Posts
PNN - THE FALLING LEAVES
9/27/15
RWS
BROOK HINES
CRYSTAL LUCAS
DENIS CAMPBELL
KARINA VEAUDRY
1. ANTI-WAR VETS PLACE AD IN AIRFORCE TIMES
DEMANDING THAT DRONE PILOTS GET UP FROM THE COMMAND DESKS
AntiWar News
On Monday, the Air Force Times, a weekly newspaper with a circulation of over 65,000 subscribers who include active, reserve and retired U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard and general military personnel and their families, published the advertisement below, carrying a message from 54 veterans urging U.S. drone pilots to refuse to follow orders to fly surveillance and attack missions, citing international law.
KnowDrones.com reports:
In addition to Iraq Veterans Against the War, KnowDrones.com, Veterans for Peace and World Can’t Wait, the ad is supported by: Code Pink; Mennonite 1040 for Peace Committee; War Is a Crime.com and WorldBeyondWar.com and many people who contributed on GoFundMe and in response to appeals at the annual Kateri and Veterans for Peace conferences. …
The ad comes at a time of increasing drone surveillance and attack missions, which are now underway in Syria as well as Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.
A Bureau of Investigative Journalism report indicates that other areas under drone surveillance and potential places of attack include: “Iran, North Africa, the Trans-Sahel (West Africa), Levant region (includes Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey as well as Syria), Gulf States and territorial waters.”
In addition to Iraq Veterans Against the War, KnowDrones.com, Veterans for Peace and World Can’t Wait, the ad is supported by: Code Pink; Mennonite 1040 for Peace Committee; War Is a Crime.com and WorldBeyondWar.com and many people who contributed on GoFundMe and in response to appeals at the annual Kateri and Veterans for Peace conferences. …
The ad comes at a time of increasing drone surveillance and attack missions, which are now underway in Syria as well as Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.
A Bureau of Investigative Journalism report indicates that other areas under drone surveillance and potential places of attack include: “Iran, North Africa, the Trans-Sahel (West Africa), Levant region (includes Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey as well as Syria), Gulf States and territorial waters.”
http://knowdrones.com/
2. POPE TELLS THE TRUTH: Many powerful people don’t want peace because they live off war.
3. Jebby steps in it again -
Today's dog-bites-man story is that Jeb! Bush said something really stupid. Again.
Jeb! says Pope Francis should keep his climate views to himself because he's not a scientist. HuffPo: "Jeb: Pope Shouldn't Discuss Climate Change Because He's 'Not A Scientist'":
"Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) said he disagrees with Pope Francis' call to fight climate change and thinks the pope should not delve into the issue because he 'is not a scientist.'
"'He's not a scientist, he's a religious leader,' Bush said, according to a video posted by the Democratic opposition research group American Bridge."
But the Pope actually is a scientist. He is a chemical engineer with a Master's degree from the University of Buenos Aires.
4. If you think there world isn’t paying attention to issues of Climate Change and Pollution even the World of High Fashion has taken a stand
- On Catwalks in the Capitals of Fashionistas - there has been a response
new FASHION CONSCIOUS BREATHING MASKS - So not only can you dress fashionably but in the high fashion capitals you can breath safely with a high fashion designer face mask! - Breathe in HIGH STYLE
5. PLASTIC FISH FOOD
significant amount of synthetic clothing fibers have been found inside fish caught off the Northern California coast and ending up on local dinner plates, according to a new study by environmental scientists at UC Davis.
About a quarter of the 64 fish purchased at fish markets in Half Moon Bay and Princeton and analyzed for the study turned out to have bits of synthetic clothing in their guts, said lead researcher Chelsea Rochman, of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
The study, published Thursday in the journal of Scientific Reports, came on the heels of research by the San Francisco Estuary Institute that found the surface of San Francisco Bay to be heavily contaminated with plastic microbeads from cosmetics and plastic fibers from clothing.
In the UC Davis study, scientists randomly bought locally-caught fish at markets and dissected their guts at a laboratory in Davis. Plastic clothing fibers were found in the guts of about one-fourth of the smelt, anchovy, rockfish, bass, salmon, sanddab, cod and oysters.
Inadequate filtering by home laundry users and sewage treatment plants is suspected of being the source of the contamination, Rochman said.
“This shows we have a waste management problem that is coming back to haunt us,” Rochman said.
Plastic fibers, Rochman said, were only one of many contaminants that get inside fish and were probably less hazardous than mercury, PCBs and other known fish contaminants.
“This study doesn’t make me afraid of eating fish,” said Rochman, a fish fan who dined on oysters twice last week. “The health benefits outweigh the hazards of my being cotaminated with microplastics.”
The scientists also analyzed fish purchased at a market in Indonesia and found that they were contaminated with plasic debris fragments but not with synthetic fibers.
A study released Wednesday by the San Francisco Estuary Insitute found that the San Francisco Bay is hundreds of times more contaminated than the Great Lakes with small plastic particles from cosmetics and synthetic clothing. The report also found the small microbeads and other pollutants are gobbled up by fish, whose guts contain far more of the toxic stuff than their fellow Great Lakes fish.
In January, researchers took water samples from different spots in San Francisco Bay and analyzed the results. They found that the waters of the South Bay contained 2.6 million microplastic particles of 5 millimeters or smaller per square mile, compared with 285,000 in Lake Erie, 13,000 in Lake Superior and 7,800 in Lake Huron.
The two studies were released shortly after the California legislature passed a bill to regulate microplastics in cosmetics. That bill is awaiting action by the governor.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Hey-waiter-this-fish-takes-like-plastic-6527514.php
6. Florida Fracking Summit Oct 27th & 28
Fort Meyers, 9831 Interstate Commerce Drive
Fort Meyers, FL 33913
Come to Florida’s first Fracking Summit to learn the potential risks involved and what can be done. Expert speakers from around the U.S. will be addressing the effects of unconventional oil extraction on air, land, water, and human health. Other topics covered will include current oil and gas laws, examples of local government actions, and the future of “fracking” in Florida. Get your questions answered!
www.flfrackingsummit.org
7. BEEG FOOK-UPs
Still 0.88 MBq/km2 of Cs-134/137 falls in Tokyo monthly
According to NRA (Nuclear Regulation Authority), Tokyo still has fallout from Fukushima nuclear plant.
From their report released on 8/31/2015, 0.88 MBq/km2 of Cs-134/137 falls onto Tokyo this July. The sampling location was Shinjuku.
The comparable data on Fukushima prefecture is not listed on the same report for some reason.
However the reading of Tokyo includes Cesium-134 at the significant level to prove this is from Fukushima plant.
In Miyagi prefecture, where is in the North of Fukushima prefecture, the fallout level is 0.55 MBq/km2. The fallout density in Tokyo is higher than Miyagi prefecture.
Other nuclide density is not reported.
http://radioactivity.nsr.go.jp/en/contents/11000/10193/24/195_20150831.pdf
8. (5 Billion Bq) of Strontium-90 flows to the sea every single day
5 Billion Bq of Strontium-90 flows to the Pacific on the daily basis in 2014. Tepco announced in the press conference of 8/25/2014.
This is due to the contaminated water overflowing from the seaside of Reactor 1 ~ 4 to Fukushima plant port.
They also announced 2 Billion Bq of Cesium-137 and 1 Billion Bq of Tritium flow to the sea every single day as well.
Fukushima plant port is not separated from the Pacific. Discharged nuclide naturally spreads to the sea.
http://www.tepco.co.jp/tepconews/library/archive-j.html
9. Cs-134/137 Measured in Tokyo tap-water
According to MHLH (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare), Cs-134/137 has been detected from tap-water of Tokyo since October of 2014. The data is from October 2014 to March 2015. The newer result hasn’t been announced yet.
The sample was collected from the tap of Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health in Shinjuku.
The density was from 0.00178 to 0.003 Bq/Kg. Cs-134 was detected to prove it is from Fukushima plant.
The analysis was implemented by NRA (Nuclear Regulation Authority).
All the other analyses were carried out by Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Waterworks or municipal governments and the lowest detectable amount was over 0.5 Bq/kg to show none of the actual readings.
http://fukushima-diary.com/2015/09/cs-134137-measured-from-tokyo-tap-water/
10. The highest I-131 density of this year detected in 2 Fukushima sewage plants
According to Fukushima sewage public corporation, this July over 1,000 Bq/Kg of Iodine-131 was detected in dry sewage sludge. The sewage plant is located in Da-te District of Fukushima prefecture.
High level of I-131 was measured this May, however this reading of July is the highest density of this year. (cf, Significant level of I-131 detected from dry sludge of Fukushima sewage plant after rain in May [URL])
I-131 was detected from the samples collected from 7/9/2015 to 7/29/2015.
The highest reading was 1,038.4 Bq/Kg of 7/11/2015. The highest density of Cs-134 was also detected, which was 44 Bq/Kg the same day. It rained on 7/8/2015 but the precipitation was only 10.5 mm.
Also in another sewage plant in Koriyama city, 889 Bq/Kg of I-131 was detected from dry sewage sludge. This is also the highest reading of this plant. I-131 kept on being detected for 15 days of this July.
http://www.pref.fukushima.lg.jp/uploaded/attachment/129631.pdf
http://www.pref.fukushima.lg.jp/uploaded/attachment/129632.pdf
11. The Pope Goes to Prison in America
Pope Francis arrived in Washington today, snarling traffic and drawing some 300,000 people into the city. I’m excited that the Pope, who has called out capitalism for its indifference to the poor, and who has reached out to gay Catholics, has come to the United States. But I’m even more excited about his follow-on trip to Philadelphia, where he’s going to meet with prisoners in Philadelphia’s Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility.
It’s one thing for Barack Obama to visit a prison and talk about wanting to commute the draconian sentences of federal prisoners with drug convictions (which he has not yet done, incidentally). It’s an entirely different thing for the leader of the world’s one billion Catholics to get a first-hand look at how our country’s prisons violate the civil and human rights of their prisoners. The only shame is that His Holiness won’t see one of America’s private prisons.
The United States is not the only country in the world with private, for-profit prisons, although it certainly has the most, and it has the worst. The American Civil Liberties Union in 2013, for example, filed a civil lawsuit against the State of Mississippi, which, although not known for its enlightened treatment of its citizens and others these past 200 years, still must respect the Constitution, whether its elected officials want to or not. Indeed, the 83-page complaint details evidence of “beatings, rape, robbery, and riots,” and says that the prison, which houses the mentally ill almost exclusively, routinely denies prisoners access to medication and psychiatric care.
The prison, the East Mississippi Correctional Facility, which is run by the privately-owned, Utah-based Management & Training Corporation, an innocuously-named company that profits on the misery of human beings, is so overwhelmingly infested with rats that prisoners capture them, keep them as pets, and use them as currency. A company spokesman told The Huffington Post at the time the suit was filed that the company had made great improvements in the prison over the previous 10 months. I can’t even fathom the thought of what conditions must have been like 10 months earlier.
After blowing the whistle on the CIA’s illegal torture program and being sentenced to 30 months in prison, I went directly to the Federal Correctional Institution at Loretto, Pennsylvania, rather than to a private prison. But some of my cellmates did go to private prisons.
They told me stories of 200 men sharing a single toilet – with a broken toilet seat – at the Central Virginia Regional Jail in Orange, Virginia. They talked about being starved as punishment for talking back to a guard at the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center in Youngstown. And they talked about two televisions for 200 men at the Kit Carson Correctional Center in Colorado, which resulted in fistfights every hour to decide which shows to watch. They talked about the arbitrary use of solitary confinement as a punishment for virtually every infraction, real and imagined, despite the fact that the United Nations has declared the use of solitary confinement in the United States as “cruel and unusual punishment” and as a violation of basic human rights.
But most importantly, they talked about denying prisoners the most basic levels of medical care and medication, especially for mentally ill prisoners. In a case in March, a prisoner with a degenerative spinal disorder in Fresno, California, accused for-profit prison medical provider Corizon of taking away his wheelchair because he had filed a complaint about the prison doctor. Corizon had settled another suit this year filed by the family of a prisoner who became paralyzed while under Corizon’s care. The Corizon doctor had written “faker” in the prisoner’s file, and he was not given medical treatment until it was too late to treat him. These are just two of dozens of lawsuits filed against Corizon.
Twenty states so far have contracted with private prisons. Even the federal government avails itself of private prison beds and transportation centers. For many prisoners, being sent to a private prison is a death sentence. These facilities have no incentive to spend any money at all on maintenance, recreation, or medical and mental health care. Indeed, they have an incentive not to. They are answerable to their shareholders, and their goal is not to rehabilitate anybody. It’s to make a profit.
So, what evil capitalists are making money on this human misery? You might be surprised. The country’s two largest for-profit prison companies, Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and GEO Group, are traded on the New York Stock Exchange. But according to Prison Legal News magazine, most stockholders are not individual investors. They are banks, mutual funds, and private equity firms, including public pensions. Indeed, just the public employee retirement systems and teachers retirement systems of 19 states account for 2.6 million shares of CCA and 1.1 million shares of GEO for a total investment of some $114 million.
The Pope has a chance next week to take President Obama and Congress to the woodshed for allowing these human rights violations to become the norm in the U.S. prison system. Nobody should make a profit from human misery. It’s un-American. And it’s definitely not Christian.
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/32558-focus-the-pope-goes-to-prison-in-america
12. The Monarchy of Saudi Arabia has been selected to head key UN human rights panel
Outrage after U.S. ally 'beheadings-are-us' Saudi Arabia selected to head key UN human rights panel --Anger after Saudi Arabia 'chosen to head key UN human rights panel' --UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer said the appointment, made in June, went unreported until now | 20 Sept 2015 | The United Nations is coming under fire for handing Saudi Arabia a key human rights role even though the Kingdom has "arguably the worst record in the world" on freedoms for women, minorities and dissidents. Critics, including the wife of imprisoned pro-democracy blogger Raif Badawi -- sentenced to 1000 lashes for blogging about free speech -- say that the appointment is "scandalous" and means that "oil trumps human rights". The Saudis' bid emerged shortly after it posted a job advertisement for eight new executioners, to cope with what Amnesty International branded a "macabre spike" in the use of capital punishment, including [hundreds
http://www.legitgov.org/Outrage-after-US-ally-beheadings-are-us-Saudi-Arabia-selected-head-key-UN-human-rights-panel
13. Invisivible Hand of the Free Market draws a straight flush
Drug Goes From $13.50 to $750 Overnight
Turing Pharmaceuticals LLC CEO Martin Shkreli discusses why the company increased the price of a drug from $13.50 to $750 a tablet. No apologies.
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PNN - THE FALLING LEAVES
PNN - News Director Rick Spisak and Political Columnist Brook Hines welcome District 83rd Candidate Crystal Lucas, UK Progressive Commentator Denis Campbell and Karina Veaudry Landscape Architect and Planner.
Cystal Lucas will discuss her candidacy for District 83 and explain her concerns and discuss the work she has undertaken to protect the environment.
UK Progressive Publisher and Producer and Editor of the Three Muckrakers on iTunes will discuss the contemporary political scene in Europe, the UK and Wales. He will also explain his candidacy for the Welsh Assembly.
And our final guest this week will be Karina Veaudry a Lanscape Architect who has been one of the leading voices opposing the largest development in Florida history - as she explains it - this will be the “Largest Development in U.S. Approved Last Night” - “21 square mile development approved wipes out ecological corridor in Florida” the "Deseret Ranches"
Tune In Sunday 9/27/15 - 7pm (Eastern)
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