Songs of War: Music as Torture

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Image by Truthout.org via Flickr

May 30, 2012 by AlJazeeraEnglish

The film, Songs of War explores the relationship between music and violence.

The film’s main protagonist is Christopher Cerf. The award-winning musician is a composer for Sesame Street, a popular American children’s educational series.

UK Supreme Court backs Julian Assange extradition + Assange loses extradition court battle, step closer to Sweden

Julian Assange (Photo credit: acidpolly)

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May 30, 2012 by RussiaToday

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has lost his marathon court battle in UK Supreme Court. The judge has granted him 14 days to make an application to reopen the extradition case – READ MORE http://on.rt.com/4krcuo

Root of Evil by Rand Clifford

by Rand Clifford
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
May 29, 2012

As such a useful tool of exchange, money is not inherently evil. Money can be a springboard to such evil as bailout-begging banks too monstrous to fail gambling with taxpayer wealth—you know, private profits, public risk. Casino financialization with taxpayers as a backstop. The $700 billion TARP bailout actually being a $23.7 trillion bailout.But the root of all evil is the human brain.

Out of the Mouths of Babes by Ellen Brown

by Ellen Brown
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
webofdebt.com
May 29, 2012

Image by colros via Flickr

The youtube video of 12 year old Victoria Grant speaking at the Public Banking in America conference last month has gone viral, topping a million views on various websites.

Monetary reform—the contention that governments, not banks, should create and lend a nation’s money—has rarely even made the news, so this is a first.  Either the times they are a-changin’, or Victoria managed to frame the message in a way that was so simple and clear that even a child could understand it.

US Launches New Computer Virus “Weapon of Mass Destruction” by Finian Cunningham

by Finian Cunningham
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
Ireland
May 29, 2012

The US-led economic war on Iran has been dangerously ratcheted up with the launching of a powerful new computer virus targeting the Islamic Republic’s nuclear research facilities and other vital commercial sectors, including the oil and banking industries.

Previously, the Iranian economy and scientific research centres have been hacked with the computer malware or virus known as Stuxnet. That sabotage of Iranian facilities is widely believed to have been the work of American and Israeli military agencies.

Red Raspberries Ripening – Garden Update by Lo

by Lo
Dandelion Salad
May 28, 2012

Image by Dandelion Salad via Flickr

The Democrats are a damn disaster by Bruce Gagnon

by Bruce Gagnon
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
Organizing Notes
May 27, 2012

Image by Dandelion Salad via Flickr

I’ve spent my entire adult life trying to reign in the Pentagon budget in order that social progress could be maintained and flourish across the land.

Today’s headline in the Washington Post makes my blood boil: Panetta warns both parties on defense budget cuts.

Commencement 2012 by Gary Olson

by Gary Olson
Guest Writer
Dandelion Salad
www.zcommunications.org, May 13, 2012
May 28, 2012

Image by Merrimack College via Flickr

President Thomforde, trustees, faculty, families, friends, all those who’ve fed, nursed, counseled, salted icy sidewalks, provided security, and otherwise cared for those graduating today – and especially Moravian’s Class of 2012. To the class, please know that I treasure this honor.

Being aware of your tech-savvy lifestyles, I worried that I’d need to abridge my speech down to tweet-able length, send it you, and sit down. But then I remembered something: I don’t tweet or post on Facebook. I don’t own a smart phone. I had a cell back in 2010 but people kept calling me so I tossed it in my glove compartment.

Jon Talton: The Great Disruption + Q and A

Image by L.C.Nøttaasen via Flickr

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May 26, 2012 by talkingsticktv

Talk by Jon Talton, Economics Columnist at the Seattle Times on “The Great Disruption” given May 24, 2012 at the Common Good Cafe at University Temple United Methodist Church in Seattle, WA.

The War on Gays by Chris Hedges

by Chris Hedges
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
Truthdig
May 28, 2012

Image by Creativity+ Timothy K Hamilton via Flickr

The sentencing of Dharun Ravi for the hateful abuse that may have driven his gay roommate at Rutgers, Tyler Clementi, to commit suicide, or Barack Obama’s public acceptance of gay marriage, prevents many of us from seeing that life for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people is getting worse—much worse.

No one understands this better than the gay activist and pastor Mel White. White, along with his husband and partner of 30 years, Gary Nixon, founded Soulforce, an organization committed to using nonviolent resistance to end religion-based oppression.

A Seminar on Palestine’s Prisoners – A Lament on Injustice by Felicity Arbuthnot

by Felicity Arbuthnot
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
London, England
26 May 2012

“Israel is a parliamentary democracy represented by a very large number of parties, with universal suffrage for all citizens, regardless of race, religion or sex ….” (CIA World Fact Book, 2011)

Image by frecklebaum via Flickr

This week a sobering and highly informative closed door seminar was held on the plight of Palestinian Prisoners, in the elegant surroundings of London’s Westminster Central Hall, a stone’s throw away from the Houses of Parliament and the 11th century Westminster Abbey, the all affirmation of stability and continuity – in starkest contrast to testimony at the proceedings of the meeting.

Missile-Defense: Is it Working? By Bruce Gagnon

by Bruce Gagnon
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
Organizing Notes
www.space4peace.org
Waterloo, Canada
May 24, 2012

Ballistic Missile Defense System Overview. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One of the biggest questions in the space technology world today is will “missile defense” (MD) really work?  Recently we’ve seen articles making a case that it does not work and never will.  I would suggest that depending on where you are standing, a strong case could be made that MD is working quite well.  It’s all a matter of perception and definition.

Hope in a Changing Climate + Rwanda: Forests of Hope

Image by Dandelion Salad via Flickr

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AlineWollinger on Dec 20, 2010

The Rise of Re-Use by Ralph Nader

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by Ralph Nader
The Nader Page
May 22, 2012

Image by mario giambattista via Flickr

Last week I read that the glitzy world of virtual reality created instant multi-millionaires and several billionaires when Facebook went public selling shares.

Last week I also noted the important real world problem of some 250 million tons of solid waste a year in our country alone.

Guess which “world” gets the most investment, status, fame, klieg lights, and attention of the skilled classes and the power structure?

To the Red Hot Chili Peppers: You can’t ‘play for a better day’ in Israel

Sent by Stephanie Westbrook
Guest Writer
Dandelion Salad
Italy
27 May 2012

Image by Takver via Flickr

An open letter from BDS Italy

Sign the international petition calling on the Red Hot Chili Peppers to cancel their concert in Israel!

Dear Flea, Anthony, Chad and Josh,

After learning of your planned concert in Tel Aviv, we felt compelled to add our voices to the international chorus of calls to cancel that gig. As a band with a conscience, we can’t see you performing in a privileged bubble, surrounded by millions of Palestinians forced to live under Israeli oppression, apartheid and occupation.