www.salon.com
As wildfires ravage Arizona and Texas, it's time for us to take action on climate change before it's too late
6.16.2011
Israel Proudly Prepares to Butcher Peace Activists - Flotilla www10.nytimes.com
www10.nytimes.com
Israel made clear that if a new flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists sought to break its naval blockade of Gaza, the Israeli military would use force as it did a year ago.
Republicans vs. the environment www.chicagotribune.com
www.chicagotribune.com
Kicking off her recent bus tour, Sarah Palin attended a motorcycle rally and took a deep breath. "I love that smell of the emissions," she exulted.
Land use is not a barrier for distributed renewable energy www.grist.org
www.grist.org
A column in The New York Times last Tuesday suggested that land use is the greatest environmental problem facing new renewable energy. Though it got the facts terribly wrong, it opens a door to talk about the advantages of distributed generation.
Doctors Prepare Their Professions to Explain and Treat Climate-Related Symptoms www.nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com
Dr. Anthony Szema is used to seeing patients with red eyes and runny noses. But in the past couple of years, the New York-bas...
STATEMENT OF FREEDOM FLOTILLA II – STAY HUMAN STEERING COMMITTEE TO THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
On 14 June 2011, as part of its 17th Session, the Human Rights Council
held discussions on the status of implementation of the conclusions
contained in the report of
the independent international factfinding mission on the flotilla
attack. The Freedom Flotilla II Steering Committee submitted the
following statement:
STATEMENT OF FREEDOM FLOTILLA II – STAY HUMAN STEERING COMMITTEE
TO THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
In September 2010 the international Fact-Finding Mission to
investigate violations of international law resulting from the Israeli
attacks on the Freedom Flotilla I concluded that the conduct of the
Israeli military towards its passengers, when it was unlawfully
intercepted on the way to Gaza on 31 May 2001, "demonstrated levels of
totally unnecessary and incredible violence... It constituted grave
violations of human rights law and international humanitarian law."
Unfortunately and incredibly, Israel is threatening to use even
greater violence against Freedom Flotilla II, which will sail to Gaza
the end of this month. Its threats have included the use of snipers
and canine units. Even more deplorable, world leaders, rather than
demanding that Israel halt its provocative behaviour towards us and
refrain from once again attacking unarmed civilians, have called the
Flotilla initiative a provocation and have asked countries on the
Mediterranean to prevent us from sailing.
In its September Report, the Fact-Finding Mission concluded that the
passengers on board our ships in May 2010, many of whom they
interviewed at length, were "persons genuinely committed to the spirit
of humanitarianism and imbued with a deep and genuine concern for the
welfare of the inhabitants of Gaza." The same spirit of
humanitarianism compels us to again take action – even at the risk of
serious injury or death – to confront massive injustice with global
nonviolent action. For too long our national and international leaders
have passively watched the tragedy of Gaza – of all of Palestine. The
grossly unjust and unlawful blockade of the Gaza Strip and the ongoing
belligerent occupation of the rest of Palestine – imposed by Israel
and tolerated by the world community - is a stark case of states
sacrificing principle and human rights for power and self-interest.
For those who have any lingering doubts that a man-made crisis
continues to Gaza, just yesterday the Palestinian Centre for Human
Rights issued an alert indicating its extreme concern over the
"running out of medications and contraction of health services in the
Gaza Strip."
The Fact-Finding Mission gave much thought to and called upon the
international community to recognize some role for "humanitarian
organizations who wish to intervene in situations of long-standing
humanitarian crisis where the international community is unwilling...
to take positive action." It included in its broad definition of
humanitarianism both types of organizations involved in the Flotilla:
those that engage in activities taken to alleviate crises and those
that take action to address the root causes of the crises. The Mission
understood that "too often" humanitarian organizations, such as those
behind Flotillas I and II, are "accused of being meddlesome and at
worst as terrorists or enemy agents." Today, these same humanitarian
organisations and human rights activists are being accused of
'provocation' and Israel is threatening, once again, to unlawfully and
brutally stop them. We therefore call upon the Human Rights Council to
stand up to these Israeli threats, to defend our right to intervene in
the long-standing tragedy which is Gaza and to expose and put an end
to Israel's illegal behaviour, which has too long been tolerated by
the international community.
We are determined to sail to Gaza. Our cause is just and our means
are transparent. To underline the fact that we do not present an
imminent threat to Israel nor do we aim to contribute to a war effort
against Israel, thus eliminating any claim by Israel to self-defense,
we invite the HRC or any other UN or international agency to come on
board and inspect our vessels at their point of departure, on the high
seas, and/or on their arrival in the Gaza port. We will – and must –
continue to sail until the illegal blockade of Gaza is ended and
Palestinians have the same human and national rights those of us
sailing enjoy.
--
Our message of peace is a call to action, for other ordinary people
like ourselves, not to hand over your lives to whatever puppeteer is
in charge this time round, but to take responsibility for the
revolution. First, the inner revolution -- to give love, to give
empathy; It is this that will change the world. -- Vittorio Arrigoni
The real heart deep down doesn't only stand up for what's right but
also helps others to learn to stand up for what's right. -- Mary Alfar
(age 11)
held discussions on the status of implementation of the conclusions
contained in the report of
the independent international factfinding mission on the flotilla
attack. The Freedom Flotilla II Steering Committee submitted the
following statement:
STATEMENT OF FREEDOM FLOTILLA II – STAY HUMAN STEERING COMMITTEE
TO THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
In September 2010 the international Fact-Finding Mission to
investigate violations of international law resulting from the Israeli
attacks on the Freedom Flotilla I concluded that the conduct of the
Israeli military towards its passengers, when it was unlawfully
intercepted on the way to Gaza on 31 May 2001, "demonstrated levels of
totally unnecessary and incredible violence... It constituted grave
violations of human rights law and international humanitarian law."
Unfortunately and incredibly, Israel is threatening to use even
greater violence against Freedom Flotilla II, which will sail to Gaza
the end of this month. Its threats have included the use of snipers
and canine units. Even more deplorable, world leaders, rather than
demanding that Israel halt its provocative behaviour towards us and
refrain from once again attacking unarmed civilians, have called the
Flotilla initiative a provocation and have asked countries on the
Mediterranean to prevent us from sailing.
In its September Report, the Fact-Finding Mission concluded that the
passengers on board our ships in May 2010, many of whom they
interviewed at length, were "persons genuinely committed to the spirit
of humanitarianism and imbued with a deep and genuine concern for the
welfare of the inhabitants of Gaza." The same spirit of
humanitarianism compels us to again take action – even at the risk of
serious injury or death – to confront massive injustice with global
nonviolent action. For too long our national and international leaders
have passively watched the tragedy of Gaza – of all of Palestine. The
grossly unjust and unlawful blockade of the Gaza Strip and the ongoing
belligerent occupation of the rest of Palestine – imposed by Israel
and tolerated by the world community - is a stark case of states
sacrificing principle and human rights for power and self-interest.
For those who have any lingering doubts that a man-made crisis
continues to Gaza, just yesterday the Palestinian Centre for Human
Rights issued an alert indicating its extreme concern over the
"running out of medications and contraction of health services in the
Gaza Strip."
The Fact-Finding Mission gave much thought to and called upon the
international community to recognize some role for "humanitarian
organizations who wish to intervene in situations of long-standing
humanitarian crisis where the international community is unwilling...
to take positive action." It included in its broad definition of
humanitarianism both types of organizations involved in the Flotilla:
those that engage in activities taken to alleviate crises and those
that take action to address the root causes of the crises. The Mission
understood that "too often" humanitarian organizations, such as those
behind Flotillas I and II, are "accused of being meddlesome and at
worst as terrorists or enemy agents." Today, these same humanitarian
organisations and human rights activists are being accused of
'provocation' and Israel is threatening, once again, to unlawfully and
brutally stop them. We therefore call upon the Human Rights Council to
stand up to these Israeli threats, to defend our right to intervene in
the long-standing tragedy which is Gaza and to expose and put an end
to Israel's illegal behaviour, which has too long been tolerated by
the international community.
We are determined to sail to Gaza. Our cause is just and our means
are transparent. To underline the fact that we do not present an
imminent threat to Israel nor do we aim to contribute to a war effort
against Israel, thus eliminating any claim by Israel to self-defense,
we invite the HRC or any other UN or international agency to come on
board and inspect our vessels at their point of departure, on the high
seas, and/or on their arrival in the Gaza port. We will – and must –
continue to sail until the illegal blockade of Gaza is ended and
Palestinians have the same human and national rights those of us
sailing enjoy.
--
Our message of peace is a call to action, for other ordinary people
like ourselves, not to hand over your lives to whatever puppeteer is
in charge this time round, but to take responsibility for the
revolution. First, the inner revolution -- to give love, to give
empathy; It is this that will change the world. -- Vittorio Arrigoni
The real heart deep down doesn't only stand up for what's right but
also helps others to learn to stand up for what's right. -- Mary Alfar
(age 11)
Chevron Bets on $30 Billion Volcanoes in Indonesian Rainforest www.sfgate.com
www.sfgate.com
June 15 (Bloomberg) -- Chevron Corp. drilled 84 wells to a depth of two miles beneath the Indonesian rainforest to tap steam, not oil and gas, that's trapped in the world's richest store of volcanic energy. The...
6.15.2011
From Wiki - Health Effects of Hunger Strike fasting
Health effects http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting
See also: Starvation response
Glucose is the body's primary fuel source and is essential for the brain's functioning. When denied glucose for more than 4–8 hours, the body turns to the liver for glycogen, a storage form of glucose, to be used for fuel. A process called glycogenolysis converts glycogen into a usable form of fuel. At this point, the body also uses small amounts of protein to supplement this fuel. This fuel will last for up to 12 hours before the body needs to turn to glycogen stored in muscles, lasting for a few more days. If glucose is still denied at this point, muscle wasting is prevented by temporarily switching to fat as the fuel source, meaning fat is converted into ketone through catabolism. Ketones, while not sugars, can be used by the brain as a fuel source as long as glucose is denied.
The body continues to use fat for as long as there is fat to consume. The body will generally indicate to the faster when fat levels are running extremely low (less than 7% and 10% of body weight for males and females, respectively) with an increased urge for food. Fasts are usually broken long before this point. If the fast is not broken, starvation begins to occur, as the body begins to use protein for fuel. Health complications associated with fast-induced starvation include electrolyte imbalances, thinning hair, lanugo, cardiac arrhythmia and renal failure. Death can occur if fasting is pursued to the point of complete starvation.
Research suggests there are major health benefits to caloric restriction. Benefits include reduced risks of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, insulin resistance, immune disorders, and more generally, the slowing of the aging process, and the potential to increase maximum life span.[3] According to Dr. Mark P. Mattson, chief of the laboratory of neurosciences at the US National Institute on Aging, fasting every other day (intermittent fasting) shows beneficial effects in mice as strong as those of caloric-restriction diets,[4] and a small study conducted on humans at the University of Illinois indicates the same results [5] According to the US National Academy of Sciences, other health benefits include stress resistance, increased insulin sensitivity, reduced morbidity, and increased life span.[6][7] Long-term studies in humans have not been conducted. However, short-term human trials showed benefits in weight loss. The side effect was that the participants felt cranky during the three week trial. According to the study conducted by Dr. Eric Ravussin, "Alternate-day fasting may be an alternative to prolonged diet restriction for increasing the life span".[8]
Adherence to Greek Orthodox fasting periods contributes to an improvement in the blood lipid profile, including a decrease in total and LDL cholesterol, and a decrease in the LDL to HDL cholesterol ratio. A statistically insignificant reduction in HDL cholesterol was also observed. These results suggest a possible positive impact on the obesity levels of individuals who adhere to these fasting periods.[9]
Changes in blood chemistry during fasting, in combination with certain medications, may have dangerous effects, such as increased chance of acetaminophen poisoning.[10] Excessive fasting for calorie restrictive purposes, accompanied by intense fears of becoming overweight are associated with mental disturbances, including anorexia nervosa.
6.14.2011
Former Rep. Inglis to Launch Conservative Coalition to Address Climate Change www.nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com
A former Republican congressman who is an advocate for action to address climate change plans to launch a new conservative co...
71% of Americans Now Say Tackling Climate Change Should be a Priority www.treehugger.com
www.treehugger.com
Photo: kjtitle84 via Flickr/CC BY-SA The vast majority of Americans now believe addressing global warming should be a top priority for Congress and the Obama administration, a new Yale survey reveals. A pretty stunning 71% of Americans now think
Poll: Lack of an Energy Policy is Hurting U.S. Competitiveness, Say 2/3 of Utility Execs thinkprogress.org
thinkprogress.org
40% of respondents believe there will be a price on carbon in the next five years American utilities, long known for being slow to adopt new technologies, are expressing concerns that the U.S. is falling behind in development of renewable energy. A new survey of 700 utility leaders released by Black
OCEAN HEALTH = 69 MILLION US JOBS “It’s The Oceans, Stupid” — Can we save the engine of our economy thinkprogress.org
thinkprogress.org
By Michael Conathan, CAP's Director of Ocean Policy at American Progress One of the cornerstone recommendations of both the Pew Oceans Commission and the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy whose reports were published in 2003 and 2005 respectively, was the institution of a national ocean policy to harm
USGS: Global Warming Drives Rockies Snowpack Loss Unrivaled in 800 Years, Threatens Western Water S thinkprogress.org
thinkprogress.org
A US Geological Survey study released today suggests that snowpack declines in the Rocky Mountains over the last 30 years are unusual compared to the past few centuries. Prior studies by the USGS and other institutions attribute the decline to unusual springtime warming, more precipitation falling n
The U.S. Military Leads the Charge on Renewables, Efficiency and Energy Security thinkprogress.org
thinkprogress.org
In Afghanistan and Iraq, 70% of convoys — a key target of improvised explosive devices — are dedicated solely to transporting fuel and water. That's why renewables and efficiency can save lives. JR: A few years ago, I sat on the Defense Science Board Task Force on DoD Energy Strategy, which took t
Saudi oil capacity depleted: Goldman www.reuters.com
www.reuters.com
LONDON (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's cushion of spare oil capacity would shrink to almost nothing if the kingdom quickly ramps up to 10 million barrels per day (bpd), Goldman Sachs' global head of commodities
NOAA: The New Normal is Hot thinkprogress.org
thinkprogress.org
NOAA's National Climatic Data Center has just released an overview of its new "1981-2010 Climate Normals" (PDF here). Meteorologist Paul Douglas, founder and CEO of Broadcast Weather, explains what this means: NOAA just released the latest climate "normals" for the USA. When you hear the "average
Forests 'vital for climate goal' www.bbc.co.uk
www.bbc.co.uk
Europe's forests can play a key role in helping mitigate the impact of climate change, a report described as the most comprehensive of its kind concludes.
Firefighters turn corner on massive Arizona blaze www.reuters.com
www.reuters.com
EAGAR, Ariz (Reuters) - Forest fire officials in eastern Arizona said on Monday they have turned the corner in a 16-day battle against a monster blaze that has destroyed dozens of homes and scorched an
Google invests $280 million in SolarCity money.cnn.com
money.cnn.com
Google and rooftop solar power company SolarCity announced a $280 million investment deal Thursday, the largest such deal for home-based solar power systems in the United States.
Italy's Voters Scrap Nuclear Energy www.huffingtonpost.com
www.huffingtonpost.com
The outcome of this weekend's referendum sends a strong signal to the nuclear energy industry as Italy joins Switzerland and Germany in shelving plans for nuclear energy. The role of the people was critical in each country.
IEA: Geothermal Energy Could Expand Tenfold By 2050 www.nasdaq.com
www.nasdaq.com
NASDAQ News: IEA: Geothermal Energy Could Expand Tenfold By 2050
Cap and trade sparks renewed political debate www.sfgate.com
www.sfgate.com
California is the leader in the fight against climate change in the United States, instituting groundbreaking measures as the federal government's efforts have floundered. But a central piece of the plan to reduce...
Worst Drought /Water Shortage in More Than a Century Threatens Texas Oil, Natural Gas Boom www.bloomberg.com
www.bloomberg.com
The worst Texas drought since record-keeping began 116 years ago may crimp an oil and natural- gas drilling boom as government officials ration water supplies crucial to energy exploration.
Qaddafi Coddled by U.S. Oil Producers www.bloomberg.com
www.bloomberg.com
The week after U.S. oil executives in Libya received tongue-lashings from Muammar Qaddafi and one of his lieutenants in February 2008, Occidental Petroleum Corp . hired an additional lobbyist.
Earless rabbit born near Fukushima nuclear plant www.telegraph.co.uk
www.telegraph.co.uk
A rabbit has been born without ears close to Japan's leaking Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant, triggering new health fears about radiation released since March 11.
Turkey arrests Anonymous members www.bbc.co.uk
www.bbc.co.uk
Turkish police have arrested 32 people believed to be members of hacker collective Anonymous.
Pilot Mr Nerandzic sacrificed himself by ordering his passengers from the airship.
www.heraldsun.com.au
THE Australian pilot of a Goodyear blimp who died in a fireball after crashing the zeppelin in a German airfield screamed "I crashed the airship" before it burst into flames, a passenger who leapt to safety says.
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