Daily Archives: October 18, 2019

2019-10-18: News Headlines

C.J. Atkins (2019-10-18). Canadian election: How long can Trudeau's Liberals wear a left disguise? peoplesworld.org TORONTO—Justin Trudeau won in 2015 on a left-leaning platform filled with pledges to tax the rich, make elections more democratic, and save the world from climate change. But four years, a number of scandals, and several broken promises later, it's getting harder for his Liberal Party to make Canadians think it's the modern progressive force …

Olivia Rosane (2019-10-18). G7 summit at Trump's Miami resort: Climate change "not on the agenda" peoplesworld.org Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney made two controversial announcements about the 2020 Group of Seven (G7) summit: it will be hosted at one of President Donald Trump's golf resorts in Miami and it won't feature any discussion of the climate crisis. "Climate change will not be on the agenda," Mulvaney told reporters, as The Guardian reported. Mulvaney's …

The Canary (2019-10-18). Extinction Rebellion climate protester scales Big Ben scaffolding. thecanary.co An Extinction Rebellion protester has scaled the scaffolding surrounding Big Ben and draped two banners from the structure.Footage of the stunt circulated on social media showed the climber, who appeared to be dressed as Boris Johnson complete with a blond wig, shirt, tie and jacket.A spokesperson for the group said the climber was 42-year-old tree surgeon Ben Atkinson.He said Atkinson was climbing the tower to "highlight Government inaction on the climate and ecological emergency".The protester, who was also wearing green leggings, draped two signs carrying the group's slogans.The protester scaled the scaffoldin…

Daniel Warner (2019-10-18). Greta the Disturber. counterpunch.org Greta Thunberg has become an international figure. The sixteen-year-old Swedish environmental activist has gone from a lonely student skipping school on Fridays to protest for more action on global warming to being nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. Greta has become a global player. The New York City Board of Education officially excused over More

Liza Featherstone (2019-10-18). Inside Trump's War on Climate Science. thenation.com Inside Trump's War on Climate Science…

Churchill Club (2019-10-18). Data-Driven Insights for Meaningful Climate Solutions. indybay.org Computer History Museum | 1401 North Shoreline Boulevard | Mountain View, CA 94043…

Olivia Alperstein (2019-10-18). Nuclear Weapons are an Existential Threat. counterpunch.org There's a growing awareness now that climate change is an existential threat to humanity. Inspiring movements are demanding solutions, and politicians are scrambling to offer them. That's good. But there's another existential threat that gets a lot less attention: nuclear war. And a new study suggests it's time to pay attention — and eliminate nuclear More

The Canary (2019-10-18). Halloween costumes sold in UK this year 'will contain 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste'. thecanary.co Halloween costumes sold by some of the UK's biggest retailers will contain the equivalent of 83 million plastic bottles, a study suggests. | An investigation of 324 clothing lines sold by 19 retailers by the environmental charity Hubbub and nature charity The Fairyland Trust found that 83% of the material in the costumes is oil-based plastic. | The most common plastic polymer found in the clothing sampled was polyester, making up 69% of the total of all materials. | The study predicts that the costumes will add up to 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste in the UK this year. | Both charities are urging families to avoid…

susan_p (2019-10-18). Danish Red-Green Alliance congress — Organising for climate and social justice. greenleft.org.au Dick NicholsIssue 1241 DenmarkOctober 18, 2019Denmark's Red-Green Alliance (RGA) held its 30th congress in Copenhagen on October 5-6, in a political context that contrasted strongly with that of its previous congress. | Eighteen months ago the party's 300-plus congress delegates were preparing for a general election they hoped would lift the RGA into the role of main challenger to the Social Democrats for he…

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-10-18). Extinction Rebellion Faces Backlash Over 'Self-Defeating' Disruption of London Public Transit. commondreams.org "Everyone can relate to the annoyance of a delayed commute, but the people who suffer the worst consequences are society's most vulnerable." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/extinction_rebellion_london_0.jpg

Jeffrey St. Clair (2019-10-18). Roaming Charges: Where's the Beef With Billionaires? counterpunch.org Another Democratic debate, another wasted day and wasted night. These episodes of tedium and mental torment might be more tolerable on LSD. The problem is that they last longer than the average acid trip and you wouldn't want to risk coming down to the sound of Kamala Harris' hectoring voice. That would be a hard landing, indeed. More

Robert Hunziker (2019-10-17). Extinction Rebellion Sweeps the World. dissidentvoice.org Extinction Rebellion, XR est. October 31, 2018, has become a powerful force across the globe, almost overnight!!! It is the fastest-growing environmental movement ever. As such, it is only too obvious that "people get it" when it comes to climate change/global warming because they're jumping aboard like swarms of locusts. In fact, XR's truthful exposure …

Eds. (2019-10-17). Denmark's Red-Greens: what answers when the climate crisis shakes up politics? mronline.org In 2007, Sà∏ndergaard was elected as a Member of the European Parliament for the People's Movement against the European Union (EU). After resigning this position in 2014, he won election to the Danish parliament in 2015 as an RGA MP for Gladsaxe: he was re-elected in the June 5 general election this year. Sà∏ndergaard spoke with Green […] | Source

Martin Hart-Landsberg (2019-10-17). What the New Deal can teach us about winning a Green New Deal: Part V—summing up the New Deal experience. mronline.org Growing awareness of our ever-worsening climate crisis has boosted the popularity of movements calling for a Green New Deal. At present, the Green New Deal is a big tent idea, grounded to some extent by its identification with the original New Deal and emphasis on the need for strong state action to initiate social-system change […] | Source

Fred_F (2019-10-17). Science and the student fight against climate change. greenleft.org.au Climate Neville SpencerIssue 1241 AustraliaOctober 17, 2019Climate scientist James Hansen has put forward a succinct guide to current climate science in Climate Change in a Nutshell: The Gathering Storm. | It was written as an expert report for Juliana v United Sta…

Fred_F (2019-10-17). Spring Rebellion disrupts Melbourne. greenleft.org.au Climate Jacob AndrewarthaIssue 1241 Australia Extinction Rebellion MelbourneOctober 17, 2019About 5000 people participated in a week of disruptive actions organised by Extinction Rebellion (XR)…

Ed Sykes (2019-10-17). Extinction Rebellion 'own goal' shows why climate action needs working-class people at the forefront. thecanary.co During the Thursday morning rush hour, Extinction Rebellion (XR) scored a massive "own goal", according to critics. Because by targeting a Tube train in east London with a protest, an XR activist revealed an apparent disconnect between the movement and ordinary working-class communities. And the situation soon turned ugly as a result. | "Own goal": | The global climate crisis is a massively important issue, and requires urgent action. Business as usual is most certainly not an option. But XR's protest tactic on Thursday was a big misstep that only did harm to the cause. | After climbing on top of a train…

Makasi Motema (2019-10-16). What would a people's impeachment look like? workers.org Our news cycle is dominated by one overwhelming, all-encompassing story. While millions of people in the U.S. suffer without medical coverage, while police in Texas make a habit of entering Black people's homes and murdering them, and while our climate catastrophe looms, it is the palace intrigue of Trump's White . . . | Continue reading What would a people's impeachment look like? at Workers.org

patrick (2019-10-16). #ShutDownDC — What's Next? We've got some ideas… strikedc.org Over the past several months we have seen an unprecedented escalation in our movements for climate justice. On September 20, millions of young people all over the world skipped school to join one of the largest youth-led protests in history. Then on September 23rd, we shut down traffic into the nation's capital during the morning … | Continue reading "#ShutDownDC — What's Next? We've got some ideas…"

Uma Menon (2019-10-16). Where are the Young Voices in the Media? progressive.org Youth activism is clearly on the rise today, particularly in regard to gun control and climate change. Yet the stories about these involvements are hardly ever told by young people.

Aaron Bady (2019-10-16). Jedediah Purdy Has an Idea That Could Save Us From Capitalism and the Climate Crisis. thenation.com Jedediah Purdy Has an Idea That Could Save Us From Capitalism and the Climate Crisis…

Staff (2019-10-16). It Was the Longest Debate So Far, But CNN & NYT Asked No Questions on Climate Crisis & Immigration. democracynow.org Despite ongoing climate chaos and a sustained humanitarian disaster at the southern border, The New York Times and CNN failed to ask candidates directly about immigration or the climate crisis at Tuesday night's Democratic presidential debate. We speak with Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, who says the lack of attention to immigraton "was a major gap in the three-hour debate." We also speak with journalist Kate Aronoff about the debate's failure to address the climate crisis.

Lee Camp (2019-10-15). Just 100 Companies Will Sign Humanity's Death Warrant. mintpressnews.com The 100 corporations actively suffocating us in a blanket of global warming emissions are the same ones that run our government. They have wrapped their tentacles around our politicians, the regulatory agencies and the criminal justice system.

Alleen Brown (2019-10-12). Can Extinction Rebellion Build a U.S. Climate Movement Big Enough to Save the Earth? theintercept.com To members sincere in their belief that a mass-appeal movement is what's needed to quell catastrophe, drawing in front-line communities is life or death.

Steven Higashide (2019-10-10). Demand More from Transportation Bill. progressive.org The new bill "acknowledges" climate change in the same way that sending a pallet of bottled water to Flint, Michigan "acknowledges" the lead crisis.

patrick (2019-09-24). StrikeDC — Friday, September 27. strikedc.org On Monday, 2,000 of us took to the streets of Washington, DC shutting down key intersections and disrupting business as usual to demand an immediate end to the age of fossil fuels, and a swift and just transition to renewable energy. A broad coalition of climate and social justice groups fanned out across downtown D.C. … | Continue reading "StrikeDC — Friday, September 27"

patrick (2019-09-12). We've got a Plan to #ShutDownDC For Climate Justice. strikedc.org "This is definitely a next-level direct action. The urgency of climate change warrants such an attempt to disrupt business as usual… to make it impossible for people with decision making-power to go about their daily lives as if we are not in a climate emergency." That's what the New York Times printed about our plans to #ShutDownDC … | Continue reading "We've got a Plan to #ShutDownDC For Climate Justice"

patrick (2019-08-29). Report Back from #ShutDownDC Kickoff Meeting. strikedc.org Wow! That was an incredible meeting last night. 125 people in the room and 11 solid affinity groups at the #ShutDownDC kick off meeting! We're so inspired to see so many amazing people stepping up to the challenge. The Climate Strike week of action is less than a month away and we have a long … | Continue reading "Report Back from #ShutDownDC Kickoff Meeting"

patrick (2019-08-25). Climate Strike Support Ideas for Labor Unions and Union Members. strikedc.org The vast majority of union contracts include "no strike" clauses where unions promise not to strike until their contract expires (usually 2-4 year terms). Almost all union workers risk getting fired for striking for climate and almost all unions risk legal repercussions if they try to organize such a strike. But there are many ways … | Continue reading "Climate Strike Support Ideas for Labor Unions and Union Members"

CounterSpin (2019-08-16). Ernest Coverson on Guns & Human Rights, Carey Gillam Under Attack From Monsanto. fair.org Media…

2019-10-18: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media!

Greta the Disturber
Daniel Warner | counterpunch.org | 2019-10-18
Greta Thunberg has become an international figure. The sixteen-year-old Swedish environmental activist has gone from a lonely student skipping school on Fridays to protest for more action on global warming to being nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. Greta has become a global player. The New York City Board of Education officially excused over…
counterpunch.org/2019/10/18/greta-the-disturber/

Extinction Rebellion climate protester scales Big Ben scaffolding
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2019-10-18
An Extinction Rebellion protester has scaled the scaffolding surrounding Big Ben and draped two banners from the structure.Footage of the stunt circulated on social media showed the climber, who appeared to be dressed as Boris Johnson complete with a blond wig, shirt, tie and jacket.A spokesperson for the group said the climber was 42-year-old tree surgeon Ben Atkinson.He said Atkinson was climbing the tower to "highlight Government inaction on the climate and ecological emergency".The protester, who was also wearing green leggings, draped two signs carrying the group's slogans.The protester scaled the scaffoldin…
thecanary.co/discovery/environment/2019/10/18/extinction-rebellion-climate-protester-scales-big-ben-scaffolding/

G7 summit at Trump's Miami resort: Climate change "not on the agenda"
Olivia Rosane | peoplesworld.org | 2019-10-18
Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney made two controversial announcements about the 2020 Group of Seven (G7) summit: it will be hosted at one of President Donald Trump's golf resorts in Miami and it won't feature any discussion of the climate crisis. "Climate change will not be on the agenda," Mulvaney told reporters, as The Guardian reported. Mulvaney's …
peoplesworld.org/article/g7-summit-at-trumps-miami-resort-climate-change-not-on-the-agenda/

Canadian election: How long can Trudeau's Liberals wear a left disguise?
C.J. Atkins | peoplesworld.org | 2019-10-18
TORONTO–Justin Trudeau won in 2015 on a left-leaning platform filled with pledges to tax the rich, make elections more democratic, and save the world from climate change. But four years, a number of scandals, and several broken promises later, it's getting harder for his Liberal Party to make Canadians think it's the modern progressive force …
peoplesworld.org/article/canadian-election-how-long-can-trudeaus-liberals-wear-a-left-disguise/

Nuclear Weapons are an Existential Threat
Olivia Alperstein | counterpunch.org | 2019-10-18
There's a growing awareness now that climate change is an existential threat to humanity. Inspiring movements are demanding solutions, and politicians are scrambling to offer them. That's good. But there's another existential threat that gets a lot less attention: nuclear war. And a new study suggests it's time to pay attention — and eliminate nuclear…
counterpunch.org/2019/10/18/nuclear-weapons-are-an-existential-threat/

Inside Trump's War on Climate Science
Liza Featherstone | thenation.com | 2019-10-18
Inside Trump's War on Climate Science…
thenation.com/article/rod-schoonover-climate-science/

Data-Driven Insights for Meaningful Climate Solutions
Churchill Club | indybay.org | 2019-10-18
Computer History Museum | 1401 North Shoreline Boulevard | Mountain View, CA 94043…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/10/17/18827378.php

Halloween costumes sold in UK this year 'will contain 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste'
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2019-10-18
Halloween costumes sold by some of the UK's biggest retailers will contain the equivalent of 83 million plastic bottles, a study suggests. | An investigation of 324 clothing lines sold by 19 retailers by the environmental charity Hubbub and nature charity The Fairyland Trust found that 83% of the material in the costumes is oil-based plastic. | The most common plastic polymer found in the clothing sampled was polyester, making up 69% of the total of all materials. | The study predicts that the costumes will add up to 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste in the UK this year. | Both charities are urging families to avoid…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/2019/10/18/halloween-costumes-sold-in-uk-this-year-will-contain-2000-tonnes-of-plastic-waste/

Danish Red-Green Alliance congress — Organising for climate and social justice
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-10-18
Dick NicholsIssue 1241 DenmarkOctober 18, 2019Denmark's Red-Green Alliance (RGA) held its 30th congress in Copenhagen on October 5-6, in a political context that contrasted strongly with that of its previous congress. | Eighteen months ago the party's 300-plus congress delegates were preparing for a general election they hoped would lift the RGA into the role of main challenger to the Social Democrats for he…
greenleft.org.au/content/danish-red-green-alliance-congress-%E2%80%94-organising-climate-and-social-justice

Extinction Rebellion Faces Backlash Over 'Self-Defeating' Disruption of London Public Transit
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-10-18
"Everyone can relate to the annoyance of a delayed commute, but the people who suffer the worst consequences are society's most vulnerable." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/extinction_rebellion_london_0.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2019/10/18/extinction-rebellion-faces-backlash-over-self-defeating-disruption-london-public?cd-origin=rss

Roaming Charges: Where's the Beef With Billionaires?
Jeffrey St. Clair | counterpunch.org | 2019-10-18
Another Democratic debate, another wasted day and wasted night. These episodes of tedium and mental torment might be more tolerable on LSD. The problem is that they last longer than the average acid trip and you wouldn't want to risk coming down to the sound of Kamala Harris' hectoring voice. That would be a hard landing, indeed.
counterpunch.org/2019/10/18/roaming-charges-wheres-the-beef-with-billionaires/

Extinction Rebellion 'own goal' shows why climate action needs working-class people at the forefront
Ed Sykes | thecanary.co | 2019-10-17
During the Thursday morning rush hour, Extinction Rebellion (XR) scored a massive "own goal", according to critics. Because by targeting a Tube train in east London with a protest, an XR activist revealed an apparent disconnect between the movement and ordinary working-class communities. And the situation soon turned ugly as a result. | "Own goal": | The global climate crisis is a massively important issue, and requires urgent action. Business as usual is most certainly not an option. But XR's protest tactic on Thursday was a big misstep that only did harm to the cause. | After climbing on top of a train…
thecanary.co/discovery/analysis-discovery/2019/10/17/extinction-rebellion-own-goal-shows-why-climate-action-needs-working-class-people-at-the-forefront/

Denmark's Red-Greens: what answers when the climate crisis shakes up politics?
Eds. | mronline.org | 2019-10-17
In 2007, Sà∏ndergaard was elected as a Member of the European Parliament for the People's Movement against the European Union (EU). After resigning this position in 2014, he won election to the Danish parliament in 2015 as an RGA MP for Gladsaxe: he was re-elected in the June 5 general election this year. Sà∏ndergaard spoke with Green […] | Source…
mronline.org/2019/10/16/denmarks-red-greens-what-answers-when-the-climate-crisis-shakes-up-politics/

Extinction Rebellion Sweeps the World
Robert Hunziker | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-10-17
Extinction Rebellion, XR est. October 31, 2018, has become a powerful force across the globe, almost overnight!!! It is the fastest-growing environmental movement ever. As such, it is only too obvious that "people get it" when it comes to climate change/global warming because they're jumping aboard like swarms of locusts. In fact, XR's truthful exposure …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/10/extinction-rebellion-sweeps-the-world/

What the New Deal can teach us about winning a Green New Deal: Part V–summing up the New Deal experience
Martin Hart-Landsberg | mronline.org | 2019-10-17
Growing awareness of our ever-worsening climate crisis has boosted the popularity of movements calling for a Green New Deal. At present, the Green New Deal is a big tent idea, grounded to some extent by its identification with the original New Deal and emphasis on the need for strong state action to initiate social-system change […] | Source…
mronline.org/2019/10/16/what-the-new-deal-can-teach-us-about-winning-a-green-new-deal-part-v-summing-up-the-new-deal-experience/

Science and the student fight against climate change
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2019-10-17
Climate Neville SpencerIssue 1241 AustraliaOctober 17, 2019Climate scientist James Hansen has put forward a succinct guide to current climate science in Climate Change in a Nutshell: The Gathering Storm. | It was written as an expert report for Juliana v United Sta…
greenleft.org.au/content/science-and-student-fight-against-climate-change

Spring Rebellion disrupts Melbourne
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2019-10-17
Climate Jacob AndrewarthaIssue 1241 Australia Extinction Rebellion MelbourneOctober 17, 2019About 5000 people participated in a week of disruptive actions organised by Extinction Rebellion (XR)…
greenleft.org.au/content/spring-rebellion-disrupts-melbourne

#ShutDownDC — What's Next? We've got some ideas
patrick | strikedc.org | 2019-10-16
Over the past several months we have seen an unprecedented escalation in our movements for climate justice. On September 20, millions of young people all over the world skipped school to join one of the largest youth-led protests in history. Then on September 23rd, we shut down traffic into the nation's capital during the morning … | Continue reading "#ShutDownDC — What's Next? We've got some ideas…"
strikedc.org/index.php/2019/10/16/shutdowndc-whats-next-weve-got-some-ideas/

What would a people's impeachment look like?
Makasi Motema | workers.org | 2019-10-16
Our news cycle is dominated by one overwhelming, all-encompassing story. While millions of people in the U.S. suffer without medical coverage, while police in Texas make a habit of entering Black people's homes and murdering them, and while our climate catastrophe looms, it is the palace intrigue of Trump's White . . . | Continue reading What would a people's impeachment look like? at Workers.org
workers.org/2019/10/44049/

Where are the Young Voices in the Media?
Uma Menon | progressive.org | 2019-10-16
Youth activism is clearly on the rise today, particularly in regard to gun control and climate change. Yet the stories about these involvements are hardly ever told by young people.
progressive.org/op-eds/young-voices-in-the-media-menon-191016/

Jedediah Purdy Has an Idea That Could Save Us From Capitalism and the Climate Crisis
Aaron Bady | thenation.com | 2019-10-16
Jedediah Purdy Has an Idea That Could Save Us From Capitalism and the Climate Crisis…
thenation.com/article/jedediah-purdy-interview-this-land-book/

It Was the Longest Debate So Far, But CNN & NYT Asked No Questions on Climate Crisis & Immigration
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-10-16
Despite ongoing climate chaos and a sustained humanitarian disaster at the southern border, The New York Times and CNN failed to ask candidates directly about immigration or the climate crisis at Tuesday night's Democratic presidential debate. We speak with Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, who says the lack of attention to immigraton "was a major gap in the three-hour debate." We also speak with journalist Kate Aronoff about the debate's failure to address the climate crisis.
www.democracynow.org/2019/10/16/no_immigration_questions_in_democratic_debate

Just 100 Companies Will Sign Humanity's Death Warrant
Lee Camp | mintpressnews.com | 2019-10-15
The 100 corporations actively suffocating us in a blanket of global warming emissions are the same ones that run our government. They have wrapped their tentacles around our politicians, the regulatory agencies and the criminal justice system.
mintpressnews.com/just-100-corporations-causing-most-climate-change/262383/

Can Extinction Rebellion Build a U.S. Climate Movement Big Enough to Save the Earth?
Alleen Brown | theintercept.com | 2019-10-12
To members sincere in their belief that a mass-appeal movement is what's needed to quell catastrophe, drawing in front-line communities is life or death.
theintercept.com/2019/10/12/extinction-rebellion-climate-movement-direct-action/

Demand More from Transportation Bill
Steven Higashide | progressive.org | 2019-10-10
The new bill "acknowledges" climate change in the same way that sending a pallet of bottled water to Flint, Michigan "acknowledges" the lead crisis.
progressive.org/op-eds/demand-more-from-transportation-bill-higashide-191010/

StrikeDC — Friday, September 27
patrick | strikedc.org | 2019-09-24
On Monday, 2,000 of us took to the streets of Washington, DC shutting down key intersections and disrupting business as usual to demand an immediate end to the age of fossil fuels, and a swift and just transition to renewable energy. A broad coalition of climate and social justice groups fanned out across downtown D.C. … | Continue reading "StrikeDC — Friday, September 27"
strikedc.org/index.php/2019/09/24/strikedc-friday-september-27/