Tuesday, March 12th, 2013
BRAD JOHNSON, campaign manager of Forecast the Facts. - grist
Stephan: Yet more evidence of the corruption that is so rife in the American government. This is an example of a disinformation campaign in which the government is complicit. The political process has become the servant of the Virtual Corporate States -- with one exception, the vote.
I cannot over-emphasize the importance of a large vote in 2014. That's going to be the last chance to get off the crash train. By 2015 the die of climate change will be cast, the momentum in the system so great as to be functionally irreversible.
The State Department’s ‘don’t worry
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Tuesday, March 12th, 2013
FRANK NEWPORT, - The Gallup Organization
Stephan: It is very dangerous for democracy to have a legislature that is held in contempt. It creates disaffection, and social instability. These low ratings, I believe, arise from the repeated cycle of consensus forming in the country, and the Congress passing laws in complete contradiction to that consensus, or passing no bill at all. It says to people: You don't matter. Ordinary people don't count. A special interest matters.
PRINCETON, NJ — The budget sequestration that went into effect on March 1 appears to have had little impact on Americans’ views of Congress. Thirteen percent of Americans approve of Congress in March, essentially unchanged from 15% in February.
One reason for the lack of change in the Congress approval trend may be simply that approval is so low already. The current 13% reading, based on interviewing conducted March 7-10, is just a few percentage points above the all-time low of 10% reached twice last year. At this low level, negative views of what Congress does, or does not do, are probably already ‘built into’ the ratings. These low ratings could improve if Congress does something the public respects, but leave little room for a further drop if Americans continue to perceive Congress’ activities negatively.
Congress approval has averaged 14% for the first quarter of 2013, compared with 15% for all of 2012, 17% in 2011, and 19% in 2010. In short, the readings so far this year continue a very negative period for the public’s views of the job done by the men and women they elect and send to represent them in Washington.
Republicans, Independents, and Democrats Converge on Shared Low […]
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JOSEPH E. STIGLITZ, PHD, Nobel Laureate - Op-Ed Columnist - Slate
Stephan: Austerity as an economic approach has been a failure. Talk to someone from Italy, or Spain, or Portugal, or Greece. Or even Germany. In those countries, and others, unemployment is creating disaffection that is verging on social instability. Here is an excellent assessment by a man with a proven track record of expertise. Americans should consider this, when they hear the Right proposing drastic austerity measures.
The outcome of the Italian elections should send a clear message to Europe’s leaders: the austerity policies that they have pursued are being rejected by voters.
The European project, as idealistic as it was, was always a top-down endeavor. But it is another matter altogether to encourage technocrats to run countries, seemingly circumventing democratic processes, and foist upon them policies that lead to widespread public misery.
While Europe’s leaders shy away from the word, the reality is that much of the European Union is in depression. The loss of output in Italy since the beginning of the crisis is as great as it was in the 1930s. Greece’s youth unemployment rate now exceeds 60 percent, and Spain’s is above 50 percent. With the destruction of human capital, Europe’s social fabric is tearing, and its future is being thrown into jeopardy.
The economy’s doctors say that the patient must stay the course. Political leaders who suggest otherwise are labeled as populists. The reality, though, is that the cure is not working, and there is no hope that it will-that is, without being worse than the disease. Indeed, it will take a decade or more to recover the losses incurred in this austerity process.
In short, […]
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CAVAN SIECZKOWSKI , - The Huffington Post
Stephan: Yet another reason to cherish the bees. So why are we endangering them in order for six companies to get control of the world food system for the purpose of profit?
Click through to see videos.
A new study has shown that bee venom can kill the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have demonstrated that a toxin called melittin found in bee venom can destroy HIV by poking holes in the envelope surrounding the virus, according to a news release sent out by Washington University.
Nanoparticles smaller than HIV were infused with the bee venom toxin, explains U.S. News & World Report. A ‘protective bumper’ was added to the nanoparticle’s surface, allowing it to bounce off normal cells and leave them intact. Normal cells are larger than HIV, so the nanoparticles target HIV, which is so small it fits between the bumpers.
‘Melittin on the nanoparticles fuses with the viral envelope,
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STEPHEN DINAN, - The Washington Times
Stephan: This is a small but important bit of push back against the rise of the Surveillance State. This shows, once again, why courts matter. So it is good news.
The Border Patrol cannot confiscate or download every laptop or electronic device brought into the U.S., a federal appeals court said, ruling that people have an expectation their data are private and that the government must have ‘reasonable suspicion
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