Earth Day in Israel: Apartheid Showing Through the Greenwash By Stephanie Westbrook

by Stephanie Westbrook
Guest Writer
Dandelion Salad
April 23, 2010

On April 22, as part of the global Earth Day celebrations, homes, offices and public buildings in 14 Israeli cities turned out the lights for one hour in an effort to “increase awareness of the vital need to reduce energy consumption.” The Earth Day celebrations included scenes of green fields, wind generators and rainbows projected on the walls of the Old City in Jerusalem, the Green Globes Award ceremony recognizing “outstanding contributions to promote the environment” and a concert in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv powered by generators running on vegetable oil as well as volunteers on 48 bikes pedaling away to produce electricity.

Turkey to Iran: You must show that you are acting transparently

Propaganda Alert

compiled by Cem Ertür
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
23 April 2010

“France’s rotating [UN Security Council] presidency in June will be [a] decisive [phase for sanctions on Iran]. There is a period of one to two months. We told [the authorities in Iran]:

‘In this period, you can avoid sanctions by taking steps to show that you are acting transparently. There are certain steps that you can take in order to establish an atmosphere of confidence.’ […]

Ron Paul: An Act Of War

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SpeakUpFightBack on Apr 23, 2010

Subsequent to HR 2194, Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act, passing Congress with a 400-11vote on April 23, 2010, Ron Paul spoke on the House floor equating Sanctions on Iran to an Act of War against Iran and her allies, which include Russia and China.

Evo Morales: I Can’t Believe a Black President Can Hold So Much Vengeance Against an Indian President

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Capitalism lives from war. Capitalism needs wars in order to sell its weaponry.  — Evo Morales

Democracy Now!
April 23, 2010

Bolivian President Evo Morales on President Obama: “I Can’t Believe a Black President Can Hold So Much Vengeance Against an Indian President”

As the World Peoples’ Conference on Climate Change in Cochabamba closes, we speak to Bolivian President Evo Morales about the US decision to cut off climate aid to Bolivia; narcotrafficking; the tenth anniversary of the Water Wars in Cochabamba; the protest at the San Cristóbal silver mine; and the contradiction between promoting the environment and extractive industries—oil/natural gas exploration, mining.

On Thursday organizers of the peoples’ summit released an Agreement of the Peoples based on working group meetings. Key proposals include the establishment of an international tribunal to prosecute polluters, passage of a Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth, protection for climate migrants, and the full recognition of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. [includes rush transcript]

(starts at 15:17)

via Bolivian President Evo Morales on President Obama: “I Can’t Believe a Black President Can Hold So Much Vengeance Against an Indian President”.

Military Space Planes – First-Strike Systems by Bruce Gagnon + X-37B: Secret plane launched

by Bruce Gagnon
featured writer
Dandelion Salad
Organizing Notes
April 23, 2010

The new military space plane, called the X-37B, was launched yesterday from Cape Canaveral strapped to an Atlas V rocket. The X-37 will spend up to 270 days in space before landing at Vandenberg AFB in California. The space plane will mostly fly on “autopilot” since there is no human inside the craft.

Meanwhile yesterday at Vandenberg AFB, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) also test launched another space plane – the Hypersonic Technology Vehicle, known as the Falcon.

Nuclear Weapons And Interceptor Missiles: Twin Pillars Of U.S.-NATO Military Strategy In Europe by Rick Rozoff

by Rick Rozoff
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
Stop NATO
Stop NATO-Opposition to global militarism
April 23, 2010

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The two-day NATO foreign ministers meeting in the Estonian capital of Tallinn on April 22-23 focused on the completion of the military alliance’s first 21st century Strategic Concept and on the war in Afghanistan, the near-complete absorption of the Balkans into the bloc, and the expansion of operations at the Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence established by NATO two years ago in the same city.

The most important deliberations, however, were on the integrally related questions of U.S. nuclear weapons stored on air bases in five NATO member states and the expansion of the Pentagon’s interceptor missile program to all of Europe west of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.

Walt Cares… Happy Birthday Walt! by Philip A. Farruggio

by Philip A. Farruggio
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
open.salon.com
23 April, 2010

photo by Dandelion Salad

Walt Cares….. Nuff Said

He’s usually the first one out on the corner, Peace sign in hand. A shade over six feet, a click in front of 81 years, Walt stands tall. His white hair flows in the wind, and you can tell he should take better care of his person….. The way he cares for Fran, his significant other….. Like one cares for a wounded bird. Quite a guy!

Victory for Workers at Hugo Boss – Agreement saves 375 Jobs by Dennis Kucinich

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by Congressman Dennis Kucinich
Washington, Apr 23, 2010

Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today celebrated a tentative agreement between Hugo Boss and representatives of Workers United SEIU to keep the Brooklyn, Ohio manufacturing plant operational for at least three years. Kucinich fought to keep the plant open.

“This is a tremendous victory for organized labor and for our Northeast Ohio economy. Once again, the community has rallied, and today our voices carried all the way to Germany. Time and again I have said that when given the opportunity, Northeast Ohio workers can accomplish anything. We have the skilled people, the infrastructure and the location necessary for the success of any business.

Barry Lynn: The Monopoly Menace (must-see)

Dandelion Salad

C-SPAN
April 17, 2010

Barry Lynn talked about his book Cornered: The New Monopoly Capitalism and the Economics of Destruction Wiley; January 7, 2010. In his book he explores the industrial interdependence among nations and the growing fragility of complex industrial systems. He talked about the nation’s founding as a fight against monopolies, such as evidenced by the Boston Tea Party. Mr. Lynn responded to questions from members of the audience. Mr. Lynn is also the author of End of the Line: The Rise and Coming Fall of the Global Corporation Doubleday; August 16, 2005. “The Monopoly Menace” was the 2:45 p.m. program in Katharine Hall of the eighth annual Annapolis Book Festival held on the campus of The Key School.

Computerized Front Running by Dr. Ellen Brown

by Dr. Ellen Brown
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
webofdebt.com
April 23, 2010

How A Computer Program Designed To Save The Free Market Turned Into A Monster

While the SEC is busy investigating Goldman Sachs, it might want to look into another Goldman-dominated fraud: computerized front running using high-frequency trading programs.

Market commentators are fond of talking about “free market capitalism,” but according to Wall Street commentator Max Keiser, it is no more. It has morphed into what his TV co-host Stacy Herbert calls “rigged market capitalism”: all markets today are subject to manipulation for private gain.

Keiser isn’t just speculating about this. He claims to have invented one of the most widely used programs for doing the rigging. Not that that’s what he meant to invent. His patented program was designed to take the manipulation out of markets. It would do this by matching buyers with sellers automatically, eliminating “front running” – brokers buying or selling ahead of large orders coming in from their clients. The computer program was intended to remove the conflict of interest that exists when brokers who match buyers with sellers are also selling from their own accounts. But the program fell into the wrong hands and became the prototype for automated trading programs that actually facilitate front running.