February 2010
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“I think there are so many signs of people being hungry for involvement in...”
– Zephyr Teachout (via unburyingthelead)
January 2010
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Haiti, Congo, disasters, and humanitarian response...
I’ve hesitated saying anything about this, but since other, smarter people are speaking out about it, I thought I’d throw in a few words as well.
So here it is: The earthquake that hit Haiti is probably the best thing that could have happened to them.
I’m not saying I’m glad it happened. It’s horrible and heartbreaking, and part of me of course wishes it never...
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U.S. suspends medical evacuations from Haiti →
unburyingthelead:
anthropophagous:
The U.S. military said on Friday it has stopped flying Haitian earthquake victims to the United States for medical attention following concerns by some state governments about who will pay for the treatment.
“At this moment in time, yes, the flights have stopped,” said Navy Captain Kevin Aandahl, a spokesman for the U.S. Transportation Command, which manages...
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China warns US over proposed arms sales to Taiwan →
secrets0ciety:
China has expressed its outrage over a proposed US weapons sale to Taiwan, worth $6.4bn (£4bn), including helicopters and missiles. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei said the move would have a “serious negative impact” on co-operation between the US and China.
“The United States’ announcement of the planned weapons sales to Taiwan will have a seriously negative impact on...
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Nigeria militants end truce in Niger Delta oil... →
secrets0ciety:
The main rebel group in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta says it is ending the ceasefire it declared last October. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Delta (Mend) said it did not believe the government would restore control of resources to local people.
Mend has demanded that residents be given a greater share in profits from oil resources and land. It warned oil companies to...
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krona:
Beirut - The Flying Club Cup
Absolutely...
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“What’s Left Of The Flag” -...
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“Apple now owns and controls their own mobile CPUs. There aren’t many companies...”
– Daring Fireball: The iPad Big Picture (via mikehudack)
The implications of this on a business level are really astounding, and I’m honestly surprised more people aren’t talking about it. (via spytap)
Very good point. On the business side of things, that’s pretty huge.
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“Our problem is civil obedience. Our problem is the numbers of people all over...”
– Howard Zinn, “The Problem is Civil Disobedience” speech at Johns Hopkins University, November 1970
RIP
(via lavenderlines: spaceships: meganwest)
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Public Concern Decreasing Regarding Climate Change →
secrets0ciety:
Concern about global warming among U.S. adults has dropped significantly, a new poll says, with fewer than 50 percent of Americans saying they are “somewhat” or “very worried” — a 13 percent decrease from a poll taken in October 2008. The percentage of Americans who believe global warming is occurring fell 14 percent to 57 percent, and the percentage who think global warming is...
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“Tom Cruz” - Plants and Animals
This...
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One Third of Women in the Military are Raped →
lizlet:
ericmortensen: robot-heart-politics: bmckinney: abbyjean:
In 2003, a survey of female veterans found that 30 percent said they were raped in the military. A 2004 study of veterans who were seeking help for post-traumatic stress disorder found that 71 percent of the women said they were sexually assaulted or raped while serving. And a 1995 study of female veterans of the Gulf and...
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Nigeria: 'Our homes were razed' →
secrets0ciety:
Awalu Mohamed was one of the first to arrive in the mining village of Kuru Karama to discover burned human remains and corpses thrown into communal wells and sewage pits.
“There are so many, many corpses,” says Mr Mohamed, of the Jamatu Nasril Islam aid group. He described how 62 corpses were pulled from the wells on the first day, but aid workers had no equipment to reach those...
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'Oral sex' definition prompts dictionary ban in US... →
Dictionaries have been removed from classrooms in southern California schools after a parent complained about a child reading the definition for “oral sex”. Merriam Webster’s 10th edition, which has been used for the past few years in fourth and fifth grade classrooms (for children aged nine to 10) in Menifee Union school district, has been pulled from shelves over fears that...
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Proposition 8 trial at a crossroads →
The stream of experts called by the plaintiffs who recounted the history of discrimination against gays and lesbians; research on the ability of same-sex couples to raise children and the harm to the couples of being denied the right to marry; and the lack of political clout that leaves gay people vulnerable in protecting their rights. In each instance, Proposition 8 lawyers sought to depict the...
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“You know what drives me crazy? It’s all these people talking about how great...”
– Food for thought from Before Sunrise. I’ll never tire of that film. (via hndrk)
Completely agree.
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“All I ask is one thing — I’m asking this particularly of young...”
– Conan O’Brien on his last episode of The Tonight Show
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WatchConan O’Brien’s last episode of The Tonight Show.
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Guantanamo group of 47 'should be held... →
secrets0ciety:
A task force on the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay has advised that 47 inmates should be held indefinitely without trial, officials say.
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“Put simply, I hate fashion. I scowl at Harper’s. I snarl at W. I spit at Vogue....”
– Tanya Gold (via gauntlet) (via unburyingthelead)
The full article is an interesting and worthwhile read.
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“School Uniform” - The Wombats
These...
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Political Fallout From the Supreme Court Ruling →
“With its ruling today, the Supreme Court has given a green light to a new stampede of special interest money in our politics,” Mr. Obama said. “It is a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans.”
As if Richard K. Morgan’s Market...
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The NYT's paywall →
The NYT story makes it clear that the only thing which seems to matter here is money, as opposed to brand value:
The approach the company took is “the one that after much research and study we determined has the most upside in both” subscriptions and advertising, Mr. Nisenholtz said. “We’re trying to maximize revenue. We’re not saying we want to put this revenue stream above that revenue...
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Mixed welcome for U.S. troops [Haiti] →
Interesting bit of reporting from Haiti about the influx of US soldiers.
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Luxury Cruise Ship Docks On Private Haitian Beach,... →
This is an interesting situation. They dropped off 40 pallets of aid supplies, and the cruise line is promising to donate proceeds from the visit to help Haitians…
But that doesn’t change the fact that just a few miles from tens of thousands of dead and dying people in the rubble of the cities of Haiti — and literally millions of injured, homeless, and starving Haitians that are...
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“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for...”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but...”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“And the other thing is many of the despot mullahs keep the people illiterate,...”
– Greg Mortenson
Mortenson’s story is pretty amazing.
(via unburyingthelead)
I just recently heard about Greg Mortenson. I really want to read his book Stones Into Schools… he seems like a pretty amazing person.
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Haiti Text Donation Campaigns Face 90-Day Delays... →
Text-to-give campaigns have gone viral in the two days following the massively destructive 7.0 earthquake in Haiti on Jan. 12. The immediacy of texting makes it incredibly easy for those following the quake from afar to show their support by adding a small amount to their cell phone bills (especially in the U.S., where the two major campaigns are based). But at this point, it’s far from...
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“China, like other countries, manages its Internet according to the law.”
– Jiang Yu, spokeswoman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in response to questions about Google)
Because outlawing information protects the people.
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Putin Considers Flipping America the Bird on... →
“If some foreign suppliers do not want, or are unable to observe our safety demands, then we will have to use other sources (of supply),” Putin said.
“One should not look for any political issues behind this,” he told a meeting on prospects of Russian poultry breeding held in a village in northwestern Russia.
Russia’s consumer protection watchdog has imposed from...
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“By definition, such caring, like the televised images that so often engender it,...”
– David Rieff, A Bed For the Night: Humanitarianism in Crisis
A worthwhile point to consider. Despite my anger at his pessimism, Rieff has some very smart things to say.