13 Sep, 2011

Climate Change Threatens to Increase Hunger in the Pacific – Asian Development Bank

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Climate change threatens to increase hunger and malnutrition among the Pacific region’s poorest people unless there is action soon, says a new report from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The region is already experiencing the harsh effects of climate change, including worsening coastal erosion, floods, drought, and storm surges. These are reducing […]

12 Sep, 2011

New WHO study introduces five smart approaches to governance for health in the 21st century

Baku, 12 September 2011 —  The World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe today announced the findings of a comprehensive study that explores current thinking and innovative practices related to governance for health in the 21st century. The study also makes recommendations on how governments can strengthen governance for health through collaboration. Ministers of health […]

12 Sep, 2011

Asian “Social Entrepreneurs of the Year 2011” Awarded by Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship

Five social entrepreneurs from Cambodia, Japan, the Philippines and Pakistan will be awarded by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship as Asian Social Entrepreneurs of the Year 2011. Joining a global network of leading social entrepreneurs from over 50 countries, the founders of these organizations will be actively participating in the Annual Meeting of New […]

12 Sep, 2011

The Free World must not use fear and rage to fight terrorism – Haaretz

A general War on Terror makes no more sense than a general War on Illness. We all want terror to stop – and we all want illnesses to be vanquished. But anyone who would declare war on illness would be looked at as totally irrational: You can research cancer (actually, many different forms of it), […]

12 Sep, 2011

End of innocence: a world-changing event – Ramesh Thakur

Terrorism is an extreme denial of the most basic human right, namely to life, and it creates an environment in which people cannot live in freedom from fear and enjoy their other rights. But the threat of terrorism can be used by governments to enact laws that curtail civil liberties and political freedoms. Without new […]

12 Sep, 2011

Cagle Post » 9/11 And Its Great Transformations

Cheney, as much or more than anyone else in the post-9/11 period, used the loopholes in our system, the lack of nerve in Washington and fear created by that day to transform this nation slowly into something we would not have recognized as recently as the late 90s or dawn of the 2000s. We became […]

12 Sep, 2011

Chris Hedges: A Decade After 9/11: We Are What We Loathe – Truthdig

Because few cared to examine our activities in the Muslim world, the attacks became certified as incomprehensible by the state and its lap dogs, the press. Those who carried out the attacks were branded as rising out of a culture and religion that was at best primitive and probably evil. The Quran—although it forbids suicide […]

12 Sep, 2011

Let’s Put 9/11 Behind Us and End the Blank Check it Has Become for America’s Endless Wars | AlterNet

Ask yourself this: ten years into the post-9/11 era, haven’t we had enough of ourselves? If we have any respect for history or humanity or decency left, isn’t it time to rip the Band-Aid off the wound, to remove 9/11 from our collective consciousness? No more invocations of those attacks to explain otherwise inexplicable wars […]

10 Sep, 2011

Empire of Chaos: How 9/11 Shaped the Politics of a Failing State | AlterNet

Shortly after the attacks, the historian Immanuel Wallerstein suggested the American hegemony could go down one of two paths. The first was managing a soft decline. The other was a crash landing. It’s not hard to see which path we’ve been on since 9/11. via Empire of Chaos: How 9/11 Shaped the Politics of a […]

10 Sep, 2011

Time to “Come to Grips With Some Irrefutable Truths”

Prof Chandra Muzaffar

How do we overcome, or at least reduce, the negative impact of the 9-11 episode? Both the centres of power in the West and certain elements in the Muslim world should be prepared to come to grips with some irrefutable truths.

10 Sep, 2011

Honoring 9/11 by Upholding Freedom

Farhana Khera, President & Executive Director, Muslim Advocates

We are at a pivotal moment in our nation’s history, a moment that will define our generation as one that upheld our values, or succumbed to fear. Now, more than ever, we need all Americans to come together, united against hate and fear, and to stand up for freedom.

10 Sep, 2011

The Day “America” Changed for the World

Jim Dator

The difference between the way the American media and the media of all the rest of the world portray these events is stunning. If it weren’t for overseas trips, online news, and personal correspondence via the internet, many of us would never be able to understand what is going on if all we had was American news and publications to guide us.

10 Sep, 2011

An American-Palestinian Reflection on 9/11

Prof Mazin Qumsiyeh, Ph.D.

On this sad anniversary, there are a lot of “what if” scenarios being discussed and healthy reflections around the world. For example, what if the US and Israel obeyed international law? What if we did not illegally invade and occupy Iraq and Afghanistan? What if Israel was forced to comply with UN resolutions on withdrawal from illegally occupied areas and forced to allow the ethnically-cleansed Palestinians to return to their homes and lands? In short what if we did not send the message that might makes right but rather that rights make things right?

10 Sep, 2011

Imtiaz Muqbil’s TEDx Talk: How the World Can Attain “Peace Through Tourism”

=============

Sawasdee khrap, Namaskar, Sat Sri Kal and Salaamualaikum Thank you for inviting me here today. The TEDx theme requires speakers to present ideas worth spreading. So in the interests of meeting my 18 minute time limit, let me just get stuck into it. My topic today is “Peace Through Tourism”. In my website introduction to […]

10 Sep, 2011

Noda apologizes for gov’t response to Fukushima | Majirox News

FUKUSHIMA (majirox news) — Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda apologized Sept. 8 for the national government’s inadequate response to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear crisis. Noda bowed deeply in apology before a meeting with Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato, telling him that a visit to the radiation-spewing plant earlier in the day had showed him the enormity of […]

10 Sep, 2011

Sea radiation ‘3 times higher than thought’ : The Daily Yomiuri

The total amount of radioactive substances released into the sea as a result of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant is believed to have been three times the initial estimate by the plant’s operator, according to the Japan Atomic Energy Agency. A team led by senior researcher Takuya Kobayashi estimated the […]

10 Sep, 2011

When attacked, US ‘will come and get you’: Panetta | DAWN.COM

WASHINGTON: America’s response to 9/11 shows that “you don’t mess” with the United States and that when attacked, “we will come and get you,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Friday. Panetta — who as former CIA director oversaw the raid that killed Al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden on May 2 –said the hijackers underestimated […]

10 Sep, 2011

Plain packets would cut number of women smokers, says report – The Independent

Wrapping cigarettes in plain packaging and banning the sale of colourful, branded packs could help to reduce tobacco consumption among smokers, especially young women who smoke, a study has found. Researchers found a marked reduction in tobacco consumption among a group of 48 smokers who were given dummy, plain packs of cigarettes to use over […]

10 Sep, 2011

Google emits around 1.5m tonnes of CO2 per year, about the same as the UN – The Independent

Google’s carbon footprint is larger than those of 61 states and islands, it has been revealed after the company released its environmental figures for the first time yesterday. The internet giant said it emits around 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 per year, approximately the same amount as the United Nations. But it says that its […]

10 Sep, 2011

Our legacy of 9/11 was a dictatorial and dysfunctional government – Andreas Whittam Smith, The Independent

Ten years after 9/11, it is time to establish how it was that the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, was able to take us to war on his own say-so. The answer, which couldn’t be foretold beforehand, was that Mr Blair would govern more like a president than a prime minister. Under British constitutional arrangements, there […]

10 Sep, 2011

Perhaps Israelis need humiliation to respect others – Haaretz

The Israeli response that has followed the harassment of Israeli Turkish Airlines passengers who experienced detention and intrusive body searches upon their arrival at Istanbul airport on Monday, borders on hysteria and hypocrisy. The incident was blown out of all proportion and immediately became an additional and unnecessary chapter in the friction between Turkey and […]

9 Sep, 2011

China to help firms investing abroad – chinadaily.com.cn

XIAMEN, Fujian – Chinese firms need a more “open and convenient” global investment climate and the government will introduce measures to help companies invest internationally, the country’s top commerce official said on Thursday. The government will launch more measures to aid companies investing overseas and create a win-win situation for both China and other countries, […]

9 Sep, 2011

New western colonialism emerges in Libya – People’s Daily Online

France has long viewed its active interference in Libya’s military conflicts as “investments in the future.” Even the United States, which was unwilling to take the lead in interfering in the conflicts, has changed its attitude and dispatched a high-level delegation led by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the conference in Paris to discuss […]

9 Sep, 2011

The unlearnt lessons of 9/11 today – People’s Daily Online

A decade after 9/11, it appears that those sentiments of rage and revenge are the ones that have won out. A quick glance at any newspaper or news website tells you that the level of violence in the world is on the rise, not decreasing. Certainly, rage is an appropriate emotional response when something as […]

9 Sep, 2011

9/11 marked turning point in world landscape – People’s Daily Online

East Asia is a priority for the America’s “back to Asia” strategy. Apart from showcasing “muscles” in the region, the United States is more inclined to adopt the so-called “smart power.” It sows seeds of discord to stir up trouble, lets other nations make trouble or even backs up both opposition sides at the same […]

8 Sep, 2011

A Decade Since 9/11: Compendium of Commentaries to Help “Awaken” Travel & Tourism

Imtiaz Muqbil

This dispatch contains a compendium of commentaries and analysis that challenge conventional wisdom and offer alternative perspectives on the aftermath of 9/11. A brief excerpt is reproduced, with links to the full story.

8 Sep, 2011

Libya’s Next Fight: The West | Truthout

While Libyans fought against brutality, guided by a once distant hope of freedom, democracy and liberation from the grip of a clownish and delusional dictator, NATO calculations had nothing but a self-serving agenda in mind. In his brilliant and newly released book, “Postmodern Imperialism: Geopolitics and the Great Game,” Eric Walberg astutely charts NATO’s role […]

7 Sep, 2011

Asia Times Online : Was there an alternative?

By Noam Chomsky We are approaching the 10th anniversary of the horrendous atrocities of September 11, 2001, which, it is commonly held, changed the world. On May 1, the presumed mastermind of the crime, Osama bin Laden, was assassinated in Pakistan by a team of elite US commandos, Navy SEALs, after he was captured, unarmed […]

7 Sep, 2011

What a Difference a Decade Makes: Ten Years of “Homeland Security” | Truthout

On August 5, 2002, President George Bush declared, “We’re fighting … to secure freedom in the homeland.” Strikingly, he did not use the word “nation,” or “republic,” but instead adopted a term, with its Germanic overtones of blood, roots and loyalty going back generations, for a country that is not the ancestral home of most […]

7 Sep, 2011

America, Protect Your Own Interests, Not Israel’s – Media Monitors Network

“The Palestinians’ bid for statehood in the United Nations is not in the United States’ interests,” a U.S. State Department official said to me in a closed meeting a few months ago. “Therefore, the United States cannot support the Palestinian move.” What a sham. Last month, this same State Department sent out messages to over […]

7 Sep, 2011

UN Panel of Inquiry shows Israel is an ‘Untouchable’ Rogue State – Media Monitors Network

After months of waiting, the UN’s panel of inquiry has come up with a report reviewing Israel’s May 31, 2010 raid on a Turkish-based flotilla that was trying to bring humanitarian aid to the Palestinians of Gaza. The report assailed Israel for the way in which the nine passengers were killed and scores of others […]

7 Sep, 2011

The Future of the Libyan revolution – by Dr. Mohamed Elmasry

My two personal contacts with Libya have been at airports and both were shocking. The first was at Tripoli airport seven years ago. The airport was in a very bad shape considering I was at the capital of an oil rich country. I wondered then why few billion dollars were not spent on the facility. […]

7 Sep, 2011

For the Love of Israel: Congresswoman’s Misguided War on the UN – By Ramzy Baroud

From an Israeli point of view, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is the ideal American politician. Although many in the US government aspire to her level of commitment to Israel, few can measure up to a dedication that extends beyond the very interests of her own country. “Lawless extremists infest Congress like crabgrass besets lawns. House Foreign […]

7 Sep, 2011

The Hindu : “Print media expanding its presence in South Asia”

The newspaper industry is invested with the resilience of 400 years, and the belief that it is in a crisis is misleading, Jacob Mathew, president, WAN-IFRA, said on Tuesday. Speaking at the inaugural of WAN-IFRA India 2011, 19th annual conference held here, Mr. Mathew said the print media was expanding its presence in the South […]

6 Sep, 2011

Croatia Chalks up Summer Success but Mexico Lifts Crown for Growth

Croatia is the only destination to feature in Post Office® Fastest Growing Currencies summer top ten for three years running · Mexico hits the holiday top spot with growth of 144 per cent · Thailand recovers from troubles but Egypt’s currency sales slump With demand fuelled by low-cost all-inclusive deals and direct BA flights to […]

6 Sep, 2011

China’s ODI up 21.7%, 5th worldwide — chinadaily.com.cn

XIAMEN – China’s outbound direct investment (ODI) surged 21.7 percent year-on-year to $68.81 billion in 2010, growing for the ninth straight year and recording an average annual growth rate of 49.9 percent, according to a government report issued Tuesday. Non-financial ODI climbed 25.9 percent to $60.18 billion last year, while the country’s overseas investment in […]

6 Sep, 2011

US dollar depreciation will not fix debt dilemma – People’s Daily Online

As the U.S. debt dilemma evolves, market players speculate that the United States will try to solve its debt issue by depreciating the U.S. dollar once again. Will the United States launch the third round of quantitative easing? The Chairman of U.S. Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke has postponed the answer to this question until the […]

6 Sep, 2011

No end in sight for crisis of Western capitalism – People’s Daily Online

Recently a series of shocking incidents have happened successively in the West. The US credit rating was downgraded for the first time in a century. The European sovereign debt crisis keeps worsening. A shocking terrorist attack hit in Norway. A serious riot of a kind not seen since the early 1980s broke out in England. […]

5 Sep, 2011

San Francisco Chinese Medicine College President to Speak at WFCMS International Congress on Sustainable Harvest of Ingredients

Addressing the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies (WFCMS) at its 8th International Congress in London next month, Lixin Huang, president of the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM) will present an overview of the San Francisco Chinese medicine college’s groundbreaking work on issues of sustainability in Chinese herbal medicine, as well as the […]

5 Sep, 2011

The Axis of Evil – 10 years on | DAWN.COM

It’s nearly a decade since President Bush first used the term Axis of Evil to describe Iran, Iraq and North Korea. So widely reported, it provoked a flurry of other axes. A couple of months later, US diplomat, John Bolton tagged on Libya, Syria and Cuba to the mix in his “Beyond the Axis of […]

5 Sep, 2011

US harms self, others with trade protectionism – People’s Daily Online

Recently, the U.S. Department of Commerce preliminarily judged that it would impose high tariffs on a part of steel wheel hubs and galvanized steel wires imported from China to offset the subsidies given by the Chinese Government to the exporters. Earlier, the U.S. Department of Commerce also imposed anti-subsidy duties on the drill pipes and […]

5 Sep, 2011

It’s time to end the war on terror — Slate Magazine

Days after 9/11, President Bush declared a war on terror that would “not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.” At first, his rhetoric served as an empowering battle cry for an enraged, disillusioned public. Ten years later, his words are a poignant reminder of the thousands of […]

5 Sep, 2011

The true cost of 9/11 – By Joseph E. Stiglitz, Slate Magazine

The Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks by al-Qaida were meant to harm the United States, and they did, but in ways that Osama Bin Laden probably never imagined. President George W. Bush’s response to the attacks compromised America’s basic principles, undermined its economy, and weakened its security. The attack on Afghanistan that followed the 9/11 […]

5 Sep, 2011

The price we paid for the war on terror – The Washington Post

We stopped investing in our infrastructure — think what $3 trillion could do for roads, research, education or even private investment, if part of that sum had simply been left in taxpayers’ pockets — and we missed the chance to rethink our national energy policy. After Sept. 11, the president could have declared an emergency […]

5 Sep, 2011

Dozens of Israelis questioned at length upon landing in Turkey – Haaretz

Some 40 Israelis on board a Turkish Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Istanbul were separated from the rest of the passengers upon arrival in Turkey on Monday and were questioned at length by Turkish police, marking a highly unusual event against the backdrop of a deepening diplomatic crisis between Turkey and Israel. Turkish police […]

5 Sep, 2011

Turkey citizens routinely humiliated at Israel’s airport – Haaretz

Foreign Ministry officials told Haaretz on Monday that over the past year, there were dozens of complaints on the part of Turkish citizens who claimed they were humiliated by Israeli security personnel at Ben-Gurion airport. The officials also said that almost every Turkish citizen who arrives at Ben-Gurion airport undergoes a routine procedure of extensive, […]

5 Sep, 2011

Racism on the rise in Europe – Opinion – Al Jazeera English

In the wake of the atrocities in Norway perpetrated by Anders Behring Breivik, it is still unclear whether he was part of a wider conspiracy, but alarm bells are now ringing across Europe about the threat from far-right extremist groups. With no end in sight to the economic crisis afflicting many nations, the growing fear […]

5 Sep, 2011

PATA Seeks “Clean Slate” Before New CEO Announcement

Imtiaz Muqbil

Bangkok — Heavy-duty restructuring is under way at the Pacific Asia Travel Association as it prepares to “start off with a clean slate” before the announcement of a new CEO at the annual PATA Travel Mart in New Delhi this week.

5 Sep, 2011

Revealed: Australians at the console of Kill TV, when drone strikes take out Afghan targets

Special forces are involved in this silent and deadly form of 21st century warfare, their commander confirms to Rafael Epstein. Australia’s special forces commander has defended his troops’ use of US drones to kill insurgent leaders in southern Afghanistan, a deadly military tactic that gives the enemy no chance to surrender. Major-General Peter ”Gus” Gilmore […]

5 Sep, 2011

‘Twitter terrorists’ face 30 years in jail for inciting mass panic – SMH

A former teacher turned radio commentator and a maths tutor who lives with his mother are facing possible 30-year sentences for terrorism and sabotage in what may be the most serious charges ever brought against anyone using a Twitter social network account. Prosecutors say the defendants helped cause a chaos of car crashes and panic […]

4 Sep, 2011

Will US do the right thing? | Opinion | DAWN.COM

WINSTON Churchill once quipped that the US always does the right thing — after trying everything else first. Well, when the right thing comes this time, it will be a long time coming. The US is a country obsessed with instant gratification, defying patience. It likes to indulge in gluttony of all kinds almost tempting […]

4 Sep, 2011

UN-Backed Climate Change Technology Mechanism Team Concludes First Meeting

Sep  3 2011 (UN News Centre) – Members of the technology executive committee created under the United Nations climate change convention to facilitate the use of technology to support mitigation and adaptation to climate change concluded their first meeting on Saturday, saying they had made important progress on issues discussed. Meeting in Bonn, members of […]

4 Sep, 2011

Chinese Police dog patrols lead to fewer crimes — chinadaily.com.cn

BEIJING – An 8 million yuan ($1,252,000) investment in dog patrols in Daxing district is already paying off with crime figures down and residents saying they feel much safer. Zhou Yucong is happy to see police officers with dogs patrolling the area where she lives. “I feel much safer going home late,” said 23-year-old Zhou […]

4 Sep, 2011

More Chinese children flying solo | chinadaily.com.cn

Eleven-year-old Guo Yongyi quickly finds her place in row 38 on the three-hour morning flight from Beijing to Shenzhen, Guangdong province. She takes the window seat and calls for the flight attendant to ask for a blanket, places her purple backpack under the seat in front of her and fastens her seat belt. Guo has […]

4 Sep, 2011

Central Asia caucus calls for Free Trade Pact | Economy | chinadaily.com.cn

URUMQI – High-ranking officials from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member nations and experts on Friday called for the establishment of a massive free-trade area (FTA) across the region to facilitate trade among one-fourth of the world’s population. “China believes the relevant parties should make full use of the current mechanism and discuss the feasibility […]

4 Sep, 2011

Chinese PM calls for sustainable use of land, resources – People’s Daily Online

BEIJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) — Premier Wen Jiabao called for more sustainable usage of land and natural resources during his Friday inspection of the Ministry of Land and Resources. Wen urged improvements in the management of China’s land and mineral resources, as well as more accurate mapping of geographical information, in order to better promote […]

4 Sep, 2011

Despite obesity, Chinese turn out to be healthier – People’s Daily Online

BEIJING – Even as more and more of the Chinese population is becoming overweight and elderly, residents’ health has improved steadily since 2005, according to a recent report. After studying the health of 231,925 adults for 19 months, the State General Administration of Sport announced the results of its third national physical condition survey on […]

4 Sep, 2011

South African Minister Likens Rhino Poaching To Looting Of National Treasure

PRETORIA, Aug 30 (NNN-BUANEWS) — South African Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa has likened the poaching of rhinos to looting national treasures and urged South Africans to work with law enforcement agencies and game park authorities to stop the scourge. “The on-going scourge of rhino poaching in our country is an area of […]

3 Sep, 2011

Western countries should rethink consumerism – People’s Daily Online

Project Syndicate, an international newspaper syndicate, recently published a commentary titled “Is Capitalism Doomed?” on its website, commenting on the slide of Western capitalist countries into economic, political and social crises. Many Westerners have attributed the crises to the incompetence of governments. Some people ascribed the global financial crisis to a lack of government supervision. […]

3 Sep, 2011

The Republican dilemma | Jordan Times

By James J. Zogby. Over the past few weeks, the Republican presidential primary contest has become more confusing and, for some in the GOP, disheartening. For months now, the rather lacklustre field of 10 or so announced Republican candidates has been raising money, hiring staff, and campaigning vigorously in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina […]

3 Sep, 2011

14 risky fault lines found near N-plants : DAILY YOMIURI ONLINE

There are 14 potentially active fault lines in areas near the crisis-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and other nuclear-related facilities, the government has announced. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency announced the results of research undertaken by power utilities following the Great East Japan Earthquake. The 14 faults discovered to be potentially active […]

3 Sep, 2011

Yakuza Friendly Hotels — on the way out

As a part of broader initiatives to expel organized crime from business, new “yakuza exclusion” provisions by the Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) go into effect today. The JTA maintains a “Model Accommodation Contract”, which serves as a widely-accepted set of guidelines recommended for hotels, ryokans, and other lodging facilities. The agency explains on its website: […]

3 Sep, 2011

Revival of the Eurasian Corridor | DAWN.COM

The modern day Eurasian Corridor is said to be the area covering Central Asia and the former CIS states ultimately connecting Eastern Europe and South Asia. With the British being a major exception, conquerors of the Indian Sub-Continent, from the Aryans and Alexander the Great to Mahmood Ghaznavi and the Mughals, had used this route […]

3 Sep, 2011

Indian ministers declare assets, Kamal Nath richest – Hindustan Times

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his ministerial team on Saturday declared their assets that places his own wealth at Rs5.1 crore, while urban development minister Kamal Nath is richest with over Rs250 crore. Defence minister AK Antony seems the poorest with Rs 35 lakh. The declaration, required under the code of conduct for ministers, also […]

3 Sep, 2011

Int’l Water Forum To Open Sept 16 at UN in New York

When the United Nations General Assembly opens its 66th session this September in New York, water scarcity and its interrelated issues of climate change and drought, global security and sustainable development will be a top priority. On September 16, 2011, the International Water Forum at the United Nations will convene world leaders, academics, non-governmental organizations, […]

3 Sep, 2011

London to Host First Global Broadcast Summit | Business Wire

London has been chosen as the host city for the first Global Broadcast Summit to take place on 15-16 May 2012. The Summit will bring together, by invitation only, Chief Executives of the world’s leading broadcasters, as well as regulators and government officials to debate and discuss the global broadcast industry from a strategic economic, […]

3 Sep, 2011

Obama Administration to Enact More Burdensome Regulations on Small Businesses | Business Wire

Federal small business contracting programs have been plagued by rampant fraud and abuse for over a decade. Federal law requires 23 percent of all federal contracts be awarded to small businesses. Yet the Obama Administration’s 2010 small business contracting data showed that most small business contracts actually go to large businesses. An ASBL analysis of […]

3 Sep, 2011

Mr. President, It Is Time to Think Big | Business Wire

Message from United Food and Commercial Workers International Union President Joseph Hansen to President Obama: In all this turmoil, many Americans have lost confidence in their government and believe they will never achieve the American dream of owning a home, sending their children to college or retiring comfortably. If the national conversation continues to be […]

3 Sep, 2011

U.S. sues major banks over Fannie, Freddie losses – The Washington Post

The suits, brought by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, name 17 domestic and foreign banks as defendants. Among them: Bank of America, J.P. Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup and Deutsche Bank. According to the court filings, those firms and others “falsely represented” the quality of the loans that were bundled into securities and […]

3 Sep, 2011

‘Top Secret America’: A look at the military’s Joint Special Operations Command – The Washington Post

CIA operatives have imprisoned and interrogated nearly 100 suspected terrorists in their former secret prisons around the world, but troops from this other secret organization have imprisoned and interrogated 10 times as many, holding them in jails that it alone controls in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, this secretive group of […]

3 Sep, 2011

Don’t Fear Islamic Law in America – Op-ed NYTimes.com

Most Americans today would be appalled if Muslims suffered from legally sanctioned discrimination as Jews once did in Europe. Still, there are signs that many Americans view Muslims in this country as disloyal. A recent Gallup poll found that only 56 percent of Protestants think that Muslims are loyal Americans. This suspicion and mistrust is […]

3 Sep, 2011

Out of the rubble, a world in fear of itself – Sydney Morning Herald

September 11 was the last hurrah of bin Laden’s band of gangsters, who spent their last years watching and making onanistic videotapes. Their delusions looped the loop and met up with the wackiest of ours. Did al-Qaeda really destroy the Twin Towers, or was it the CIA? Dick Cheney? International Jewry? In some ways, the […]

3 Sep, 2011

Robert Fisk: For 10 years, we’ve lied to ourselves – The Independent

The motivation for the attacks was “ducked” even by the official 9/11 report, say the authors. The commissioners had disagreed on this “issue” – cliché code word for “problem” – and its two most senior officials, Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, were later to explain: “This was sensitive ground …Commissioners who argued that al-Qa’ida was […]

3 Sep, 2011

Iraq and Afghanistan on Stage – Book Review – Truthdig

With our volunteer army, and the raw wound of 9/11 fading with time, it is easy for us to ignore these wars and their destruction. But with so many soldiers returning with grave injuries, some diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, others unable to find employment or housing, and increasing numbers resorting to violence, we must […]

3 Sep, 2011

FOIA | Surveillance | Immigration – Surveillance in the Homeland

Ten years after the devastating attacks on New York and Washington, the fundamental promises of American democracy are hanging by a thin thread. Promoted by a culture of war and fear, the US government has steadily chipped away at those legal protections that enabled ‘we the people’ to rule ourselves. “Ten Years Later: Surveillance in […]

3 Sep, 2011

9/11 After A Decade: Have We Learned Anything?

The US government’s account of 9/11 is the foundation of the open-ended wars that are exhausting America’s resources and destroying its reputation, and it is the foundation of the domestic police state that ultimately will shut down all opposition to the wars. Americans are bound to the story of the 9/11 Muslim terrorist attack, because […]

2 Sep, 2011

Breakdown: The new WikiLeaks scoops – Salon.com

Last week, the whistle-blowing organization dropped 120,000 more diplomatic cables, apparently drawn from the cache of 250,000 first tapped last November. But whereas the group previously collaborated with newspapers such as the New York Times and the Guardian — and redacted potentially sensitive information — the new batch of documents is unredacted. Government sources worry […]

2 Sep, 2011

Welcome to dragnet surveillance – 9/11 – Salon.com

There was little surprising about recent revelations of the New York City Police Department’s program, developed in secret with the aid of CIA officials, to collect swaths of information about the city’s 800,000-strong Muslim population. The story illustrates that government surveillance of innocent law-abiding Americans is not an emergency measure undertaken after 9/11 and subsequently […]

2 Sep, 2011

Venus Williams’ Withdrawal from U.S. Open Alerts Women to Threat of Autoimmune Disease

New York, NY (PRWEB) September 01, 2011 — The stunning announcement last night of Venus Williams’ withdrawal from the U.S. Open tennis tournament due to a debilitating and difficult to diagnose autoimmune disease is important news for all women suffering similar symptoms. The Lupus Research Institute (LRI) President Margaret Dowd encourages women to speak to […]

2 Sep, 2011

World manufacturing figures to be lower this year as industrial production slows — UNIDO

VIENNA, 1 September 2011 – The world manufacturing output growth is expected to be slower this year compared to last year even despite high growth rates in developing countries, says a report released today by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). According to the report, the world manufacturing output rose by 5.2 per cent […]

2 Sep, 2011

Fakebook for iPhone; Let the Facebook Pranks Begin

FRESNO, Calif., Sept. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-iReach/ — YourFav, LLC today announced the launch of FAKEBOOK, the ultimate Facebook pranking mobile app that is now available for download at the Apple App Store and can be purchased through iTunes, or directly on iPhone or iPod touch. FAKEBOOK is an innovative and entertaining app that will have […]

1 Sep, 2011

Libya: The triumphalism of the US media – Al Jazeera English

“Victory” in Libya has prompted a renewal of triumphalism in the US media. Like a slightly drunken crowd at a football match giddily shouting “U-S-A”, editors and producers keep thumping their chests long after it stops being attractive.   When Obama announced the anti-Gaddafi bombing campaign in March, Stephen Walt issued a relatively safe pair […]

1 Sep, 2011

Football superstar Marta visits Sierra Leone to promote women’s empowerment | UNDP

Fresh from her women’s soccer championship win in the United States, the world’s top female player, Marta Vieira da Silva, today kicks off a two-day visit to Sierra Leone to highlight the country’s efforts to empower women. Vieira da Silva, a Brazilian national known to her fans as Marta, is a Goodwill Ambassador for the […]

1 Sep, 2011

New Yorkers Join Israeli Social Protest

New York, NY (PRWEB) August 31, 2011 — Inspired by the seven-week-long protest for greater social justice that have already taken several hundred thousand Israelis to the streets, a group of New Yorkers decided to join in and created “Friends of Israeli Tent Protest”. Some are Israelis living or studying in the Big Apple, some […]

1 Sep, 2011

After 9/11, Curiosity over Islam Leads to Conversion on EthicsDaily.com

BOSTON (RNS) Like a lot of other people in the haze and confusion of the 9/11 attacks, Johannah Segarich asked herself: “What kind of religion is this that could inspire people to do this?” She had studied other religions, but never Islam. So she bought a copy of the Quran, wondering if her notions of […]

1 Sep, 2011

6 Unexpected Places You Can Be Tracked With Facial Recognition Technology – AlterNet

August 30, 2011  — Earlier this summer Facebook rolled out facial recognition software that identifies users even when they appear in untagged photos. Like every other time the social networking site has introduced a creepy, invasive new feature, they made it the default setting without telling anyone. Once people realized that Facebook was basically harvesting […]

1 Sep, 2011

aGREATER.US Offers Young Americans Access to Political Change As Youth Unemployment Soars

Hartford, CT (PRWEB) August 31, 2011 — A new study by the U.S. Department of Labor shows the recession and unemployment continues to plague youth ages 16 to 24 as well as recent college graduates. In fact, the recent study showed the labor force participation rate in July 2011 for all youth ages 16 to […]

1 Sep, 2011

Tea Party Opponents Release Campaign Attack Ad

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) August 31, 2011 — The Tea Party has largely gone unchallenged with their strong rhetoric and having tapped into the general discontent in the electorate. However, they are now being challenged directly with the release of a new campaign commercial produced by AAD Media Consultants The commercial has no narration, and is […]

1 Sep, 2011

China Daily Launches US Weekly

BEIJING and NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — China Daily, China’s national English-language newspaper group, announced today the launch of a 24-page full-color weekly tabloid distributed along with its Friday edition in the United States — the latest move by the Chinese media to increase their footprint in the U.S. and expand their services […]

1 Sep, 2011

Kronos Global Absence Survey Shows Employees around the World Playing Hooky with China Leading the Pack | Business Wire

A new global survey commissioned by The Workforce Institute™ at Kronos Incorporated and conducted by Harris Interactive reveals that employees in Australia, Canada, China, France, India, Mexico, the U.K., and the U.S., have all, to varying degrees, played hooky – called in sick to work when they were not actually sick. The Kronos Global Absence […]

1 Sep, 2011

10 New Video Shorts to Increase Disability Awareness | Business Wire

ATLANTA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Last month, at its Making A Difference Annual Appreciation Ceremony in Atlanta, the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) premiered the centerpiece presentation in a series of video shorts developed to raise public awareness about issues pertaining to people with developmental disabilities. Subsequently, nine topic-specific stories have been released online to round out the […]

1 Sep, 2011

The Next Banking Crisis Starts Here – Money Morning

By Shah Gilani, Capital Waves Strategist, Money Morning Fears of a banking crisis and rolling contagion are making global stock and bond markets extraordinarily volatile – and with good reason. Another financial meltdown, on par with what we saw in 2008, is looming large on the horizon. One of two potential triggers could ignite a […]

1 Sep, 2011

London Cabs Launches Three Times Faster Online MiniCab Booking

London, UK (PRWEB) August 31, 2011 — London Cabs are pleased to announce the launch of a quick and simple online booking facility. With London Cabs, a minicab can be booked in 30 seconds in three simple steps. Simply type the start point and destination, amount of passengers and time of travel followed by a […]

1 Sep, 2011

New Product Invented to Revolutionize the Way We Use Public Restrooms

The new patent pending Seat-B-Clean™ toilet seat wipes and dispensers are mounted inside the restroom stalls of public facilities and provide a quick, easy and sanitary solution. The plastic dispensers will remind you of a typical baby wipe column shaped unit but are wall mounted and have a much greater capacity for commercial use, the […]

1 Sep, 2011

Eight Business Lessons Dating Company Bosses Have Learnt

LONDON, August 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ —  Global Personals Limited has grown from humble beginnings operating out of founder Ross’s apartment to becoming one of the most successful online dating companies in the world. Now employing over 95 full time staff with annualised revenues in excess of £30million, the company has now approached its 8th birthday. […]

1 Sep, 2011

Economy Trumps Terrorism as Top Concern

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A decade after 9/11, only 16% of Americans believe terrorism is the most important issue in the world, according to a new survey on Americans’ interest in international concerns and related behaviors. Economic weakness and unemployment were identified as the chief concern for most Americans, with twice as […]

1 Sep, 2011

CFOs Earn Less than 40% of Average CEO Compensation, BDO Analysis Finds | Business Wire

CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The gap between CEO and CFO pay is growing. Middle-market CFOs earn an average of $927,743, around 40 percent of CEO pay ($2,338,874), according to an analysis of 600 public companies conducted by BDO USA, LLP, a leading accounting and consulting organization. Both groups saw significant pay increases, with CFO pay up 19 percent […]