(2019-01-06). Addressing Urban Pollution, Reversing Climate Change: Electric Vehicles and Hydrogen Powered Cars. globalresearch.ca Increasing gasoline taxes drove the now aggrieved French Yellow Vest movement into the streets to protest the Macron government responding to climate change at the expense of the already economically struggling. Instead, we need to shape climate solutions to improve …
(2019-01-06). Ancient 'Flayed Lord' Temple Ruins Found in Mexico. telesurenglish.net A shrine dedicated to the 'Flayed Lord' Xipe Tóte was discovered in the ancient ruins known as Ndachjian–Tehuacán in Puebla state, central Mexico, it was announced this past week. | RELATED: | The Pilgrimage for Guadalupe-Tonantzin, Lady Covered by Snakes | The ruins, built by the Popoloca Indians – an indigenous peoples located in the southeastern regions of Veracruz and Oaxaca, were home to arguably some of the most barbaric murders ever witnessed. | The discoveries of tw…
(2019-01-06). In the Face of Climate Disaster, Washington Post Advocates Suicidal Approach. truthdig.com 
The Washington Post ( 12/8/18) argues that "Mr. Hogan's plan…makes sense," given that "car usage nationally is expanding at roughly twice the rate of population growth." | As world leaders gathered in Poland for the UN climate conference, the Washington Post threw its support behind a $9 billion plan to add over 100 miles of toll lanes to Maryland highways in the traffic-choked DC region. The Post offered its hearty i…
(2019-01-06). Central Coast Amah Mutsun Tribal Relearning Program. indybay.org Live oak Grange 1900 17th Ave, Santa Cruz…
(2019-01-06). Canadian Government Of Trudeau And Its Murder Of Animals, Destruction Of Environment. indybay.org Seal clubbing, trophy hunting profiteering, cattle ranching, dairy product marketing, collateral damage of war, dearth of animal protection laws for lab animals or animals factory farmed or in cattle ranches etc by Canada…
(2019-01-06). Fed Gov Shutdown & SF Hunters Point Treasure Island Whistleblowers Face Cover-up/Corruption. indybay.org KPFA WorkWeek radio covers the government shutdown and threats to our public services and health and safety in the air transportation system. Next it looks at the growing scandal and cover-up of the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard and Treasure Island cleanup. Over $1 billion has been spent to supposedly remediate the sites but there continue to be dangerous radioactive contamination and Tetra Tech and Test American fired OSHA and health and safety whistleblowers. The program looks at the failure of the San Francisco Department of Public Health and California State Department of Public Health that will now be run by…
(2019-01-06). Thailand: Allow Fleeing Saudi Woman to Seek Refuge. hrw.org (Bangkok) — Thailand authorities should immediately halt the planned deportation of a Saudi woman who says she is fleeing domestic abuse and fears for her safety if forcibly returned to Saudi Arabia, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should also allow her unrestricted access to make a refugee claim with the Bangkok office of the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) and should respect UNHCR's decision under the agency's protection mandate. | Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, 18, told Human Rig…
(2019-01-06). Louisiana Sheriff Ordered to Releases Records on Visit to Standing Rock. truthout.org On December 27, a state appeals court ordered a Louisiana's sheriff's department and its sheriff to release information about its officers' trip to North Dakota during the heated protests against the Dakota Access pipeline in 2016. The extended, Indigenous-led protests near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation drew a highly militarized response from public a…
(2019-01-05). Why the Climate Change Message Isn't Working. commondreams.org Satellite image of Hurricane Florence swirling in the Atlantic Ocean as it approached the U.S. coastline on September 18, 2018. (Photo: CIRA/RAAMB) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/florence_is_huge.jpg…
(2019-01-05). Ocasio-Cortez Proposes 70 Percent Tax on Mega-Rich to Pay for "Green New Deal" truthout.org Newly elected Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), the youngest woman ever elected to the US Congress, told Anderson Cooper that high tax rates on the super-rich would help fund the ambitious plan to combat the threat of climate change known as the "Green New Deal." | In an upcoming 60 Minutes interview, set to air this Sunday, the 29-year-old Democratic socialist says the "Green New Deal," which aims to eliminate carbon emissions within 12 years, is "going to require a lot of rapid change that we don't even conceive as possible right now." | "What is the problem with trying to push our technological capaciti…
(2019-01-04). Headlines for January 4, 2019. democracynow.org 116th Congress Sworn In as Nancy Pelosi Elected House Speaker, House Democrats Adopt PAYGO Austerity Spending Rule, House Democrats Approve New Ethics Rules, Form Climate Committee, Trump Repeats Border Wall Demands as Gov't Shutdown Enters 14th Day, Trump Admin Wants to Send More Troops to U.S.-Mexico Border, Brazil: President's Assault on Indigenous Rights Threatens Amazon, Mexico: Mayor Assassinated Hours After Taking Office, Trump Administration Threatens Iran over Its Space Program, Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke Faces Criminal Inquiry, Google Uses "Double Irish Dutch Sandwich" Scheme to Avoid Taxes, P…
(2019-01-04). Tribal Nationalism vs Global Unity. counterpunch.org Change, discontent and uncertainty are some of the most prominent characteristics of the times. These interconnected terms are routinely used to describe global affairs and are key factors animating the global protest movement as well as the growing tide of nationalism: Both movements arise from the same seed, one is progressive and in harmony with More
(2019-01-04). On Pocahontas: Democrats, Press Must Stop Playing Into the Master Manipulator's Hands. counterpunch.org The day after Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced that she was launching an exploratory committee for the 2020 presidential race, National Public Radio reported that President Donald Trump had responded to the news by again referring to the Massachusetts senator as "Pocahontas" and ridiculing her recent attempt to prove her Native American ancestry via a DNA More
(2019-01-04). Within Hours of Taking Office, "Trump of the Tropics" Starts Assault on the Amazon. commondreams.org We must all bear witness to what is happening in the Amazon. For the sake of its people, for the sake of the forest as well as for the sake of the climate. (Valdemir Cunha / Greenpeace) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/amazon_2.jpeg…
(2019-01-04). Our Top Stories of 2018. counterpunch.org What Brett Kanavaugh Really Learned in High School by JoAnn Wypijewski Ghosts in the Propaganda Machine by Jeffrey St. Clair & Joshua Frank Capitalism as an Obstacle to Equality and Democracy by Richard D. Wolff The Mind-Benders: How to Harvest Facebook Data, Brainwash Voters, and Swing Elections by Roberto Gonzales Trump's Travesty of Protectionism by More
(2019-01-04). As Most Diverse Congress in History Takes Office, Dems Push to End Shutdown Without Funding for Wall. democracynow.org 
The 116th Congress made history Thursday, swearing in the most diverse group of lawmakers ever and more than 100 women in the House, including the first two Native American women, the first two Latina women from Texas and the first two Muslim women. The first-ever African-American women congressmembers from Connecticut and Massachusetts were sworn in, as was Colorado's first-ever African-American member of Congress. The first-ever and now second female House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and House Democrats sought to end the government shutdown as their first order of business, passing a package of spending bills that w…
(2019-01-03). If You Pave It, They Will Come – As climate teeters, Washington Post pushes for more highway. fair.org As world leaders gathered in Poland for the UN climate conference, the Washington Post threw its support behind a $9 billion plan to add over 100 miles of toll lanes to Maryland highways in the traffic-choked DC region. The Post offered its hearty initial support, despite the fact that studies show adding more lanes …
(2019-01-03). When "green" doesn't "grow" mronline.org 
The onslaught of extreme weather and the increasingly stark scientific assessment leave no doubt that we face an ecological and civilizational emergency. But in the year since COP23 in Bonn, Germany, a constant stream of headlines and reports have confirmed that governments are not on track to meet their climate commitments. | Source
(2019-01-03). Headlines for January 3, 2019. democracynow.org Democrats Take Back House with Historic Firsts, Dems to Vote on Contested PAYGO Rule, Which Restricts Gov't Spending, Dems to Vote on Plan That Funds Gov't Without Border Wall Funding, Shutdown Takes Toll on on Native American Communities, Trump Takes Aim at Mattis, Praises Kim Jong-un in Cabinet Meeting, Trump Takes Takes Credit for Markets, China Trade Relations, India: 2 Women Enter Hindu Temple After Centuries of Denied Access for Women, Mali: Gunmen Kill 37 Civilians Amid Mounting Ethnic Tensions, Russia: U.S. Citizen Detained on Espionage Charges, Chinese Probe Lands on Far Side of Moon in Historic First, N…
(2019-01-02). As the 115th Congress Ends, Here Are the Important Civil Rights Battles We've Won. aclu.org During the last two years of Trump, ACLU activists have won fights ranging from advancing criminal justice reforms to stopping border wall funding. | The past two years have been challenging times, as we have witnessed attacks on our shared values and civil rights from the Trump White House and a Republican-dominated Congress. It can sometimes feel difficult to make change happen, but even in this hostile climate, ACLU activists helped drive key legislative victories to advance civil liberties during the 115th Congress, which ends on Thursday. As the new Congress is sworn in on Thursday, these victories should re…
(2019-01-02). Proposed Florida law would stop local governments from removing racist Confederate monuments. fightbacknews.org Jacksonville, FL – Pensacola State Representative Mike Hill has introduced a bill in the state legislature, House Bill 97, titled the Soldiers' and Heroes' Monuments and Memorials Protection Act, that would stop local authorities from removing racist confederate monuments. Hill is an African American Republican. Hill acknowledges his lack of support in the Black community. | Todd Wells, an African American member of Take Em Down Jax, a group devoted to removing these monuments to the cause of white supremacy, stated, "The struggle for the removal of Confederate statues has been ongoing since they were e…
(2018-12-31). Noam Chomsky: The Future of Organized Human Life Is At Risk Thanks to GOP's Climate Change Denial. democracynow.org 
As the death toll from the climate change-fueled Camp Fire in California continues to rise and hundreds remain missing, we rebroadcast our conversation about climate change with world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author Noam Chomsky from October. He says Republican Party leaders are dedicated to "enriching themselves and their friends" at the cost of the planet, and warns: "We have to make decisions now which will literally determine whether organized human life can survive in any decent form."
(2018-12-30). Climate Crisis Is "Existential Threat," House Democrats Say — but Protecting Turf Comes First. theintercept.com Rep. Nancy Pelosi in her statement deemed the climate crisis an "existential threat," but her new committee will not have the power to issue subpoenas.
(2018-12-30). How an Undercover Oil Industry Mercenary Tricked Pipeline Opponents Into Believing He Was One of Them. theintercept.com 
A former Marine working for the private security firm TigerSwan infiltrated an array of anti-Dakota Access pipeline groups at Standing Rock and beyond.
(2018-12-30). Canada's Barbaric Policies Toward Native Peoples (2/2). therealnews.com 
MP Niki Ashton tells Paul Jay that Canadian government policy in Indigenous communities must be premised on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including the principle of respect for free, prior, and informed consent in cases of land development
(2018-12-29). Climate Change Refugees Share Stories of Escaping Wildfires, Floods, and Droughts. theintercept.com 
Tens of thousands of U.S. residents were displaced by climate change-fueled disasters in 2018. California saw a string of massive wildfires — from the Mendocino Complex in July, which became the state's largest wildfire on record, to the Camp fire in November, which was the deadliest. Meanwhile, Hurricane Florence, the second rainiest storm in 70 years of U.S. record-keeping, was quickly forgotten as Hurricane Michael slammed into the Gulf Coast, the third strongest ever to make landfall in the U.S. | The survivors of the disasters have resorted to camping in tents in retail parking lots, sleeping on friend…
(2018-12-27). Without Notifying Anyone, ICE Dumps Hundreds of Migrants at El Paso Bus Station Around Christmas. democracynow.org 
U.S. Customs and Border Protection have ordered medical checks on every child in its custody, following the death of two Guatemalan children in recent weeks. On Christmas Eve, an 8-year-old Guatemalan boy named Felipe Gómez Alonzo died in New Mexico while in CBP custody. This follows the death of a 7-year-old indigenous Guatemalan girl, Jakelin Caal Maquín, who died on December 8—also in New Mexico—two days after she and her father presented themselves at the border in a bid for asylum. Meanwhile, authorities in El Paso, Texas, scrambled over the Christmas holiday to assist hundreds of migrant asylum…
(2018-12-24). A "Massive Outlaw" zcomm.org Interview on Single Payer, Climate Devastation, Impeachment…
(2018-12-20). ANC Deputy Julio Escalona: 'The People are Angry Because They Consider that We Aren't Doing Our Job'. venezuelanalysis.com The revolutionary's criticisms came during the passing of 2019's budget, 75% of which is destined for "social protection."
(2018-12-10). Climate movement attracts new generation of activists. greenleft.org.au 
The latter part of 2018 will be remembered for the re-emergence of climate action on the national agenda. | Independent Kerryn Phelps' win in the Wentworth byelection promising "meaningful environmental action" and Labor's subsequent adoption of a 50% renewable energy policy by 2030 has come in the midst of researcher Rebecca Huntley's findings that "climate and environmental concerns" have increasingly become "a test of leadership" for voters. | These centrist platforms, however, have been rightly superseded by the newest base of the climate movement: high school students. | Tired of the "dinosaurs in parliament…
(2018-12-08). Reviving the Nuclear Disarmament Movement: A Practical Proposal. zcomm.org In late November 2018, Noam Chomsky, the world-renowned public intellectual, remarked that "humanity faces two imminent existential threats: environmental catastrophe and nuclear war." Curiously, although a widespread environmental movement has developed to save the planet from accelerating climate change, no counterpart has emerged to take on the rising danger of nuclear disaster. Indeed, this danger‚Äïexemplified Read more…
(2018-12-06). The fightback against Adani and Aurizon steps up. greenleft.org.au 
Adani CEO Lucas Dow's November 29 declaration that work on a scaled-down coalmine in Queensland's Galilee Basin would begin before Christmas was met with one of the most powerful nationwide protests against it so far as primary and high school students walking out of class the next day for the Student Strike 4 Climate Action. | A reported 20,000 students, many of them with their parents and grandparents in tow, took to the streets with a powerful message to Adani and policymakers: ignore us at your peril. | This was followed by a sit-in at Parliament House in Canberra on December 5. | Another round of #StopA…
(2018-12-04). Sorry To Bother You offers rich lessons in seeking radical social change. greenleft.org.au 
Sorry to Bother You
| Written & directed by Boots Riley
| In cinemas now | This review includes mild spoilers. | As an Australian living abroad, incidents of Australians being racist and/or misogynistisic that attract attention from international media outlets are frequently forwarded to me in anticipation of a seething refrain. | My response is typically motivated by a mix of rage and embarrassment, as well as a deep concern for how racial capitalism has been almost completely normalised. I am deeply concerned by the fact that not only is our social and political climate ill-equipped to address racism, i…
(2018-12-03). NSW law will 'lead to a new stolen generation'. greenleft.org.au 
Another stolen generation appears certain to be created in NSW, after the Coalition government passed a new adoption law making it easier for a child to be adopted by a foster family without parental consent. | The new adoption law, Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Amendment Bill, passed on November 22 despite fierce opposition, imposes a two-year limit on fostering a child. The Children's Court now has the power to decide whether a birth parent should be rei…
(2018-12-02). Debunking the Times on Bush I:s foreign policy record. zcomm.org Below is a list of the most blatant pieces of deception concerning George H.W. Bush's foreign policy record, reported in Adam Nagourney's commemorative NYT piece. Nagourney writes that "Environmental groups praised Mr. Bush's record on climate change and the environment. As president, he signed the United States to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Read more…
(2018-12-01). Eight new books for ecosocialists. greenleft.org.au 
Climate and Capitalism editor Ian Angus offers up eight new books as recommended reading for ecosocialists. Inclusion does not imply agreement with a book's contents. | ***
1. The Biofuels Deception: Going Hungry on the Green Carbon Diet
| By Okbazghi Yohannes
| Monthly Review Press, 2018 | Eliminating fossil fuels is essential, but biofuels have far more to do with sating profit-hungry corporations than saving the Earth. Combining meticulous scientific narrative with devastating economic analy…
(2018-12-01). A true people's artist. greenleft.org.au 
Rock & Roll Harbour
| Exhibition by The Shop Gallery
| 112 Glebe Point Road, Glebe
| Thurs January 3 — Wed Jan 9 | Peter Gow is the people's artist. | His ouvre is driven by his down-to-earth, inner-city environment such as boathouses and the heritage-listed Sydney Harbour Bridge in various attitudes, all of which feature prominently in this exhibition. | Gow is a qualified electrician and builder as well, very handy for making the frames in his spare time that embrace his art. | His deep, rich, contrasting colours leap from his palette onto the canvas. His short brush strokes create a palindrom…
(2018-10-18). Nuclear Power & Climate. zcomm.org The great environmental challenge of our time is to understand that the many sources of biodestruction are interconnected and must be confronted simultaneously, rather than disparaging one danger to focus on another…