Nobel Peace Prize Jury Under Investigation

Today marks the 2012 deadline for nominations for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, but as the prize committee meets this year to discuss what individual or group has "done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace," they will be under heightened scrutiny to be sure their choice fulfills the original intent of its founder, Albert Nobel.

The reason for the heightened pressure rests on an investigation by the Stockholm County Administrative Board of the committee's recent choices prompted by 'persistent complaints' by author and peace researcher, Fredrik Heffermehl, and roundly criticized choices by the committee in recent years -- most notably US President Barack Obama, a war commander governing over numerous military conflicts at the time he was awarded the auspicious "peace" prize in 2009.

Read More:

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/02/02-1

ACTA: “Usurps Congressional Authority”, “Threatens Numerous Public Interests”, “Backroom Special Interest Deal”, a “Masquerade"

We just beat back SOPA and PIPA with the web blackout.

Now everyone is talking about ACTA. But – because ACTA is complicated, and is just starting to receive coverage – most are not sure exactly what ACTA really is, or why we should be concerned about it.

We’ll give you an executive summary of what you need to know.

Instead of giving you the specifics about what’s actually in the bill (we provide links at the end for those who want to know), we’ll explain why the procedure used is a recipe for disaster.

Why are we stressing procedure over substance?

Because, as awful as ACTA is, there are other horrible bills such as the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement waiting in the wings … which may be even worse than ACTA.

Read More:

http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=28958

Danny Schechter - Remember Rousseau: Property Rights and Human Rights Are Still At War

Listen to Danny's show (The News Dissector) every Friday at 1pm(ET) only on PRN.fm.

The conflict between property rights and human rights has entered a new chapter. It is a debate that goes back to the challenge by landowners and merchants behind the American Revolution’s war on British control over the colonial economy.

Only today, as those speaking in the name of the 99% challenge the super wealthy of the 1% (actually the .001 %) there is a new battleground in what’s known as the housing market with as many as 14 million Americans in or facing foreclosure.

The defense of property rights is the holy of the holies for the propertied classes with a whole industry set up to enforce their claims of ownership.

Read More:

http://www.disinfo.com/2012/01/remember-rousseau-property-rights-and-human-rights-are-still-at-war/

FBI Wants New App to Wiretap the Internet

The FBI's Strategic Information and Operations Center (SOIC) posted a 'Request for Information (RFI)' online last week seeking companies to build a social network monitoring system for the FBI. The 12-page document (.pdf) spells out what the bureau wants from such a system and invites potential contractors to reply by February 10, 2012.

It says the application should provide information about possible domestic and global threats superimposed onto maps "using mash-up technology".

It says the application should collect "open source" information and have the ability to:

Read More:

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/01/26-3

Tom Leonard - That's one way to cut crime! Californian city pipes BIRDSONG on to the streets to calm citizens

A desert city in California claims it has dramatically cut crime by piping birdsong from the English hedgerows onto its streets.

Mayor R Rex Parris, who commissioned the recordings from a Surrey-based sound consultant, claims the birdsong is calming the citizens of Lancaster by altering the chemicals in the brain.

Residents of Lancaster have been treated to the restful twittering of robins, wrens, tits and blackbirds for the past 10 months after Mr Parris installed more than 70 speakers in the town.

The warbles and twitters, mixed with soft synthesiser tones and water sounds, is broadcast five hours a day along a once crime-infested half-mile stretch of Lancaster Boulevard.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2088129/Californian-city-Lancaster-pipes-BIRDSONG-England-streets.html#ixzz1kbyp9eWM

Office Workers Spend Too Much Time at Their Desks, Experts Say

In a typical working week, people spend on average 5 hours and 41 minutes per day sitting at their desk and 7 hours sleeping at night. Prolonged sitting at your desk is not only bad for your physical health, but potentially your mental well-being.

These are some of the key findings of research being presented  the 13th of January, by Dr Myanna Duncan, Mr. Aadil Kazi and Professor Cheryl Haslam from the Work & Health Research Centre, Loughborough University, to delegates at the British Psychological Society's Annual Occupational Conference, at the Crowne Plaza, Chester.

Nearly 70% of employees surveyed did not meet recommended guidelines for physical activity; interestingly 50% of people surveyed aged 50 years and under, failed to meet these guidelines.

Read More:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120113210203.htm

Rick Nauert - “Herd” Mentality Explained

A new research study sheds light on a behavior that is consistent among many species – that is, making decisions based upon the actions of others.

Scientists at the University of Leeds believe they may have found why humans flock like sheep and birds, subconsciously following a minority of individuals.

Researchers discovered that it takes a minority of just five per cent to influence a crowd’s direction – and that the other 95 per cent follow without realizing it.

The findings could have major implications for directing the flow of large crowds, in particular in disaster scenarios, where verbal communication may be difficult.

“There are many situations where this information could be used to good effect,” says Professor Jens Krause of the University’s Faculty of Biological Sciences.

Read More:

http://psychcentral.com/news/2008/02/15/herd-mentality-explained/1922.html

Bill Quigley - Working and Poor in the USA

“Our nation, so richly endowed with natural resources and with a capable and industrious population, should be able to devise ways and means of insuring to all our able-bodied men and women, a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.” Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1937

Millions of people in the US work and are still poor. Here are eight points that show why the US needs to dedicate itself to making work pay.

One. How many people work and are still poor?

In 2011, the US Department of Labor reported at least 10 million people worked and were still below the unrealistic official US poverty line, an increase of 1.5 million more than the last time they checked. The US poverty line is $18,530 for a mom and two kids. Since 2007 the numbers of working poor have been increasing. About 7 percent of all workers and 4 percent of all full-time workers earn wages that leave them below the poverty line.

Read More:

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/01/19-4

The Gentle Barn: Karma's Reunion

I believe in animal rights, and high among them is the right to the gentle stroke of a human hand. ~Robert Brault

Lauren Kelley - The 5 Most Outrageous Examples of Hidden Charges Companies Pass Off on Consumers -- And How to Fight Back

It seems like consumers are being squeezed from every angle these days. Our grocery bills are getting larger and other expenses going through the roof at the same time that many of us are losing jobs and having to downsize.

The Occupy Wall Street movement has helped spur a national dialogue about the financial sector’s role in the erosion of the U.S. middle class. But Wall Street mega banks aren’t the only corporations that have swindled American citizens; many of the companies we rely on for our food, transportation, and communication needs are also treating consumers unfairly by saddling them with a plethora of hidden fees and surcharges.

In 2006, the average U.S. adult paid $942 each year in hidden fees, according to research conducted by the Ponemon Institute. Six years later, it’s unlikely that this number has gone down. If anything, industries that took a financial hit during the recession are passing more fees onto consumers than ever, regardless of whether they’ve recovered.

A comprehensive list of the sneaky fees companies palm off on consumers could go on forever, but here are five particularly egregious examples that every consumer should be aware of – followed by a list of ideas for fighting back.

Read More:

http://www.alternet.org/story/153769/the_5_most_outrageous_examples_of_hidden_charges_companies_pass_off_on_consumers_--_and_how_to_fight_back