Friday, September 28th, 2012
Stephan: More bad news about what is happening in the Arctic. Barely a word of this enters our public conversation; it is almost entirely absent in the Presidential contest. But its impact will be far greater than anything being discussed, even the jobs data. This is not a short term crisis but a long term disaster for the earth and all the beings on it.
Noted sea ice geophysicist and climatologist Professor John Yackel from the University of Calgary has delivered a bombshell: He recently declared after the latest Arctic ice melt that, ‘This is the smallest minimum ice extent we’ve ever had, and not just in the satellite record, but probably in the last million years.’
Although satellite records only go back to 1979, there has been a disturbing trend in the Arctic region: Satellite imagery is showing that the Arctic ice region is melting at an alarming rate, far faster than even climatologists expected.
This is further bad news for the planet as extreme weather events have already caused over 55 billion dollars of damage in the U.S. alone this year. Record drought conditions, record wildfires and storms along with hurricanes are not only making an impact in the U.S., but around the world.
The depleting Arctic ice cover will have serious ramifications for the planet. Arctic ice acts as a reflector of sunlight, helping regulate the Earth’s temperature, cooling the climate. Further ice melting in the Arctic will only exacerbate the warming process and cause even more severe weather around the world.
‘When there’s no longer that sea ice below the air mass and it’s just […]
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Thursday, September 27th, 2012
DAVID FERGUSON, - The Raw Story
Stephan: This seems so self-evident it hardly needs mentioning. However, it clearly is not self-evident, witness the virulent anti-choice movement.
A recent study by the reproductive health and rights group the Guttmacher Institute confirms what many people have long known and suspected, that access to contraception helps women better care for themselves and their families, complete their education and achieve economic security and stability.
The study, titled ‘Reasons for Using Contraception: Perspectives of U.S. Women Seeking Care at Specialized Family Planning Clinics,
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Thursday, September 27th, 2012
FLAVIA KRAUSE-JACKSON, - Bloomberg
Stephan: This is the first thing I have seen -- other than my own writing -- which spells out the decline of the nation state, and the rise of virtual states, be they corporate, terrorist, or religious. This is the most important geopolitical development that has occurred in more than a hundred years.
While the familiar clashes among countries echo through the 193-member United Nations General Assembly hall this week, empty seats will bear mute testimony to the world body’s waning significance.
Some of the most important leaders — China’s Hu Jintao, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Germany’s Angela Merkel and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan — are skipping this year’s annual meeting. U.S. President Barack Obama made only a brief appearance and didn’t formally meet one-on-one with foreign officials.
The 67-year-old UN’s influence has always been limited by the veto power of the five permanent members of the Security Council. Now, however, global technological, financial, environmental, social, religious and demographic forces are further curbing its ability to act and eroding its foundation in the 17th century concept of sovereign nation-states.
‘The concept of a world of nation-states, which dates to the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, and the idea that they have a monopoly on international relations and on the conduct of war, is no longer valid,
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Thursday, September 27th, 2012
SEAN POULTER, - Mail (U.K.)
Stephan: A spectrum of changes suggest the GMO trend may be stopped in its tracks. Prop 37 on the California ballot -- which would require labelling of GMO products in food -- is combining with national actions such as this one by the Russians. These developments must also be seen in the context of the life altering diseases and bodily changes GMOs produce, as well as the growing recognition that GMOs require the purchase of massive amounts of pesticides and herbicides, yet don't produce as advertised. The bugs these toxins are designed to kill mutate and not only don't die, they cause the creation of superbugs.
Taken together these developments may finally create the conditions for a reassessment of Monsanto's and other corporate GMO efforts.
Russia has suspended the import and use of an American GM corn following a study suggesting a link to breast cancer and organ damage.
Separately, the European Food Safety Authority(EFSA), has ordered its own review in to the research, which was conducted at a French university.
The decision by Russia could be followed by other nations in what would be a severe blow to the take-up of the controversial technology.
Cancer risk? A farmer shows two corncobs of genetically engineered corn by U.S. company Monsanto, right, and two normal corncobs from Germany, left
Historically, biotech companies have proved the safety of GM crops based on trials involving feeding rats for a period of 90 days.
However, experts at the University of Caen conducted an experiment running for the full lives of rats – two years.
The findings, which were peer reviewed by independent experts before being published in a respected scientific journal, found raised levels of breast cancer, liver and kidney damage.
The same trials also found evidence that consumption of minuscule amounts of a commonly used weedkiller, Roundup, was associated with a raised risk of cancer.
Both the GM corn, which carries the name NK603, and Roundup are the creation of US biotech company Monsanto.
The decision […]
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Thursday, September 27th, 2012
KAREN ELLIOTT HOUSE, - The Daily Beast
Stephan: Here is an excellent essay on the life of women in Saudi Arabia. Not understanding the reality of the Islamic world condemns us to make foreign policies based on fantasies not reality.
An hour outside the Saudi capital of Riyadh, in the rocky terrain of the desert, a Saudi family concludes a daylong outing. A full moon illuminates the black line of silhouettes in prayer. While I sit by myself on a blanket nearby, Ahmad and his father, brother, and young sister prostrate themselves in the direction of Mecca. Observing my failure to pray, Ahmad, who is 6, approaches, clearly concerned. ‘I need to teach you something,
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