Social Justice News 11-10-06

(Note, the last two social justice newsletters haven't been posted here due to technical problems.)

Hey everyone,

Good times are here again. That’s what the Dems are singing at any rate, after the elections on Tuesday. They even won some state seats here in Alabama. I’m not going to go into it too much below, because I’m sure everyone knows all about it and what it means by this point. I’m instituting another change this week. (Tired of them yet? LOL.) I’m going to create a new section just for good news. I know folks get tired of reading all the bad Social Justice News (including me), so I’m going to start this section. I promise to try and have at least one story in it each week, though I can’t guarantee more than that! Under the category of what were they thinking, last week our esteemed government accidentally posted a bunch of important military papers on a public website –including the complete instructions for how to build an atomic bomb! (Hello? How far have they dropped the standards for military intelligence? I know it was an oxymoron to begin with, but still!) The link’s been closed down by now of course –but not before the papers were copied and spit out all over the web. You would think all that money spent on “Homeland Security” would have been put to good use, but oh well.

I’ve been a bit sick this week. I lost my voice entirely for a couple of days but its now just starting to come back. As of today I am still unemployed, so if anyone knows of any job openings, send them my way, would you please? I would really appreciate it.
Now to the news.

GOOD NEWS
A Growing Trend: Literally. This story discusses the increasing popularity of local and organic produce.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/05/AR2006110500887.html

On The March: A huge rally to stop climate change took place in Britain this week.
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article1953695.ece

Green Roofs Popping Up All Over: More and more green roofs are being built all over –including in Maine!
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/local/061106roof.html

Katrina Cottages: These are pretty cool, and a good reaction to the McMansion trend.
http://realestate.msn.com/buying/Article_CSM.aspx?cp-documentid=1209895&GT1=8800

CLIMATE CHANGE
Not a Hurricane: But almost. It was a ‘subtropical’ storm. Wonder why you didn’t see this on CNN or The Weather Channel? Hmm, now who wants to be the reporter to tell an all ready spooked country that what appears to be a hurricane is off the coast of –Oregon? Repeat after me: It’s not a hurricane, it’s not a hurricane. Climate change isn’t real, climate change isn’t real.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/shownh.php3?img_id=13951

Worst Drought in 1,000 years: Australia is withering under this drought, which shows no sign of ending soon. As Australia is expected to be one of the losers of climate change overall, it might become completely uninhabitable by the majority of its current residents soon. See Jared Diamond’s section on Australia in his book Collapse for a detailed summary of the problems facing our friends Down Under.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/australia/story/0,,1941942,00.html

It’s Hard to Explain, Tom: A mythical (and chilling letter) from the author to a future grandchild, trying to explain the lack of action on climate change.
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1106-22.htm

A Hard Way, But One That Will Work: This story sets out some serious ideas that would work in the battle against global warming. However, most of these don’t have a snowbell’s chance in hell of being widely adopted, at least now voluntarily.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-2437530,00.html

Evangelical Sermon on Global Warming: I never thought I’d see evangelicals getting on board with environmentalists, but hey, I ain’t complaining.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1109/p13s01-lire.html

It’s Not My Fault: So say the world’s worst offenders, including the U.S.
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/110106EA.shtml

Hardest Hit: Africa, all ready suffering so much, will be the biggest loser of global warming.
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article1959047.ece

POLITICS
He Admits It!!!!! This week Bush acknowledged the link between Iraq and oil for the first time. Next thing you know, he’ll be telling the truth the first time around. Not!
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/110506Z.shtml

Forget Red vs. Blue: How your state votes may have more to do with the number of Wal-marts in it than the number of churches.
http://www.alternet.org/story/43972/

San Francisco Values: Hip hip hooray for Speaker Pelosi! (Sorry I couldn’t resist.) This commentator, who refers to Pelosi as “one tough woman” (she’d have to be, to take on Bush and company head-on) outlines her agenda for the first 100 hours of the new house session and also defines the phrase “San Francisco Values” that the Republicans have been bandying about: marriage equality, a decent minimum wage, universal healthcare, a lower than average poverty rate, impeachment of Bush and Cheney. Sounds good to me. No wonder the GOP are scared!
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=515662

O’Reilly Has Details of Women’s Abortions: Okay, someone explain to me how a tv talkshow host got something this personal, and why he hasn’t been arrested for it!
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/15931493.htm

Rumsfeld Must Go!: What’s more shocking than the Army Times calling for the resignation of the Secretary of Defense? The Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Times all calling for the same thing –and all on the same day! I agree –toss the bum out, along with his cronies GW and Cheney.
http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2333360.php

Water: The World’s Biggest Problem: Okay, so sewage, sanitation, and clean water may not be the glitziest ‘problems’ in the world today, but when you have 5,000 kids dying from lack of drinking water every 24 hours, and others going to school next to dungheaps twenty feet high, it’s time for people to wake up and quit ignoring the problem.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/article1962786.ece

Israel Accused of State Terrorism at the UN Security Council: This didn’t get press coverage here (gee, I wonder why), but it’s about time someone stood up. Warning: This particular link is to Al Jazeera, so be careful about opening it on corporate networks, or you might end up wearing an orange jumpsuit.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/9DB7DCAA-C83A-42CF-A2A8-D77602AD2051.htm

POLLUTION
Brain Damage from Pollution: Millions of kids may have suffered brain damage from exposure to all the toxic chemicals present in the modern world. And we wonder what’s causing the explosion of autism and other disorders? Hmm, let me see, what is one plus one again?
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8122-2442654,00.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/11/07/health/webmd/main2161153.shtml
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1108-08.htm

How’s that rocket fuel taste?: Perchlorate, one of the main solid rocket fuels in use, has been found in the drinking water of many different states. Gee, that gives a whole new meaning to the song ‘Running on Rocket Fuel’, now doesn’t it?
http://www.organicconsumers.org/perchlorate.htm

Environment
Eco-Rage: We’ve all heard of road rage, but eco rage? Hmm, without commenting on the overall morality of it, I think I can safely say that if more people were enlightened enough to have ‘eco-rage’ there wouldn’t be a need for it!
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=ec69320d-9c7c-4c1b-acf3-5853803777bc

Kansas Water Problem: The Ogallala Aquifer is running dry –and draining the nation’s breadbasket with it.
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/101606EB.shtml

OTHER
City Design Causes Diseases: Sure, our cities may be car-friendly and easy to get around, but it turns out that’s part of the problem!
http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/story.php?artid=2353

Worst Blackout in 30 Years: Europe had the worst blackout its had in over 30 years this week. Why? Because they shut down some key transmission lines so a luxury cruise liner could pass. Um, yeah, that’s fair I think.
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article1959048.ece

Website of the Week: The google directory for Voluntary Simplicity. http://www.google.com/Top/Society/Lifestyle_Choices/Voluntary_Simplicity/

UU Joke of the Week: This is from Michael Feldman’s What Do You Know. I heard it on NPR last weekend. Can anyone say we have an image problem?

(In the middle of along monologue on hunting in Minnesota.):
Here in Minnesota we always lose a lot of Unitarians during hunting season. It’s nothing deliberate, mind. We’ve nothing against Unitarians. They’re nice enough folk. But they don’t know anyone who knows anyone who knows anyone whose cousin knows someone who hunts. They like to go out in the woods in their Birkenstocks with their looking glasses and try to spot the pelleted tail woodpecker and other rare birds, and so on and so forth. Then they do that in hunting season, and the next thing they know they’re in Unitarian heaven –which is just like Cambridge, but with no anger, no tears, and no animal products.


Have a good weekend everybody!