Lazare, staff writer for Common Dreams. Published May 7, 2015

An aerial view of the Ifo 2 Refugee Camp in Dadaab, Kenya October 29, 2014. (Photo: United Nations/flickr/cc)

As wars raged in 2014, an estimated 38 million people across the world were “forced to flee their homes by conflict and violence,” setting a new record high for internal displacement, according to just-released figures compiled by the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC).

“Never in the last 10 years of IDMC’s global reporting, have we reported such a high estimate for the number of people newly displaced in a year,” said the organization, noting that their data indicate that, on average, 30,000 people fled their homes each day last year.

These figures, however, strictly reflect internal displacement—those who stay within state borders—and do not include refugees forced to leave their countries. Continue reading →

From Wisconsin to Baltimore: which lessons learned?

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By Juan Conatz. Published May 7, 2015 by ROAR Magazine

The Wisconsin uprising of 2011 provides valuable lessons for the Black Lives Matter movement across the US, especially about the directions not to take.

Photo: Black Lives Matter protesters occupy the Wisconsin Capitol after the police killing of the unarmed black teenager Tony Robinson, March 2015.

In response to the police killing of Tony Robinson in Madison, Wisconsin, a movement appears to have taken root in the state. This happened around the same time as the movement against the ‘right-to-work’ legislation — a continuation of what started in the spring of 2011, with the occupation of the state’s Capitol building and massive rallies contesting the abolition of public sector collective bargaining as proposed in the controversial Act 10 legislative bill — has grown exhausted and dejected. Continue reading →

Ellie’s Gift

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Image via authors own work

It started when our sweet little kitten got unexpectedly and unexplainably sick. Two months and 47 pages of medical history provided no answers.

We needed to adopt a second kitten to help our other kitten who was in a deep depression after her sister died. We felt a shelter cat was the appropriate way to go, and looked for what we thought would work.

I replied to an on-line posting for a kitten more than 50 miles away. But her picture had stolen my heart, and she met all the criteria of what we were looking for. We took the gamble and scheduled a visit to meet the kitten and, if all went well, bring her home with us.

When we reached our destination, we were in for a bit of a surprise. Not only was the kitten adorable and everything we hoped for, but the woman who was meeting with us gave me the impression I should know her from somewhere; that sense of familiarity that can stop you in your tracks. Continue reading →

Corporate Media Blacks Out Coverage of Bill to Overturn Corporate Personhood

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Written By Pam Martens and Russ Martens: Published May 4, 2015 in WallStreetOnParade.com. Reprinted here with permission.

Last Wednesday, the grassroots organization, Move to Amend, held a press conference at the National Press Club to announce that six members of the U.S. House of Representatives were introducing legislation to overturn Citizens United v FEC to make free speech and all other rights guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution available only to “natural persons,” not corporations or limited liability companies. The legislation would also give Federal, state and local governments the ability to limit political contributions to “ensure all citizens, regardless of their economic status, have access to the political process.” Continue reading →

‘Indiscriminate’ Killing in Gaza Was Top-Down War Plan, say Israeli Veterans

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Over 60 officers and soldiers who took part in ‘Operation Protective Edge’ anonymously testify about acts they committed or witnessed

Written by Sarah Lazare, staff writer for CommonDreams. Published May 4, 2015.

IDF soldiers deployed during “Operation Protective Edge.” (Photo: IDF/flickr/public domain)

The “massive and unprecedented harm” inflicted on the population of Gaza during last summer’s 50-day Israeli military assault stemmed from the top of the chain of command, which gave orders to shoot indiscriminately at civilians, according to the anonymous testimony of more than 60 officers and soldiers who took part in “Operation Protective Edge.”

The Israeli group Breaking the Silence, an organization of “Israeli Defense Force” veterans who engaged in combat, on Monday released the 240-page collection of testimony entitled, This is How We Fought in Gaza.

“While the testimonies include pointed descriptions of inappropriate behavior by soldiers in the field,” the report states, “the more disturbing picture that arises from these testimonies reflects systematic policies that were dictated to IDF forces of all ranks and in all zones.” Continue reading →

The Expo is a dark window into Italy’s future

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Mafia, McDonalds and youth exploitation: The Milan World Expo, opening on May Day, prepares a new generation for the years to come.

Written by Jamie Mackay, a writer and journalist based in the UK and Italy. He is a contributing editor to openDemocracy. Published May 1, 2015.

Milan World Expo 2015. Image via Flickr.

Today sees the launch of the Milan Expo, an international exposition of food and agriculture which will take place in Italy’s financial capital over the next six-months. This year’s theme, ‘Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life’ will see farmers, artisans and entrepreneurs from around the world set-up stall to sell their wares alongside stage-shows, concerts and talks by a roster of esteemed futurologists. This is a real-world pop-up show of all the things that might normally be encountered in Wired magazine: avant-garde art, gourmet cooking and sci-fi tech, all on display in a gargantuan ‘agro-park’ which is expected to host 20 million visitors. Continue reading →

Press freedom: the dark cloud gathering over Europe

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Today is a day to celebrate free media expression—except for those journalists, even in Europe, denied the capacity to do so.

By Thorbjørn Jagland. Published May 3, 2015 by openDemocracy.

The pen must be mightier: standing up for press freedom after the murderous assault on the staff at Charlie Hebdo. Flickr / Valentina Calá. Some rights reserved.

As we mark this year’s World Press Freedom Day, the memory of the attack at the Charlie Hebdo office in Paris hangs in the air. So, too, do the shootings in Copenhagen, where a cartoonist was again among the targets. So far 2015 has not been much of a friend to freedom of expression. I’m afraid that I do not have good news: across the full length of our continent, media freedom is now under threat.

My annual report shows that the safety of journalists is deteriorating in over a third of European states. Investigative journalists have been killed, imprisoned and harassed. Media outlets have been shut down—including, dramatically, the Crimean Tatar TV station ATR which was forced off air. Cyber-terrorists have attacked national television networks. And all this in just a matter of months. Continue reading →

Baltimore’s Finest Hour

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We, along with many others, have been watching the events in Baltimore over the last couple weeks. They followed a pattern that’s become all too common; a black man dies during a confrontation with the police. A cellphone video of events draws national attention.

Freddie Gray. Photo by the Gray family.

Baltimore looked as if it were going to follow the path set forth in Ferguson. At the same time that the police investigation’s findings were sent to the state attorney’s office, we saw attempts to paint Freddie Gray as the person at fault. Conservative media began hyping his arrest record (which has nothing to do with the case). The police said that he had been arrested for possessing a switchblade. The Washington Post reported that another person who had been arrested and was in the same police van as Freddie Gray said that Freddie might have been trying to injure himself.

This time, it didn’t go as planned. The day after the Washington Post story, Donta Allen, the person who their story referred to, said the Post distorted his story. Then came yesterday. Continue reading →

Occupy World Writes

The Movement Continues – Globally

Monthly Archives: May 2015

Switching to Grassoline: Alternative Fuel Sources Need Reconsideration

Ellie’s Gift

Corporate Media Blacks Out Coverage of Bill to Overturn Corporate Personhood

The Expo is a dark window into Italy’s future

Mafia, McDonalds and youth exploitation: The Milan World Expo, opening on May Day, prepares a new generation for the years to come.