Alexander Cockburn - There’s a Cancer on the Presidency, Called Barack Obama

Never trust a president who claims he reads himself to sleep with the help of Marcus Aurelius. That was Bill Clinton, who claimed this thundering imperial bore never strayed far  from his hand.

Most certainly view with profound suspicion a president who professes to be  guided in his conduct in grave moral matters by Augustine and Aquinas, two very different characters. Just as civilization would have profited if the rope lowering St Paul to the ground from that tower in Damascus had broken fifty feet up, a death in the cradle for Augustine would have spared humanity much horror from his poisonous doctrines on original sin and other matters.

Aquinas was a different matter. A jovial fellow, among other things he loved fresh herring, and when he was dying he asked for some. At this point a fishing boat in the Mediterranean hauled an unprecedented netful  of herring and the unexpected catch was slated for a while as the second miracle required for Thomas’ canonization.

The excellent, astounding  New York Times story by Jo Becker and Scot Shane published on May 29 and vigorously discussed on this site by Ralph Nader, says that Obama decided to take personal control of the White House’s secret and unconstitutional death list after reading Augustine and Aquinas. “A student of writings on war by Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, he believes that he should take moral responsibility for such actions. And he knows that bad strikes can tarnish America’s image and derail diplomacy.” Notice how the paragraph devolves rapidly  from moral duty to pr.

Read More:

http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/06/01/theres-a-cancer-on-the-presidency-called-barack-obama/

Col. Ann Wright - Turkish Court Indicts Senior Israeli Military Officials in Murders on Gaza Flotilla

On the Second Anniversary of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, Turkish Court Indicts Senior Israeli Military Officials in Murders of Nine Passengers

Two years ago I was a passenger on the first Gaza Freedom Flotilla which was sailing to break the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza. I watched from a small boat called the Challenger 1, as a much larger boat, the Mavi Marmara, with almost 600 passengers, was brutally attacked by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) commandos. 30 minutes later, our boat was attacked.

Using snipers from helicopters Israeli commandos shot many of the passengers on the exposed top deck of the ship. Other commandos in boats fired live ammunition, as well as percussion grenades, into all levels of the ship. As commandos repelled down from helicopters and boarded the ship, they executed at point blank range 5 passengers, including a 19 year old American citizen Furkan Dogan, whose body had five bullets including one to the back of his head. 9 persons, 8 Turkish citizens and one American citizen, were murdered and 50 others were wounded. One severely wounded Turkish man later died after being in a coma for many months.

Each of the six ships in the flotilla was attacked by IDF commandos. Passengers on the ships were shot with tasers and beaten by commandos. Potentially lethal paintballs were shot into the faces of passengers narrowly missing eyes and soft parts of the skull.

IDF commandos took the computers, cameras, identification and credit cards and several hundred thousands of dollars in cash from the passengers. IDF commandos sold many of the stolen computers. Very few of the items taken by the IDF have been returned to passengers.

Read More:

http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=31228

John Cavanagh and Robin Broad - What Comes Next?: Building on Occupy and the 99% Spring

Where does the Occupy movement turn next? Can social movements build on its momentum? Will protest and new forms of mobilization create change to transform the economy to one that works for people and the planet?

When would-be Occupiers pitched the first tents in New York’s Zuccotti Park eight months ago, hand-written signs declaring “we are the 99%” grabbed the public imagination. This 99 percent reality—millions of young people saddled with student debt joining the jobless and homeless to confront an increasingly vulnerable and bleak future—suddenly had a face and a voice that resonated across the nation and around the world. 

So too were observers struck by the novelty and creativity of Occupiers able to make decisions by consensus, posing a stark contrast to a U.S. Congress where decisions seemed increasingly to be bought and sold by and for the one percent. Across the United States, thousands of encampments echoed the core message: a healthy society was a more equal society and Wall Street’s lock on our economy and our politics had to be broken. 

In dozens of cities, actions reinforced this message as the victims of this unjust system started to fight back with verve and effectiveness. In some cities, occupiers stood guard in front of foreclosed homes to block banks from evicting inhabitants. In others, occupiers urged people to “move their money” from Wall Street banks to locally-rooted credit unions and community development financial institutions. From Washington, D.C., a 22-year-old, indebted college graduate named Molly Katchpole catalyzed such an outcry against outrageous bank fees that some banks retreated and cancelled the fees. Even as mayors and university administrators closed down encampments, Occupiers found new spaces to continue their general assemblies and plan local actions.

Read More:

http://www.yesmagazine.org/blogs/john-cavanagh-and-robin-broad/what-comes-next-building-on-occupy-and-99-spring?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+yes%2Fmost-recent-articles+%28Most+Recent+Articles+and+Blogs+-+YES%21+magazine%29

Hugo Duncan - 'Beware a rerun of the Great Panic of 2008': Head of World Bank warns Europe is heading for 'danger zone' as world markets suffer bleakest day of the year so far

The head of the World Bank yesterday warned that financial markets face a rerun of the Great Panic of 2008.

On the bleakest day for the global economy this year,  Robert Zoellick said crisis-torn Europe was heading for the ‘danger zone’.

Mr Zoellick, who stands down at the end of the month after five years in charge of the watchdog, said it was ‘far from clear that eurozone leaders have steeled themselves’ for the looming  catastrophe amid fears of a Greek exit from the single currency and meltdown in Spain.

The flow of money into so-called ‘safe havens’ such as UK, German and US government debt turned into a stampede yesterday.

In Berlin the two-year government bond yield fell below zero for the first time, with the bizarre result that jittery international investors are now  paying – rather than being paid – for lending to Germany.

There was a raft of dismal economic news from around the world, with manufacturing output falling in Britain and Europe, unemployment jumping in the eurozone and America, and fast-emerging economies such as Brazil and China showing signs of running out of steam.

Read More:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2153324/Markets-facing-rerun-Great-Panic-2008-Head-World-Bank-warns-Europe-heading-danger-zone-bleakest-day-global-economy-year.html

Tom Philpott - How California Could Force the Rest of the U.S. to Label GMO Foods

In November, California voters will decide on a ballot initiative that would require labeling of all foods containing ingredients from genetically modified crops. The initiative made it to the ballot after almost 1 million Californians signed a petition in favor of it—nearly double the 504,760 signatures needed under the state's proposition rules. The campaign that organized the push to get the measure on the ballot focused on possible health effects of GMO foods.

This news will not likely be applauded by my friends over at Crop life America, the main trade group of the GM seed/agrichemical industry. The big GMO crops—corn, soy, sugar beets, and cotton—are processed into sweeteners, fats, and additives used widely by the food industry. Everything from high fructose corn syrup-sweetened Coke to soybean oil-containing Hellman’s would have to bear a label reading something like "Contains GMO ingredients."

That would send a shockwave through the food industry—one that could ultimately be felt on the industrial-scale U.S. farms that have been devoting their land to GMO crops for years, and the companies that profit from selling them patented seeds and matching herbicides. The reason isn't just that California represents an imposing chunk of the U.S. food market. It's also that a food-labeling law that starts in California is unlikely to stay in California.

Read More:

http://www.nationofchange.org/how-california-could-force-rest-us-label-gmo-foods-1338536857

Jeffry John Aufderheide - 7 Trivia Facts About Polio

It’s called the “Gold Standard of Medicine.”

I’m referring to the current vaccine schedule. But is there an apparent hidden catch? Can justification for the aggressive vaccine schedule arguably be traced back to the polio vaccine that is trotted out as proof vaccines work?

If you don’t believe me, question any parent on vaccines. The knee-jerk question in almost every case is, “What about polio?”

Well, what about it? Here I discuss 7 trivia facts for VacTruth.com readers to investigate further about polio and question the motives of those who would profit from vaccines and disease.

Read More:

http://vactruth.com/2012/06/03/7-trivia-facts-about-polio/

Danny Schechter - Beyond Citizens United: Politics Is an Industry, Not Just A Campaign

Listen to Danny weekly on Friday's at 1pm (Eastern) on "The News Dissector."

New York, New York: In theory, American elections traditionally get going after Labor Day, but, as we can see by the daily overkill media “coverage,” polls and constant reporting about who has raised what---to the degree that anyone really knows in the age of SuperPacs--- that the political horses for the 2012 are off and running.

• Lots of the “analysis” seems absurd on its face even as everyone who

• follows politics knows it’s much too early to spot key trends. The race will tighten with what happens in October crucial. Example: the

• recent survey that found—voila-- “cell phone users prefer Obama; landline users like Romney.” All of this reflects the obsession the press and its senior wise men have on reporting domestic politics over all other issues. They are like sports fanatics in this respect.

The candidates have been in motion for years. It‘s known as the “permanent campaign,” an idea attributed to one of Jimmy Carters’s advisors, Pat Cadell, who said in 1979 that just because you have been elected doesn’t mean you stop campaigning,

Click to read more ...

PF Louis - Financial strain may help curb prescription drug use

The economy's decline into an ever widening abyss may have one silver lining: less can be spent on pharmaceutical drugs. With unemployment increasing while menial jobs that are available don't offer insurance, more people will be depending on government insurance programs.

Now some of those programs are looking into increasing or tightening restrictions on what they'll pay out for medical expenses and pharmaceutical drug costs. One proposal not yet put into effect is the undergoing study at Penn State College of Medicine along with Dr. Robert Rosenheck of the Yale School of Medicine.

The ongoing study has thus far made one report regarding off label use of anti-psychotic drugs for patients of less serious psychological or behavioral symptoms. Off label simply means using an FDA approved drug for a purpose other than for what it was approved.

Read More:

http://www.naturalnews.com/036036_prescription_drugs_purchases_money.html

Ethan A. Huff - 'Label It Yourself' campaign urges the People to begin labeling GMOs now

 Rather than continue to put up with endless stonewalling and excuse-making by federal and state governments that refuse to require mandatory labeling of genetically-modified organisms, a massive, grassroots effort is currently underway to spur individuals across the country to begin labeling GMOs right now.

The Label It Yourself (LIY) campaign, which describes itself as a "decentralized, autonomous grassroots campaign born out of our broken food system," is cultivating a nationwide network of concerned individuals that are willing and able to take it to the grocery stores in pursuit of full transparency in food labeling.

The campaign is urging the "99 percent," which of course represents the common man, to download and print labels that say, "Warning, May Contain GMOs," and affix them on various processed and non-organic food products that likely contain GMOs. The 1.5 inch by 1.5 inch stickers, which feature a skull head and two ears of corn, draw attention to the presence of GMOs, and direct consumers to the LIY website.

You can access these GMO warning stickers here: http://labelityourself.org/liy/

Read More:

http://www.naturalnews.com/036051_GMOs_label_it_yourself_activism.html

Blanch Your Weeds, Study Suggests

You don't need to spray weedkiller to remove the weeds between your paving stones. Six treatments throughout the summer with either boiling water, steam or careful flaming will dispatch even the hardiest of unwanted plants. This is the conclusion of a new PhD project from the University of Copenhagen.

Weeds can be killed off with repeated treatments, but it is important that each treatment is dosed correctly.

Basically, every single plant needs to be burned lightly -- or blanched -- and treated frequently.

However, little is achieved if you just treat the weeds superficially by running quickly over the paving stones. The leaves must collapse completely -- and the plant's stem must also be struck by the flames.

Six times a season

Treatment must be repeated up to six times a season. A regime of fewer treatments encourages grass weeds to regrow, while more treatments are not necessarily more effective:

"We have conducted several kinds of experiments since 2004. Controlled field experiments, experiments where we have planted weeds in hard surfaces and then burned them, as well as experiments with 'real' weeds on stones. We have observed that the treatments work. It does not really matter whether you use flaming, steam or boiling water. However, if we only give a few treatments or if we use low doses, the weeds quickly reappear. Very low doses can even stimulate grass growth. This is also the case with many herbicides," says Anne Merete Rask, PhD from Forest & Landscape, Faculty of Life Sciences at the University ofCopenhagen.

Read More:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120531102340.htm